Boojoyful

Birthday celebrating in my animal slippers because of a foot injury. Didn't phase this group. "Stay" you command your dog. "Stay put" you instruct  your toddler. Maybe the directive is given with encouragement to a co-worker enduring a testy job situation.  There are times in life the command "Stay put and pray" just works. We'd rather hear, "Go!"  God gave that welcome command in Exodus 33:3 "Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey." And in  Joshua 6:4,  "Go" march around Jericho seven times and blow those trumpets!  Yet, God told Israel to "stay put" while they were captives in Babylon.  An angel told Joseph to "stay put" in his engagement to Mary and go ahead and take her as his wife even though she was pregnant. An amazing Moses moment came in Exodus 14:13-15..."Don't be afraid.  Just "stand still" and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will nev

Celebrating my birthday with a long time friend who has loved me through ups and downs. Spoken like a true friend she came in the door, giggled and said, "67! Oh my Boo!"   Back in the day, 50'-60's (ha my grandchildren would say, the 1900's?) there was a fun TV game show called "What's My Line?" Panelist guessed the occupation of a contestant using only "yes" or "no" inquiries. One of these days we will sit before a panel of One at the Bema or Judgement Seat of Christ.  For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done.  Matthew 16:27 There will be no guessing involved for our hearts are fully known to the Lord.  It's a good idea for us to ask the Lord to regularly check the motives of our hearts, our minds, our thoughts.  When we are brutally honest with ourselves and the Lord they can tend to get a bit off kilter. Prove me, O   L

This little 5 year old grandson is our "candy man" at church. He passes out sweet treats each week. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take their refuge in Him.  Psalm 37:39-40 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth author of Abigail writes: "If this story was in a movie theatre, we would expect the hero to take revenge on his enemies as the audience cheered. That's because the world considers  vengeance to be a virtue. But in God's economy, things are different.  Rather than seek vengeance ourselves, we are to recognize it belongs to the Lord."  Vengeance certainly would have occurred had quick thinking Abigail not stepped in. Even though this woman had not read Paul's teaching, as we have in the Romans passage below, God had engrained these qualities in her heart and was prompting her to use them for good. G

This is my latest bundle of love. Sunday there was a word jumping out at me. It was "bundle."  The definitions I came across ranged from: bind, fasten, attach, to control. As a grandmother when I think of bundle, I think of the bundle of love that is wrapped up in a precious baby. The word had appeared on a State Farm commerical during an NFL game where Patrick Mahomes had written BUNDLE in big letters on a white board and then again  in my Bible study lesson in 1 Samuel 25:29. Abigail is speaking with wisdom to David in hopes of deterring him from killing her husand and all their household and allowing God to handle the situation. If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the  Lord  your God. And the lives of your enemies  he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. The New Living Translation puts verse 29 this way: Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life

Snowman pancakes for the overnight at Shiloh win!   Cleaning off my bedside table there sat a stack of old sermon notes.  On one page I looked at Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Beside that I had jotted down a John Piper quote our pastor had shared. "My goal is not to stay alive, my goal is to stay the course." My mind drifted to 39 years ago when we had traveled to Disney World and had the children in the little race cars that were on a metal track.  You couldn't get off course. If your child couldn't steer is was a jerky ride around the track, but you reached your final destination. Do you ever grow weary jerkling along the way of life? In my Bible reading plan we have been in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and now Timothy. Paul had to have grown weary along the way and there were times he wondered if he would ever see the brothers and sisters in the faith again as he'd depart a city, sometimes having to sneak out at night.

  Young love is exciting, but I'll take long lasting love anyday! It was a cold, brrrr, in the teens, one January morning. My husband and I were both awake at 4AM. I asked him to snuggle up beside me and wrap his arm around me.  Then I said, "When I am dying will you hold me like this."  He said, "Yes."  Then I chuckled and said, "Well, I am dying, so you can do it every night." He laughed and said, "You could use that for a lot of things." We are all dying.  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die…  Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a The wages of sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 Jesus came to die. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'—and I am the worst of them all .  1 Timothy 1:15 The Lord awaits the death of Hi

  New Year's Eve the fuses on some extra long sparklers were tough to get lit. Some ignited faster than others.  Such is true of the human fuse and our responses to situations.  Just  think about an airport when flights are cancelled and delayed.  Think about how we respond when a waitress or toddler spills a drink all over our clothing.  These are mild compared to words that fly in relationships, many never able to be restored. Our responses are an overflow of the condition of our hearts.   Luke 6:45 Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth writes..."When we find security in the One who holds our hearts, the Lord changes how we handle circumstances."  Oh, that I could have lived that out at a much earlier age. In the story of Abigail, she is thrust into a situation between two very proud and angry men. 1 Samuel 25:14-31  Her crisis negotiation skills kicked into play using the key tool of discernment. The study uses this definition for discernment. "Showing good or outstanding judgem

Love seeing these two brothers, on the left, hanigng out in Utah It was a double whammy day for me on PrayerMate related to Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. One daily section I read is called "5 Prayers to Pray for Your Husband". This particular day had prayer #5 JOY "Christ return to him the joy of his salvation. I pray that in life he would not forget the joy of being your son, the fun of being on adventure with you, and his eternal hope of glory.  May this joy daily recount your goodness and faithfulness.  I pray he would know the soul's contentment that comes from trusting in you, I pray his joy would help him seize every opportunity for laughter and lightness of heart. May the joy of the Lord be his strength today." By Tish Hedger Isn't that a beautiful prayer! The second pop-up was from the Desiring God ministry. It was lengthy, but here are three key points and a snippet of the prayers. "Ref

Saturday's Song “Just Like Jesus” Iveth Luna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz-VunKQtw8

Cooking up some goodness. "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel quite a bit in the years before marriage and motherhood.  Now I am content to stay put and never pack a bag or board a means of public transportation. Reflecting back on cruise days and school trips (high school and college) to Europe many of the days consisted of following a tour guide. I was going places I'd never been, being led by a total stranger in a land where I didn't understand the language. Sarah Young wrote a devotional in Jesus Calling  entitled "Try to view each day as an Adventure." What if we looked at each day in such a way?  Fortunately, for us, we have a VERY personal tour guide. God Almighty. The Creator of not only every cell in our bodies, but every piece of earth we step upon.  Young wrote, in the voice of Jesus, "A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your l

The circumstances in Utah equaled 100 inches of snow! While scrolling back through old photos on my phone attempting to find a recipe, I came across a screen shot of what I think was a  Jesus Calling   quote and I began to ponder. "People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives. So they pour their energy into trying to control those situations. They feel happy when things are going well and sad of frustrated when things don't turn out as they'd hoped. They rarely question this correlation between their circumstances and feelings. Yet, it is possible to be content on any and every situation. Philippians 4:12 Circumstances : "the sum of essential and environmental factors; state of affairs." There is never a circumstance where we are alone. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you . Deuteronomy 31:8 There  is never a circumstance in whi

  I need to bake some cookies for our snowman cookie jar. In Week 2 of the Abigail study participants were asked to read 1 Corinthians 13 and see what the Holy Spirit was prompting them to do in regards to loving difficult people. For me it was: Bear all things (people) with Jesus. Believe all things Jesus teaches. Hope all things God promises. Endure, in faith, all things God allows in my life for training and His glory. Also, for me to be patient, kind, humble, and found rejoicing in truth. By the power of the Holy Spirit transforming my flesh, put aside envy, boasting, arrogance, rudeness, irritability, resentfulness and rejoicing in wrong doing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant   or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;   it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 The Song "Fi

  This Christmas I received two beautiful amaryllis bulbs the same week. Neither had started to sprout. They are positioned in different rooms in our home, both receiving the same amount of daylight, but are growing at very different rates.  It made me think about our spiritual growth. Two individuals can come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at the same time, but the environment in which they live, the exposure to Christ centered resources and relationships, the condition of their heart and their willingness to change old thought patterns and habits all affect the rate of their growth. If we want to grow towards the likeness of Christ we can ignite the process through these practices.  Think of them as a top grade fertilizer. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.   Philippians 1:6 Spend time in God's Word , know what He says. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and th

Snow flurries this morning and maybe a little accumulation this afternoon!   Do you ever imagine all of humanity lined up (maybe just all the people packed into stadiums for football games or simply the hundred in the grocery store with you) and wonder, "Who has golden tickets stamped, "Welcome to my kingdom.'"?  Actually, when I am standing in the grocery store line I often think, "If Jesus came back right now, who in this store would be left standing on earth?" The joy in this video below is contagious. I think we should play this song every time someone comes to faith in Jesus! I sent this to our worship pastor and suggested playing it at baptisms! Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7 So, grab your tambourine and dance and thank God for people you know heading to heaven.  I think a tambourine and this link will now be my gift to people

  Saturday's Song "Where You Never Grow Old"  The Church Sisters   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCG7MZjjO0I

I'm losing patience waiting for snow. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls .            Proverbs 25:28   Week two in the Abigail story has us looking at the loss of self-control in the lives of Nabal and David. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth writes: "If you lose self-control even in responding to the Nabals, the fools, in your life, then you become like a city that is defenseless. You become vulnerable to attack from the evil one if you lose control... What’s in your heart comes out in the way that your respond to people in life....Self-control, from the biblical standpoint, isn't about sheer willpower or human effort. It's about being under the control of the Holy Spirit in every area of life.  When you try to be self-controlled by your own power, you'll just get frustrated and fail.  But when you yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, you can say, 'no' to your flesh (your sinful nature) and 'yes' to God." In th

God's Word is so exciting to study.  Everyday is a new lesson to behold and so often one thing leads to another.  Like chips, you can't eat just one. One bite of God's Word gives you a hunger for more knowledge, comfort, peace and joy. While reading Matthew 7:24-27 on the wise man building on the rock and the foolish man building on the sand, which leads to destruction I ended up in  James 1:22 " Obey God's message! Don't fool yourselves by just listening to it."  The thought came that anyone can listen to God's Word. Some sit there Sunday after Sunday listening, but not living and loving what they've learned to the point of obedience.   The photo above is of a disc game.  You drop the penguin disc in at the top, but you don't know where the little fellow will land.  When we allow God's Word to drop into our lives we want it to land in our hearts and minds, but without the Holy Spirit engaged, the Word can roll right out and land on zero m