Boojoyful

July 31 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive. John 16:24 "Talk it over with the Father, then leave the outcome to His wisdom." Catherine Marshall Boo thought: Working with a fast paced copy machine yesterday, a friend and I got in a rhythm of copying, collating, and stapling. For over two hours we stayed in the motion. Our lives get like that sometimes...we just go through the motions, producing "stuff", without God's direction. Psalms Now 78 , by Leslie Brandt, is a reminder to turn back to God. Here are some excerpts. But like silly, confused sheep, the children of God went astray. They became self-sufficient and wandered off to pursue their own selfish interests. Many of them rebelled against their God. They refused His love and would not walk in His paths.... Some of them turned back to God. They discovered once more their loving God, a God willing to forgive them and accept them, to gather them once more into His fortress...

July 30 Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. Proverbs 16:20 "I believe the happiest and truest of Christians are those who never dare to doubt God." Charles H. Spurgeon Boo Thought: Dang, this trusting thing can certainly trip us up. Just when we think we have it down pat the ticker tape runs across our minds shouting (like storm warnings on the TV) "Warning, God really doesn't have your back on this one. You better step in and take charge!" Our heart rate increases, the joy and peace are stolen from us, and our minds and our ways (which we read yesterday are nothing like the Lord's) become taxed and take over. I think I am going to take my One A Day vitamin box and write the words Trust in the Lord on it. This will remind me to take one day at a time to trust in the Lord for His provisions for that day! Trust and obey for there's no better way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey. Let's Pray: Good morning God, it is a blessing to know Y...

July 29 I know the thoughts that I think toward you...thoughts...to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 "God may say no to our prayers, but He never stops loving and He will do us not harm." Leith Anderson Boo thought: "Clear the way, clear the way, the emergency vehicles need to get through and rescue Boo from her thoughts today. These thoughts are not My thoughts, nor are her ways anything like My ways. She is in danger from missing the blessing I have for her; the hope, the future, please let Me through!" These vehicles for reaching us include God's Word, prayers of God's people, and Bible study buddies who speak the truth in love. Let's Pray: Oh, Lord, praise Your mighty name. Thank You that You are our life line. Sometimes we get too close to the edge and begin to slip away. When that happens Father use whatever necessary to pull us back to You. In Jesus Name, Amen

Noticing a pile of mail that needed to get out, I decided to kill two birds with one stone (getting exercise and taking the mail) and I took the half mile hike up the gravel road to our mailboxes. I had dropped the out going mail in the box and also picked up our paper and headed back towards home. Most people who know me well know of my fear of birds. As a five year old child, I was with my grandmother when a blue jay attacked her for showing me a nest. I had just walked pass a lovely family cemetery when out of no where a large grey bird, possibly a pigeon, but it sounded more like a dove, swooped towards me. I instinctively called out to my husband, my hero: " Deke ," although I was no where near home. Then immediately the words, "Help me Lord" flowed from my lips. Out from the edge of the road came a second bird who was obviously injured. The protector, continued to fly towards me and then back the injured bird who was making her way across the street flapping...

July 26 This is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 1 John 5:4 "We need faith, not only in God's power, but in His willingness to help us." Peter Marshall July 27 If you have faith as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20 "Faith does not require external confirmation, but believes God in spite of appearances." J. Oswald Sanders Boo thought: During my quiet time this morning God had me two other places in a Beth Moore study that fit like puzzle pieces with what we have just read above. In Luke 5 I was checking out the authority that Jesus had on earth to forgive sins. Beth Moore was addressing how often we plead for forgiveness for the same sin over and over again. She states, "I began to realize that my sin of unbelief was as serious as my prior sin of rebellion. I wept and repented for my failure to credit Him (God) with the authority He possessed to forgive my sins." Couple that with Marshall's quote...

July 28 I remembered God, and was troubled, I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Psalm 77:3 "Quarreling with God is a time-honored biblical prat ice: Moses, Job, David and St. Peter were all masters at it." Eugene H. Peterson Boo Thought : My earthly father and his father, both began loosing their hearing earlier than most people. I can remember my mother contemplating at times if my father really couldn't hear her or just didn't want to. Psalm 77 rings of the frustrations we sometimes encounter when God makes us wait to have our cries answered. Hmm, I remember those painful times with newborns when you had to let them cry themselves to sleep. I think my pediatrician told me to give our daughter ten minutes...it seemed like ten hours as my husband sat with me watching the clock and probably holding me back from going in that room. Our lives were going to be much better if our child learned to be at peace and accept the routine of nap time and bedtime when w...

July 25 He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and earth. Daniel 6:27 "Upon God's faithfulness rests our whole hope of future blessedness." A. W. Tozer Boo Thought : Daniel was in a mess and God made it into a miracle in the lion's den. He's the master of doing that in our lives. God also removes things from our lives to make room for something else He is up to with us. I just finished reading Bethany Hamilton's true, life story, Soul Surfer. The book is about when, at fourteen years old, a shark bit off her arm while she was surfing in Hawaii. God has used this tragedy and taken Bethany across the US to places she never dreamed of going, speaking and testifying to God's faithfulness. She had to be willing to trust Him and travel along though. God turns tragedy into triumph and we applaud him with praise today. Let's Pray: Lord, Keeper of our Days, don't let us miss the next flight you have for us. Take us from attitude...

July 24 Men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1 "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." William Carey Boo thought: My husband was hired last fall to be the head of a new Christian school that people have been praying for in our area. The whole process has been a God thing full of answered prayers and we are down to crunch time with the board wanting this school to open August 20th. Luke 18:1 could be our daily theme! Prayer is what we all "ought" to do, but often we fidget around on our own first. Last week the student numbers increased and the school needed to hire another teacher. Two experienced teachers who had been interviewed had already taken other jobs. As we prayed, I told the Lord it would really be awesome to have a guy on the staff. Not many elementary schools are blessed with male faculty members and our children need good male role models. That very afternoon the phone rang and it was a man named.....are you ready.....

July 23 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 "The Lord's goodness is the source of all our joy." C. H. Spurgeon Boo Thought: I was to meet friends to walk this AM, but wanted to get the devo written first. "Concentrate" I thought. I began breaking that word down...con...meaning with..." cen "...ah or is it "sin"... trate ..."traitor" I thought. We have to concentrate to keep Satan, the traitor and father of lies from penetrating our lives with sin. I went to turn on my laptop to write and the anti-virus program popped up that a "worm" protection program needed to be added. Ha, yup, on my computer and over my heart! I clicked for the anti-virus process to update and while it was going I thought it best to pray and update my sin protection. I opened my journal study I am doing and there was the cure written out. Luke 5:24 .. so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive s...

July 22 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 "The more you give everything over to God, the more His spirit will fill you." J. Heinrich Arnold Boo thought : In Carol Kent's book, Secret Longings of the Heart , she states a profound truth..."God Exists". The Isaiah verse personalizes that truth taking us right onto our Father's lap....when our eyes and minds are steadfast on the Lord we will have peace. My Mama always said, "You don't have to tell names and tales too," but I want to share a women's Bible Study experience (without names) that testifies to the filling of the Spirit, mentioned by Arnold above. The day had been hectic and the facilitator for the evening study was really unprepared to lead this group of twenty women. Rushing to the gathering she prayed, "Lord, I have no handouts, no catchy stories, what am I to say tonight?" "Just speak my love ov...

July 21 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory. Psalm 115:1 "God is too wise not to know what is really best for us, and He is too good not to give it. Henry Parey Liddon Boo thought :Election years bring concerns and anxiety and this year is certainly no different. God sees the big picture and also is the keeper of our days on this earth. He wants to give us good things. How his heart must ache for where we have chosen to go as a nation. I think I would have given the etcha -sketch a good shake and started over long ago, but God is patient not wanting any to perish. God will get the glory he deserves and every knee will bow before Jesus. In the meantime, let's do our part to pray for our nation and our leaders to be pleasing in His sight. Let's Pray: Lord, you are the ruler of the nations. The creature of the universe. Every year you send me a black and yellow butterfly to encourage me and she just showed up Father! As Your children, may we come ou...

July 19 Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44 "We are never more Christlike than when we choose to forgive." David Egner July 20 The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Psalm 28:7 "The one who lives by faith trusts that good things can happen because God wants good things to happen." Lewis Smedes Boo thought : The word on my mind is obstacle : something that impedes progress or achievement. The cell phone rang yesterday and it was a recording from USAir stating our flight was delayed 94 minutes, therefore we would not make our connection to the flight home and we needed to call. Calling the 800 number we were simply told there were no more flights we could get on that day. While on hold I had my son pull up flight options from other airlines on the computer, so we could ask to be put on those flights. One flight required us being at the airport an hour earlier than planned, so while on hold we...

July 18 You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name. Isaiah 63:16 "If we walk continually in the Lord, we shall not lose the way or lose heart." Marva J. Dawn Boo thought : I awakened after a great night's sleep and thought...Did Jesus ever toss and turn or struggle with hot flashes? Did he have nightmares or throw up in the middle of the night? This verse about Jesus popped into my head. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. Luke 2:40 Growing physically and spiritually requires a process. While the physical process entails an eventual decline, the spiritual growth can continue to soar and strengthen! Think about Abraham: No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20 The wash is running, the vacuum, Windex and dust cloth needs to come out. Day to da...

July 17 Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Psalm 27:14 "God often works His miracles in unmiraculous ways." Peter Marshall Boo Thought: OK, here God goes again...showing up and confirming himself through the verses and quotes on my calendar. Yesterday I was traveling by air. I had to be up at 4AM, so was very tired. I even asked the Lord, "Father, would it be OK if I am just quiet on the flight and knit or read?" No, response. I had a middle sit between two attractive women, whom I would guess are nearing thirty. The conversation started by one of them inquiring about my knitting and progressed to a faith discussion as one of the women shared about her friend, battling cancer, who just courageously went through her wedding with a wreath on her head, since she is bald from her chemo treatments. We also touched on how my plane companion's three years in the Army (including Afghanistan) challenged her faith journey. This young...

July 16 Let my prayer be set before You as incense. Psalm 141:2 "The kingdom is not for sentimentalists, but for those who mean business with God." Catherine Marshall Boo thought : The kingdom is not for sentimentalists and 5:50AM airline flights, for people who live an hour from the airport, are not for sissies! Wherever we are, whatever we do, we have a tool to take along with us...prayer. Knock, knock, knocking on heavens door! Last night we had an Open House for the new Christian School my husband is to be Head of School for. We had a collage art class for thirteen of the young students visiting. Hands were flying up here and there for help and extra supplies, it was taxing getting around to. Not for God, He is the ultimate multi- tasker . The customer service people at a cell phone store, the DMV or at an airport where there are numerous disgruntled customers probably are looking forward most to going home. Not God, the Psalm says our needs and coming to him in prayer ...

July 15 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. Psalm 103:8 "How reasonable it is to trust ourselves to the keeping of God's infinite love and infinite wisdom! Thomas Erskine Boo thought: Last night at our women's Bible Study we completed Henry Blackaby's study, When God Speaks. We highlighted what we had been impacted by these last weeks. One young woman shared the importance of the idea of having a history of our faith. We keep resumes and a history of our work/volunteer accomplishments. We have baby books/photo albums with pictorial histories of our lives, but where is there record of the history of our faith to pass on to future generations? The Psalms were David's record of his faith! Be blessed today by Psalm 103 from: Psalms Now 103 My heart bursts with praises to God: every fiber of my being reaches out in rejoicing! How can I ever forget His many blessings? He forgives all my sins; He touches my afflictions with healing...

July 14 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. 1 Peter 3:12 "While God's doings are often beyond my understanding, His love for me is beyond all measure." Jan Winebrenner Boo thought : Yesterday morning, fifteen minutes before our Sunday morning celebration service God took me aside and gave me a message to share. The 1 Peter verse above went right along with what He was impressing upon me. God told me to put in my teeth whiteners . I am the worst about wearing these, because my husband won't kiss me when I have them on! God wanted me to share how we are willing to brighten our teeth, but not take the time to feed on the Word and be brighter lights for Christ. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1 Next I was cleaning out my ears... that is where 1 Peter 3:12 about the Lord's ears being open to our prayers fits in. I proceeded to put sunscreen on my face to protect my skin and read John 17...

July 12 Blessed are those who ...seek Him with the whole heart. Psalm 119:2 "Showing up at church once a week and saying a hearty Amen is a lot easier then engaging in a life of daily prayer." Eugene Peterson July 13 Do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 "Worrying is paying interest on trouble that may never come due!" Richard De Haan A Week Long Tale: God has taken me on a faith journey this week that began with a proposal and when followed through was full of his purposes, his presence, and his promises. When we live aware of these "p"s we become amazed at the possibilities. The verses God has given us this morning speak so clearly to me in relation to what I learned this week. The proposal came several months ago, when an NFL assistant football coach (who had coached where one of our sons had been on a college team and knew our son lived on Smith Mt. Lake) called to ask where he and some friends might be able to rent a place on the Lake. At that ti...

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress. Psalm 107:19 "God's ability is not limited by our inability." David Branon Boo thought: Two darts came zooming into our lives yesterday, concerning the Christian School my husband is a part of. I thought my armor was on, but obviously it was askew because the pain was intense. I fell to my knees onto my prayer bench and cried out to the Lord. I trembled as I held my Bible and out of it fell these verses I had typed up a week ago... He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17 ...he knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23:10 Your Father knows what you need before you ask. Matthew 6:8 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 Jesus wrapped his arms around me, reminding me he was there. He is with you as well. Love, Boo ...

Your Word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it. Psalm 119:140 "Read your Bible prayerfully and obey it joyfully." David Egner Boo thought: I awakened suffering from the sin of gluttony. Two men, who are house guests here made the most amazing dinner last night and I couldn't stop eating. They topped it off with vanilla ice cream they had bought at our local creamery...Homestead Creamery. Whew, that ice cream was smooth and "PURE" like the verse above speaks of the Word of God...and the people here loved it! When you fall in love with Jesus and feed upon his Word...you don't want to stop devouring it. The good thing is...the only morning after affect is "joy" for having been with someone who loves you so much. Yesterday we did a treasure hunt here, where one clue lead to the next...that is what can happen when you are seeking God's treasure...his Holy Word. Take today's verse and turn to that Psalm...your eyes may fall upon another ...

July 9 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 "In a world of constant change, you can trust the unchanging Christ." Paul Van Gorder Boo thought : Oh, my goodness, here comes the song. Stop in the Name of Love, Before You Break My Heart. That is what we are doing right now! We are stopping to tell the Lord we love Him and we want to learn more about him. What an amazing friend we have in Jesus...his character is always the same....PERFECT! May we never give Him the cold shoulder or ignore Him. We have 35 house guests for the week. Twenty-two of those are children from 1-14 years of age. Each morning I am doing a devotional time with them on friendship. We will learn what God's Word has to say about being a good friend, but most importantly we will learn that Jesus is the best friend we can ever have...he never disappoints. Check out these verses and take time today to pray with your best friend...Jesus. The LORD searches every heart and under...

July 8 Daniel...knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God. Daniel 6:10 "Throughout the ages God has never been proven untrustworthy. Vernon Grounds Boo Thought: Want an action story? Read Daniel 6 and be thrilled by God's divine, protective presence over Daniel in the lion's den. Daniel knew the power of prayer and he wasn't giving up the protocol of praying. God instructs us to pray and Daniel was going to be obedient, even if unto death by carrying out that statute. One of my favorite stories is of a friend who went to lunch with a lady who had just move to town. They were served their food and my friend bowed her head to pray. The new lady on the block interrupted and said, "I am sorry, where I come from we don't do that in public." My friend said, "Well, you are here now and we do this here" and she proceeded to pray! Knock, knock, knocking on heaven's door! Let's Pray: Abba, Daddy, you ...

July 7 Without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 "If we depend wholly on God, we will find Him wholly dependable." Herbert Vander Lugt Boo Thought: Wow, I had very little sleep last night, but I awakened singing... This the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Immediately the question from Jesus came across my mind..."Who do you say that I am?" The thoughts of who Jesus is and all he has done and continues to do for me flood across my mind. The Son of God, the miracle worker, the One who made an atoning sacrifice for me come rushing to the forefront. Then the role He played as a human on earth come into play...the man who wept, who ate with his friends, the one who loved his parents....the One who knew the importance of staying connected to The Father. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a solitary place. And He was praying there...

Happy Fourth While Merriman Webster refers to independence as: "not subject to control by others", we as believers need to think of it as being "in" the dependence mode and controlled by the Holy Spirit! July 3 I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Isaiah 38:5 "No matter where we are, God is as close as a prayer." Billy Graham July 4 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 "Wait patiently for the Lord. He will give you what's best-in His time!" Henry G. Bosch Boo thought: Very Timely message as AOL has kicked me off once again. I believe no weapon formed against us will prosper and God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, so I will allow this snafoo to bring to fruition even something grander for the Lord. Prayerfully a new web site will be done soon and include online Bible Study, recommended books, music and recipes! July 5 You shall love the Lord yo...