Boojoyful

September 30 Well, the first surprise is that September has come and gone. Whether that is a good surprise or one that possibly brings devastation depends on the individual. Everyday we deal with the unexpected, sometimes from coincidence or the forces of nature, other times from the nature (both ends of the spectrum) of people. There are those who spread joy through the unexpected surprise of a helping hand or much needed gift that brings a lift. Opposite end...the grumble, bumble who sets out to steal joy, toss out a stumbling block and purposely inflict pain on another. Air travel is such a set up for surprise through the suspense it holds! Putting ourselves at the mercy and expertise of others, plus the forces of random choice we have no idea what lies ahead. We could be on time,late or never leave. The people we sit next to at the gate area and on the plane could be kind, chatty, sick, miserable or a NFL (Nut for the Lord) who wants you to know Jesus loves you! :) Wondering where

Rarely do we think about breathing until it becomes difficult. Rarely do the majority of people think about God until life becomes difficult. Researching verses with the word "breathe," I found most were related to our first breaths when God breathed into us, or our last ones pending death. Another breathy moment is the time in which God breathes the Holy Spirit into us. 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the scriptures, which since from God are awesome for us to inhale and exhale unto a needy world. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, This week as we plug into the Word let's feel God breathing His wisdom and love upon us.

September 28 Yesterday my word from the Lord was order. In a rush to get to church I didn't have time to linger and listen. Arriving at church I noticed on the order of service that it was Deacon Ordination Sunday. Hmmm, Order in our Nation! The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.- 1 Corinthians 2:14 Most of the world does not get Jesus. Typing in "order" on Bible Gateway in the NIV brought up 291 verses containing "order". I chose this one for us to feed upon today. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:18

September 26-27 For the believer there is no need to fear the unknown, for you never go there alone. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 Again and again I see answers to prayer and have learned it is much better for God to fight my battles. Mighty is He! For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.- Hebrews 10:30-31

September 25 Today I'm beginning a 30 day devotional with a couple friends called One Month to Live . Day One begins with a quote by Alan Sachs, "Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives." While I think the study will be very thought provoking, day one is void of scripture. Each chapter begins with a wonderful quote, but reading the Word of God always seems to have more sustenance. Challenging myself, I am going to try to dig deeper and apply a verse to each day. Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity . Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today. I know for certain whether I have 30 days remaining or 13,000 I want to be with Jesus each day!

September 24 This morning I received a devotional from a friend on how there are periods in our lives where we are just to love God. We don't always have to be ministering. Feeling good about that I switched to the blog and began to pray for the message God wanted me to share today. (The Holy Spirit does the work here, so I count this as my therapy time, not hard core ministry.) Not hearing any immediate message I opened one of my devotionals and found this verse staring at me on today's date. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 So how do we know which way to go? We start by sitting at Christ's feet, loving Him and listening for what He has for us. We stay attentive and compassionate, ready for action prompted by the Spirit and trust we will be equipped by the Spirit for the job. Jesus took time off and God will grant us reprieves as well! Let's Pray: Lord, we love th

September 23 Ephesians 3:17-19 ...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Today is my 31st wedding anniversary. The love required for a marriage to survive has to stretch wide and long and be willing to journey to the highs of life and hold on to survive the depths of disappointment and pain which come. Talking with friends yesterday we all agreed that life dishes out some painful experiences, but for the person who loves the Lord those times allow us to know the love of the Lord to a depth we probably never would have, unless the disappointments in life not led us there. Like the verse explains, it is in those places that God's fullness takes over and we realize there is no other p

September 22 Visiting with a neighbor last night she exclaimed, "This Christian walk is really very simple to understand. It is all about loving the Lord and loving your neighbor." Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul all have the words "Love your neighbor" penned in their books! From the Old Testament to the New Testament these simple truths run true. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7 Let's Pray : Lord, You are so lovable. You are giving, caring, compassionate and wise. Day after day I meet these others we are called to love and the task is not so simple! Change our hearts today Father. Make them function as Jesus' heart did. Full of grace, overflowing with forgiveness and acceptan

September 21 Falling back to sleep this morning after being roused by my husband, I awakened in a panic knowing I would be late for school. I rolled over and said, "Something's gotta give in this life, we can't keep going like this." Priorities- something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives. Rushing to get out the door, all I know is my time with Jesus has to be numero uno. His way is the best way and without sitting and being still before Him there is no way to know! Let's Pray: Lord, I think there was a song I heard once about you that had a lyric which said, "Closer than a heartbeat." Forgive me when I rush and run on my own steam, forgetting the greatest gift ever given to me gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me in all things. Because of the Holy Spirit, Father you are closer than a heartbeat. May the smile on my face today show others that while the world may be going crazy and even the events close to be at times to

September 18-20 Whew, TGIF. This has been a hectic week for me at school. God is such a creative teacher. The verse pounding in my head this morning was a challenge to find on Biblegateway. I knew I wanted the one which talks about God being with us until the end of time. My hubby gets credit for finding the passage in Matthew 28:20B ...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." I just wanted the "with you" part, but God wanted me reading the "obey everything I have commanded you." On the home page of Biblegateway today is this verse: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”- Philippians 2:3-4 Good tip of encouragement for a teacher! Have a great weekend.

September 17 We watched a DVD on Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee in preparation for a school field trip to Lexington. One of the other teachers and I said we kept getting chill bumps from the tales which were told. What godly men! Over and over again the story line referred to the faith of these men. Jackson was truly a man who prayed without ceasing and was excited to see Jesus, even at the young age of 39. He said he had always wanted to die on the Lord's day and his wish was fulfilled. The video spoke also of the admiration the troops had for Jackson and a total trust in him. What a great way to be remembered...a man of great faith who prayed without ceasing and was totally trustworthy. Hey, Jesus has the same legacy! Let's Pray For generations You have been praised Father. From the beginning of time "faithful" has been added to your name. What an amazing reputation You have. May the footprints we leave behind, the memories in our photo albums and the ones ing

September 16 God awakened me at 1:15AM with the title of today's devotional. I should have just gotten up then and written while the stars were twinkling. Life can change in the twinkling of an eye. Heading to Back to School Night last night I was on top of the world, full of joy and then bam...two phone calls changed my perspective on the day in a twinkling of an eye. Calling to the Lord, I reminded myself where my joy comes from...the Lord, not my circumstances. "Father, I need you to restore my joy before I have to address these parents." During our faculty prayer time the tears dripped down my checks. How will I get it together I thought? Then in a twinkling of an eye I entered the room full of parents and they were singing How Great is Our God . Worked for me! In a twinkling of an eye...Joseph's brothers threw him in a pit. Life as he had known it changed, but his faith did not. Jesus asked in Luke chapter 8... (Like he didn't know.) Who touched me?...Somebod

September 15 In the Middle School Bible class I am teaching we are studying an overview of the New Testament. We've just finished taking a look at Matthew, the despised tax collector turned follower of Christ. The curriculum called for an exercise where the students were to pretend they had been given $500 to bid on items from a life supply of candy or clothes, a sports car, 100 Bibles to be distributed to a foreign country, food for starving people, a movie or NBA career to the number one pick...a happy family! We discussed which choices had a good return on their investment, then we tossed around examples of things which money cannot buy. The new picture on the blog is of a dear friend, who my husband baptized here at Shiloh this summer. She has battled various cancers for several years. This summer she requested the summer off from treatments. This morning she will have a scan to see how things are. I found great comfort in a devotional I read last night and an email to the

September 14 On the property across from us stands a white birdhouse on a tall pole. God impressed upon me the importance of us being light in an often dark world. The word opportunity led me to sniff our some scriptures my concordance. Here are some great verses with which to step into a new week! Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers . Galatians 6:10 ... making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5 Looking up I could see the reflection of the birdhouse in the lake. Proverbs 27:19 stirs us to ponder the reality: As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. Hmm, likewise what we make of the opportunities which God puts before us, to bring Him glory, reflects our hearts. How blessed we are to be called His chosen ones and serve Him. Let's Pray: Open

September 12-13 One day this week a student came to me and he had stapled his fingers together. Quickly I said, "Help me Jesus, as I reached with my fingernails and pulled that staple out!" Last spring we drove to Nashville when tornadoes were touching down around us. At one point a tanker truck hit the side rail and swung towards our car...again the cry..."Help us Jesus!" Thursday we had students here for our fishing, wakeboarding and kayaking clubs...two of our Middle Schoolers were fishing from a double kayak and a LARGE (weighing as much as one of the students) turtle surfaced beside them sticking his enormous brown head up in their faces. I think, "WHOA" is what came from their mouths, but "Help us Jesus" would have been an option. One boy wanted to try to hook the turtle. The other had enough sense to say, "No way, who knows how far he would pull us!" Today I was reading in the devotional book God Calling and it says, "My Na

September 11 Leaving for work, my husband nudged me at 6AM. I had overslept and responded with, "That was a short night!" Realizing today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11 is yet another sign of how fast time flies I thought about the importance of making the most of our time. I am preparing to start a one month devotional study on a book called "One Month to Live". The premise is a challenge of how we would live if we knew we only had 30 days left here on earth. Jesus had a brief time period on earth, but packed a lot into his ministry days and made an eternal impact. Just stopping to pray, I asked the Lord, "What do you want me to say about that Father?" His reply..."Just ask them to love Me." I am not sure what time you will get up today or how many hours you will be awake. Evaluate those moments and challenge yourself to a percentage of time sharing about Jesus with others and personally sharing your love for Jesus with him! Loving Jesus and lov

September 10 Bam, band, whoa, where did that one come from. That is how things felt at school yesterday as one teacher did not show up, a child had an emotional meltdown, and the board meeting was going on down the hall while our headmaster was fighting the flu and a tooth.(I've caught his toothache!) It was also the first AWANA night for the church we rent, which meant we had major clean up to do before we left. We had to call in impromptu faculty meeting to deal with a student situation, but God used that time for good as we all began to pray. When we came up out of prayer, one of the teachers said she could just burst into tears. Yikes! No, it was a good thing for it was a God thing. She explained that when she prays she always envisions herself the throne room with God on his throne and giant white columns all around. As she prayed she saw those of us praying together as sisters praying together before the Lord! What a beautiful picture. This past weekend we saw someones debuta

September 9 Oversleeping this morning, I quickly prayed for the Lord to allow me to come into His presence and hear from his this morning. He gave me an interesting image....a tanning bed. Now I have never experienced one of these, but from pictures am guessing they are kind of like a panini maker. You get in and lower the top, but not totally like a coffin. Then I suppose bright lights aluminate your body and give you a tanned glow! How kool would it be if we could fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit the same way. Actually, we don't have to go anywhere. We can lie in our own beds and ask to be filled up in a way that makes us glow! Twenty-one years ago I gave birth to our baby...number six. I am praying he has a wonderful day all the way down south in Auburn, AL. In honor of the 21 years I began going to chapter 21 in various books of the Bible for my quiet time. Just hitting Proverbs, Psalms, Matthew and Luke filled me up! I will share a couple passages below and ask the Lord t

September 8 Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save if for a rainy day. Perry Como, was singing away in my mind this morning. Ok, more than half of you are saying..."Who is Perry Como?" Where are you going with this Lord? Is there an acronym for STAR? Stopping to go brush my teeth and glancing on the toothpaste tube my eyes feel upon the words, "Brilliant Sparkle". Ah, confirmation for sure that star was what the Lord wanted me seeking out this AM. Philippians 2:14-16 Do everything without complaining or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Blameless and pure...that is a heavy load to tote and we are not to tote heavy loads. Lloyd John Ogilvie sheds some light on this topic in one of his devotionals. "

September 5-7 Entering a public restroom today I was greeted by a very chipper attendant. She chirped something which caught me off guard and I replied, "I beg your pardon." She said, "A clean stall awaits you." All I could think of was Jesus and I responded..."No one said that to Jesus." I think I took her as off guard as she had taken me, as she gave a perplexed, "Huh?" "Ya know, Jesus being born in a stall. I don't think the inn keeper made reference to the stall he was offering to Mary and Joseph being clean necessarily." We have so much. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,according to the power that works within us. Let's count our blessings before we go to sleep.

September 4 Depending on which window I look out of my house, I get a different view. When discipline problems occur at school you can get totally different views from various parties involved. God gets the full view though and knows the truth! Praise His mighty name. For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths. Proverbs 5:21 What a blessing that we serve a God who sees all and loves us just the same!

September 3 Turning on my computer this morning it was in spin mode... nothing was happening, so I shut it down to start over. When it came back on it said, "Configuring Update". What a picture of our spiritual lives...they are never complete this side of heaven and in constant need of updates! So let's open God's Word today and "reboot" our lives. His Word is never out of date for it is living and sharper than any two edged sword! Let's Pray : Father of the Living Word, breathe Your breath on us today. Help us lay our woes and fears quickly at Your feet. Erase the pain, the doubt, any anxiety and on a clean slate in red marker write Jesus Loves You and may we wear that fact in clear sight today. Give us a hunger for Your Word which will never cease. Fill us to overflowing so we have plenty of Jesus to give away to others today. Thank You for your constant updates! We love you Lord. In Your Name, we say Amen!

September 2 My students are writing a paragraph on an animal which is on the endangered species list. Thinking about the assignment related to our lives made me realize the Future Believers of America are a rare and an endangered species. We need to do our part to protect the Gospel and the right for it to be preached freely in our nation. This past week four lives were changed for all eternity at our school, because these students prayed to receive Christ. Another young man publicly recommitted his life to the Lord. Teaching in a Christian school is definitely where the action is... when the Holy Spirit is on the move it is a thrill to be watching! Be part of rescuing an endangered species...tell someone about Jesus today! Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

September 1 My husband had to leave for work way before sunrise. Letting the dog out after his breakfast I instinctively locked the door when he returned, because it was still pitch black out. I am not a big fan of being alone (that worked well since we had so many children) and kind of laughed at the thought of that door bolt being my security! The Lord quickly whispered...I am your security! No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. Isaiah 54:17 Prosper- one of my students asked me the meaning of this word yesterday. "To succeed in an enterprise or activity; to become strong and flourishing; to cause to succeed or thrive." Those who come against the Lord's beloved will not experience prosperity. Security! Yesterday I had the privilege of praying with two young men in my class as they asked Jesus into their heart. A third wanted to pray and recommit his life to the Lord! I looked at them after the prayer and said, "No one can ever steal Jesus from you. Th