Boojoyful

March 1st Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 What are the chances that after spending a couple hours with the Lord and being led to write on the "Stress Fractures of Life" and casting all our anxiety upon Him; I would get an email from my niece with a picture of her five year old son, smiling in his "cast" as he recovers from a broken hand!!!!! Now his younger sister, whom his mother acknowledged as occasionally adding a little sassafras to life, is doing her part to keep him distracted during this healing period. Life is full of stress and it can fracture lives and relationships, thus Jesus warns against it. His Word brings not only a heaping of hope, but peace and refreshment to weary souls. Peace is a process and it comes with conditions. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, wil

What do you wear when your screenplay writer son, who graduated from UNC, is home and a UNC game conflicts with the Oscars? Today is my final self-required random act of kindness, although the process will hopefully be a reminder to stay tuned into the Spirit and how He can randomly use us to spread a little joy. The idea that our military forces are varied in their whereabouts...on land and sea and in the air triggered the thought that we have various avenues available to us for encouragement....in person, on the phone, by mail or email. My goal today is to pray and ask the Lord to lead me in a random act in each area today. Hey...by blog works too! For you my friends I will share from a commentary on Psalm 91 in the Women of Faith Bible. "The psalmist's glowing tribute to the Lord's protection and deliverance showcases the kind of faith that dispels fear and allows the soul to rest secure. Anyone who lives in the real world knows from experience that belonging to th

Sometimes it is best to keep a secret and today's random act is between the Lord and me in the form of a prayer request. Praying for someone often is a random act and comes up quickly, but it is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another. Giving of our time to another ranks way up there as well. Yesterday, a friend and I prayed over two situations and saw answers within hours. Forgive me Lord, as I was actually blown away by this. I should have been expectant! In one of my devotional readings today the scripture reference was Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. God keeps secrets from us, but in His omniscience reveals to us what is advantageous to our earthly journey. During this last weekend in the love month, let us be certain to schedule time in a secret place to just sit in His presence and tell him we love him.

The double whammy came at me this morning. The verse on my calendar Psalm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth-praise to our God and today's chapter in the book I am reading by Mark Batterson called Wild Goose Chase both refer to a "new song". Batterson explains that this "putting a new song" procedure is referenced six times in the Psalms. When we do the same routine over and over, be it what we fix for breakfast, what we do with our families when they come home from a long day at work or school, or how we worship the excitement of the process becomes dull. These Random Acts of Kindness have spiced up my life and I hope I will keep praying and listening to the Spirit to direct my path. Whatever day you read this I am going to ask you to be part of the process. One of our daughter's college roommates (she was the bridesmaid who sang in Betty Ashton's wedding and now lives in NY) had emailed a couple days ago for prayer. Then I received the emai

Yesterday, with card in hand I felt the Lord prompting me to go into a Bojangles/Gas Station set up and ask if anyone had a relative in the military. Throughout the day I had looked for another option, but finally gave into obedience. Walking up to the counter at Bojangles, a cute young blonde offered to help me. Everyone behind the counter was looking and listening to the lady with the big red envelop! The girl told me her cousin was in Afghanistan and she so appreciated the thought and the prayers. She said, "That is such a sweet thing to do." I left feeling relieved that I had laid my burden, the card, down and gone with God's plan for the day. Today I am heading to a furniture plant with a friend (long story) but hope to spread some joy there in the simplest of ways. When I clicked to go online this how passage from The Message was staring me in the face. At some time yesterday I must have clicked on it. May it spur us all on to obedience. Simply thanksgivin

Today's Biblegateway verse is a wonderful spur me us on for those participating in the Random Acts of Kindness. Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Proverbs 14:22 The other day a random act of kindness came upon me in the form of caring for a visitor with a very dirty diaper which had come undone and dumped into her footy pajamas. Me oh my! The only solution was a dunk in my tub! Afterwards the precious father said, "I really shouldn't have let you do that." Today's adventure is to involve a face to face encounter with someone in our military or their family. Presently, I am clueless how this is going to take place, but I am setting out with excitement and expectancy for the plan God has in mind. Above is a picture from last year of my own little soldier (actually, he is closer to the hulk now) and his wife at Ft. Benning. Let's remember to pray for our military and their families.

With suffering being the theme crossing my path the last few days, Mandisa's song on Godtube this morning is an awesome upper! www.godtube.com/watch/?v=9C9B9FNU Today's assignment is a little ambiguous. The idea of listing 10 Points of Praise has been with me all morning, but I am not yet certain how that rolls into a random act of kindness. I thought of listing reasons to praise and when I first began many of the things which came to mind were actually not praises, but thanksgiving for answers to prayer. Praise and thanksgiving are different. Even when our prayers are not answered we are to continue praising the Lord. I may have shared how the other day I was confessing to the Lord my heart ache with some unanswered prayers and His reply was a real show stopper to my complaining..."Was what my Son did on the cross for you not sufficient?" No matter the prognosis or predicament, the progress or lack there of, we are to continue in a mode of praise. Praise is a c

Suffering is defined in Merriam-Webster as to experience pain, illness, or injury; to experience something unpleasant. It is not a word we like to have to see entering our lives, yet it is referred to in almost every New Testament book. Yesterday in the midst of a sermon series on a pleasant topic... The Gifts of the Spirit ...the minister was out of town and the visiting pastor chose to teach on suffering . This morning one of the devotionals I was reading landed on the same topic, so I am praying that today's random act of kindness will revolve around me being lead to encourage someone who is suffering in each of these areas...physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" is ringing in my head right now. The gift Christ has given us through his death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection and victory, which we too can experience, is the big present, yet there are also many other sustaining gifts which carry us through life in

Will you forgive me? All these random acts and I haven't done one thing for you! On my calendar yesterday was this verse and quote: Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts . 1 Corinthians 14:1 "We will ultimately be disappointed if our first goal in any relationship is our own fulfillment." Stormie Omartian Upon asking Jesus into our hearts we were given awesome spiritual gifts to use to bring God glory. Most of us received multiples. Your gift today is an online test to help you decipher your gift. What? A gift to find my gift? Sounds confusing. Click on the link below and take this spiritual gifts inventory test which will be scored right away for you. Let me hear from you as to what your top three gifts are. http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/

Looking at today's schedule I wondered what the random act of kindness would be today. Our pregnant daughter is arriving and would probably love to have her feet rubbed. Guests from SC will also be arriving and I could put scripture a scripture verse like... Proverbs 3:21 (MSG) on their pillows with a piece of chocolate. Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them. They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive. You'll enjoy a good night's sleep . No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, because God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound. The best acts are the ones the Lord orchestrates and in order for that to occur we have to be with Him, so while I will gladly do those other things in my own flesh, also I am heading off for some time to listen to Jesus.

Yesterday was a work day around here. There was a big fur ball in our dryer! We have house guest coming and there was plenty to be done. I can't seem to justify washing, ironing, dusting, scrubbing and vacuuming as "Random Acts of Kindness." But setting up a teddy bear school and washing the arms, legs, and faces of ten, twenty-some year old baby dolls and washing and ironing their clothes so my great nieces can enjoy them is pretty close to a "random act". The truth of the matter is these things are not of eternal value. The crumbs will soon be on the floor again and the bears tossed around and the dolls clothes will get grubby, but I hope the time I spent praying on the phone with a friend was of eternal value and lifted her spirits and helped her hurting heart. I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16

The Day After V-day. I had the pleasure of accompanying a young woman on a college campus yesterday! So much fun! The day was beautiful and the staff and students were delightful. I will never tire of the college hunt adventure. Hmmm, maybe my grand kids will let me tag along. We ate lunch at a Subway restaurant, which was part of their fabulous dining hall. Whew, college cafeterias have changed. As we were going through the line to order I recalled that I still had a couple Valentines left in my purse, so I pulled one out and asked the young man preparing my sub if he had received a Valentine the day before. He bashfully replied, "Yes." Looking to the young man to his left I asked the same question. With a huge grin on his face he pointed to the young woman beside him, serving up subs and said, "She gave me one!" There was a third young man behind the counter and I asked, "How about you?" With his eyes looking down, he said, "No." I pul

Moses (our bulldog) got in on the action yesterday and delivered a Valentine and dog treat to his friend Jedediah, a wonderful goldendoodle. The dilemma occurred when we arrived to find Jed's owners were away, but Jed was right that at the glass front door. Being an extremely windy day I thought it best to put the treat and Valentine between the screen and main door, but as I did that I realized with the heightened sense of smell which dogs have, Jed might scratch the door continually until someone arrived home and it could be a disaster, so I opted to leave the goodies on a seat nearby. We called the owners and the act had a contented ending! A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Happy Valentine's Day-I give you my heart! 1 John 3:! What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to. The weather is so beautiful. I was out walking in my childhood neighborhood this weekend, which was bitter-sweet. Part of the bitter was how hard the hills were to walk! The other bitter part was the reality of how quickly time changes things and how many people I remember from the neighborhood are dead or divorced. The sweet parts were the happy memories that filled that mountainside and one happy, healthy 88 year old upon whom I bestowed my random act (a Valenti

Gracious! http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7PK7YWNX

Such a Sweetie! My mother's favorite term of endearment was "Sweetie". She even named her sailboat "Sweetie." The tradition continues as I find myself calling my grandson "Sweetie." What a fitting name for a little fellow who loves to bake. Today's random act was to deliver some of our sweets to a couple neighbors. (The licking of the batter was limited to the beater only.) Today I've been dealing with a battle of the mind. More like an all out war. It probably relates to parting ways with my little buddy and accepting some very disappointing news related to a friend. God and I got down and dirty. His said to me, "Do you love Me because of what my Son did on the cross for you or because of the things you want Me to do for you? Was my Son's sacrifice not sufficient? Ugh. On my calendar is Romans 8:37 In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. " In our love for God and in our trust of Him, we

One of our sons turns 25 today! His gift is a few days of baby sitting from us. This morning I thought, What will my random act of kindness be Lord?" and I realized...I am flat out in it! Joking aside, this child is such a joy, it is a delight and a privilege. He is snuggled up next to me helping me write this devo. gjsklkheiehiwooakdh (Great job Parks!) The verse on my calendar is appropriate: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth . Psalm 124:8 "We should all sleep like babies every night knowing we are children of the Lord." Phillip Keller Adrian Rogers has a great message to parents and grandparents alike today in his email devotionals. "Do your children believe that the most important thing to you is God? We must celebrate God in front of our children. Let me tell you what my children think and what they know. They know that their Daddy's imperfect. They know that I love God. I wouldn't be ashamed for you to ask t

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 Yesterday I was talking to the Director of Admissions at a nearby college to set up an appointment for someone and my mind was drawn back to the crazy days of college life. As I thought of the people on my floor freshman year, I could remember few names and realized I seldom prayed for any of them. How I wish my Christian walk had been stronger at that time and that there had been strong female mentors in my life. The random act of kindness for today is to make a homemade Valentine and mail it to a college student. Also, even though they will never know I am doing this I am going to dedicate a special time of prayer for college students in America to make choices which honor God and for tens of thousands of them to be drawn to Christ in 2011 and desire to spend time with Him.

I think most of us who are married took a vow to love and to cherish our spouse. When we cherish someone it is a lot easier for them to love us back! David Jeremiah has a good radio series on love, marriage and sex, based on The Song of Solomon. Check it out: www.oneplace.com Steamy, steamy! Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. He quotes Ogden Nash's poem "A Word to Husbands" To keep your marriage brimming With love in the loving cup Whenever you're wrong admit it Whenever you're right shut up! While Jeff Foxworthy philosophies are my husbands marriage guidance of choice, he would probably agree with Mr. Nash's advice. One of my random acts of kindness w

Cozy Comfort Using knitting needles the size of a broom stick and 30 balls of yarn, I occasionally engaged in what is known as extreme knitting and make small area rugs or pillows. Today's random act of kindness was to deliver one of these rugs to the bedside of a friend who could use some comfort on her piggies when she slides out of bed! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ . 2 Corinthians 1:3-24 Thinking I had a really precious act of kindness to pass on and asking permission to do so, I found out my ears were failing me. I thought I over heard a friend say she had taken her father breakfast in bed today. Responding by saying "That is so precious!" She giggled an

Joy was spread as a friend and I donned inflatable Sumo wrestler suits to visit another friend who has been feeling a bit rough.

The "i" Words These three words ( impact, involve, influence ) came to me the other day and keep beckoning me to explore them more deeply. What has impacted us in our lives to the point that we wanted to become involved with the cause in hopes of having a positive influence on others? These random acts of kindness have done that in my life. Seeing the results of these simple acts has moved me to invite a friend to participate today in an act and I am already praying about ways my grandson can participate when he comes to stay the end of the week. Hopefully our faith walks fit into the "i" word realm. Accepting Christ's free gift of salvation should have impacted us to the point of wanting to be involved in sharing the Gospel message with others due to the belief it can have a positive influence in their lives. When you pass on a Valentine this week, consider writing the words "Be Mine" on the card and then in tiny letters sign the name Jesus! But i

The Tip Yesterday, while in Marshall's I took a cut out heart from my wallet. When I had completed my purchase transition the girl at the registered turned to get something from the counter behind her and boldly I reached across to the register and left a Valentine on the register keys. As I walked to leave the store I could hear her calling out to everyone around..."Someone gave me a heart. Look!!!! Someone gave me a heart." My daughter was with me and the two of us smiled to see how a simple act of kindness can totally uplift another person's day. The scene reminded me how powerful the touch of Jesus is. In Mark 5:30-32 Jesus is in a crowded setting a a woman reaches out to grab the hem of Jesus' robe, believing that simple touch could heal her and heal her He did! At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “

Feb.4th First Valentine Learning of a single mom who gave birth last week to a baby with complications, today's act of kindness is to send the baby a Valentine and this verse about his heavenly Father's love. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 While email is simple, letter writing is such an encouraging art. Enjoy flipping through the New Testament today and read some of the sincere opening lines of letters of various writers. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 February 3rd Pump it up! Today's act may be illegal, like leaving something in someone's mailbox. The idea is to leave a Valentine, with an encouraging note at the gas pump for

When I woke up I was dreaming I was on a cruise ship and we had docked at a port and were supposed to leave the ship for the night and go stay in a hotel in the port. In the dream I was in a quandary over what to pack and where we actually were to go. It was nice to wake up and realize those decisions were not of eternal value, but today's "Random Act of Kindness" was a real decision and could impact another life! Today's Biblegateway verse is: However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9 The Message says it this way in verses 6-10 We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of h

Being that February is the "love" month I've accepted a challenge, which I now extend to you, to participate in random acts of kindness each day this month. My mama often told me, "You can't always tell names and tales too." So we will stick to generalities when sharing. Try keeping a journal of where God leads you with these gestures of Christlike love this month and shoot me an email at boojoyful@gmail.com. Equip yourself with some simple paper hearts, a scripture verse, a pack of lifesavers, a crisp one dollar bill, etc. and be ready to move to the groove of the Holy Spirit and experience real joy! I will be working today on some good love quotes and heart related verses for you to use. Those will be found in the subtitles above along with new recipes and craft ideas. One Less Valentine Random Act #1 for me has been to send a letter to someone who will be sending one less Valentine this year due to the death of a loved one and encourage them by expressi