Boojoyful

June 29-30 Last night, after enjoying a delightful outdoor dinner with friends, we scurried home and boarded our pontoon boat to try to capture an 8:42 sunset.  As we idled out of our cove, the excitement of what this week holds for "lake goers" came into play as we passed docks adorned with our American flag and youngsters swimming at dusk!  I decided to take this week ahead and hopefully capture through the lens of my camera what it means to be an American living on a lake in the mountains of SW Virginia! Recently, during a Bible study here at our home, some controversial social issues were being discussed. The  judgmental  phrase was tossed out and I replied that the Bible is pretty black and white on sin issues.  Then I mentioned that historically, God has removed his hand from nations who remove themselves from His ways.  One woman was not happy with me for the comment and stated I was trying to invoke fear. Personally, I am not fearful of Jesu...

June 28 My husband and I just went for a lovely, pre-heat walk. Chatting away, we chuckled at the polite ways people phrase their disagreements. You know...in a fashion which places the discussion on the back burner. After your comment they may respond, "That's a thought."  "Hmm, lot's to think about."  "I'm not sure I've ever considered that." Our daughter-in-love (better than daughter in law) has taught her children incredibly polite manners.  One of my favorites comes into play if you are eating at someone's home and they offer you a dish you'd prefer not to eat.  Instead of saying, "Ewww, I don't like that," you politely say, "It's not my favorite!"  My husband and I are learning that works well in numerous "choice" categories....TV shows, clothing options, etc. God created us with the freedom to choose, but Jesus doesn't mince words when it comes to the qualifications for ge...

 Happy 2nd Anniversary to this cute couple this week. Happy 33rd Birthday to this sweet girl today. Happy First Birthday to this little man today! June 27 This morning I awakened and inquired, "Are you there God?"  "I'm right here my child," he said.  Then immediately my cell phone gave a "ding".  I must have received an email, but it was as if God was sending a confirmation of His presence. It made me smile! I've learned that it is not always for me to know what God is up to at a certain moment.  Obedience is where the action is and I am to obey His lead, even when I have not a clue where the finish line lays. Late last night, as my lids were drooping, I was hanging out in Biblegateway placing the Word of God on my mind as I drifted to sleep. This passage from The Message, which David wrote, spoke to me. I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders, I'm whistling, laughing, and jumpi...

June 26 About a year ago, I challenged myself to learn something (any little nugget) new every day. This devotional thought for today has challenged me to learn something new in the Bible every day! A woman attending the "One in a Million" Bible Study I'm hosting confessed at dinner Monday night that she had really only been coming for some fellowship and to meet some other Christian women. She was not interested in doing the study part. Then when she was put on the spot by an email laying out some questions that would be discussed over dinner, she realized she would actually have to do the study.  In the midst of studying, the Lord impressed upon her heart that He was not finished teaching her here on earth! Another woman shared how she did not like the study, because it was stepping on her toes....pointing out too many areas of needed improvement. No matter our age, may we all be spurred on to "go" to Bible Study and church and continue to "grow...

 My great nephew trying to steady himself and not fall in the creek! June 25 Nik Wallenda made me sick to my stomach Sunday night as he tight rope walked over the Grand Canyon.  Squeezing my husband's hand, I said over and over again during those 22 minutes... "Why is he doing this?  This is crazy." Nik and his Dad were connected by an audio device. Nik continually thanked Jesus and called on God to calm the winds!  His father constantly encouraged him..."You're doing great. Steady as you go." In Bible study last night, Priscilla referred to a needed travel technique for wilderness times as a "Steady as We Go" approach.  She stated we can learn to appreciate the wilderness times in our lives by anticipating how wonderful the end of them is going to be! You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.  You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.  That's r...

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." June 24 Day after day we watch fishermen cast and cast and cast their lines into the waters of our cove. I don't think I've ever seen anyone reel something in.  Do they ever encounter discouragement? Jesus calls us to fish for people.  When we share the Good News of Christ, we don't always find people  who want to become hooked on Jesus.  Telling of Christ's love is a great pastime of which we should never become tired.    

June 22-23 Complain, complain, complain. That was me as a young mother with six children...mostly concerning their schooling or the other when I'd get caught up in gossip with friends. It sickens me now to realize the opportunities I missed out on for the Lord.  While we were still seen as "religious fanatics" back then, because our overall lifestyle was different from the majority, I was a grumbler not trusting in God to work all things together for good.  I thought He could use my help or that my complaining to others would bring sympathy and comfort. In the current Bible study I am embarked upon the author writes: "The spirit of complaint often takes this pattern. It begins as frustration and spreads into a raging flame of disgust, whining, and longing for something other than what God provides.  Complaining is what kept God's people from passing their spiritual tests.  Again and again their gaze proved so tightly focused on what they wished would happen th...

June 21 Now this is a fun way to live...expecting the unexpected, because of whom we know God to be. Priscilla Shirer challenges us to live practicing watchfulness. Watchfulness for God to show up and show off because He is a God of supernatural activity! Shirer writes, "When I get bogged down by difficult times, I  now expect the Lord to do something unexpected to either free me from my situation or help me to deal with it.  Either way,  find that He raises my level of awe regarding His ability." Do we think back and become ignited by the characters in the Bible who trusted God and went through UNBELIEVABLY unexpected experiences. I'm talking about  Noah who built an ark without seeing a drop of rain. Daniel who entered a lion's den without fear, David who stood before a giant with a sling shot, and Mary and Martha who stood with Jesus before their brother Lazarus' tomb.  The Israelites grumbling in their sandals or bare feet, but certainly no boots, and w...

It was good to have the whole gang home. June 20 Tuesday, two different people made the statement "Follow up with me" to me. One was a physician's assistant whom I was seeing for a pain in my leg.  She prescribed an anti-amflamitory drug and then said, "Follow up with me in two weeks."  An hour later, I was visiting an area nursing home and engaged in conversation with a gentleman sitting out front. Forty-five minutes later, after he had challenged me to help him with a project, he dismissed me with this statement, "Follow up with me. Don't disappoint me."  As I drove away from that establishment I felt like God was issuing the same request.  "Follow up with me daily, my child!  Don't disappoint me, we have much to do." My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.   John 10:27

Our newest backyard toy! A roller coaster. June 19 in Exodus 14:13 Moses states: "Do not fear." The Bible study I am currently studying had some fabulous statements to encourage us to flee the fatiguing experience fear imposes upon us.  The teacher, Priscilla Shirer, charged us to not engage in fear, but to exchange it for the emotional state of victorious living as we remember that victory through Christ is guaranteed in Scripture! Listen to some of this one liners this author expounds upon in her study "One in a Million." "Fear can paralyze you and you don't move with God." "Fear in an intellectual anticipation of what could go wrong." "Fear causes you to forget what God has done." Let's step into today "Fearing Not" for our God, the author and perfecter of our faith, the very one who set our life into motion creating us with a plan and a purpose and most of all a desire to see us choose to dwell ...

Celebrating a 1st birthday with two of our grandsons.  Sharing his birthday cake with Mama Boo Overjoyed to be together. I love being with these little cousins. June 18 At Bible study last night I shared a story which happened ten years ago related to having prepared a beautiful candlelight dinner for my husband and two youngest sons.  (Our oldest child is a girl and when she left for college I was left living with six men. Every now and then I'd do something girly...flowers, candles, a patch of pink, etc.)  The table was set and an elaborate multi-course dinner prepared. Being a coach and our sons playing on sports teams, my husband was good about calling and letting me know when they began the 50 minute drive home after practice.  This particular evening that amount of time had passed and my mind wandered to deer which jump out in our rural area and cars which swerve on these country roads.  I began to think the worst and imagine my life without ...

June 17 The first photo was sent to me by a dear friend, who observed one of her friends using her thumb to pacify her dog!  The second photo was taken at our home, when Moses, our English bulldog was determined to win the friendship of a dinner guest, who was known to not be a fan of dogs.  I'd say he succeeded! The third photo is one of our daughter-in-laws dancing with her brother-in-law's dog on our patio. The fourth dog's owner is a fabulous pianist and "Jed" is her biggest fan. He lounges in this chair by her piano when she when practices!  The final photo is our two year old granddaughter sprawled out on the floor imitating how our bulldog lies on the floor! Do you think God knew there'd be days when we would be just plain peopled out and need a canine companion? Try as I might I couldn't find a flattering scripture verse about dogs.  God would probably prefer that Jesus be our best friend.  :-)  But our critters are a co...

June 15-16 The winds whipped up and I called my husband at work as I was driving home. Being fearful of all the debris flying in the air and the reality of the power these summer storms pack, I knew that a tree could easily blow over onto my car.  By the time I reached the driveway hail was doing her damaging dance. I needed to set the phone down to get in the door and asked my husband to call me back on the house phone.  Minutes past, I scurried to secure a few items on the deck and realized it was too late to worry about things which had already blown in the lake. Why hadn't my husband called me back? Finally, I called him and he explained upon walking outside his office and looking at the storm approaching he realized the possibility of getting caught by downed trees and decided to head home.  Sure enough, about 10 minutes later he called and exclaimed, "I may not be able to get home." Attempting to take the back country roads he had come upon a downed tree muc...

June 14 For the past hour I've been scrub, scrub scrubby with Oxy-clean and Clorox in an attempt to get red clay stains out of my favorite white pants and a couple pair of shorts.  Last week a beautiful white knit top succumbed to the red clay stain after being washed with another article of clothing which contained the nasty mud.  At one point in the scrubbing I thought..."Who says it is wrong to wear stained clothing?" Ripped jeans are popular. Then the correlation of clothing stains and personal sin entered my mind.  We get comfortable with our "stains" and begin to justify it is alright to go out into life displaying them.  We take the attitude that others need to change and get over our "stains" bothering them. God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.   Hebrews 12:10 Instead of justifying of stains. Let's allowGod to scrub on us a bit today!

Our beach construction site. June 13 The third word/phrase from the prayer time with a friend this week was road block.   Coming out of prayer I admitted that I didn't know what that meant.  Another friend who was praying with us recognized how our friend had been blocking a deep heart issue, which was keeping her from freedom in Christ. Heading off to Biblegateway this morning I did not expect to find road block  in a scripture search.  These two make potent points.  May they bless you today as you seek the Lord and ask him to remove anything or anyone blocking you from the riches that await you in Christ. Job is so direct, so honest with God.  We can be too. Why does God bother giving light to the miserable, why bother keeping bitter people alive. Those who want in the worst way to die, and can't, who can't imagine anything better than death, who count the day of their death and burial the happiest day of their life?  What's the point of lif...

June 12 The second word in the trio, which came out of a prayer time yesterday, was journey. Seemed like an appropriate word to contemplate as I'm in this study concerning the Israelites journey to the promised land. Several hours after the prayer time I opened my study and Shirer had written;"If you've made a decision...to fully embrace the journey with God, I have a warning. This journey will  not be easy...God often chooses a wilderness journey for us to give us an opportunity to experience Him in a way we might miss in a place of ease and convenience." I think I'd mentioned I was praying with a precious sister in Christ and felt the Lord telling her she needs to take a journey to a place WAY out of her comfort zone and face some demons that keep haunting her.  I called her and told her to go get this study!  It had her name all over it. While we were talking I shared how I hate to throw up. I told her I'll do lamaze breathing, pace, anything to...

June 11 In the midst of praying for a dear, dear sister in Christ three words came to me. Vulnerable, journey and road block.  This week I want to search deeply and learn scriptural lessons from those words. Plugging vulnerable into The Message translation I came across this powerful lesson God has to teach us.  He is quite concerned about our influence not only on non-believers, but also fellow believers. I'm chewing on this teaching and thinking about fellow believers who have vulnerabilities to "old associations" and how my life reaction to those areas could cause another to be "thrown off track." Living for the Lord requires alertness.  Allow God to search your life style, the places you dwell and what your day to day associations say to the body of Christ.  If changes are necessary trust the Holy Spirit to pave the way. But fortunately God doesn't grade us on our diet. We're neither commended when we clean our plate nor when we can't st...

June 10 Jumping back into my Bible Study after a delightful family reunion here at Shiloh, I'm struck by the creative visualization of the simplicity of Christ the daily provision of manna for the Israelites illustrated. In my study by Priscilla Shirer, I read: "The simplicity and singleness of the manna in the wilderness symbolized the Christ who was to come. When presenting Himself as the true Messiah to the Jews Jesus clearly said, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:35) While the manna of the wilderness could not provide eternal life, Christ did and will to anyone who will receive it." Simply choose Jesus to change your life today!

June 8-9 We had a wonderful weekend with around 60 family members here for a family reunion. A bunch are still downstairs together.  At one point a great niece of mine came up to  me and said, "Aunt Boo, I can't find God. I don't know where he has gone." I promised her He was still with her. We all have dry spells and wonder if God is ever coming back. The solution lies in where we've strayed from our quiet time, praise and prayer. And for me right now...getting a good night's sleep to be able to study His Word and listen! But if from there you seek the Lord your God,  you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.   Deuteronomy 4:29

June 7 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1   Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Psalm 31:4 Do you have tools in your home/garage/kitchen which you rarely utilize?  Maybe you think they are too much trouble to get out or put together.  My husband bought a new power trimmer for our trees, but he has not used it because he has not wanted to take the time to put it together, so the other day he was sawing away with the manual saw.  Our son and his wife suggested we purchase a lovely grater/mincer from Williams Sonoma for Christmas.  We purchased it, but I'm still hand mincing garlic and even used a knife and scissors the other day to grate lemon peel, because I didn't want to take the time to wash the new gadget. We have this amazing tool for our faith...it is time in the word and listening prayer....

June 6 There is an old beach tune with the title "Stand By Me".  Our bulldog is so faithful, wherever I go he stands or lays by me. Prepping for a colonoscopy last week he positioned himself right in front of the potty. I could feel his concern for me. Hebrews 13:5 says: God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." What a blessing, as well as an accountability tool, when we remember we are not alone!

June 5 Monday night our summer women's Bible Study got under way and we committed to journey to our promised land, in hopes of being that One in a Million,  who gets to enter into the land rich with milk and honey!  Priscilla Shirer minces no words...she divulges right off the bat our sin issue! Reading on page 16 of the member book, my life has been enriched as I recognize the truth about the tactics with which our enemy plays. "The enemy of our souls knows our strengths and weaknesses, and he has the goal of contriving ways to keep us under his thumb.  He wants to burden each of us to the point that we no longer feel passionate about being people of God. He does it by convincing us that freedom in Christ is a dream. He encourages us to keep returning to the very sins from which Christ freed us. Shirer supports this premise with a verse from Hebrews: Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.  (12:1) She points out how...

June 4 We are in a serious at church entitled "Insanity".  Last week the pastor introduced this new series explainng, "It is about Deke Andrews' life." I guess that was better than saying, "Deke Andrews' wife." The message was quite powerful as the pastor explained Paul wrote this "THANK YOU" letter to the Philippians, after being beaten, whipped, and placed in the stocks there.  The letter begins.... I thank my God every time I remember you.   Philippians 1:3 His point to us..."Loo for the good in people." Hmm, sometimes we have to look a little bit harder to find that good  in certain individuals. I've decided to memorize the verses below and pray them for someone everyday. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness th...

June 3 A young couple and their 3 month old son were visiting this past weekend.  They returned last year after having been missionaries in China.  I met the young woman 13 years ago on the campus of VA Tech when we took one of our sons to orientation. It was within moments of meeting her that I knew she was  a believer. We exchanged contact information and have encouraged one another these many years. We talked about the importance of being intentional in sharing our faith with our children. She shared with me ideas from a child rearing book she is reading called Preparing Him for the Other Woman . Ideas such as training beginning by the time they are three to train your sons to hold the door for women and older people.  Begin showing your sons videos of super heroes in addition to David fighting Goliath.  Teach these little men from an early age they are to be warriors and protectors of their women.  The one I loved the most was praying daily with...

Find rest today for your soul!  This fake gator resides on our patio as a reminder to stay on the alert for spiritual danger! June 1-2 In the beginning of the word wilderness, we are exposed to the fact we are going to have a "WILD" time!  Ask Jonah when you see him, what his reaction was to Big Fish Wilderness! Bet that was wild! When I think of the Israelites complaining to Moses and asking where God could possibly be, all the while God was pouring manna down from the skies each day to feed them and placing a pillar of clouds to guide them, I think of how often we grumble. God had a reason for allowing his favored children to wander around for 40 years and He has purposed in our wilderness times. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments.   Deuteronomy8:2 "I am certain that one of the reasons for...