Boojoyful

The sunrise on the lake my Daddy's first morning in heaven. Yup, I think he got to help God design it to send to me! October 1 I write to you this week dear friends of reflections of this time in my life.  Of God's perfect provisions and testimony of how He carries us when we are too weary to walk. There is no sense in trying to convince me my Savior does not  live.  I KNOW He does. I have an app on my phone entitled Jesus Calling.    I want to share the timeline of how I received some of these messages.  When we are tired and thirsty, in a desert place, maybe unable to consume our  regular Bible Study, if we will just reach out for a sip of water, He will sustain us.  Keep God's Word near by, if only as an app on your phone. Here's the irony of this one.  Hours before it came on my phone, I was lying in bed with my father. At one point he took both is hands and cupped my face in them.  He said, "I love you" and kissed me ...

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4  But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:22  September 30 Yesterday, God and my most cherished earthly Daddy, decided it was time for him to enter heaven, God worked out the details to allow me to be with him until his very last breath.  As we begin to look back on the details of this last week, we see God all over it!  On Friday, he asked me to call one of our sons. who was supposed to be coming in to visit Daddy this coming weekend. I dialed the number and my father told him to "come now".  Saturday night, this son and his wife arrived around 10PM with their 1 year old son.  My Daddy lit up, calling each of them by name.  I headed upstairs to get some sleep and our son stayed with my father through a very rough nig...

September 28-29 Some girl friends and I were talking about how "expectations are you appointment with disappointment." I confessed to times when I'd had a rough day and thought..."Maybe my husband will walk in with a bouquet of flowers."  When it doesn't happen a bubble is burst.  I've also set myself up for disappointment thinking I will be included in something (where I would have included certain people in like situations) and the call never came. Interestingly, I came home after a long day and began to work on a Bible Study about "God's glory" and there were these words: "Often we see God's glory best against the contrast of life's dry seasons...God's glory discovers us where we are. Moses illustrates this point well. Shepherding was beneath Moses' education and economic EXPECTATIONS.    He was reared as a royal, but for 40 years this prince chased sheep.  Moses accepted this situation and served where he was, t...

September 27 The phone rang and I rolled over in bed to see the caller ID screen flash the words "Unknown Caller". I didn't pick up.  The letter to "Occupant" comes in the mail and goes directly in the trash.  Things that aren't clearly identified are often avoided. In America it would be difficult to say the gospel is unknown.  Channel search on TV or radio and you will run into it. Walk into a Lifeway store or the Christian section of a Barnes and Noble and you can find it. If you are on a college campus attend Young Life, Campus Crusade, FCA, Athletes in Action, RUF, BSU and what you may have thought to be an unknown caller, will make Himself known to you! Check out what Paul has to say in Acts chapter 17. Athens 16  The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols. 17-18  He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he...

 I love these fresh from the oven shots of our grands. September 26 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27   My sister in law went to be with the Lord this week.  Her granddaughter, my great niece, was telling me about her grandmother dying and going to heaven.  She asked me where we were before we came to earth, if we were just hanging out in the heavens.  I explained we were a thought of God's and we talked about all he thinks about to create each person with their unique characteristics and talents.  Then she asked, "How many people does he create a day?"  The phones came out and the Googling began. The response was an average of 350,000  people a day!  WHOA!  We were all blown away.  That equated to 245 babies a second.  We realized how incredible the mind of God is as we realized there was no way we could even think up all t...

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and  saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 September 25  Right now I am in close proximity with the brokenhearted and trying to encourage the crushed in spirit. It's one of those toilet bowl times, when the waters of life are swirling and you are praying no one goes completely down. The mind is an amazing thing. I'm staying at my father's home, which is 2 blocks from the large area hospital. All night I heard helicopters landing and taking off from the roof of the hospital and I dreamed a disaster movie, where my children and grandchildren were at an amusement park and the power source for the park exploded.  It was truly a nightmare! I woke up praying.... Take every thought captive! May we keep our eyes and hearts open every day and know how to share Jesus with the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit.

September 24 Do you trust Jesus?  Are there boundaries related to that trust? For instance, do you trust Him with your health, but not your finances?  Maybe you trust Him with your marriage, but not your parenting. You were able to trust Him with high school dilemmas, but the college choice and career path are better left to your own decisions. You have to appreciate the honesty of the girl in this video! http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=F9E0JJNU&utm_source=GodTube%20Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09/21/2013 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.   Psalm 143:7-9 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.  The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.  Ps...

September 23 Several years ago I remember seeing the broadcast below about a young artist, Akiane.  From her website, it appears she is now at least 18 years old. http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WWPWPPNX&utm_source=GodTube%20Must-See%20Video&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=09/22/2013 http://www.akiane.com/home On the godtube interview she states: "Without faith you can't communicate with God." Hebrews 11:6 tells us that  Without faith it is impossible to please God . The Bible study I am currently participating in teaches the concept of "Calming the soul."  In Psalm 42, "David quieted his soul by remembering what God had done."  Priscilla Shirer.  She goes on to say, "Calming your soul into a state of dependence on God also requires discipline.  Our natural tendency is to trust our own ambitions, gifts, talents, abilities, and earthly wisdom to make decisions." Where is your faith today?  Growing, I pray.

This bird, created by our grandson, makes me smile and feel wonderful! September 21-22 "Something wonderful is about to happen." No, I am not giving birth!  No one else is getting married around here.  This is simple a phrase I saw on Pinterest and am going to paint and put at my front door!  It evokes joy!  It is an awesome attitude to adopt! Yesterday, I entered a local hardware store to pick up some spray paint.  It was 7:45AM and the gentleman assisting me said, "How is your day?"  I replied with pep, "Well, so far it's been great!" (Thinking to myself...the sun hasn't been up very long.) I echoed the inquiry back to him.  "I hope you are having a good day." Quickly, he stated matter of factly,   "Every day is a good day."  Pleasantly, that shocked me.  I wanted to respond, "Everyday is God's day, therefore a good day. They just dish up differently." Here's a happy greeting or farewell: ...

Cooking up good times with a grandbaby. September 20 But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes-and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles.  This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump.  Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God." Matthew 21:22 (MSG) Oh we of little faith.  Moses learned there are consequences for our unbelief.  The Bible study I am currently in had a "stop you in your tracks" comment by Priscilla Shirer. "Failure to do exactly what God asks, regardless of how strange or incomplete His instructions seem, shows lack of faith in God Himself. It shows we don't trust that He is God and knows what's best.  By not doing what He tells us, we are saying that we don't think God is ...

September 19 How does it happen?  The clutter keeps creeping in!  Yesterday morning I tackled the front hall closet and a few drawers, but I have some major "clean outs" waiting to happen.  A dear friend today said, "Don't worry, winter is coming and there will be time then!"  That's the problem, so many things take precedence.  The good weather, lunch with friends, the necessities of life...laundry, cooking and communication!  Cleaning out the clutter takes time and a conscious effort. The study I'm presently tackling, called "He Speaks to Me", has already had me realize in order to hear God we have to clean out the clutter of our spiritual lives. While I was cleaning, I had the radio tuned into Victory FM 88.3, which has biblical teaching most of the day. Adrian Rogers came on with a tough to listen to message called "Winning the Battle for the Home". It is not for the faint of heart, but if you want to be challenged to clea...

September 18 I read in the news this week that Betty Crocker is a fake personality.  Click on the link to see a slideshow of her portraits over the years.  She gets younger!!!!! http://www.kitchendaily.com/read/history-betty-crocker-general-mills?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl27%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D374984 There are a lot of "fakes" out in the world, especially in the area of beauty.  Unfortunately, there are "fakes" when it comes to people.  Scam artists, falsifiers, impersonators and fair weather friends. Opening our Bibles to Matthew 24:23-25 we are warned about "fakes".    If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, "Here's the Messiah!" or points, "There he is!" don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere.  Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better.  But I've given you fair warning. Pau...

September 17 We've embarked on a new Monday night Bible Study here at Shiloh. It is Priscilla Shirer's study He Speaks to Me.  For the next few weeks I will be taking the lesson each day and turning the teaching points into a prayer to transform our lives. Looking back over the notes I took on the first video there are some "action words".  Actions we need to take for our faith to grow and to position ourselves to hear God. REALIZE we need Jesus. EXPECT him to help us. DEPEND on God for everything. TRUST! "They (children) are excited by learning something new and delight in discovering new truths."  I'm laughing over that quote, because lately, I've been the recipient of trainees.   Two weeks ago at a retail store,  my checkout girl was experiencing her first day on the job. Bless her heart, I threw three new situations her way and she had no clue how to handle any of them and was quite embarrassed. I explained how I loved to learn somethin...

September 16 Remembering a young man, who grew up with our children and is now a missionary in Africa with his young family, I thought back to something he shared with me once upon returning home to the states.  "The worship is so pure in Africa. It's beyond anything I've ever experienced in America.  There's no holding back." A few weeks ago I was walking with praise music playing on my listening device and found myself twirling around in the street, with my hands lifted high.  I was lost in the praise. It truly was intoxicating, but I am fortunate no one locked me up.  Just as I started to write the words..."That sort of praise needs to be done in private."...I thought about my young friend's comment. I bet they dance down the dirt roads where he is praising the Lord and singing out loud. Our joy in the Lord needs to abound! Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,  so that you will abound in hope by the powe...

September 14-15 A friend emailed me this C.S. Lewis quote, which she had used when teaching Bible study recently. "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn... There is no other...God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.   There is no such thing. ”  Previously, I've mentioned the high school quarterback, whom we claim as a grandchild of ours.  Each week I ask the Lord to give me a word and a scripture for this young man.  Yesterday, the word was fuel.   Total surprise set in as I searched Biblegateway for the word fuel.   Twenty-five options came up in the Message translation and I felt this one was perfect to encourage a quarterback.  Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame.   Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.   Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.   Romans 12:11-13...

September13 Adrian Rogers defined lukewarmness towards God this way: "Lukewarmness is a way of saying, "God, I believe in You, but You just don't excite me." (Something in there rings of what might be said in some marriages as years wear on.) Revelation 2:4 says: Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. The Message translation has a more contemporary twist.   But you walked away from your first love-why?  What's going on with you, anyway?  Do you have any idea how far you've fallen?  A Lucifer fall!  Turn back!  Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle.    God's love does not disappoint. I've had a busy, busy week, but each time I've returned to Him, I've been so fulfilled.  If we had a lukewarmness gage related to one's love for Jesus, possibly like one of those temperature strips you can place on your forehead to take...

September 12 My head was spinning from an overload I had allowed it to consume.  My husband came home from work in the same condition.  Had I been "tuned in" as I wrote about earlier, I would have received the message God had for me through my husband's experience.  Fortunately, I opted for a quiet time with the Lord the next day and I didn't miss the lesson.  God even gave me a review that same afternoon when I tuned into the Revive Our Hearts daily radio show.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss had this to say about how we react when trials or trouble strike: You go where you can find God.  That's where you turn.  You don't ultimately turn to your husband.  You don't ultimately turn to your friends.   You ultimately turn to God.  God just made me smile as I went to Biblegateway to look for the reference on the all familiar verse..C ome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28  Typing in the ...

Crab ears! September 11 While traveling home Sunday from an adventure with some of the grandchildren, I was trying to tune into Christian radio along my route.  One click of the "seek" button and I heard a minister say, "Church should be like a mother giving birth. Church should be birthing believers and training them up to send them out into the world."  Now there's an analogy to which I can relate. In my channel surfacing, I found myself getting distracted as I was following detour signs, talking on the phone and probably just day dreaming.  I would zone back in and realize I was on a country station, a rap station, or talk show.  Tuning in takes a skilled ear. The skill level is heightened when it comes to listening to God.  How easily we drift away from Him. The Message translation often makes me smile. This is one of those times as I looked for verses related to "tuning in". Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub m...

Offer hospitality without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9 September 10 Friday, Nancy Leigh DeMoss had on her radio show, one of the best pieces on God's command to "offer hospitality" that I have ever heard.  It is taken from 2 Kings chapter 4:5-13. 8  One day Elisha went to Shunem. ( E )  And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.   9  She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.   10  Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay ( F )  there whenever he comes to us.” 11  One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there.   12  He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” ( G )  So he called her, and she stood before him. 13  Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now wha...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil' cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:-9-10 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22  September 9 Witnessing some of our grandsons spending time together this past week was such a blessing.  They love one another deeply and the smiles do not cease when they are in one another's company. Boyd Bailey wrote in a devotional this past week: "Relational equity is the trust and goodwill we build up over time with those we love. The goal of other centered people is to make more relational deposits than withdraws. They serve more than they are served. They love more than they are loved. They honor more than they are honored. They care more than they receive care. They give more than they take. They generate emotional energy more than they ...

September 7-8 Checking into my hotel the other night, the manager on duty said he was sorry, but he could not find my  reservation. I explained I had just made it online that afternoon.  "Ah, it hasn't posted at the front desk," he replied, "No, problem." Yikes, there are some people who are going to be surprised when they receive a similar notice that their heavenly reservation has not been posted. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew your, Away from me, you evildoers!" Matthew 7:21-23 Even though a person sins and gets by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I'm still convinced that the good life is res...

September 6 The evening after laser surgery I needed a safe place to lay my head, before heading on to enjoy the grandchildren.  The Founder's Inn on the campus of Regent University is such a place. I crawled into bed, thankful for the care package a neighbor had packed for me, and rested my burnt head!  When I awakened in the morning I decided to set off on a little walk across campus.  Seeing the sleepy headed eight o'clock classers made me laugh.  I'm a morning person and my cheery "Mornin" greeting received some less cheerful responses. Immediately, I counted it a privilege to be on a Christian college campus and prayed for strength for the students and faculty.  As I walked past Pat Robertson's house, I thanked God for his ministry. The 700 Club television program, turned on in our family room, is where my husband knelt and prayed to receive Christ many years ago. This is such a beautiful place.  Below are a couple pictures I captured with my cell ph...

My man leading the way to the fiery furnace. September 5 Here's an inside look at the continuation of my laser surgery experience.  I failed to mention yesterday that I was quite nervous making this journey alone, because of all the unknowns.  All I knew was the nurse had told me it would be very painful, but only take 10 minutes.  Then in 1-3 days I should feel better. Numerous friends had offered to go with me, but because the location was halfway to the home of a couple of our grandchildren, I couldn't stand to be that close and not go on to VA Beach and get some hugs.  Thus, it was most convenient to make the trip alone.  The plan was to book a hotel room in which to recover that evening.  At 6AM the day of the procedure I arose ready for the journey, my husband came into the bedroom to say I needed to love him and be submissive. "Affirmative," I replied, as I waited to hear what he wanted from me. He explained, that he was going to drive to Richm...

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1  September 4 The call came from a neighbor indicating they were in our cove with a care package for my upcoming trip back to the surgeon.  Yummy peach bread, a Sprite, chocolate covered raisins, assorted other sweets and a note of encouragement.  The gentleman asked me, "What are your needs?" It struck me, that once again, I had fallen into "Go, just get 'er done mode", accepting "It is what it is," without believing "With God all things are possible."   How many times this summer have I come alongside others praying for peace and specifics before their surgeries, yet, I wasn't applying that faith to my own life.  Where was my faith? Driving to Richmond, where I would receive a laser treatment related to the skin cancer surgery, God had my attention with all he provided.  I kept the radio on a Christian station and God's love ...

September 3 Have you ever planned an outdoor wedding? You go daily to the weather channel, as many days out as you can, to get the prediction for the big day. Do you know any sports fanatics?  They study team rosters, the health, happiness and attitude of the players and gobble up every bit of info from the message boards looking to project the outcome of an upcoming game. How about pregnancies...before ultrasounds predicting the sex of the baby was a fun, then there are predictions of the day of delivery and the weight. Webster's defines prediction : to declare or indicate in advance; especially: foretell on the basis of observation, experience, or scientific reason. Projection is defined as: an estimate of future possibilities based on a current trend. From his experience as a follower of Christ and obviously one of the most inspired writers of the Bible, Paul writes of a couple projections/predictions For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written...

This dog cracked me up last night when she crawled up in her master's lap. September 2 Sometimes I have major break throughs, when it comes to grasping concepts about our relationship with our heavenly Father.  Last week as I was preparing to go visit my 93 year old father, I realized how much I enjoy just sitting with him. As a child, there was the desire to please him and to perform well (whether academically or in sporting events) for him. Also, as provider, He was the one to whom my wants were expressed.  Becoming a parent and home owner myself, the hunger to gain understanding and wisdom from someone who was wiser set in.  As he became a widower and was living alone the relationship changed to where I found joy in serving him.  Now he has wonderful care givers and I have a peace that he is content and ready to head to heaven when the Lord calls, but I still long to just sit in his presence and feel his love. As my mind drifted through the progressio...