Boojoyful

November 30-Dec 1 Laid up in our bed with aching backs last Saturday, my husband was reading and I was typing away. Glancing over at him, I inquired as to the air time of a football game we wanted to watch.  My purpose was to inform him, "I need to do a few chores first," but it came out, "I need to do a few cheers first." This later seemed totally appropriate to him! How do we look at our faith and our times of worship...with cheerful hearts or as a chore? Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4  While writing this the other morning, the rising sun had coated the sky in a burst of pink, at least 30 geese formed their "V" and flew out over the water which was coated with billowing fog which had formed due to the 17 degree temperatures.  The mere scene out my window gave me reason to praise, so I began to sing. Sometimes when there is a battle going on around me ...

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods,  His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits. God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits. Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits. Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love need quits. Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits. Psalm 136:1,26MSG November 29 Sitting on the floor, with a couple of lumps of love in my lap and a few others playing with new toys on the floor nearby, the zinger came.  The realization we were having a family gathering without Daddy hit my heart and instinctively I thought it was time to call him.  Immediately following the realization of that impossibility, the tears began to form and trickle down my cheeks.  Flicking a few tears onto my pant leg, I hoped to be able to wade through the moment.  My tear ducts reminded me of a...

November 28 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 My husband challenged a group of his students to express what they were thankful for.  One young lady responded, "I'm thankful I'm not a turkey."  :-) We live in a fallen world filled with evil, sorrow and pain.  As I look out my window the clouds abound, but there are streaks of the bright blue background making the a statement, that blue skies may prevail. God's love it like that. It makes a statement!  A statement saying, "Look at Me! I am your hope, your joy, your future.  All this, the evil, sorrow, and pain, will one day pass away and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." So today we choose to enter the day with thanksgiving, remain in God's presence with praise and give Him thanks for the hope to come.  And ...

November 27 The devil got the best of me the other night. My husband had been sick and in terrible pain from a back injury, I'd way over committed myself ministry wise, a good part of the day had been spent on a ladder with enormous clippers trying to cut crepe myrtle branches without breaking my neck, and after spray painting them my girlfriend pointed out that my face was white from the spray paint blowing in on me. Heading inside for the evening hours I didn't know which way to turn.  The house was a mess with Christmas decorations begging to be hung and 150 Thanksgiving cards stared at me needing addressing. I decided to tackle putting lights on some garland and hanging the pieces over a large painting in the dining room.  For starters this was not a one person job, but I didn't want to bother my husband, who had no business lifting anything.  At one point, the left strand of garland slipped and slit my finger open when the devil made me do it...yup, I cuss...

November 26 It's been a gross day.  The iffy weather forecasts of an ice storm had my husband delay the start of school today and it's seems life has just gotten discombobulated. The pouring rain put a snafu in gathering boxes to pack up food from a food drive. Rush, rush, rush.  Here it is almost 1:00 and I'm just getting to the devotional.  Turning on the computer I face an email seeking prayer for a friend's young daughter with ovarian cancer, and news comes of another friend's mom having a stroke,  Just gross. Wait there's the doorbell!  A dear friend was dropping off a back pillow she made herself for us.  It's like Jesus just stopped in to say, "Remember I am here." I hope when you play this video, you will get Goosebumps as I did and be able to stop and remember, God is with you. http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WYWDYPNX&utm_source=GodTube%20Must-See%20Video&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11/22/2013

November 25 Admittedly, I am a morning person.  A "rise and shine, it's gonna be a great day" type girl.  Not all of our children are morning peeps and some didn't appreciate my get up and go, chipper attitude in the mornings, so they may want to wait and watch this Mercy Me video until later in the day. If Jesus is in your life, you've been transformed and that is a reason to give thanks and rejoice! Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise him name.   For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalms 100:4-5 So shake off any discouragement, depression or dread and boogie along with Mercy Me! http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WYK6G7NX&utm_source=GodTube%20Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11/23/2013

November 23-24 "A season is about to unfold for three women whose hearts belong to God.  Elizabeth is barren, yet her trust in the Lord remains fertile.  Mary is betrothed in marriage, yet she is willing to hear God's Son.  Anna is a widow full of years, yet she waits patiently, prayerfully for the Messiah to appear in the temple courts.  Following in their footsteps, you too can prepare for the Savior to enter your heart, your mind, and your life in a vibrant, new way this season."  The back cover of Liz Curtis Higgs' book,     The Women of Christmas. Curtis Higgs writes, "Christmas is so much more than a holiday. So much more than buying and wrapping, and cooking and eating, and trimming with tinsel, and mailing out cards. It's a season for reflection, for preparation, for renewal. What better time to put aside our shopping lists and reach for out Bibles, where the story of the Christ child awaits us." I do it every year....promise to slow the p...

November 22 It's 4AM and not being able to sleep I've grabbed my trusty laptop and headed to the living room to hang out with Jesus. My husband, who is finally resting well after struggling to get comfortable from severe back pain and nausea, will eventually awaken and probably say, "Why did you go out there?"  (I usually type away from bed, if I awaken in the middle of the night.) His perspective may be that I was making a sacrifice to venture into the cold living room, but from mine the house is beginning to be decorated with Christmas lights, so it's quite enchanting with all the twinkling, twinkling going on! One of my first decisions was whether to sit on the sofa facing the fire or to look out the window awaiting sunrise. Two totally different perspectives.  The second selection will be from my palette's perspective of whether to delight my tastebuds with hot tea or cocoa. Attending an area Bible study this week, the women were rather fe...

November 21 If we slur the word gratitude  it might come out as Great Attitude! A.W. Tozer wrote, "Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer, but richer for having made it." While visiting with a dear friend on the phone early one morning, her cell phone alarm sounded.  Every morning it is set to play a song called Thank You Jesus!   Now that helps start the day the right way! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

There's a deer lightful party at Shiloh in the afternoons!  Come see us. November 20 Often, I will be about the business of the day and a thought will cross my mind triggering the thought, "That would make a good devotional title."  It happened the other morning, but I didn't write the thought down and only 5 minutes later couldn't remember the clever alliteration, which had come to mind. The lead letter was "H", but the trio of words had left me.  Praying, I asked the Lord, "What was the title?"  He replied, "It must not have been of eternal value!" I laughed. November 11th, in Oswald Chambers' beloved book,  His Utmost for My Highest , Chambers wrote about self-motivated ministry.  We are capable of dreaming up a lot of good things to do, but it is the work initiated by the Lord, which he planned in advance for us to do,  that has lasting eternal value. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good...

November 19 We are big proponents of short sermons and long praise and worship.  Most messages/sermons much longer than 20 minutes seem to often become repetitive, having the tendency to cause one's mind to drift from the topic matter.  The four minute message in the link below on God's Presence, byFrancis Chan will stick with me. http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=W7YDDPNX&utm_source=GodTube%20Today&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11/18/2013 Honor and majesty are (found) in His presence; strength and joy are (found) in His sanctuary. 1 Chronicles 16:27 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."    Exodus 33:14 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.   Psalm 16:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.   Psalm 51:11 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out...

November 18 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.   Isaiah 40:31 Tis the season to get in a twit! Don't do it!  Put Jesus first and spend time with him. It's His birthday we are about to celebrate and I think he'd rather us spend time with him than worry about a big bash!  I tell myself this every year and I still go overboard decorating, gifting and cooking. Last week Adrian Rogers' website had a excellent message titled "Bridging the Stress Gap". It reads: "Stress is nothing new. Noah had it when he was building the ark with no rain in sight. Martha had it when she was preparing a meal for our Lord.  Stress is the gap between the demands placed on us and the strength we have in meeting those demands.  It is not a sin to be stressed, nor a sin to be weary. It is a sin, though, not to seek a lessening of that stress...

November 16-17 Dear Friends, I write to you this weekend under conviction from a Wisdom Hunters devotional.  I want to share what a wrote to some of my Bible Study girlfriends. Being in sweet fellowship with you all feels like a safety zone. A place to share what we sense the is Lord doing, a place cry out in despair, a place be vulnerable and express our disobedience and need for forgiveness without fear of being rejected.  One area God has worked on me this week in is assuming everyone, who loves the Lord, has similar experiences and understands what I am feeling. That is just not true in extensive areas of life experience. The other thought that hit me in the gut (which is sore anyway from a stomach bug last night) came from the devotional below.  I talk to much to others about what  I need to just be working out with God. In my heart of hearts I've truly believed I share in hopes of someone else helping me figure out the remaining pieces of the p...

November 15 My husband's 104 year old great aunt died this week and we truly experienced the end of an amazing era.  The four Finley sisters were loaded with personality and very well known in their community. They were also quite talented musically.  This particular aunt was probably my husband's favorite.  Talking to her granddaughter's at the funeral he said, "She was a character." (He meant this in a most complimentary way.)  Although that does differs from having character, it can still be a good thing. Will people remember us for our character or as characters? A group of us are about to embark on a new study called The Women of Christmas  by Liz Curtis Higgs. Tapping into the life of Elizabeth in the first chapter, Higgs wrote: A wife of noble character who can find?   Proverbs 31:10 "Even in the days of old, such women were rare birds, putting character above all else.  Rather than caring about how she looked to other, Elizabeth ...

 The bath... The basting! Turkey prep is a serious endeavor. November 14 My role in our Bible study feast the other night was the production of the turkey. Researching various brines, I went with a sweet orange and lemon based brine.  The suggested time for this brining process was 20 hours.  A good marinade enriches any meat, just as a good meditation on the Word of God enriches us and our relationship to Christ. What are you soaking in these days? Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 The brining recipe can be found on my menu bar under "Palate Pleasers".

It's hard to catch 5 turkeys in perfect picture mode. November 13 "We've been bamboozled!" my girlfriend replied, when we realized why we were able to purchase 1200 thread count sheets for $20.  They were not cotton, but a "micro-fiber".  Hmmm? I give her credit, earlier in the day she was fast to figure out the 3 for $20 cashmere scarf promotion loop hole.  I kept rubbing them, questioning the reality that they were cashmere, when she pointed to the TINY script on the LARGE sign promoting this product.  What we had failed to see were the little bitty words preceding the word "cashmere"...the words..."feels like".  Ah!  We will laugh about this for years and be wiser shoppers for the wear. There are many imitations/variations of our faith, but the major difference in Christianity and other faiths is that the WORK HAS BEEN DONE.  There is absolutely nothing we can add to Christ's work on the cross, that will save us from our sin...

November 12 University programs and various job certifications have entrance examinations, which are required to be passed before you may proceed or advance.  What if when we reached the gates of heavens there was an entrance examination?  Test your knowledge on this True/False quiz.  The answers can be found in the scripture references. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.                                                        Romans 3:23 While we were still sinners Christ died for us.                                                               Romans 5:8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of Go...

November 11 After 40 hours of work, thanks to some youthful aid this weekend, my husband almost has our 5 acres of leaves cleaned up.  He is a veteran leaf blower/raker.  He is also, exhausted.  A huge shout of appreciation for four young adults from our church who sacrificed their Saturday morning to help move the leaves of Shiloh! The dictionary defines veteran  as: "A person who has had long experience in a particular field or a person who served in the military. Today we remember the men and women who have laid down their lives for us!  Thank You. Without you, our freedom to worship as we wish may have been long gone.  God help that freedom to continue! Most of us did not first hand fight in the Wars of our fathers and none of us walked beside our Savior in the flesh.  Yet, many of us are veterans of the faith.  The word veterans comes from the Latin word  veteranus...vetus meaning "old".  I qualify as an "old" Christian!...

November 9-10 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,  and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:26-27 "Offer grace" makes me think of the movie Christmas Vacation ) where the 80 year old aunt is asked to say grace before dinner, " She replies, "Grace! She passed away 30 years ago." Have you served grace  to anyone lately?  How often do we dish it out?  We certainly like to receive it! My stomach is churning right now over the arrogant times I've thought about "what I deserved" in various service oriented businesses.  Oh, how Jesus must have been shaking his head. I'm not saying we should allow people to cheat us or treat us rudely, but that we examine our hearts in our responses and put ourselves in the other person's shoes. Last month we ordered a pizza for our grandchildren. My husband went to pick it up and came home and they had given him the wrong pizza!  We were all hungr...

November 8 Merriam Webster defines pursue  this way: to follow and try to catch or capture (someone or something) for usually a long distance of time. During a Bible Study yesterday, I saw a photograph of a painting where an artist had depicted his interpretation of Saul's encounter with God, which turned him into Paul!  The teacher noted, "God was pursuing Paul."  Paul wasn't out looking to grow closer in a relationship with Christ. Could God be trying to capture your heart and attention today?  Have you sensed Him knocking on your heart for a long time, but you never take the time to open up to Him? Scripture is filled with examples of what to pursue and what not to pursue. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.   Psalm 34:14 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.   Proverbs 21:21 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on th...

November 7 My car and purse are filled with bits of paper, where I've written down "one liners" or maybe a song lyric I want to remember.  I'm thinking this one may have come from our pastor, but I'm not for certain. "Forget means it no longer has an influence." Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  . Philippians 3:13-14 Isn't it interesting the things we forget and the then the occurrences we hold onto. Hold onto the healthy memories and let those holding you captive, teach their lesson in your life and then go free, no longer having a negative influence on your life.

November 6 One of the hand me down toys from our children to our grandchildren, which has stood the test of time, is this Little Tykes  blue car.  It is a one seater, so on occasion there can be a bit of a scuffle over who gets to man the vehicle. Upon acknowledging our need for a savior and accepting Christ, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us through life. He's a gentleman and only takes control, when we step out of the driver's seat and ask Him to steer.  Instead of allowing that to be part of my daily survival preparation, I often wait and holler to Him to come in when I'm at my wits end or backed into a corner. This morning, the before my eyes opened phrase  that was on my mind was "Empty me of me Lord and fill me with Your Holy Spirit."  The process needs to be a daily choice.  There's not room for both of us in the driver's seat of our life. Who's at the controls of your life today? Do not get drunk on ...

November 5 A dear friend gave me a month by month calendar for Christmas last year which is displayed in a frame and highlights a scripture verse. You have to change out each month.  It sits right in my dressing room and I look at it every day.  With everything that occurred the last week of September in our life, my eyes ceased to focus on the calendar, until I realized the other day, it was November and the calendar still showed September.  Life seemed to have stop there for awhile. October just slipped by. Glancing at September's verse, as I pulled it out of the frame, I thought how perfect the verse was for what September had held in our lives here at Shiloh. September Pray about everything. Worry about nothing.  Philippians 4:6 I wanted to check out October, before moving on to November. October   But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31:14-15 How I wished I had been tuned into wha...

November 4 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God. People take refuge in the Shadow of Your Wings. Psalm 36:7 Satisfy is in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14 Have you ever purchased a product, been disappointed and returned it for the money back guarantee?   The other day I read this quote (can't remember where) "I know I'm saved, but I'm not satisfied."  Asking Jesus into our hearts isn't a "fix all" remedy. In this world you will have trouble. But take courage. I have overcome the world. John 16:33 Our guaranteed satisfaction comes from knowing God never leaves us or forsakes us and promises to work all things together for our good, while we walk here on earth awaiting heaven.  Renee Swope wrote: "We must learn to see challenges as spiritual exercises designed to make us stronger." There is a children's song, I've referred to before ...

November 2 Being married to a college football player, I'm always a bit defensive when I hear someone refer to a dumb football player.  Have they actually watched the game?  Have they seen a college or professional level play book.  You can't be dumb and learn all that. Well, you can't be dumb to pull off what this Ohio State marching band does either in this video clip. Talk about multi-tasking.  Playing your music and knowing when and where to march too would tax my brain. http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WY7KGGNX&utm_source=GodTube%20Must-See%20Video&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11/01/2013 God is the ultimate Multitasker!   Nothing is too difficult for Him.  Mary knew that when she became pregnant as a virgin. Sarah knew that as she became a mother at 90 years old.  Noah knew that when he received guidance to build an ark. Moses knew that when he saw the Red Sea part.  I knew that each time I experienced a baby being born or ...

November 1 A month to the date my father died, I received three inquires related to investments.  I guess people in this line of work read the obituaries and then they call their heirs assuming they have inherited money.  It really shocked me.  Two of these individuals, though older than me, went to the high school I attended years ago.  There was no mention of my father's passing, although I knew they were aware of this.  The comment made by these two was that they'd like to help me take a look at my financial future.  The third was an email offer, which at least included a dinner invitation!  :-) Life is full of surprises and occurrences we do not anticipate. That particular day was the first day I'd been alone since September 23rd and it was OK to be alone!  Our home desperately needs some straightening up.  Walking through the living room, I noticed a coffee table book published by Thomas Nelson called   You Are Loved.   ...