Boojoyful

May 31-June 1 I'm in a group which gathers once a week to study the disciplines of Christ.  Each week we select a specific assignment related to a particular discipline.  One week my assignment was to listen to Handel's Messiah .  We were to practice the incarnational tradition.  Go Holy Spirit go!  Grabbing my CD's I took them with me to my ironing board.  It wasn't long before I was looking for a piece of paper to jot down God's messages for me in-between the sweeps of the iron across cloth. Three scriptures sung to this dynamic music captured my thoughts and flowed together in a most practical manner. For we like sheep have gone astray , we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.   Isaiah 53:6  Yup, we've all messed up, by being "I want" driven instead of "God" driven. We shall be changed  related to 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52… Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, b...

May 30 Heart wrenching…is the best way to describe the prayer concern I've been carrying for three friends serving churches in three different denominations.  In each case, there is division within the body that is tearing people apart. Tuesday, a week ago,  this verse appeared as the selected verse for the day on Biblegateway and spoke directly to the heartache my friends are experiencing. I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10 What are we doing to strengthen the unity of the Body of Believers with whom we worship? Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doin...

Thanks for the shorts, Braydon. May 29 Most of you know I have some rather aggravating back issues.  Mulching isn't one of the best activities for me, but presently my hubby is ailing more than I am.  It takes about 8 pick up loads of mulch to spruce up Shiloh and we've slowing been chipping away at the project. I was strictly instructed to not lift a pitchfork while my man was a at work, but temptation and disobedience got the best of me.   The plan was to unload a whole truck full, head up the road, get another load, and put the truck back in it's place.  About 6 shovelfuls were left in the truck before lunch time, when my husband VERY unexpectedly pulled into the driveway.  He gave me a glare and said, "Your sins will find you out."  Immediately, a childhood occurrence flashed back. My grandmother lived about 5 houses away, but across a very curvy,  busy, street, which I was not allowed to cross.  The day before I'd been at...

May 28 Maybe it was the class gerbil, goldfish, or another pet that you or your child had the privilege of bringing home and caring for over a weekend or even holiday. If my recollection is correct, one of ours had to care for a Cabbage Patch doll as part of a grade school project on responsibility. The doll was to go with us everywhere, as if it was a sibling. Last night I heard the sweetest story from one of our sons.  Sometimes he carpools to work with a neighbor, who while not a believer, sends his children to a Lutheran Day Care Center.  On Wednesday evenings this church offers supper at the church, which this family takes advantage of, as well as allowing their children to attend choir those evenings.  While driving to work one day, the neighbor told our son that their child had brought home the  Jesus Doll  from class.  The doll comes complete with a back pack filled with Christian stories.  The child is instructed to take the doll everywhere ...

May 27 "Who are all these people?" my husband and I asked each other as we strolled through the grocery store.  The summer crowd has descended upon our lake community and there are lots of new faces. There are also the familiar ones who move in for either the summer or at least Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.  There is an air of excitement as we reconnect with these people and pick up where we left off at the end of last summer.  Laughter is good for the soul and we certainly did a lot of that with friends this weekend. A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22 Today on my phone this C.S. Lewis quote on friendship popped up.  Therein lies reason to thank God for the people he has placed in our lives and to watch expectantly for more friendships He wants to develop.  Will our hearts be open? "In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few year's difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles betwee...

May 26 Check list; The table cloths, the picnic basket, a cooler of ice, sunscreen and beach towels. Pick up the chicken, the chips and the watermelon.  Be sure we have enough cash for ice cream later.  It's a holiday! I wonder how many people would know the root history of Memorial Day if they were stopped on the streets and asked.  Will we talk about it to our children and grandchildren today?  If a flag is flown at our home what will be our explanation.  Here comes my 2014 word intentional again.  How intentional will I be with how I honor this day. After a bit of Google research this morning I learned this event originated on May 5, 1868 (three years after the Civil War) and was called Decoration Day .  It represented a time for the nation to reflect on the lives of those who had given their lives by placing flowers on their graves.  In 1971 Congress declared Memorial Day to be a national holiday which would be held on the last  Mond...

May 24-25 All of a sudden the tears were pouring down my cheeks as I drove.  How I wish you had been with me.  Oh, dear friends, it is a sound I know we will hear when we are in the presence of the Lord.  Being surrounded by car speakers, in the front and back, made this recording so powerful.  As you listen on your computer try to imagine being surrounded by this sound. Click on the link below and go to May 23rd.  You can move the cursor to pick up the message at either 19 or 20 minutes. (20 if you are in a real rush …the theme is being in the presence of the Lord). Chuck Swindoll is teaching on seraphim. The end of what I want you to hear will be at 22:45. http://www.insight.org/broadcast/library.html May your holiday weekend be filled with many moments when you know you are in the presence of the Lord! Addendum: Opening up Jesus Calling I had to laugh how today's message goes along with getting into God's Presence.  Oh how I want to hear the se...

May 23 You, my  brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galations 5:13 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that  you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows.  For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself.  That's an act of true freedom.  If you bite and ravage each other, watch out-in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?    Galatians 5:13 This passage in the NIV popped up before me and over and over I've been thinking about the fact we are "free to serve one another humbly in love."  It's a privilege.

May 22 We have to be intentional  in the way we live.  While on a long road trip alone recently,  I was intentional in my seeking out Christian radio stations to listen to on my day long trek.  Distractions came in the way of phone calls, direction seeking and praying (with my eyes open of course).  At some point the Christian station I had previously been listening to left broadcasting range. Adrift in various thoughts as I drove I'm not certain how long it was until I heard a couple really raunchy lyrics, which caught me off guard.  It was then I realized I was no longer where I thought I was radio station wise. We can easily get off track when we are not intentionally  looking for God! The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.   Proverbs 18:15 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Chri...

May 21 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 I'm on an exhausting work mission this week and came across this verse that was "spot" on!  The words that grabbed me at first were work prompted by love.    Love and love alone is why I am doing what I am, but heading into day three I need to see that my  endurance will be inspired by hope !  I've just killed eight mosquitos, swarming around my bed! Summer is a fabulous time for missions work, whether at home or abroad. Merriam Webster has a variety of definitions related to the work  mission.    For what I am attempting to accomplish I'll go with: a task or job that someone is given to do. My prayer is that in the months ahead God will set before me a...

May 20 Standing on a step ladder, my frustration grew as I tried to replace the bathroom fan cover and a couple can light fixtures.  I'd taken the economical way of asking a neighbor to help me with a ceiling leak issue at a discounted price.  You get what you pay for. I was left to do things I really didn't have the skills for, but the girl from Dancing with the Stars, who has no legs, inspired me to persevere.  Only moments into this project I felt God teaching me. Here are three things I learned. #1 You get what you pay for and Jesus paid it all, so that those who believe in Him will "get" eternal life! #2 It is good to pray and persevere. #3 Sometimes we strive to do things that we aren't capable of doing, like working our way into heaven.  It's not going to happen. At one point I realized the bulb neck (not sure if that is the proper term, but it works for me) was broken and no matter what I tried, that bulb was not going to shine.  Aren'...

May 19 It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs for us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.   Ephesians 1:11-12 This passage keeps popping up…I guess I'm supposed to go deep.  How many times have you heard friends say, "I wish I knew my purpose, what I am here for?"  If we don't know Christ, we aren't going to figure out how to live gloriously. What was the last situation you needed to have worked out? Thursday, I sat with five girl friends and we attempted to work out a date to get together again. Today, I worked with a group at church as we figured out to most effectively feed 50 people. If you live in a home with teenage drivers you may find yourself trying to work out whose driving which car when.  If  you have a senior in high school you may be attemptin...

May 17-18 Tuning into one of my favorite Christian radio stations, I sang all the way to Roanoke, VA yesterday.  I tried to keep one hand on the wheel, while the other one was lifted in praise. I was boogying for sure in my seat. Check out some of these tunes and dance your way through the weekend! Worthy of Praise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5dDwGUywIs More Beautiful You  (Funny, I was driving to the Beauty Parlor!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7UJE22Td9s Just Be Me  (This was my favorite by Laura Story) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VRUU8UBXCk&feature=k p Hello My Name Is  (Don't miss this one!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuJWQzjfU3o This is Amazing Grace (You can't listen to this one and not be filled with joy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjXjkbODrro Now these are on my phone and I'm going to walk through the neighborhood, praising all the way!

May 16 Vulnerable -this word popped up in two different studies I was doing last week.  Merriam-Webster defines it as: capable of being physically or emotionally wounded; open to attack or damage (vulnerable to criticism); easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally or emotionally.   In Nancy Leigh DeMoss' Divine Design study she writes: "Over the years, I have discovered that ever God given strength, if not perpetually safeguarded and surrendered to His control, can become an area of weakness and failure.  It is precisely in the realm of those strengths that the Enemy often targets us for attack-knowing that if he can bring us down at those points, we will be more likely to concede territory to him in other areas.  In that sense, a person's greatest strength may also be their greatest area of vulnerability." Beth Moore writes: "Whenever we get deeply involved we open ourselves up to anguish and anxiety.  There are people we love so much...

May 15 I know this is too much information, but there is a purpose.  I wrote this while sitting on my bed in only a bath towel.  Thirty minutes prior I had received an email from a friend, being real,  and my response was to call her and say "Let's just bag every responsibility we have today and go on an adventure, like Peter Pan." She must have been in the shower or doing her quiet time (safe from my temptations), because she didn't  answer.  That prodded me to pick up a study I'm doing on Divine Design and the Spirit got moving.  Realizing the time, I rushed upstairs, grabbed a banana and was about to get in the shower to make a 10:00 appointment.  In a matter of five minutes God had given me FIVE titles and scenarios for devotionals.  Odds were by the time I got out of the shower, checked email, answered the phone (fell into the devil's distractions) all those ideas would be gone from my aging mind.  So there I sat…naked before the ...

May 14 While tossing the breakfast dishes (ha, be real Boo…it was just a banana peel and a cup) in the dishwasher and trash, I noticed our fountain outside was low on water and starting to make a grinding noise.  I was already running late, but ignoring this deficiency could put an added strain on the motor and burn the whole thing out, so I grabbed a pitcher and went out to refresh the fountain.  It began to whistle a happy tune and spewed forth happy, dancing water! That grinding noise was a warning sign for me to make a correction.  BINGO, HELLO!  Doesn't God send us those sort of signs in our own lives? Has He ever told you: You are putting a strain on life and full of anxiety by trying to control this situation. You are sick because you are working too long.  I created a day of rest for a reason. You just had a flat tire, because you are headed in a very wrong direction. Stop, turn around. Your bank account is depleted.  You might want ...

The four kids my mother loved.  (I'm the baby.) May 13 A tug on my heart came, as I read the words of a friend whose only child has turned away.  Her grace, her beauty, her smile make her such a delight to be around.  The thought flashed into my mind, "You are a mother to me." Two other friends, who have never had children, entered my thoughts.  They are such a delight to me and fill voids that were left when my mother died. A mother is unconditional love; a mother is there. A mother laughs with you, cries with you, directs your path and takes you for an ice cream cone on the tough days. Thank God for the people he puts in our lives to love us and just be there when our mothers are gone or when their lives are in such a state, that they are unable to show the love we  need. A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17  Take time to list and thank God for the mother substitutes you have had.

May 12 Our three year old grandson is tasting the trials of real life. He has been forced to give up his pacifier and now the diapers must go and the training pants come on.  It's interesting how differently things are viewed as a mother and a grandmother.  I kept my security blankie (actually it was one of my grandmother's nylon nightgowns) at her house until she died when I was sixteen!  I'll have to come up with some empathy actions for this little fellow. Beside our grandson's bed is a story Bible and I pray that in real life he never gives his love up of going to bed reading a Bible story! Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

 My mother and our daughter above... my mother in law and our daughter. May 10-11 Julie, Kara, Karol, Jane, Pam, Margaret, Pam, Peggi, Joan, Joanie, Sandy, Betsy, Karen, Ellen, Valerie, Beth, Dora, Michelle, Suzanne, Judy, Judy, Ellie, Joyce, Stephanie, Patti, Debbie, Debbie, Pam, Linda, Paige, Gladys, Jaime, Terry, Teri, BettyAshton, Mallory, Jenna, Travis, Heather, Trenda, Beverly, Betty, Jennifer, Jennie, Nikki, Lisa, Laura, Nancy, Diane, Kathy, Megan, Heidi, Stacy, Rosalie, Cathy, Dib, Kenzie, Barbara, Sue, Holly, Bonnie, Helen, Paula, Barb, Susan, Vicki, Fran, Connie, Cheryl, Debbie, Donna, Donna, Marcy, Kaye,   Penny, Gretchen, Judy, June, TK, Kitty,  Shannon, Tina, Stacy, Meg, Joyce, Ann, Pat, Mary Anne, Suzy, Lynne, Tracy, Betty, Marsha, Nancy, Maggie, Faith, Anne Lee, Jane, Becky, Julie, Elizabeth, Tallulah, Sarah Belle, Pam, Blaire, Brooke, Helen, Danielle, Andrea,  Ashley, Shelley, Ann, Mary, Lori, Elisabeth, Andrea, Val, Sandi, Patti, Celah, St...

May 9 Last night my husband got home later than usual, because they had an open house at the school where he works.  Walking through the doors he commented, "I doubt many of your peers are sitting in front of a television watching the NFL draft, as you are." So what was my intrigue? For one, I enjoy college football. (Not the NFL.) My husband played at the University of North Carolina in the 70's and UNC has had a very talented TE (tight end), Eric Ebron, who hoped to be drafted.  Eric made sure it was a special day, draft or no draft.  While in New York City, he proposed to his girlfriend atop the Empire State building just hours before the draft!  :-)  What a guy. Here's another part of the process that interests me. There where you go  aspect. These talented young athletes receive multiple college scholarship offers and contemplated with their parents or high school coaches, which school might be the best fit for them.  While scholarshi...

The first rose of summer at Shiloh. May 8 Our pastor continued to step on toes as he made his second statement Sunday. "Most of our pain is a consequence of our sin , not a trial." Yikes, ouch, oooo, so uncomfortable.  The categories of suffering were reeled off. Spiritual suffering.  It is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.  1 Peter 2:19 Divine suffering. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.    1 Peter 4:14 But then came the discomfort.   If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 1 Peter 4:15 Just as we were getting comfortable in our seats, thinking we didn't fit into any of those categories our eyes were opened to the suffering we bring upon ourselves. Murder = hateful thoughts. Thieves = those who steal time from their employers may ...

May  7 Our pastor gave a knock it out of the park sermon on: "God is in control of the good and the bad" last Sunday.  He forewarned the congregation they might not like some of his statements, but to please hear him out.  Two starter verses: Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.   Psalm 115:3 I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.    Isaiah 45:5-7 #1 God has a purpose for suffering. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, all himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.   1 Peter 5:10 These are Boo thoughts that follow:  We are here at our training camp, being shaped and formed for our eternal home.  Some of the biggest and best lessons I've learned and some of the times I've felt the deepest love from God were in times of great suffering.  I'm a work in progress. God will ...

Today we pray with an attitude of trust that God will lead our surgeon to remove all the cancer cells from my husband's forehead. May 6 I received an assignment from a spiritual formation group, which I'm involved in, to meditate on a scripture each day this week and ask God what he has for me to learn from that particular verse. The next instruction is to turn the verse into a prayer.  The verse I selected yesterday came from Sarah Young's devotional book Jesus Calling . Young writes, "Relax in the knowledge that the One who controls your life is totally trustworthy.  Come to me with confident expectation." The statement really was timely as I had felt a trust had been betrayed by someone this past weekend.  I'd decided to tackle the issue by "praying it, not saying it" and moving on with confident expectation that God would work all things together for good. The verse: Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol ...

May 5 Say what Lord?  "What's in it for Me?" was God's response to one of my prayer requests. It caught me off guard, until I reflected on the verse which came up during the ending conversation in our neighborhood Bible Study. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23  Would our prayer requests change, if each time we evaluated…."How will the answer to this prayer bring God glory?" Again and again the reality that this life is not about me, but has a much grander perspective beyond my  comprehension, has been coming to mind.  We are not expected to grasp the ways of God, but we are to continue to seek him.  In the seeking I continue to learn deep truths. At our granddaughter's 3rd birthday party this weekend, the theme was "Frozen" a recent Disney hit. The theme song is titled "Let it Go!"  One day God will call to us and we will let this l...

May 3-4 The plea for prayer came as our daughter decided her now three year old son needed to give up his Wubbies.  (Pacifiers with a small stuffed animal on the end.)  Creatively she snipped off the pacifier part, and told him they had worn out, but he could still have the stuffed animal. The tears came pouring out and he began to suck on the stuffed trunk of an elephant.  "Gross!" our daughter texted.  Then came the information from friends, who have walked this road before her, that it usually takes three days of tears until they accept this heart break and are able to go to sleep without the pacifier. I texted her back that I was guessing the three years of comfort those pacifiers had brought to bedtime and a little boy's broken heart for various reasons and "boo boos" was well worth the three days of rough, tough, bedtime and nap times. This episode ensued on the exact same day that I was tearful over the loss of my father.  Talking tearfully to our ad...

May 2 Spring cleaning is a lot of work. We are blessed to have some beautiful china patterns, because that was a hobby of my father's.  Putting away my winter china, I was getting ready to take out an everyday pattern that I've had since we were first married.  Then I looked at a lovely pattern, which was my grandmother's and thought, "I rarely use this because of how valuable it is." Bong!  The thought crossed my mind that that is how some people look at prayer. They save it for critical times, as if there is a limit to how many times they can access God. Everyday we will be using the pretty pattern this spring and we will also be treasuring the value of prayer and daily appreciating its value as well. Pray without ceasing! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 This is the confidence we have in approaching God:  that if we ask anything according to his will,  he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask- we know that we have what we ...

May 1 One of our daughters called on my father's birthday to just love on me and listen to my tears.  She said, "Isn't there someone you could be with today? Are you going to Roanoke?"  I explained the weather was horrendous with terrible storm warnings and I thought I was really meant to be with God. I told her truthfully in the sorrowful state I was hearing God over and over again. I had gotten out some paint to do some touch ups on walls where the grandchildren had left their marks and also to test a color for a stairwell gallery to display some of this daughter's art work.  Sitting on the top stair I noticed a piece of shoe molding had come loose and it appeared one of my tapestry needles had fallen down in a crevice.  There was such a spiritual lesson in what followed next.  I set forth in a valieant recovery effort for this little instrument.  Taking off the shoe molding I attempted to snag the needle with a knife. That wasn't working well and...