Boojoyful

This little grandson was having a wild hair day every time he went down the slide! April 30-May 1 Yesterday, I had a wild day myself.  Grief, over the loss of our friends' son, jumped up and bit me as my Bible Study Fellowship ladies were singing "When We All Get to Heaven."  I made it through the first verse and by the chorus I had a major, belly sobbing, melt down.  I don't know half of these ladies well and only four knew why I was sobbing.  After we completed the song, the leader graciously said I think we need to pray. I was ready to make an exit, thinking I couldn't go on, but she prayed for the Holy Spirit to comfort me and He did. The lesson was on "heaven," so I'm glad I stuck it out, but I was wiped out for the remainder of the day.  Grief is sneaky like that.  Eventually is has to find its' way out. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; grea...

April 29 Our daughter, Jiewon, has completed her doctorate work and will now be a professor of French at Covenant College, high atop Lookout Mountain!  We are so proud of this newest accomplishment and thrilled God has called her to a Christian University!  I wanted to take time to share the school's motto and mission statement, but also to ask you to pray for the door to stay open in America for students to be educated in such a manner. The focus of Covenant College is found in it's motto, based on Colossians 1:18. "In all things Christ preeminent." "Acknowledging Christ preeminent as the creator of all things, as the redeemer of people fallen into sin, as the touchstone of all truth, and as the sovereign ruler over all ares of life, the College strives to discern and to unfold the implications of His preeminence in all things. The Mission... is to explore and express the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things.  We educate Chri...

"Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 April 28 This fabulous stone gate is located in the gardens of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  It can't compare in splendor to the New Jerusalem 12 gates described by John in Revelation 21:21... " The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.  The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. " In the Bible  gates  were used for the protection of cities, as places for announcements and proclamations to be made and in some cases where marketing and trade take place. The Matthew verse above references a gate choice we have to make.  The small, narrow gate is the one we take if we want to enter  into a relationship with Christ.  Look at how T...

The view from George Washington Vanderbilt's covered terrace at Biltmore, in Asheville, NC. He died at the age of 51 from complications after an appendectomy. His only child, a daughter, was thirteen years old. April 27 I apologize for not remembering the source, but in a notebook I've written this quote sans the author. "Here's a hard truth; God's mercy does not require His treatment of us to be comfortable or safe (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).  But in the midst of our pain, God's plan is still good and His promises remain true. He will deliver us. He will free us.  He will redeem us (Exodus 6:6). And come what may, He promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:2) Here's another word that has been on my heart... cling.  "To remain very close; remain persistently or stubbornly faithful to something; to be overly dependent on someone emotionally."   (Yea, like clinging to Jesus.) "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good....

April 26 (I wrote this last week before learning about our friends' son's death, which I mentioned yesterday.) Alongside, the word kept reverberating in my mind...    A dear friend, who stood alongside her son recently as his 28 year old wife died of cancer, now prepares to stand alongside him for his birthday and then wedding anniversary.   Another friend emailed asking for courage to stand strong alongside her husband in the months ahead as he faces surgery for tongue cancer.   I look forward to standing alongside our grandson and granddaughter in the coming weeks to celebrate their 5th birthdays.   After receiving a phone call I drove straight to a friend's house to sit alongside her and listen to a disappointing medical scan report.  Have you ever stood alongside someone in church as tears dripped down their cheeks and just your arm around their shoulder or a tissue offered let them know someone was there?  Have you stood alon...

April 25 There are times in life when we are called upon to go alongside another and wrap our arms around them, holding their broken heart in our soul, while we allow the tears dripping from their eyes to mix on our cheeks with our tears.  In this time you hear nothing except the deafening sound of grief.  Time stands still while love, prayers and compassion are poured out for there is nothing else we can do to change the reality of their loss. The process unleashes a vulnerability as your emotions are rawly exposed and you exit the experience exhausted from what seems to have been an outer body experience. Yesterday, that is where I was. Long time friends, who now live in TN, lost their 26 year old son to a tragic accident.  He was part owner of a film production company and working on a project in Oregon. His parents didn’t even know he was out there, until they received a phone call that his body had been swept off a huge rock into the sea by a rog...

April  23-24 April 14th my husband heard the words, I'm afraid the cancer is back. I need to do another biopsy. You will need to be thinking about surgery or six weeks of radiation three times a week. UGH.   It took a whole week to get the lab results.  You say you aren't going to worry, but you do. With his busy teaching/administrating schedule we asked the doctor's office to give me a call with the results.  When the call finally came the phrases "Praise the Lord!  What a relief! I am so excited!" just spewed out of my mouth. The lady making the call laughed out loud at me.  I guess that's not a normal response from patients, but I was so happy! Take time today to think back on occasions when you've gotten good news... "It's a rub on tattoo! It's not permanent!" "You're pregnant!" "You're flight is on time!" "You were selected for the scholarship!" "You made the team!...

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know the, and they follow me." John 10:27 April 22 While enjoying a wonderful getaway with our daughter, I awakened one morning realizing I hadn't heard from the Lord the day before.  We had been sight-seeing, shopping, eating at amazing restaurants, taking photographs, reading books and laughing with one another all day long. Early in the day, I had taken time to work on two Bible studies I'm doing and I guess subconsciously God was pouring himself into me because of the conviction that set in about not hearing from him. The thought process was WOW...Moses really had to do some listening to lead, feed and provide safety for those Israelites.  Then, I opened a She Reads Truth Email and read... "When the Israelites continued to whirl in the wilderness, Moses kept His eyes fixed on one thing- God.  With each unsettling turn of circumstances, Moses' knees never buckled.  God's provision kept Moses standing...

Tulip garden at The Biltmore House April 21 We aren't privy to God's specific agenda. For those of us who live by faith we believe not only in His promises, but also in the constancy of His character.  The other day I read in Jesus Calling ... "I'm calling you to a life of thankfulness.  I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving.  The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe.  Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence. When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you could run the world better than I do.  From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I'm mismanaging things.  But you don't know what I know or see what I see.  If I pulled back the curtain to allow you to view heavenly realms, you would understand much  more. However. I have designed you to live by faith, not by sight.  I lovingly shield you from knowing the f...

April 20 LOL right after this title came to mind, I went to my keyboard to type and a warning flashed on the screen saying the batteries were dying. So, I installed new batteries and the keyboard came back to life!  Like Lazarus and Jesus! Walking through the grounds at Shiloh with my camera, it was like a treasure hunt looking for all the flora, which has come back from a long winters rest. Yes, even the weeds are back! Here's the Good News!  Jesus is coming back for us! "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and  take you  to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:3

April 19 Oh, how I hope you are able to be still and watch this video. http://www.andiesisle.com/thenatureofgod.html

Our tradition of an obstacle course here at Shiloh is one of my favs. iPhones having stopwatches on them is a big help! April 18 One word can have a huge impact on a sentence.  Our pastor is currently preaching on the Invisible War  surrounding our lives.  We took a look at the Garden of Eden, where lies and deception were tossed at Eve concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We are quick to concentrate on what they COULD NOT do, instead of thinking about ALL that was available to these two. That apple was not the only tasty item on the buffet in the garden. "And the Lord commanded the man,  'You are free to eat from ANY tree the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the  knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you  will certainly die.'" Genesis 2:16 I needed to hear that tiny word  "any."  Last week I allowed myself to be hurt one ONE little flaw someone I love very much flung at m...

April 16-17 I used to be a multi-tasker.  Not so much anymore.  My mother called me one day to say a friend had seen me driving, talking on my phone and eating a sandwich all at the same time.  Oh, the blessing of having your parents' friends be informants!  (Please! I was sitting at a stoplight at the time!) On the particular day this photo was taken, I had a stack of ironing to be done.  A good multi-tasker would have taken the ironing board outside and soaked up some vitamin D and the beauty of the day while ironing! I did swing and listen to praise music at the same time! God is the ultimate multi-tasker.  He's the one who can work all things together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.  (Romans 8:28) Just as Moses went to take a peek at the burning bush, we need to peek into the Word of God and seek out what He has to say to us. God's Word is a multi-tasking tool! " Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and u...

Love this little one so much and pray as grandparents we can pass a godly heritage onto her. April 15 I've jumped into a three week study of Moses.  Reading Exodus 1:8 "A new king, who had not known Joseph, came into power in Egypt." I journaled to the Lord... Father, how quickly we can forget godly leaders/authority figures who have gone before us.  Forgetting what they stood for, who they worshipped, and the morals they represented and wanted to pass on to us. The story of Moses reminds us how you remedied the influence of the "Golden Calf Generation." You sent the Israelites off to the wilderness until that entire generation had died off,  so temptation for that sinfulness would not enter the next generations' hearts. The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.   Numbers 32:13 Breaking a generat...

Bubble wands are a blast on a windy day! April 14 I'm still celebrating in "resurrection" mode. " He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Death will no longer exist: grief, crying and pain will exit no longer, because the previous things have passes away."   Revelation 21:4 So, here's a thought.  We won't have a prayer list in heaven, because heaven will be total fulfillment without wants! " Then the One seated on the throne said, 'Look!  I am making everything new.'"   Revelation 21:5 Our bodies won't ache, our noses won't get stuffy or drip,  cancer will be non-existant, the heartaches of rejection, loneliness, cruelty, and unkindness will be removed and a  NEW intensified joy of being with God  will be our new normal!   Now that's a happy thought!

Found these sweet cousins out on our screened porch reading together! April 13 Stepping back into the Easter story, I journaled... Lord its easy for me to understand how the disciples didn't recognize you in your risen form.  I think we overlook your presence everyday. "Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight." Luke 24:31  Hmm.  Was that a precursor of Hebrews 11:1 and the kind of faith we would need?  "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for an assurance about what we do not see." Jesus popped into view again and posed a potent question to the disciples. One that He likewise may have asked us on occasion.   "Why do doubts arise in your hearts?"   Luke 24:38 But it didn't end there!   "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."  Luke 24:45 Oh, Father God, open our minds and illuminate our hearts in a manner which banished all d...

April 12 This bird has been driving me nuts. Three weeks ago it was the window well of our laundry room he was tapping upon every morning. Then for two weeks it was one of our dining room windows he was bombarding. The activity began at 7:00 in the morning and he kept on going for 2 hours even when I was standing there waving my arms. At  4:00 in the afternoon, he would return for his afternoon attack persistently flying into the window until 7:30 PM.  Our windows were a smeary mess! Revelation 3:20 came to mind... " Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,  I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Maybe the bird is God's reminder for me to open up my heart and listen to his voice! My husband's first thought was the term... birdbrain.   My computer dictionary definition is: "An annoyingly stupid and shallow person." Don't want to be that. Could it b...

"I love Jesus, yes I do!  I love Jesus how 'bout you!" April 11 Spring makes me just want to shout for joy!  I awakened from a dream that I was in a church service, but the setting was actually an art gallery.  Music was playing, but instead of a choir singing as the spirit moved you just sang out praise to God. It was euphoric! If you are not involved in a Bible Study or quiet time that thrills your heart, find one!  I'm just finishing up She Reads Truth's 14 day study called The Resurrected Life.   I highly recommend it! Here's are some "shout for joy" verses. "We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are struck down but not destroyed...Indeed, everything is for our benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God's glory. Therefore, we do not give up.  Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is be...

April 10  An earlier Bible study took me to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.  First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words ." This has to be one of the most exciting verses in Scripture!  It's right there with the tomb being empty, Jesus' ascension and Lazarus coming back to life!  So we read it, our hearts thrill and then what do we do?  This verse tells us...we go encourage others with this truth!  So off we go!  Tell someone today that Jesus is coming back! Rejoice if you know you are one of Jesus' PEEPS! Praying you are able to get out and go worship the...

The one year old cousins had a good time hanging out together. April 9 People laugh about getting older and talking about health problems, but there really is wisdom and insight to be gained from people battling the same diseases or in one case, deficiencies.  Going over blood work results with friends, I've come to find out that most of them also have a Vitamin D deficiency.  I also learned that if I'd snoop around on some back porches and decks, I'd find my friends lying out in their bras and panties (I'm opting for hiking up my skirt) for about 10 minutes a day to get sun on their mid-drifts, backs, and thighs!  (Supposedly the best areas of the body for soaking up the vitamin D!) The definition of deficiency is "the lack of something that is needed." God knows all our deficiencies.  Physically, emotionally and spiritually. Jesus' brother, James, was not a believer until after the Resurrection.  In the book of James, thought to be wri...

Some of our boys! April 8 Being a teacher/school administrator provides the occasional chuckle. My husband said he was teaching a bean bag related relay in kindergarten PE one day and told the students if they picked up more than one bean bag they would be DISQUALIFIED.  A little boy piped up and said, "I don't know what that word means, but it doesn't sound good." Disqualified:  eliminating someone from a competition because of an infringement of the rules In the race for heaven, there are rules.  There's only one coach we are to follow or we will be disqualified. "You were running superbly!  Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience.  This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place.  And please don't toss this as of insignificant.  It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread.  Deep down, the Mast...

April 7 Continued from yesterday... Thank you for encouraging me through this stroke recovery.  Tuesday, the check-out lady at the grocery store told me that I seemed to be doing so much better.  I went around the counter and hugged her neck!  I told her that was such a boost to my confidence. Confidence: " the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something." Beyond the obvious physical and mental weakening strokes produce for individuals, there has been for me a significant deflation of my confidence in several areas.  I find myself turning to my husband to confirm if I've said something correctly.  I'm cautious walking on stairs and unleveled surfaces. I'm tentative to schedule things too early or too late knowing there are possible pits to plummet into related to the dressing process and my stamina stash. I'm not confident I could make the drive to Nashville or Virginia Beach like I used to.  I wonder if others can rely on me. ...

April 6 Saturday chore days wear us out here at Shiloh.  Last Saturday, I took the truck up the road to get a scoop of mulch and laughed to the lady as I checked out. I said, "Well, having a stroke in September and being fairly well recovered by April didn't have me miss a day of mulching season!" The weekend warrior strategic plan here at Shiloh was daunting and the financial phrase of "cha-ching" was pinging in the back of my brain.  On top of the normal chores the windows all need to be washed, but now we might as well wait out the pollen splash. My husband's elliptical machine bit the dust two weeks ago and this now his computer/TV screen has died. Our beloved ole VCR on which our grands watch the videos their parents grew up on is legitimately defunct and eating the old tapes.  Sixty mile an hour winds were headed our way this past weekend and we were wondering if God might save us $300 and take a large dying tree down for us, but it's in t...

Easter morning I took family photos... the moms are always excited for the opportunity to catch a shot of their families together. The dads and kids did a great job of going with the flow... UNTIL.... things finally got REAL! I think this may be my favorite photo of the whole week! April 5 Sunday, our pastor made reference to the fact that the Christian walk isn't one of simply chasing butterflies.  Real life involves heartache, it involves loss and it involves suffering.  Not everyone will embrace our faith. "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened." 1 Peter 3:14 A while back, I was asked if I would like to give the prayer at an event I was going to attend.  Knowing a little background on this group, I had heard you could not mention God or Jesus and it had to first be submitted to the leaders of the group for approval.  I confirmed this information with th...

Love this "feel good" Easter morning picture. We had planted jelly beans the night before and they grew into lollipops overnight! April 4 I feel good too. I've actually had three good days in a row last week, then a nasty sinus headache snuck in Saturday and stopped me in my tracks!  I've been trying to go to bed each night with a scripture verse on my mind and place it in my heart.  Plugging in the phrase "with you" 1,982 verses popped up, so I changed it to "to the ends of the earth."  Really love what surfaced. "Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness." Psalm 48:10 So let's start off our week with praise. Praise makes you feel good. Yesterday, our church was blessed by the music of Liberty University's girl band... Awakening .  One of the singers, Rachel Hickling, sang the song,   Great Are You Lord. Take time today to remember it'...

April 3 We had so much fun delivering "Brown E's" to friends and the school faculty on April Fool's Day! "A cheerful heart is good medicine!" Proverbs 17:22

One of my favorite spring time decorations are these six little chicks which I attached to a branch and hung over our kitchen island. April 2 Still wading through the the story of the crucifixion I'm stuck on the words in Matthew 27 where Pilate is in a quandary and inquires of the crowd... " What should I do then with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?" I journaled...."You should invite him into Your heart and live each day for him!!!"  The quiet of the moment with the Lord was so sweet. I knew the Lord had more to say and right at that moment a large woodpecker landed outside our bedroom window and went to pounding.  I jumped from the bed, banged on the window and shouted, "Absolutely NOT!" My impulsive reaction took me back to the crowds before Pilate, who screamed "Crucify Him!" Hatred is horrible. Hatred is unhealthy.  The devil is for real and brings destruction wherever he can. But Jesus gets the victory in the e...

This grandson had a party on his head when he awakened this particular morning! April 1 I'm embarrassed to say that I allowed grandmothering time to usurp my Jesus time over the weekend.  Easter Day was more about basking in the love of these little ones, taking family photos and talking a little bit about what Easter really means.  Getting alone with Jesus and into the Word  didn't happen until Wednesday morning after everyone had gone. It sounded like this... My heart is glad!   My spirit rejoices! My body rests securely! Your presence Jesus is abundant joy! At Your right hand are eternal pleasures! (Taken from Psalm 16) Boom, bang, flash!  This morning's thunder storm had me up very early! I thought maybe Jesus was coming back and sounded the kettle drums before the trumpet call.  Searching verses related to seeking Him, produced this happy message from God's Word. "God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love coul...