Boojoyful

 A few of our neighborhood Geese November 30 No one around here likes having geese on their property.  They are ornery, messy critters.  They are a fabulous lesson in teamwork and camaraderie though.  While, I'm not certain that they work on restoring one another if they fall into sin, I do know they lighten the load taking positional turns in their "V" flight formation and they have one another's back on land. Rarely, so you see one wandering off alone.   The Body of Christ has been designed to function in a similar fashion to a flock of geese.  Many hands make for lighter work, so we should share one another's burdens, and we bestow a blessing when we stick our necks out for one another!     " Live creatively, friends.  If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comment for yourself.  You might be needing forgiveness before the day is out.   Stoop down and reach ou...

This little one is counting the days until December. November 29 Slumbering soundly beside my bed, on a mattress on the floor, the past couple nights has been this lump of love. Her two year old brother sleeps down the hall in his crib. A house can be decorated and all aglow, but it's the love and excitement of little ones at Christmas time which brings it to life. It's been so much fun having them here, although yesterday I broke my little toe and then stepped on a white metal jeep with my other foot and cut the bottom of my foot!  I laughed as I limped around and popped another homemade snickerdoodle  in my mouth giving thanks for grandchildren. Last night we watched a movie called Santa Paws, which was a knock off of Annie.  It led into a great conversation about those who are less fortunate in so many ways. There will be those without presents under the tree, maybe their houses are not warm, nor their families filled with love.  Our granddaughter though...

November 28 No one likes to wait! But it's a key element in life.  It would be interesting to look back on life, especially as a teacher and a parent, and see how many times I said, "Wait! Wait!" I bet we could quickly make a top ten list of our current "waits." The She Reads Truth  author for this final entry related to thanksgiving writes of living life always waiting in hopes the next season of life will be better. "All that hoping for the next season stopped when I found myself in one unchangeable, immovable time. There was nothing I could do to change my circumstances . There was no way around this time of life, and the only way I was going to come out on the other side was to endure...  I learned that sometimes waiting is the season. Sometimes endurance is the lesson. Sometimes simply getting through it is the most sanctifying, holy thing you can do... I was forever changed when I stopped looking to the next season to make my life better and...

November 26-27 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
 Prone to leave the God I love;
 Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above. 
-  from “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson Last week I referenced how a two year old had wandered off from his home in this rural community we live in. A whole community went searching and it was hours before he was found.  If we are honest, we will admit we've all wandered off from God.  It makes me sick to my stomach to look back on 44 years of a faith walk and remember all the times I tried to do it "my way" without God.  I wish He'd snatched me back in just a few hours. The She Reads Truth author for this entry describes holding her third child, a son, in her arms as he took his last breaths.  She writes: "I felt empty, forgotten, dropped. I began searching for God—where did He go during this? Why had He let my child suffer so much on earth?... My wandering often...

November 25 Life is definitely different after the stroke. Whether it is simply my priorities which have changed or more than likely some brain readjustments, it's different and it's okay!  Everything sequential seems to take so much longer. Cooking, which was a joy, is now a chore. Decorating for parties/holidays used to be one of my passions. I could get up at 6AM and work on Christmas decorating even if it took until midnight to complete.  This past week, after four days of attempting to decorate, I told my husband to just put all the boxes away, I'd had enough. Tis the season for wants.   Santa is making his mall appearances this weekend and will have a lapful of little ones listing their wants.  So many of those gifts will disappoint before Christmas day is even over, but the festivities and traditions of the season still bring joy.  What is your greatest heart tug ( want ) right now.  Whew! President Elect Trump probably wants his cabinet in place...

A childhood friend is a wonderful nature photographer in Nashville. Aren't these turkeys terrific! November 24 As I studied this lesson, The Doxology came to mind.  When I googled to see if I could find it on Youtude this amazing acapella opening to a wedding came up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjpG0SeXYU We have so many blessings, but the ones we are quick to give thanks for are the tangible/earthly  ones. Family, food, housing, jobs, friends, etc. Likewise, when we enter a time of prayer, our wants  related to those in our face needs surface  more quickly. Our greatest blessings and therefore our greatest needs lie in the spiritual realm and are heart related. The  She Reads Truth  writer for this entry reminds us: "For the believer, plenty and want are both constant states of being.  Yes, we all have real, felt needs. And we have noticeable, tangible blessings. But beyond the surface—in light of eternity—our constant...

November 23 "Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon." Psalm 31:24 MSG Okay, the Psalm above is my newest encouragement prayer! I'm going to teach this one to the grands. Picking up a prisoners' prayer list from church transformed my perspective on my day. What do these individuals give thanks for? Giving thanks in tough times can be a tough order.  I've been praying with several friends who are surrounded by family members in situations involving prison time, house arrest, or legal limitations. These are not quick fixes. In one friend's case she's been waiting thirty years for her son to get out of prison. Whenever these people share their updates my first thought is, "God, what good can come from this?"  Then in a mental flash I'm reminded He can work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.   So the first prayer becomes one of salvation for all...

"I will give the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness. And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High." Psalm 7:17 "But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,  what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is far and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,  and don't take yourself too seriously- take God seriously." Micah 6:8 November 22 Oh, how I pray that our new leaders are praying Solomon's request found in 1 Kings 3:9 Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well discerning the difference good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?" The wisdom Solomon desired came into play in that poignant story of the two mothers both claiming a child was theirs. Whew, talk about injustice...stealing someone's baby really riles my blood. A two year old in a nearby community went mi...

November 21 On November 18th the temperature peaked at 76 degrees, so I stopped my chores and slipped outside to be with the Lord in the beauty of his creations.  Boats were cruising by, not wanting to miss this day on the water.  Just as I got situated in my chair the blue heron spread her wings and thrilled my heart as she skimmed the water and landed on one of her favorite perches.  Opening my study on Thanksgiving, I chucked as I read the key verse for this particular day and was thankful I'd stopped my chores and was sitting at Jesus' feet " But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.'" Luke 10:41-42 I journaled...Lord,  I thank you for how quirky my phone has been lately, it almost seems as if you are shutting it off at times, like just now, because you want me to seek only you.  You know the aches of my heart right now, when no one else does.  I bring these...

November 19-20 The car pulls into the driveway and the man gets out and knocks on our door, ready to chalk up witnessing hours required by his faith. He's a Jehovah Witnesses.  The saddest part of the whole spill is that there is no certainty for him in his faith.  My husband always kindly asks, "When you go to sleep tonight wouldn't you like to know for sure that you are going to heaven?" We have these certainties through Jesus. "Our Redeemer lives."                                               Job 19:25 "He will come to us."                                                 Hosea 6:3 "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever."      Hebrews 13:8 "No word from God will ever fail."           ...

Giving thanks for our newest grand-dog.  Samson is an English bulldog! November 18 Give thanks in suffering? Are you kidding me? That goes so beyond human nature. Wait, but Jesus is way beyond human nature!  And that's a big reason to give thanks! "It's hard to be thankful while your world is crashing down. The ending of a joy, the illness of a loved one, the loss of something you never dreamed you'd lose-so many circumstances in life take our breath away...No one wants to suffer, yet we all experience it at some point in our lives. And when we do, there is no shortage of advice on how we should handle it....Shouldn't we be ashamed that our prayers were not answered? Should we be embarrassed that we believe in a God who, to someone on the outside looking in, seems to have ignored us?...the Gospel never has made sense on paper, has it? Isaiah 53:3 calls Jesus himself a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief... he did not allow grief to define His life. H...

November 17 "So often in life we place God in our sights between us and the thing we long for, the thing that seems far out of reach.  And we pray.  We see God as the pathway to it, the gatekeeper to what we want, what we need.  And when we arrive, what then?  Do we dwell there in gratitude? Do we offer up a thank you to correspond with each please? Or do we shift our gaze to the next thing on the horizon? When Jesus healed the, only one of the ten came back to thank him." (Luke 17)" "Each gift is an opportunity to turn to the Giver." She Reads Truth Reading this made me think of a young child's birthday party when they receive an overload of gifts. They are opening packages so fast and tossing them aside without even making eye contact with the giver in most instances. The blessings we say over our meals can become rote... God is great, God is good...  and lack a sincerity of gratitude or personal connection with the Giver.  Some mornings...

November 16 As I was just about to close my eyes Monday night when God brought to mind that earlier this Fall I had purchased an old, 2014, study from She Reads Truth  called "In Everything Give Thanks"  It's a 12 day study, so it will take me through Thanksgiving.  For now the plan is to share with you excerpts from the study and the prayer the study challenges the reader to write each day. "Our circumstances are big, but our God is bigger.  As we learn to trust the bigness of our God and the sureness of His sovereignty, we find His will is not as much a path as it is a way of walking.  Thanksgiving is not just an emotion.  We are to declare God's goodness in every circumstance!  We are to let the world know what He has done and what He is doing!  We are to pray to Him, seek Him, give Him thanks with an expectant, joyful heart.  God is good. In everything, He is good." SRT Let's pray: Father, Your steadfast love never ceases, your mer...

November 15 Taking a "photo" walk recently, I was amazed by the beauty of these brown leaves. What some see as a nuisance, needing to be gathered up and removed, I took the time to see as part of God's design. An improper perspective can creep into our lives due to our self-centered agendas.   The person who is driving WAY to slow, may be saving us from an accident.  Patience begins running out when you've picked the wrong grocery line and are behind the individual who doesn't have enough money to cover the bill and has to determine what needs to be put back. Maybe God is prompting us to give sacrificially.  We turn our heads away or tell our kids not to stay at the handicapped person in the wheelchair, when what they really need is a gentle touch or listening ear, for God has created them with a purpose and sees them as precious. " Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! " Psalm 66:5

10 years ago at one of our son's weddings. November 14 Often we wait to say wonderful things about a person after they are gone.  Nineteen years ago we moved to our home on Smith Mt Lake and God gave us the greatest gift in a next door neighbor. She loves Jesus, has loved all of our children and grandchildren, is full of wisdom and been a steadfast friend in happy times, sad time and how in the world will we get through this times.  So in this month of Thanksgiving, I want to thank God for the best next door neighbor a girl could have. " A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17

November 12-13 Jesus Calling,  on November 8th, read like this... "Learn to appreciate difficult days.  Be stimulated by the challenges you encounter along your way.  As you journey through rough terrain with Me, gain confidence from your knowledge that together we can handle anything ...Look back on your life, and see how I have helped you through difficult days." "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."   Isaiah 41:10 Whatever you are facing this weekend, my prayer today is that you realize you are not facing it alone. The Holy Spirit is our Equipper. We are so programed to think we have to "do it ourselves," but that's the world's programmer, not God's.  Paul figured it out and shares that realization in  2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my powe...

Fall is a berry  good season! November 11 "A proud man is always looking down on things and people;  and of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above."   C.S. Lewis Isn't it amazing how each of us can read a quote like the one by C.S. Lewis above, and our minds can drift in dozens of different directions.  An arrogant actor, a prideful politician, a calculating colleague, am asinine athlete, or a nagging neighbor may come to mind. Instead of allowing that individual to continue to needle our nerves we should begin praying they hear Jesus calling them to take the focus off themselves and look up!  "First pride then the crash-the bigger the ego, the harder the fall." Proverbs 16:18 Been there done that. No fun.  Pray for God to place people in our lives, who love us enough to come alongside us, pray with us and help point us in a direction that helps us avoid the crash. Then pray...

For some reason the November 9th post will only post before the 8th, so you will have to scroll down. Sorry for the confusion today.  It's a precursor to the post for the 10th. (Thursday) November 10 Our Nashville daughter has also been under some excellent sabbath  teachings by Randy Pope. (An Atlanta minister.) He shares that on the Sabbath we are to consider our "creaturely dependence" on God and says of the Sabbath's purpose: "It's purpose is to draw our attention to something that is even bigger than life itself. The pattern is in place to cause us to regularly gaze upon the One from whom our life springs, and in whom our lives have meaning." Pope asks us to consider this scenario: "Imagine that you and God are standing in a room together. The room is empty except for a treadmill that is placed close to you on one side. On the far side, a solitary window looks out at another world where you have never been.  God turns to speak...

Festive Fall November 8 I received this prayer from a friend in Kentucky this morning. Her young son had forwarded it to her, which in itself brought me such hope that the younger generation still remembers the history of this great nation. Our Father in heaven, we come before You today, acknowledging You as our Creator. You are the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, the One who established Your chosen people and through whom You gave Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. You established the promised land of Israel and demonstrated time and time again that if Your people sought You, worshiped You, and obeyed You, that You would bless them with guidance, provision, and protection. But that if they turned away, then You would remove Your hand and allow judgment. Lord, we also acknowledge that just as Israel was dedicated to You at it’s founding, that another country years later would also seek Your blessing and dedicate themselves and their land to You. The first president ...

Sunday was a gorgeous day to be out in creation. God's hand was evident! Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy .   Exodus 20:8  November 9 Sabbath  means rest.   So as we read the verse above, we remember what the word means. Step two is to do what God intended us to to do...keep that restful day  holy.   Make is special!  Make it about more than just resting...make it about resting with God. One of our daughters is a first year professor at Covenant College.  Recently, she shared how she'd never thought much about her Sundays.  As a doctoral student there was always plenty of catching up with school work to do after church.  That is greatly discouraged at Covenant.  They instruct their faculty and students to refrain from school work on Sundays. The college doesn't even have  their athletic facilities open, so that no one has to work or is putting emphasis on themselves.  The emphasis i...

November 7 After the stroke, when I was learning to walk again, steps were a major hurdle.  The left leg was so weak.  My PT taught me to go up with the strong leg first and descend with the weak leg going first. I truly had to practice putting the best foot forward for each specific feat. Isn't it a blessing that we can seek God's direction when it comes to which way to step in life. Tomorrow is a pivotal day for our nation. For months the resounding question has been.... "How could we be in this position to have no better choice for leadership?" My response is: Are you kidding me?  Look where we, as voters/or worse non-voters, have allowed our nation to go morally.  Why should God bless us?  Okay...I'm stopping that tangent there. God is in control and he puts rulers on their thrones, for HIS purpose.  I will trust Him with the future. May we all put our best foot forward and seek God's wisdom as we carry out our responsibility to vote i...

Home. Ha! This one has been enhanced. November 5-6 We'd been traveling in the car for over 6 hours by the time we pulled into the driveway. The car was loaded with "stuff" from my week away. Costumes, food, way more clothes than I should have taken, computer bag, camera bag, knitting bag, etc. The day was gorgeous and possibly one of the last 80 degree days, so we dropped it all and ran for the last couple daylight hours on the boat. Having a stroke at 58 years old was such a shocker, but it definitely alerted me to how important it is to stop and enjoy a pretty day, to welcome an unexpected visitor even if the dirty dishes are still in the sink, to make the time or cherished relationships and to take captive every opportunity to tell someone about Jesus.  I'll follow this up Monday with some thoughts about the Sabbath. Father, find us faithful this weekend to drop everything and inquire of Your agenda for us and join you right there.  In Jesu...