Boojoyful

Happy Birthday to Miss Dimples today! I'm going to miss this one! September 29 Four years ago today my sweet Daddy died at 93 years old. It's amazing how much I still miss him. Three years ago today, God gave us this precious granddaughter.  My daddy would have adored her and she would have loved loving on him.   " Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11 Everywhere I went with this little one, she walked right up to strangers and inquired, "What's your name?"  Each time the individual chuckled because number one, she's so cute, but number two because it felt good to be noticed and valued by this child.  Whether it was Bob, the construction worker,  Missy, stocking shelves in Michaels, Ally, the restaurant hostess or Shana, our waitress at dinner, they all answered her inquiry and then engaged her in conversation.  She noticed so many people I would have walked right by. There is someo...

Olympic Park  September 28 Coming across Hebrews 12:2-3 in The Message really fired up my faith the other day!   "We'd better get on with it!"   Whew.  Just chew on this "He (Jesus) never lost sight of where he was headed-that exhilarating finish in and with God-he could put up with anything along the way." Read this passage and get fired up!  " Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on  Jesus , who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s  there , in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that...

We are still experiencing new highs with God!  He is amazing. September 27 Saturday was our 39th wedding anniversary!  I thank God for giving me a man who has loved me well and prayed us through all those years. One of our children graciously offered to treat us to an anniversary dinner, but I said, "Save your pennies, we don't really celebrate anniversaries."   Three of our children have September/October birthdays and my husband was a college football player, so fall weekends are focused on Saturday football games. We just never made time to celebrate. That had me thinking about celebrations in the Bible. Off the top of your head do you recall any anniversary or birthday parties in the Bible? Pharaoh had a birthday party where he had the head baker's head impaled on a post and Herodias's daughter danced her way into Herod's favor at a birthday celebration in a fashion that cost John the Baptist his head. Not such nice parties. Most celebrati...

September 26 There is an intense joy which comes from watching our children enjoy places which hold sweet memories for us. My father received such joy when he would take his children to PA and show us his old stomping grounds.  That may have been usurped by the joy of taking us to attend VA Tech sporting events and hearing the stories of his days in the Corps of Cadets just before WWII.  He could describe the dances in detail, right down to the names of the bands and the songs he danced to. Now we have the privilege of watching our children bring their children back to the Lake and pass on such a heritage.  My husband and I grew up here too, so we have tales of our own to tell. "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3 . Jesus has left us stories rich in heritage. " But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of t...

This one face timed the other day and we all laughed until the tears ran down our cheeks. I have to share his church experience that week. September 25 Laughter is so good for the soul and I thank God for the sense of humor our children have and how they like to share their "funnies" with us.  This one lives in New Orleans and he and his wife moved to a new neighborhood and decided to try out a neighborhood church.  He said there were only about 20 people in attendance and a lady was giving the announcements. Her message made them chuckle out loud. "You know we have a fish fry coming up and there will be plenty of fish. And Carl's son (Carl interrupts and says, "Grandson") just caught a 12 foot alligator, so we will have plenty of alligator too!"  Then our son's wife looked down at the bulletin and the title of the sermon for the day was "One Big Tuna."  He didn't say whether they were going to go to the fish fry, but I...

Sitting on our beach under what we call our umbrella tree. It protects us from the sun and the rain. The wrong focus. September 22 Here at Shiloh, there is a private little beach and shallow cove area. It's the perfect respite spot and even comes with an umbrella tree for shade and protection from unexpected drizzles. Invariably, when I go there, click on the pause music and seek the Lord, the enemy distracts me by having me focus on the dead limbs that need pruning. The other day while gazing up at these limbs, I was reminded of how quickly we are to find the small faults in people instead of focusing on all their attributes.  LOL.  The other day my husband and I were sharing about our day and we had both encountered people we described as "a little different."  After our third person who was "a little different" I laughed and said, "Possibly, we are the ones who aren't normal!" As we look at people today, let's zoom in on how ...

We are 60! September 21 We used to live blocks away from each other and could walk everyday after we got our children off to school. Now we live in different towns, she's back working full-time, and it's a juggling act to get together.  Monday ended up to be the best day for us and we were meeting at our regular halfway point restaurant, when she had the brains to call and see if they were open and Mondays. They were not. I had the brains to grab a picnic basket and we found a park and had a most delightful lunch by a pond! We choose what we want to make work and what/who is of value. Where does Jesus rate in our "make time with someone special" scale? "Who is the man who fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way he should choose." Psalm 25:12 

This gorgeous creature brightened my day by sharing where he and God were hanging out. September 20 You know you're old when your children start ministering to you! Our son sent this to jump start my day. “ Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭MSG‬‬ Such Godly advice.

  September 19 Walking alongside someone in a painful situation, I was encouraged as this text pinged across my phone Sunday morning while I was setting up post at our church welcome desk. The thing that blew me away was the fact our praise band was practicing and singing "You make all things work together for my good" at that very moment. I was able to video them and send the recording right back to the person who had texted me!  Amazing!  These are the things that make me know God is aware of every detail, every moment of our lives. Wish I could figure out how to post the video, but here's a youtube of the song.  You have to go to 3:28 to hear the chorus, but the whole song is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIIN3EiEZec I'm praying right now that as each person is reading this they are aware that God is up to good and working on the details of their lives! Love you!

This grandson's smile makes me smile! September 18 Bible Study Fellowship has just kicked off its study on Romans.  Whew!  So much meat in that book! As I read Paul's intro to this book about Good News,  it made me happy!  "Dear friends in Rome: This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ’s slave, chosen to be a missionary, and sent out to preach God’s Good News.  This Good News was promised long ago by God’s prophets in the Old Testament.   It is the Good News about his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who came as a human baby, born into King David’s royal family line;  and by being raised from the dead he was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself. And now, through Christ, all the kindness of God has been poured out upon us undeserving sinners; and now he is sending us out around the world to tell all people everywhere the great things God has done for them, so that they, too, will believe and obey him. ...

This was Jesus' chair. September 15 The other day I made a date with Jesus. We went on a lovely walk through the woods with praise songs playing on my phone and the sun shining through the trees. Then we came down to the river and sat quietly, so I could listen to Him. " The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory.  There I'll be when troubles come.  He will hide me. He will set me on a high rock out of reach of all my enemies.  Then I will bring him sacrifices and sing his praises with much joy." Psalm 27:4-6 (TLB) Pull out your calendar and schedule your date with Jesus today!

This little one is wondering why we've put him in this uncomfortable contraption. He lives in Tampa and just road out hurricane Irma with his mama and Florida grandparents. His Daddy is working in Israel this month. Bet he did some wondering about all of that! September 14 Revelation 4:11 says, " You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,  for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Do you ever wonder, "Why did God create us?" Sometimes I think, "We've got to be a headache for Him. Who needs the hassle?" " When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers...what is man that you are mindful of him, the son go man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4 He didn't do it because he was lonely.  He had company with his Son and the Holy Spirit. He didn't do it to establish a peer group. "The Lord is God, besides him there is no other....

You can't say no, no matter the weather when people ask to be baptized!!!! This grandmother in the center asked to be baptized and then her granddaughter wanted to follow in her footsteps. Sweet family affair. What an incredible blessing Monday afternoon was after 2 weeks of hurricane heartache. September 13 I'm having some aggravating health issues and have had some awful sleepless nights Four people were baptized here at Shiloh Monday, so I think my pain is Devil dart related. While crying out to Jesus, there was the realization that there are mighty lessons to be learned through the pain. Lately, I've had a boatload of prayer needs for family members. Like the Dead Sea, I recognized I've been in a one way flow to God. All my requests have been going out, but I haven't been sitting listening to God's plans within and what he wants me to pour back out. We did go with His flow hosting this baptism! Sitting with God yesterday, He showed me h...

Together...granddaughter and her Papa. September 12 While I personally love these two deeply, seeing them walking hand in hand thrills my heart! Touch, trust, and tenderness! Touch-God created our bodies to respond to physical touch.   Hold someone's hand today! Trust-"firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something."           Trust is the best security blanket around.  Who totally trusts you? Tenderness-Isn't there an old song "Just show a little tenderness."                      Tenderness, kindness and gentleness are soothing balms to our souls. "Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man."   Matthew 8:3 More to come tomorrow on some lessons learned recently, but in the midst of the recent battle Erin O'Donnell's song "Hold onto Jesus, He's holding on to you," came to mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe4ucy9c7rY "D...

We laughed so hard when we tossed watermelon to this duck and she took delight in it!  It began to sink and her fanny went up in the air as she dove to retrieve it. She was thankful for the good, good, gift we gave to her. September 11 Heading out the door I was stopped in my tracks as I heard God say, "I give to you strength to face all that is on your plate right now."  Whew, He knows our every thought, before we even think it and I had a boat load of them racing across my mind. "I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking." Psalm 139:2 How would you complete this statement right now? I give to you.... All those facing the aftermath of these hurricanes might hear God say, "I give to you peace and perseverance as you trust me in this time of restoration." The alcoholic/drug addict might need to hear... I give to you  encouragement and perseverance  as you daily trust me to break every chain. Th...

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10 September 9 The above verse was on Biblegateway yesterday. The texts on my phone yesterday from Florida family and friends showed that anxiety was increasing as Irma has shifted direction.  I c an’t even imagine dealing with the traffic and fuel issues, not to mention those at airports and in hospitals/nursing homes. One friend texted they have waited too long to get out and are heading to a shelter tomorrow. The shelter doesn’t take dogs so they were trying to get their dog taken elsewhere. She was washing, ironing, doing any chores that require electricity and moving all their window front furniture/possessions to an interior space.  She just texted again they have gotten in the car (5:30AM) and are trying to get out because of the predictions of what the aftermath will be like.  We want them to come here, but they have no idea how far they...

Happy September Birthday to this 3 year old! September 7 In a quite moment I asked the Lord to speak to me and all I heard was the word widget.  Perplexed as to whether it was even a word, I Googled it. Every definition I read left me stupefied. "T he word widget is a generic term for a bit of self-contained code that displays a program, or a piece of a program, that is also (usually) a shortcut to a larger application."  Say what? My brain threw out the question, "What's the difference in a widget and an icon?" Searching that avenue of questioning the option to view a Youtube video popped up. After watching a hoot of a woman with ginormous earrings give her explanation, I had a better understanding of why God had sent me down this rabbit trail. (You don't really need to watch the video unless you want to understand widgets more clearly.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdqQ8fhtxIA Can you remember back to a time before y...

September 6 Chasing the blue heron in the evenings is a favorite pastime. The other night I shot some magnificent photos and they make me smile!  Such an amazing skinny bird!  They seem to be loving living life here on the lake! Do we exude joyful living?  Are we a billboard of appreciation for the gift of life God has given us? The following verses establish some simple life application steps leading to joyful living. Father, we come before you awed by who you are and how you love us.  Your compassion, forgiveness, mercy and ever present access to accomplish each of those attributes, as well as your ability to instruct us in all things is reason alone to shout hallelujah.  Add eternal salvation to the list and we should attempt cartwheels!  We could to You today as teachable children, ready to learn from You and be set apart for Your purpose.  In Jesus' Name, Amen " Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I ...

A couple of our extreme, daring sons and granddaughter! Loving the thrills! September 5 Still hanging with the "aha" thoughts of living life remembering God's ways aren't our ways, the realization that "The Lamb is on the Throne" drills that in more deeply. It's the reverse world! Cahn writes: "On the Kingdom of the Lamb, the weak are strong and the strong are weak. If you have, you must let go.  If you would receive, you must give. If you lower yourself, you will be lifted up.  If you become little, you will be great.  If you lose yourself, you will find yourself.  If you die to yourself, you will find life." " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." Revelation 5:12 

Our bravest granddaughter puts popcorn between her toes and lets the carp suck it off! Our daughter in law played to their sweet side...giving them a popsicle! September 4  Many reminders that God's ways are not our ways surfaced, while I was digging into His Word last week!  They are out of this world, way higher ways! " For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Check out this "so not our way" thought from The Book of Mysteries . "A tomb is a place of death.  It's the place where hope ends, where dreams end, where life ends, where everything ends...But in God, the tomb becomes the place of the beginning...It's the radical way of the Kingdom.  In God, the journey goes not from life to death, but from death, to life.  The end is the beginning.  So to find life, you must come to the tomb.  You must come to a place of death to find life." "O death, where is ...