Boojoyful

There was jumping for joy in our yard this past weekend as a Candy Fairy and a Dinosaur ran around on a beautiful fall day. October 31 We were having such a terrible drought in our area.  Neglecting to water several potted boxwoods left them all dried up and having to be tossed out.  (So, glad God doesn't do that to us.)  Early one morning that same week I noticed the white petunias on our deck were quite perky and dancing in the breeze!  They were so happy because God had coated them with refreshing dew! " You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; and the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12 May we position ourselves each day to allow for God's refreshment to fall upon us!

October 30 Texting a single friend, whom I haven't seen in church, small group or the neighborhood for a month, I typed, "Are you okay, haven't seen you in a month?"  She filled me in on life and we had a good chat. Moments later I thought about how people can go months (their entire lives) without checking in with God.  We know He's good and totally sufficient, but He created us to be in relationship with him and that's takes two-way interaction. " But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Revelation 2:4 On October 21 I came under conviction reading this quote in Jesus Always , "If your life revolves around someone other than Me, you need to repent-changing your ways." I kid you not, just as I was deep into these thoughts and pouring my love out to the Lord, my earthly Love, waltzed into the room, singing and dancing a jig.  My heart wavered between stopping my quiet time with the Lord and losing ...

October 27 While on the phone with my BSF leader Monday night tornado warnings were swirling across the TV screen.  Laughingly, I told her that if we got taken up tonight we could rejoice because we'd be dancing together in heaven the next day!   When I hung up the phone from chatting, my husband came back into the room. He said, while you were chatting away it was pretty scary here. (Says the man who went outside to see if he could see a funnel.) Had our children or grandchildren been here we would have been downstairs in an interior room, but there's such a peace about eternity and that the best is yet to come we are slower to panic these days. The BSF leader said, "I appreciate how you are able to laugh and find joy in every situation." Why is that I thought? 1) Because I know the best is to come in heaven. Revelation 21:1-4 2) Because I know it beats the alternative of growing anxious. Philippians 4:6 3) Because my life verse begins with "Be j...

October 26 The prayer needs of others in my path have been huge lately.  So many facing multiple needs. Praying for an individual the other day I found myself saying, God be her All in All!  This song came to mind.   http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7GGYLGNX You are my strength when I am weak You are the treasure that I seek You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel Lord, to give up I'd be a fool. You are may all in all. Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name.   I sent her a prayer similar to the one below.  Maybe it will speak to your heart as well. God, you have shown yourself to us as Sustainer, Diagnostician, Merciful Father, and Path Director. There are times we need you to be our Spokesperson and Negotiator in specific situations.  We know You are our Trusted Lord.  You are the One who sees the future and knows what is best for us.  We will not panic, but praise You as you are...

October 25 We were blessed to be able to make a hospital run the other day to sit with friends whose daughter was facing a medical battle.  The evening before in our small group setting we had been challenged to open our eyes to where God wanted us to serve. When the call came the next morning, concerning our friends' situation, it was a no brainer...we were to shift the order of our day and GO. While in the big city (Roanoke) the rains were pouring down (praise the Lord), so we decided to take in a movie. The Same Kind of Different as Me  was worth every penny.  It is about a woman who truly sees through God's eyes and serves the homeless.  It packs a powerful punch with a great reminder that we are all homeless here on earth, for this is not our home! "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Philippians 3:20 Looking up serve  in the dictionary one definition was attend to  anoth...

October 24 Sitting out on our deck I was chatting on the phone with a friend about the pain I'm experiencing. While we were talking I was watching a hummingbird three feet away suck nectar from a flower. Then out of the blue that little bird flew right up to my face.  I squealed out of shock, thinking she was headed for my nose, and off she flew.  My girlfriend on the phone said, "She thought your hair looked like fabulous nesting material!  Next a bee flew in for some flower sucking and then a black and blue butterfly headed right for me head. God's creators brought me such laughter!  It was as if he was offering a distraction from the pain I'm in and offering the opportunity to remember who He is! The God of the butterfly, the God of the bee, the God of the hummingbird and the God who loves me! " Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8  Open your eyes and see Him speaking to you today!

Loved it when this family of life long friends popped in by water to visit! October 23 While cleaning off my desk, a very old envelope fell upon the floor.  The front of it said, "For Betty." Inside, on a cut-in-half index card, was this note to my mother. "Dear Betty,      Keep this by your bed for the New Year. It is a comforting thought and also quite true. Best wishes for 1975.  Love, Bubbles"  (Isn't that a great nickname!) Also enclosed was a small, cutout article titled: "Thought of the Month...Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" It reads: "There are two days in every week about which we should not worry: One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. The other day is tomorrow, with its possible adversities and blunders. Until its sun rises we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn. That leaves only one day-today. Any man can fight the...

Seeing these branches blooming out of a fence post on the private road to our home caused me to stop and take a picture on a recent walk, such an unexpected sign of God at work and life springing out from hard places. October 20 While traveling last week, I recognized God at work in another way.  As I was about to enter an elevator with our grandsons, a cute young couple said, "We just bought these chocolates, but didn't realize they have milk in them and can't eat them. Would your boys like them?"  (Yes, they were wrapped, we didn't accept dangerous candy from strangers!) It was such a sweet surprise. The next day at lunch the couple came up to our table at the hotel restaurant and said, "Hello!"  Looking up, I said, "Look boys, it's the our chocolate friends!"  Beaming, this couple explained they were leaving the hotel and returning to their home in Lynchburg.  We said it was so nice to have met them and wished them well.  (I...

Love this shadow photo! October 19 For a week, I was with thrilled to be with a couple of our grandsons as their parents traveled and house hunted for an upcoming move.  It's always strange to enter the stillness of the house after the grands leave. (I'm usually pretty exhausted and sleep hard though.)   The void that appears in these "be on the alert for little ones" times is my quiet time with the Lord. October 13th, had I picked up Jesus Always,  I would have found a blessing and nudge to be quiet and pray. "Excessive noise and visual stimulation make it hard for you to find Me in the midst of your moments.  Yet, I am always nearby-as near as a whispered prayer. People who are in love yearn to be alone together so they can concentrate intently on each other. I am the Lover of your soul , and I long for you to spend time alone with Me.  When you shut out distractions to focus on Me, I awaken your soul to the  Joy of my Presence! This ...

October 18 Last week our daughter and I accompanied her boys on a hay ride and s'more roast! Personally, I find the marshmallow roasting to be the best part of making s'mores! While in multitasking mode, roasting marshmallows, taking pictures, laying out supplies and wiping sticky fingers, a gentleman interrupted me to acknowledge I was about to put a flaming marshmallow on a graham cracker! That could have literally been a hot mess! His input was greatly appreciated! Sunday, as I was walking the boys to their Sunday school classrooms, I heard our children's director explain to her daughter, who had just asked her if she could help... "I know I need help, I just don't know when or where! " Isn't that profound?  We are all going to need help at some point and in some capacity! Whether it's to keep us from placing flaming marshmallows in our mouths or onto a graham cracker, telling us to watch the speed limit, or stepping in to hel...

October 17 Last week my husband picked up 1,000 walnuts from our yard!!! No, we are not harvesting them. We were allowing a group to use Shiloh and it was an outdoor event, so my husband was on yard duty and literally gathered 1,000 walnuts off the ground and hauled them to the woods.  I was on window washing, de-spidering and outdoor furniture wipe down patrol and my offering hospitality without grumbling attitude was quickly seeping away before I was hardly underway.  Even with praise music penetrating my soul, my joy wavered.  Just as I pulled out some table cloths, a scripture card fell to the floor. " whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,  but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."   Matthew 20:26-28 Whew! God's Word can be a switch to my hinny and bring about an instant attitude ad...

Sorry about Friday's post. I was traveling and for some reason the script did not come through. I redid it this morning.   October 15th tubing! October 16 Another beautiful Fall day found us out on the water taking our grandsons and some friends tubing; and then we hosted a double baptism.  Two young brothers, who had made professions of their faith, wanted a lake baptism.  Our pastor wore a t-shirt which said, "I have decided."  What a great open ended conversation starter! The passage our pastor selected for these young men was  powerful  and filled with wisdom. Joshua 1: 7 and 9 "In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage!...Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going.  And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind.  Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you p...

I could dwell here in a heartbeat! October 13  " Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity." Psalm 133:1 The word stick in my mind... dwell.. "Linger, think, speak or write about at length." What do we dwell upon? What if we shifted gears and lingered thinking about things of the Lord which are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good report, excellent or praise worthy?  I bet our day would look a lot different! " Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."   Philippians 4:8 " Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my lie, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."   Psalm 23:6 

October 12 One of my husband's new jobs is heading up the small group ministry at our church. They are called  Connect Groups .  Our group meets once a week in our home.  The encouragement, love, insight and accountability being part of a group like this brings to life is truly valuable.  So many people walk into church Sunday, fill themselves up and walk out, never connecting with the Body of Christ. That isn't how God intended  the church  to operate. Ephesians 4:12-16 "...for the  equipping  of the saints  for the work  of service, to the  building up  of the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the  unity of the faith , and of the  knowledge  of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, ...

Who knows where this is? October 11 As I was thinking about fall and the need for our sinfulness to fall  away the word repent  came to mind and then immediately the word repaint!   The best paint jobs (on old items, which I consider myself to be) occur after there has been some prep work of scraping and sanding.  Getting rid of the old! Repenting isn't painless.  It's a process of honesty before God. It is allowing God to go deep into the surface of our hearts and reveal the ugliness.  It's a process we'd rather not have to admit is necessary.  The exposure of my sin makes my stomach hurt, as if I want to throw up the sin I've committed and flush it away! Jesus is the only one who can dispose of it. Currently, I'm enrolled in Bible Study Fellowship where we are studying the book of Romans.  Paul doesn't mince words in Chapter 1 about the pigpen of sin we can allow ourselves to waller in.  It makes it clear that none of us are withou...

That is our daughter in law out on that ledge! She captioned this photo "In awe of God's glory!"  Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.  —Psalm 96:6 October 10 Whew! I struggle with seasonal vertigo, so you wouldn't find me out on that ledge!    There have been times I've been driving and gone around a bend to a  magnificent view and literally pulled off the road, gotten out of the car and just gazed at God's glory!  Some of the greatest blessings in life are ahead of us, but we need to be able to follow the Lord in faith to get to those points.  The image of this photo is amazing.  Just one of God's small, beautiful, creations standing in His grandeur realizing how HUGE he is and how loved she is by Him.  In one of her posts she wrote encouraging everyone to take time to get away with God out in nature in and rejoice in His Presence! His creation alone, speaks to who He is! As Am...

The road ahead is an unknown path... October 9 Being a few days behind in my Jesus Always  reading, I went back to last week and was blown away by what I saw on the page. "I want you to have no FEAR of bad news. The only way to accomplish this feat is to have a steadfast heart, trusting in Me...While things around you or in the world seem to be spinning out of control, come to Me and pour out your heart. Instead of fretting and fuming, put your energy into praying." " His heat is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7 ...but we can face all the obstacles with a smile, because we do not walk alone.

God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you!  I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,  traveling across dry and weary deserts.   Psalm 63:1   MSG October 7-8 There are so many other things I should be doing, but I've just realized...Bible Study is my favorite thing! Walking 1/2 mile up our mountain to the main road to get the mail, I was so happy being outside on such a gorgeous day! Looking up amongst the tall pines, oaks and poplars I said, "God you are so big!"  Just then I looked back down at the gravel road I was walking on there lay the most enormous leaf I've ever seen.  There wasn't another one like it on the entire road.  Beside the leaf were two small leaves.  It was as if God was saying, "Yup! I'm ginormous girl. You can't even imagine!" Then I came home and opened Jesus Always  and there Sarah Young had written these words: "Train your mind to think great thoughts of Me...Don't let troubles become...

If this one had delayed obeying her parents by jumping into this pumpkin it may have  become a sticky rotten mess. October 6 While out washing windows on a gorgeous fall day, listening to praise music on The Journey FM, a great idea devotional idea came to mind.  Instead of dropping my rags and going inside to jot down the idea, I washed a few more windows and the idea was gone!  All I remembered was that it had three parts.  Crying out, "Lord, help this old brain!" What I was trying to recall did not surface, but a lesson in delayed obedience did reverberate, Some ideas/promptings have to be enacted at that moment or the opportunity is lost.  The skill is learning to determine God's voice, being quick to listen, and quick to recognize His timing. I'm learning to use the "notes" app on my phone and when a thought/idea comes, I try to jot down what I'm hearing. "But everyone must be quick to hear.. ." James 1:19 ...

Let the Son Shine Way Up High These two adventurers of ours made the most of today at Yosemite National Park. October 5 The victims of the Las Vegas shooting and their families had no idea what that evening held. Years ago I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with a friend here at the lake, doing a one on one eight week Bible study with her and giving her a Bible.  Our children were the same ages and I was so excited about this new friendship.  The next month I was called to the ER. While driving carpool, she had been killed just a few miles from our house. "Do not boast about tomorrow,  for you do not know what a day may bring forth ." Proverbs 27:1  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.   Each day has enough trouble of its own."   Matthew 6:34 "And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, 'Today-at the latest, tomorrow-we're off to such  and  such a city for ...

Five inches of September Snow in Park City, Utah was unexpected These two built a snowman to celebrate their birthdays. She loved the snow! October 4 What have you ordered up recently?  A meal at a restaurant, something from the grocery store deli, an item online, a ticket to the theatre? When was the last time you said, "I'll take...." Somewhere in the past week, I can't remember where, I heard someone say, "I"ll take a miracle!" What great faith!  We've been facing some family crisis that only God can handle, so I've said to God, "I'll take a miracle! You sure know how to hand them out!" "And He sid to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace ad be healed of your affliction.' " Mark 5:34 Looking back to the end of January when one of our grandsons showed up prematurely, I have to laugh at the miracle God has done.  At his 6 month check up the doctor had the nurses measure h...

October 3 We flew into Salt Lake City last week,  just as night fell across the land. It was strange to go to sleep not having a clue what my eyes would behold the next morning.  I reflected on all our houseguest who have arrived at Shiloh at night over the years having no idea what their eyes would behold the next morning.  As I lay in the darkness of our hotel room I thought about the moment our eyes behold heaven! Sarah Young wrote: "Your brightest moment on earth will one day look very dark in comparison with the Glory-Light of heaven!  There you will see My Face  in its brilliant splendor, an you will be satisfied with endless oceans of Love." "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever  believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Father, we pray that those who lost their lives Sunday night know You and are with You.  We pray for many who don't know You to open their hearts at...

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD ."  —PSALM 112:7 October 2 Up early, I had to head out of town for the day and forgot to post a devotional the night before.  On our way out of town my husband shared the horrific news out of Las Vegas.  Such terror stops you in your tracks and mellows out your mode.  I've found myself praying continually throughout the day for random situations. Father, we cry out to You in this time of devastation.  An act of evil we cannot comprehend.  Our prayers for comfort and healing for the survivors and all the families related to the event, as well as all those responding to the needs of others. They need strength, comfort and wisdom as well.  In Jesus' Name, Amen