Boojoyful

Practicing his cello makes him smile. January 31 Monday,  my mother in law was discharged from the hospital and I took her to her home to get settled, my husband stayed at the hospital with his father who they were trying to discharge to a nursing home for physical therapy.  That didn't happen until late afternoon. Whew! Calgon take us away.  Actually, I was way past a warm bath. I texted my prayer group..."Jesus come back tonight!" My husband is staying with is mother 24/7 until his sister can come give him a reprieve and we can get caregivers in place.  While sitting in the car that day I said, "God, we need you."  He said, "Who am I?" I replied, "You are Faithful and True." Revelations 19:11   "Then I saw Heaven open wide-and oh! a white horse and its Rider.   The Rider,  named Faithful and True ..." "Come, let us shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!  Let's march into his presenc...

The hospital reunion January 30 Remember, these emails are not usually time sensitive. I just go with the flow of the Spirit and write, but they don't always get posted chronologically!  Today's is real time! Last Thursday, we went straight from the airport to my in-laws' home. A neighbor had called to say my mother-in-law was very ill with the flu and my father-in-law had fallen three times and couldn't get up. Ends up he had the flu too.  They were both admitted to the hospital and after 20 hours in the ER, which was a actually amazing care that we hated to leave, they were put on different floors for their hospital stay.  The photo above was when they were able to wheel my mother-in-law to see her husband before she was discharged yesterday. The week prior to all this shaking down, everything I'd been reading related to being a servant. One book said, "Letting your feelings get hurt means you think it is all about you!"  Wish I'd re...

A gorgeous gulf coast sunset. January 29 Yesterday, driving to the hospital to care for Deke's parents the fog was dense and visibility was terrible. God placed an old farm pickup truck in front of me, creeping along at 40 miles an hour. I thanked Him for that hedge of protection to guide me. My selfish prayer request of our small group had been that I could check on Deke's parents and make it back in time for church as I had missed the previous three Sundays.  The addendum to that was request was to realize the most important thing was to be where God wanted me.  Church didn't happen where I wanted it, but it still happened. Turning on Journey FM I learned two new songs that had me praising and later in the day heard a great sermon by Jonathan Falwell. Take time today to be blessed and get your praise on. You are going to want to lift your arms on both of these, so make room! The first song was Walk as Lions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzjf...

Our baby protecting his baby who is ready to head to big water! January 26 The father son relationship is powerful.  Ask Jesus?  He was willing to do anything his Father asked. She Reads Truth is currently in a study of Matthew and they posted: "It's difficult to remember mercy when someone hurts us. Some of us have been hurt so badly it feels like everything is ruined, that nothing can restore what's been taken from us. The very thought of the offense can fill us with fear and loathing. But we do well to remember this: In order to forgive us, Christ had to die for us...True forgiveness costs everything.  But God loves us so much, He freely gave everything. " What is keeping us from offering forgiveness today? I've come to realize over the years that un-forgiveness may be keeping us from excessive joy in a relationship and great blessings God is waiting to bestow.  Don't let un-forgiveness be a thief in your life. "In prayer there...

Boys big and small My birthday buddy!  We are sixty years apart! Glad he lives in Florida since we have January birthdays! January 25 A friend inquired on Facebook what products I use to stay looking young. I told him, he was applying the same products!  Cake on alot of love and apply scoops of Jesus daily. Paul has good advice as well. " Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.  Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized.  Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Philippians 4:8MSG 

" Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 January 24 Well, we are visiting some other friends today (the 23rd) and have realized we left our computer plug in our previous hotel.  So here's a thought for the 24th, but I'll be missing in action until possibly the night of the 25th. This amazing woman has been my steadfast friend for 43 years! That's a long time to stick by anyone. We've walked through the deepest of heartaches together and prayed without ceasing for things in almost every category!  Both of us have buried siblings to very tragic deaths and we have rocked one another's babies, held one another through tough parenting times and now are rocking one another's grand babies. We have loved and been loved by one another's parents. While my parents are gone, her's now are struggling.  As I go to visit them I wonder if this will be my final earthly visit with...

This is our early evening view! January 23 Watching an ocean sunset is a powerful experience. Blink and that big ball has just dropped into the ocean! All we have to do is step out into creation and we know God is!  What do we do with the knowledge?  Does jubilation pour from our souls daily?  Do we stare across at a friend over coffee and say, "Isn't God amazing?" We recently visited friends and family in Florida and the change of scenery and lack of household responsibilities afforded us the opportunity to bask in God's greatness. That opportunity exists everyday, but sometimes we get stuck in our ruts and forget to exclaim to the world around us... How great is our God. " Do everything readily and cheerfully-no bickering, no second guessing allowed!  Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message...

Our beautiful daughter in law and her babe. January 22 Studying Romans 8 the phrase "all things" occurs several times. " God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 " He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 " But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37 All these things we face are part of the earthly life process. All these things have purpose in preparing us for an eternal life. When we recognize that Christ's love for us is on an eternal time line and about more than happiness in the here and now, we adopt an "out of this world" perspective and appreciate the process! I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the food we had at a dinner last week.  My palate was popping with h...

Snowy days remind me of God's covering. January 19 "Only when you are overwhelmed with the goodness of God can you overflow with the goodness of God to others." Ann Voskamp " These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."   John 16:33 Read out loud just a few of these thoughts about who God is in Psalm 104. Your heart can't help but thrill when you contemplate that God chose you to experience life. Yes, its full of ups and downs, but its an temporary experience He chose to give us. May we acknowledge Him! "O my soul, bless God!  God, my God, how great you are! Beautifully, gloriously robed, dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent.  You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of  clouds and took off on wind-wings.  You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors...

January 18 Along the lines of yesterday's entry, I read in Jesus Calling  about how life can look like a treacherous sea with waves that appear to be coming to crash onto you.  Very timely, as I awakened looking out upon the Gulf of Mexico. Sarah Young wrote: "The future is a phantom, seeking to spook you. Laugh at the future...You are surrounded  by a sea of problems, but you are face to Face with Me, your Peace. Stay close to Me. Fix your eyes on Me, the One who never changes.." "Fear not for I am with you. " Isaiah 41:10 " Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

January 17 The text came early, my girlfriend had fallen in her kitchen and broken her ankle.  Whatever we were facing at that moment paled in comparison. I said, "At least I'm not in a cast!"  Then the virus hit and day three of the fever I said, "I think I'd rather be in a cast than going through this."  Next a call came seeking prayer for a childhood friend. Her son-in-law had died unexpectedly and her daughter had just found out she was pregnant with their second child. Suffering with flu was mild compared to walking alongside a daughter with such great heartache.  A Caring Bridge alert popped up. That's always a heart tug.  A neighbor had lost his battle with leukemia and this sweet family now faces life without their beloved husband, father, grandfather. Another friend was boarding a plane with her husband trying to reach his brother before he died. They didn't make it. And yet another friend has fallen and will be in a cast for eight weeks. ...

Snow Day at the Beach! So much fun for this sweet family. The bomb cyclone got them! January 16 Are we available to serve the Lord today?  Can our calendars be cleared for the Almighty? Does it take a snowstorm to slow us down?  God has ways of urging us into availability. Mary was made available.  Esther was made available. Samson was made available. The story of Ruth and her mother-in-law coach is a beautiful picture of God working things for good when we show our availability and trust in the Lord. " Take a bath. Put on some perfume.  Get all dressed up and go to the threshing floor.  But don't let him know you're there until the party is well under way and he's had plenty of food and drink.  When you see him slipping off to sleep, watch where he lies down and then go there.  Lie at his feet to let him know that you are available to him for marriage.  Then wait and see what he says. He'll tell you what to do."   ...

Church wore her out! Check out the snowcapped mountains of Utah! January 15 This sweet Daddy rescued this little one from her exhaustion and carried her to the car after church. We've been part of the greatest rescue operation known to earth. That's really what the birth of Christ was all about. "God rescued us from the dead-end alleys of dark dungeons.  He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got ride of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating."  Colossians 1:13-14

Olaf playing games with another! January 12 Choices. We face them everyday. I read this list of choice related questions on a blog recently: "What to fix for supper...  How to educate our children...  How to have more joy...  Whom to trust as a friend...  What to cut from our busy schedules...  How to use our time...  Where to go for advice...  How to proceed with a health crisis...  How to forgive someone who has wounded you deeply..." Look back over that list. None of us would answer those questions the same way. Our doctrine of life, which everyone has, influences our responses. Everyone of those situations is worthy of seeking the Lord's wisdom for our response.  He cares about how we life our life and if we reflect His glory in the  living! " If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." James 1:5

Love seeing this herd of cousins together. Love the youngest leaning on the oldest. January 11 Seven days with fever makes one weak! Well, I've been the sickest I may have ever been the past week. Truly bedridden. An unknown virus has filled my body with eight days of fever, fatigue, aches, stomach issues and now it has settled in my chest. My husband has had the shorter version with fever lasting three days. The song "Lean on Me" from 1972 by Bill Withers played in my mind, as so many friends have reached out with their soups and grocery runs! We probably wouldn't have eaten had it not been for this provision. "Sometimes in our lives we all have pain. We all have sorrow, but if we are wise we know that there's always tomorrow.  Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend, I"ll help you carry on. For it won't be long 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on." Lean - "Cause something to rest a...

We had fun setting up a temporary dwelling place for a couple of our grandsons, while their new home is being built. " He who dwells in the Shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' " Psalm 91:1-2 January 10 In whom or what do we put our trust?  I was blessed to live in the same amazing house my entire childhood. Then after marrying, we brought all six of our children home from the hospital to the same house we lived in for twenty-five years. It's hard to believe this is our 20th year at Shiloh. Our daughter was in Nashville for 20 years and her family has just moved to Charlottesville. Temporarily they are in an apartment, but fortunately it is in the children's school district, so they won't have to change schools when the new house is built. Change is scary though. The school the first grader is attending is a Spanish Immersion scho...

Love a good movie night on the couch with this crew. We watched Tom and Jerry for too long! January 9 The word of the day in my mind was DWELL Oh, Father To be dwelling where you want me to be.  The question my husband and I keep tossing over and over again is "Should we sell or dwell at Shiloh?" The good thing is God controls our real estate.  He can send a buyer at any time.  While sprucing the place up recently I asked God, "Am I more consumed with Shiloh looking good than allowing You to work and clean me up? Am I treasuring this place more than I treasure being placed and positioned for your purpose? Show me the way to go." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6 One of the definitions of dwell  is to linger.   Am I so consumed with my physical surroundings that am missing the real message God has for m...

This youngster loves to create recipes...and make other people test them! January 8 Opening a new journal I received for Christmas the first two words I scripted were "To be..." Each day I want to consider what it is God wants me "to be" that day.  My first entry reads: "To be what You created me to be Father. You are the Master Planner, filled with purpose for your children whom You lovingly created." For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. "     Jeremiah 29:11-13 Check your "To Do" list for today. Is searching for God with all your heart on there? " You created my inmost being-you knit me together in my mother's womb. " Psalm 139:13 Father, you genuinely c...

These two were waiting on the steps to see what was under the tree Christmas morning. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17 January 5 It's a new year with new adventures awaiting us. Some may bring a smile, while others will require bracing for a storm. That's life! Like the seasons, there is always change.   I'm continually learning new things about my husband, even after 40 years, so how much more is there to learn about God? "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8 A goal of mine is to learn something new every day, if just the tiniest fact.  Bomb cyclone  was a new weather term for me this week! Discovery takes time and skills! Listening with an investigative and discerning mind;  reading with discernment and processing facts; or  getting out there with courage to...

January 4 Brrr!  It has been so cold! The single digit temperatures pack such a punch I've been wearing my ugly UGGS around the house.  The other night, while watching bowl games, I took a biblical approach and said to my man, "Give me that body to warm me up!" "Also, on a cold night, two under the same blanket gain warmth from each other. .." Ecclesiastes 4:11 We went out for a delicious New Year's Eve dinner with friends and they were so thoughtful. While they had heated seats up front, they brought a beautiful blanket for us in the back seat!  We used it! "In his old age King David was confined to his bed; but no matter how many blankets were heaped upon him, he was always cold ."  1 Kings 1:1   While I'm longing for a blanket of snow to cover Shiloh, I am thankful for the covering of God's love over each of us.  As we are in this transformation process of becoming like Christ may we remember 1 Peter 4:8 and e...

Our daughter played her harp Christmas Eve with our praise band. January 3 It's good to stay in ponder mode, as Mary was. In Ann Vosskamp's devotional, The Greatest Gift  she wrote about Mary  conceiving. She says, "Conceive: it's not passive, but an active verb. Its root in Latin means nothing less than 'to seize, to take hold of.' When grace conceives in you, you take hold of God." She also writes about Mary’s womb and Mary’s becoming a  space: “There is no need to produce or perform or perfect-simply become a place for God.  That is all.” Isn't that beautiful?  Let’s each ponder what it is God wants us to “take hold of” in this coming year. Number one for me is a deeper relationship with Him. To be "a place," an available vessel, a readied servant, for God to fill up and use.   "And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' " Luke 1:38...

Love these girls so much and blessed by their unconditional love for me. January 2 The Christmas messages in Luke are still in my heart. They should stay with us all year, shouldn't they? In chapter two these phrases are causing me to ponder as Mary did. "Keep watching." God is always at work and has places he wants us to join him in that work. "...the glory of the Lord shone." God's glory was showing all those years ago when Christ came and it will always shine.  Heaven has no need for the sun, God's glory is the illuminating force. "Don't be afraid."  When God is for us, who can be against us. "Proclaim Good News of great joy that will be for all the people." We are all precious in God's sight. "A Savior is born for you."  God knew we needed a Savior! "A multitude of heavenly hosts praising God." Angels are the real deal! Anyone of these statements from Luke 2 makes for ...

2017 is behind us...watching for what God has in 2018 January 1 Sunday our youth pastor preached and said, "If you're not dead, God's not done with you!" Encounter- "Unexpectedly experience or be faced with something." We have no idea what we may encounter in 2018, but God knows exactly what is ahead. Still in Christmas story mode (for the lessons never go out of season) I'm taken back to the account of the wise men in Matthew chapter two and what I should learn from them. Kaitie Stoddard wrote: "The true wisdom of the wise men was not education and reading (although they likely had much of that): it was recognizing the face of God in the midst of what seemed foolish and weak to the world... To be truly wise is to be wise in the Lord and led by the Spirit . Our own understanding will always be limited." Thought one: "They opened their treasures and present him (Jesus) with gifts.....