Boojoyful

We patiently waited several years to meet this baby. October 1 Yesterday was a blessing to hang out with one of my besties.  She's in the midst of a courageous fight against breast cancer and is exhibiting such patience.  Hopefully, 4 more treatments and she will be done! Another friend is waiting patiently for their home to sell and three others watch patiently and prayerfully as their daughters long to be pregnant. " Keep on being brave!  It will bring you great rewards.  Learn to be patient, so that you will please God and be given what he has promised."   Hebrews 10:35-36 What are you longing for?  Our confidence is not to be in ourselves, but in Christ and what He has done and what He can do. We trust in You Lord!

Leftover photo from Spring. September 29-30 To be in God's will is where we all want to be. Sometimes it's just hard accepting how we get there. Hope this song blesses you this weekend. Love,  Boo Thy Will by Hillary Scott https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCR_Fa8YV2U

September 28 The Bible is a best seller!  People, who do not read it, are missing out!  There is action, romance, mystery, victory and oodles and oodles of life applications.  Oh, yes and forgiveness, salvation and the key to eternal life! Don't you just love it when you come upon a verse that you want to write down and turn into wallpaper or at least write in lipstick on your bathroom mirror!  That's the way I feel about  Joshua 3:5 "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." What was about to happen to the Israelites was bigger than the anticipation of Christmas morning for a child.  They had seen God do amazing things, but a block buster show was about to happen and God has flat out told them to get ready!  He still has amazing things to do among us today.   May our lives be consecrated, so we are prepared to see the waters of life part as we walk into the places God is calling us.

These two listened when I said, "Do you want to make milkshakes?" September 27 When was the last time you realized someone had tuned you out and wasn't actually listening to what you said?  Let's flip the coin. You was the last person you tuned out? " Oh, dear people would you listen!"   Psalm 81:13 God loves the Israelites!  His chosen people!  God loves each of us and as a loving Father knows the best ways for us to go, but often we are slow to listen, to trust, and to obey.  When studying this verse on Biblehub I did a cross reference section, which took me to some "this is why verses."  God doesn't say, "Just do it because I said so!"  His Word gives us reasons why it is good to listen and obey. Listen because... "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways!"    Psalm 128:1 " If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well wi

September 26 She Reads Truth is currently doing a study on the names of God. Ro'i is Hebrew for Shepherd. The writer pointed out some of a shepherd's responsibilities"... leads His sheep to calm pasture to eat, He leads them to water to drink, He keeps them on the right path, and He uses His rod and staff to protect them... He lays down His life to protect His sheep, He gathers His sheep, and He speaks over His sheep." This morning I've gone back to that list, highlighting the action verbs and applying them to my relationship with Christ. What kind of sheep am I? Where have I allowed Him to lead me? When have I stayed on the  right path  out of obedience? How often do I thank Him for his protection? Am I faithful to gather with His other sheep and worship? What is He speaking over me today?     Thank You, Jesus, for being a good, good Shepherd.  I love You and am thankful You have called me to follow You.  In Your name, I pray.

The waters rose this weekend at Shiloh. A huge thanks to our friends who went and secured things for us. September 25 I remember some of the terms I heard in our church sanctuary growing up.  Those terms surfaced again when we returned there for our daughter's wedding.  What flowers do you want on the altar and in the nave? Will the guest book be in the narthex?  Will the soloist sit in the choir loft? We worship in a very contemporary church now. Our sanctuary transforms into a basketball court, an exercise room and a fellowship hall.  It is still by definition a place of refuge and safety. A very holy place for our church to come together and worship the Lord. We individually, as the church, should desire to build a sanctuary in our own lives for God.  A place that is holy and not violated by sin, a place we can retreat to with the Lord and be sheltered from the enemy and his temptations to sin.  A place where God reminds us he desires for us to live life abundantly.

We are having so much fun in Hot Springs, VA September 24 Several people have asked us how many years we've been married.  At one point when I said, "Forty years." I thought, that's a big number.  Then my brain said, "And most people are into their twenties before they are married, so that would make you... old!"   My girlfriend told me the other day, "Stop saying you are old. You're not old!" I'm okay with being old. Proverbs 16:31 is in my "praying for your grandchildren devotional book for today." "Gray hair is a glorious crown worn by those who have lived right." The sweetest thing happened to us yesterday. It was like a kiss from God.  We were strolling through some shops at The Homestead and walking out and an older  than us woman said,  "You didn't get anything." I pointed to my husband and said, "I got him! That's all I need."   Then we were really taken b

My favorite thing about this photo of us leaving the church is the double hand hold my man has on me.  I thank God he has never let me go. I have loved hanging onto his arm all these years.  Now it is literally for stability! This one is out in the garden of the hospital rehab in Nashville where I had the stroke. We laugh because I look at this one and say, "You really loved me that day." I do cherish his embrace and going gray together. September 22-23 It would be remiss of me to not make a post in celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary this weekend.  I started to title this entry "To Be...In Love."  Then I realized what I love about all these photos is the hold this man has on me.  It's called commitment and I thank God for it. As my bridegroom, my husband would give his life for me (on most days). He works hard to provide a place for me to live and so far he has never left me or forsaken me. I hope I go to heaven first.  There

September 21 In Rick Warren's books,  The Purpose Driven Life,  he wrote:  "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." Pride is the opposite of humility and God hates pride.  Confessing our sin stomps out pride and allows humility to bloom. A thankful heart is a show stopper of pride as well. Stop and tell God 5 things/places/people you are thankful for right now. "We can thank people for things they do, but thanking God for that person takes it to another level." Jane Tooher Jesus exhibited humility.  He showed interest in others by taking time to listen and ask questions of them.  In Matthew 19:14 he said, " Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them!"   Listening and showing others we think we can learn from them shows not only humility, but love. Jesus drew the woman at the well into conversation with questions and new life and living water flo

In our living room sits the first volume of The Scott's Family Bible, which belonged to my father's family. It was printed in 1816! Quite the Book. September 20 Thinking  back to high school and college years,  I  recall  being invited to join “Who’s Who” in High School and College students of America and being told your name would be printed in "the book." I have no idea what the criteria was or how many of my friends were invited, but the fact you had to PAY to join allowed me to see if for what it was…a money making venture for someone.  I didn’t pay up or ask my parents to pay. Aren’t we thankful that Jesus has paid it all for us to be in The Book of Life! " Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was  thrown into the lake of fire."   Revelation 20:15 “ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”   (Romans 8:14) Peter Lord wrote: "I am a son ( a mature child) of God an

September 19 Slowly we are decluttering from summer!  It felt great to clean out our front hall closet, give it a fresh coat of white paint and neatly put things back inside.  My husband just questioned, "You even zipped up our jackets??????"  My reply, "Yes, they look so nice!" Our lives get cluttered too, don't they?  God has a clean up process available.  It's better than a coat of white paint.  It's the blood of Christ, which washes all our sins away.  We have to start the cleaning out process with the confession of our sins.  It's what Jesus did that puts us back together again. "If we say that we share in life with God and keep on living in the dark, we are lying and are not living by the truth. But if we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other.  And the blood of his Son Jesus washes all our sins away.  If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn't in our hearts

Don't be judging the way this fellow dresses! He brings me joy. September 18 " Don't condemn others, and God won't condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others!  He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the log in your own eye..."   Matthew 7:1-3 Jesus Calling  had an excellent entry on September 13 related to judgment.  Sarah Young writes: "Give your mind a break from its habitual judging." She relates how we judge everything from situations, ourselves, other people, and even the weather. Passing judgement usurps God's role." Here's a great reminder.  "Relate to Me as creature to Creator, sheep to Shepherd, subject to King, clay to Potter.  Allow Me to have My way in your life.  Rather than evaluating My ways with you, accept them thankfully...Worship Me as King of kings while walking hand in hand with Me down the path of Life."

September 17 Glance at all in the Old Testament and you are going to read about battles and captivity.  The Israelites were not strangers to what it means to be captured.   Google a time line of their history and time and time again they were taken into captivity and still suffer grave persecution to this day. One definition of capture on my computer dictionary says: take into one's possession. Out for my morning walk, I was wishing I didn't have to have in my possession my cumbersome phone.  Since the stroke I've learned the importance of having it close by, but it is intrusive. Ding! And you feel like you have to look. It has become an instrument of instant gratification and escape for our society.  When you don't want to be bothered or need a quick exit you can excuse yourself with the simple "I've got a call"  comment. When you need a happy thought click on Instagram or Facebook (for seldom do people post the trials of real life). Our pa

My 81 years young friend! September 15-16 " I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe."   Isaiah 46:4 God had seen the Israelites through lot over the years and in this verse He is reassuring them that His care never ceases, nor does their dependency on Him lesson. While He is addressing them as a people group, we know this loving care pertains to us as well as individuals. Experience teaches us that we need His sustaining grace more and more.  As infants we need complete nurturing and as our bodies decay and infirmities set in our needs once again become great. There is no need to become anxious for God has promised to carry us through life, right up until He carries us home.  Others may grow weary of our aging needs, but not the Lord.  He will always provide and watch over us. He will never leave us or forsake us. Remember He knows every hair on our heads, whe

September 14 " God will command His angels to protect you wherever you go." Psalm 91:11 Making up songs for our grandchildren just kind of happens when we are together.  How I wish I'd recorded all of them over the years.  One that stays very familiar in my mind, because the grands have all held onto it, is a bedtime song:   "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, angels watching over me. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I'm not scared!" When one of our grandsons was three or four he often spoke of the angels he saw, particularly when in his bedroom.  His mommy asked him what they looked like and he said his angel was "Bigger than the house!"  Thank You God for our warrior angels watching over us. Stormie Omartian writes this prayer: "Lord, put Your hand of protection upon my grandchildren.  Keep them safe from accidents or dangers of any kind. Surround them with Your angels. I know that 'You alone' can make them to 'dwell in safety'

September 13 " The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." Proverbs 12:26 Standing on the corner waiting for a school bus will teach you a lot about children. It's scary to watch who leads and who quickly follows.  Can't even imagine the insight that would come if we could ride the bus and listen in to conversations.  The influences surrounding our children and grandchildren are a constant bombardment and that isn't going to change, so we need to pray ferociously for discernment for our children/grandchildren.  They need to learn it's wise and courageous to flee when their spirit heightens their awareness in certain situations.  We used to pray for at least one good friend to walk through life with each of our children. (Having six children only eight years apart provided for some ready made playmates, who had the same boundaries set upon them.) Here's a prayer for today from Stormie Omarti

September 12 " I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future,  and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! " Romans 8:38-39 "Lord, pour out Your love on my grandchildren. I pray that my grandchildren will know You well and have hearts that are filled with Your love, peace and joy so they will live peaceful lives.  Help them "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" so they they will experience the fullness of all that You are, and all that You have or them.  ( Ephesians 3:19)  Open their hearts to trust that nothing can separate the from Your Love.."  Stormie Omartian Yesterday, our six year old grandson asked me that zinger of a question..."If you have to have Jesus in your heart to go to heaven, where do the people go who don't love Jesus?"  He literally s

September  11 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;  and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."  1 John 4:7 My husband has often told our children the greatest gift they can give their children is to love their spouses.  Seeing that love gives them more security than money could ever buy. "Lord, I lift up to You my grandchildren's parents.  Help them to get along as a couple and not allow strife or arguments to pull them apart.  Teach them to seek harmony, unity, and peace in their home every day. I pray they will love each other and not allow a spirit of divorce to break up their family. In Jesus' name I pray."  Stormy Omartian Father, I pray that our grandchildren will see their parents encouraging one another, laughing, kissing and dancing in the kitchen!  I also ask for a spirit of unity specifically in the area of discipline.  In Jesus' name, Amen. We can be intentional as grandparents to speak

September 10 I've challenged myself to a 30 day prayer commitment for our grandchildren.  Every morning I am setting aside a time just for them. I'll kick off the prayer time with an entry from Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Grandparent . The grands have been notified they can send in specific requests.  I'd like to take this week of Boojoyful to share how it's shaping up...without the specific requests. " If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."   1 John 4:12 Father, Keep my heart clean so that my prayers are never hindered.  Set me completely free from all unforgiveness today so there is no mountain of separation between me and my children or grandchildren.  Protect this prayer time and keep my mind focused on how I can love and pray for these precious ones better. Today, I pray specifically for the teachers at the schools and day care facilities they attend and the baby sitters who c

September 8-9 The overwhelmingness was setting in again.  There are so many house/yard projects we want to spruce up at Shiloh and getting workers to call back for estimates this week has been extremely frustrating.  I'm wondering if maybe those are "no's" for now from God.  Also, there are some precious relationships of people I love that need fixing and they are totally out of my control.  One more text, more not returned phone calls and I just wanted to eat chocolate almonds and look at the lake. Sitting down to journal I glanced at my computer screen and saw this Martin Luther quote: "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." While I'd been running to scripture and devotionals as ways of looking for encouragement to keep on keeping on in my own strength, what I hadn't been doing was relying on the Lord by taking my burdens to Him. September 6th I opened   Jesus Calling  and read,

Wayne and his rather large snake.  We met both of these guys at the county park. September 7  Talking with our pastor's wife recently, I heartedly agreed with her comment, "Spiritual warfare is REAL! But we know who wins!" The next Sunday there was a small snake in one of the Sunday school rooms!  A class member rang its neck and tossed it away.  That day is coming for the devil. He will be crushed and thrown into the lake of fire. In the meantime.... " Keep a cool head.  Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.  Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times.  It's the same with Christians all over the world.  So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever.  It won't be long before this generous God, who has great plans for us in Christ-eternal and glorious plans, will have you put together and on your feet for good.  He gets t

September 6 Unable to sleep a few nights ago, I found myself reciting the words to the hymn "Turn your eyes upon Jesus." Love the lyrical part, "Look full in His wonderful face."  One day we will do just that!  Amazing! Feeling a bit stuck, I opened a journal I've been keeping and read: "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2 Ruth Chou Simons wrote, "Praising God is a battle for our minds, before it is an act of our hearts." In Exodus 3:3 where Moses encounters God in the burning bush he states: "I must turn aside and look."  He was intentional. When we aren't certain which way to go, we can turn our eyes upon Jesus and get direction. Take time today to listen to this rendition of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." You will be blessed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KmE5p2n85s

Oldies from last summer, but goodies. September 5 These two little brothers have started school and I love a tradition their school has. On the playground is a bench and if you are feeling lonely or left out you can go sit on the bench and it is the responsibility of the other children to recognize the need and go sit with you and ask if you could use a buddy to play with! Maybe the library or the grocery store could start doing that for adults!!!! "By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you."  2 Corinthians 7:13 May we each step out of our comfort zone and be a buddy to someone else today. Let's pray particularly for college freshmen, students new to a school and those who are new to a community. Praise the Lord for creating the Holy Spirit so we may always have a buddy with us.

September 4 Can You Hear Me Now? Living down in a hole in a rural mountain community we often find it necessary to reposition ourselves to receive cell phone calls.   Matthew 7:7-8 says: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you.   For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be open. Initiative is necessary when it comes to the knocking process.   Purposeful persistent positioning prospers the prayer process.   Opening our Bibles, bowing in prayer, choosing the Christian Internet site, radio or TV station and taking time to be alone and be still are steps in the right direction.   Hearing God requires a healthy, holy, heart condition or the honesty to humbly admit we need help to harvest such a habitat. God’s Word is full of great advice!    He loves us and wants to communicate with us today!   I can’t imagine our children walking through our home and us ignoring them.

September 3 My husband had the enormous privilege of doing a baby dedication for one of our grandsons last week.  In the service he explained to those of us in attendance, who are part of the Body of Christ, that we have a responsibility to pray for this child to come to a personal acceptance of Christ.  What a day of rejoicing that will be! " Jesus answered, 'God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.'"   John 6:29 Who is it you are praying for to find that incredible faith? " But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."   James 1:6

This little one loved being up a tree! September  1-2 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. "  Hebrews 10:24-25  Whew!  There are people who just love to stir up trouble and it's easy to join in the stirring.  I wish I had learned earlier to recognize and run from the stirrer uppers in my life, instead of joining in.  Even more so, now as an older woman I pray for boldness and conviction to stomp out stirring up with a kind word and pray for people's energies and hearts to be turned to stirring up love and good works in the name of the Lord. When we find ourselves face to face with Dan or  Debbie Downer let's pray, "Lord, transform that individual into an encourager." Let's consider how we can get out there and spread good cheer about the love of Jesus.