Boojoyful

November 1 NOVEMBER!   Life keeps going faster and faster. This month I want to challenge us to focus on being thankful.   Each day I will try to have a thankful thought. Today's photo is of the woman who raised me. She lived with us and cared for my family for over 30 years. She now has dementia and visiting her is hard, because we can't laugh and look back over the memories we shared.  I've written about her and her faith before and she is a person whom it is very easy to reference well. Galatians 5:22 makes me think of her character.  " God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful." Those qualities of a Spirit filled (not us accomplished) life make the world a little sweeter. Thankful thought: Thank God now for the people who have cared for you during your life.

Wearing her Mom's wedding dress!  Precious! October 31 While what Halloween represents doesn't thrill my heart, the Andrews family has always had fun dressing up in costumes!  During my fall clean out project I decided it's time to pass some of those costumes along.  We had 16 plastic bins full of costumes! These photographs of our granddaughter in her mother's wedding dress are magical! What a great idea. We have more than outer garments to put on each day.  Remember God sees the heart. " But Jesus told them: You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned." Luke 16:15 In our laundry room is this verse: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."   Colossians 3:12 The next time you are standing i

October 30 Last week in Bible Study Fellowship we studied the book of Ruth.  It's a fabulous story and spoke right to my heart.  Naomi has moved to a foreign land with her husband and two sons to seek food during a famine.  Her husband dies and her two sons marry foreign women and then they die leaving three childless widows.  Naomi has learned there is food again in her homeland and decides to return, but tells her daughter in laws to go home to their parents.  One daughter in law, Ruth, decides to go with her mother in law and follow her God. As Naomi returns home she tells her friends her name is now Mara, meaning bitter.  You need to read the rest of the story and see how God provides hope and happiness through the foreign daughter in law, Ruth and her kinsman redeemer. While Naomi is sad and bitter, she misses that God is in the midst of providing life, love, and a grandchild through Ruth!  When we are suffering we need to look to Jesus, remembering He is our Redeeme

October 29 To say I was heavy hearted last week, after our painter fell 50 ft at our home, would be putting it mildly.  As I would drive down the driveway all I could feel was sadness for what this family is facing.  Then I heard this song on the radio and shifted my mindset.   Counting Every Blessing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Y91axwxfI Why is it the losses in life stand out so blatantly?  The blessings far outweigh the heartaches. Instead of seeing the spot where this dear man fell, I needed to shift my eyes right to the spot where many, many people have been baptized. Further to the right where the scripture trails begin and so many have found hope and healing.  Looking around the house to the left is where precious weddings have taken place and on every inch of these five acres little feet have joyously pittered and pattered and splashed and splashed.  I choose joy!  Joy that is based not on worldly activity, but on Christ and what He has done for us and the hope

October 27-28 This is one of my all-time favorite photos. If you've ever tried to use a public bathroom facility with an infant or toddler you will instantly get it! "A brilliant invention," my daughter says. This weekend you probably have some choices of how you will spend your time.  Church or not; dedicated time to prayer or not; rest in the Lord or not; sneak off on Saturday and hang out alone with Jesus or not. Choose in ways that honor God. " Honor the wonderful name of the Lord, and worship the Lord most holy and glorious. "   Psalm 29:2 "The Lord watches over all who honor and trust his kindness."  Psalm 33:18

October 26 One of the beauties of Shiloh is the privacy here.  There is no need for curtains unless the morning sun bothers you.  Last week, the pressure washing process began in preperation for painting.  It was my "Wednesday at home alone with Jesus day." but wherever I seemed to settle a face would pop up in that window.  It became rather comical and then I realized the lesson was to remember that Jesus is always present. We can't escape His watch! " The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us."   Hebrews 13:5 I miss those painters being here.  Instead, they are taking turns keeping watch over their father's hospital bed.  If you are on Facebook you can follow the story at "Dave's Recovery".

Some people probably think hiking the Appalachian Trial gets you closer to heaven. October 25 Our pastor taught two of the best sermons I've ever heard on heaven. Both weeks our small group said they headed out calling or emailing loved ones saying, "You've got to listen to this!" I hope you will be able to access them through the links provided. http://www.franklinheights.org/sermons/   Click on 10/7 and 10/14 This line of questioning was a real show stopper as we pondered where our relationship with Christ stood. What do you think about the most? What do you talk about the most? If you had a $100, 000 what would you do with it? The pastor explained that if we are heavenly minded and heading there then... We will not be depressed about getting older. We will be found teaching our children to look forward to heaven. We will understand we've been created for heaven. So, here's to heaven!

When I'm with this one I don't have a worry in the world! I put together today's entry a few days when I was awaiting a CT scan for possible bladder cancer. Monday night we got the results that the problems I'm having are being caused by kidney stones, not cancer.  It was a thank You, Jesus, moment. Tuesday was a new day, but filled with tragedy. Our God loving painter fell 50 feet off a ladder, which was on scaffolding, while painting the exterior of our house.  Please pray for Dave Keep. As Deke and I waited at the hospital for the helicopter to land, I took this photo. Later I looked at it and noticed it looks as if the chopper is carrying a cross on the top and bottom! Dave is in critical condition with a brain bleed and numerous breaks to his body, but I know he feels the Presence of the Lord and the prayers of 1,000's of people. He and his wife, Julia, have seven children.  Two were here at the house painting with him. October 24 ANXIET

Three Generations of Football Players in the Family! October 23 Check out these "One Anothers" in Scripture Love one another                     John 13:34 Pray for one another               James 5:16 Encourage one another           Hebrews 3:13 Forgive one another                Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another             Galatians 6:2 Accept one another                  Romans 15:7 Serve one another                    Galatians 5:13 Speak truth to one another        Ephesians 4:25 Be hospitable to one another   1 Peter 4:9 Be at peace with one another   Mark 9:50 Can you think back over the past month and list all the people you have encountered who needed encouraging?  Now look at each of these categories and list people who would fall into that category as either in need of that type of one anothering or maybe you were the one in need and they offered it to you! Powerful how God has designed the Body of Christ to operate.

October 22 "Trust the Lord!  Be brave and strong and trust in the Lord."   Psalm 27:14 Either we believe God has our back, our best interest and the ability to direct our outcomes or we don't.  I choose to believe! On October 18, Sarah Young writes in Jesus Calling  "Go gently through this day, keeping your eye on Me, I will open up the way before you as you take steps of trust along your path. Sometimes the way before you appears to be blocked.  If you focus on the obstacle or search for a way around it, you will probably go off course.  Instead, focus on Me, the Shepherd who is leading you along your life-journey." "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. "  Proverbs 3:25-26

October 20-21 Yesterday, was my girlfriend's final chemo treatment for breast cancer!  What a reason for rejoicing. She was feeling vivacious and truly elated to have this behind her.  Thank You Jesus for the strength with which you have infused her this past year. This same week a neighbor lost her battle with cancer and I learned that another friend's cancer has returned. Three younger people were added to my prayer list facing very serious cancer battles and I myself go for a CT scan on Monday. This morning  Jesus Calling  brought me such joy as Sarah Young reflects on the truth of the temporary state of these earthly bodies. “I am your living God, far more abundantly alive than the most vivacious person you know.  The human body is wonderfully crafted, but gravity and the inevitable effects of aging weigh it down.  Even the most superb athlete cannot maintain his fitness over many decades.  Lasting abundant life can be found in Me (Jesus) alone. Do not

October 19 So, we want a happily ever after ending to all our stories don't we.  Well, that isn't slated to happen this side of heaven. In this particular story, David does marry Abigail, but it's not smooth sailing. He's living in the wilderness and while he does move on up in the neighborhood, he has multiple wives and commits adultery with Bathsheba. This story points out some things we tend to think would make a happily ever after ending story to our lives:  Check out these "If only's" "...I had a new house   ...I had a husband   ...I had a different boss   ...I had a more reliable car   ...I wan't stuck in this town   ...my husband would take more initiative   ...I had more education and could get a new job   ...my husband would die and I could marry so and so...            ...then I would be happy." Let's campout on these verses: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory

When things get irritating or uncomfortable for Henrietta, she just flies away! October 18 Whew, I tell you friends. What we've witnessed as a nation lately has plum worn most of us out. Blood boiling does that. This story of David, Nabal, and Abigail has that kind of impact.  If it was a movie we'd be cheering David and his men on to string Nabal up and eat all food and drink all his wine.  But that's the world! God's Word and God's way says: "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Romans 12:17-18 "Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but alway try to be kind to each other and to everyone else."   1 Thessalonians 5:15 David listens to the voice of wisdom and says to Abigail, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!  Bless be your discretion, and blessed be you, who

Sorry I got behind and forgot to post yesterday. It's there now. October 17 In 1 Samuel 25 we see David lose control over Nabal's selfishness, for David and his men had served Nabal and offered protection without pay.  David loses control and is ready to kill Nabal and all his men. "Father, give me grace to be slow to anger and glorify you in my response."  Nancy D. Wolgemuth " The Lord will keep you from all evil, He will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."   Psalm 121:7-8 Nabal had a treasure....a wife who feared the Lord and knew David's heart.  This woman got wind of what was happening and "didn't cower in fear" but "she took action."  She knew "when to speak and when not to speak and to whom to speak." She exhibited these attributes: "courage, humility, composure, respect, control, clarity, dignity, and sincerity. "  All

October 16 Nadal must have been trying to tune up his singing voice. For in this verse his "my, my, my's" translate into a very selfish individual who is all about "me, me, me." In referencing helping David and his men, Nabal whines..." Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I don't know where?" 1 Samuel 25:11 " What's in your heart comes out in the way you respond to people in your life." Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth Nabal was a wealthy man and was obsessed with his stuff.  In this lesson we were challenged to turn our eyes from Nabal and evaluate if we are selfishly hanging onto our "time, space and stuff." This led me into a major house cleansing project!  Still lots more to go.

October 15 This summer, I worked through a rewritten study by Revive Our Hearts on Abigail found in 1 Samuel 25.  I want to take time this week to share some highlights. This is one of the best studies I've ever done. A favorite verse of mine is Proverbs 22:6 " Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right." My guess is Abigail had some great teaching from her parents or simply a teachable heart for the Lord. Read 1 Samuel 25 This story involves David, Nabal and Nabal's wife, Abigail (who later becomes David's wife). That may be enough to entice you to read! David and his men are still dwelling in the wilderness at the time of this story. " Nabal was a very rich man who lived in Maon. He owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, which he kept at Carmel.  His wife Abigail was sensible and beautiful, but he was from the Caleb clan and was rough and mean."   1

This is Wiley Drive by Roanoke Memorial Hospital. It is named for my grandfather who built it for the city.  These people didn't have time to get their cars off the road when  hurricane Michael blew into town Thursday and caused major flooding. As the sun set last Thursday night and the rain was still coming down the sky became an eerie shade of yellow, but bore a beautiful rainbow. God's sign of hope! October 13-14 There was definitely a sense of urgency as roads began to flood and be closed in Roanoke and Franklin County on Thursday.  We have numerous friends who were stranded with no way home.  One school bus was stranded with six children still aboard and a boat had to be sent for water rescue.  Flood waters have a way of sneaking up on people. So does death and the day Jesus returns. Paul was so passionate about sharing with a sense of urgency the Good News of Jesus Christ and the generous act of God's extravagant love for us. “ But there is a

It's Fall Y'all! October 12 Seasonal change is all around us here in Virginia.  While the unseasonably warm temperatures have had the hydrangeas still bursting forth in color, a chill in the air is on it's way and the leaves will start to put on their party colors.  The weather from hurricane Michael has certainly stirred up changes in the wind and water this week.  The US political world and stock market continually exhibit change...often unwanted and stressful. Traffic patterns, schedules, technology and certainly our bodies change without formal announcements often catching us off guard.  And boy, oh boy, do our temperaments change.  We can be joyful one moment and an emotional mess the next. God knew all this from the moment he created us.  He formed us in our mother's wombs with these emotions.  The highs and lows often bring us into His Presence, yet He longs for us to hang in there with him even on the middle ground. In Hebrews chapter 13 God's Wo

It's already snowing in Utah! October 11 It's been five years since I curled up in bed with my Daddy and held on to him as he exited earth and entered the presence of Jesus.  Not a week goes by that I don't long to share something with him.  He was in incredible listener, abundant provider and brilliant problem solver. Isn't it amazing how God is all those things as well!!!  We are never without the Father's deep, deep, love. Today's Biblegateway verse is Psalm 62:1 "Only God can save me, and I calmly wait for him." Whatever we are facing God is lovingly waiting to walk alongside us.  Whatever need we have, God is sufficient to meet and surpass our expectations. All we must do is ask and let Him in. "But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful." Romans 5:8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLDGVl8D5UU

October 10 The smile of a child can melt the hardest heart. Haven't you seen it time and time again...you are in the grocery store or with a congregation of people with your infant held over your shoulder or sitting in a grocery cart and you realize they are making eyes at and tossing smiles to a stranger.  It's pretty difficult to not smile back at that child. When our daughter lived in Nashville, one of the grocery stores had senior day and she said she would intentionally shop on that day with her infant son because of the joy he spread! Smiling at people just comes naturally for me. I have a crooked tooth and a droopy corner of my mouth, not a picture perfect smile, but it still comes out.  Smiles can silently spread joy and we should throw them out freely, but the words which come out of our mouths need to be prayed over and directed by the Holy Spirit for they pack a powerful punch which can wound or heal and discourage or encourage. "Let no corrupting t

October 9 We were out for an early morning walk when a herd of deer spotted us and bolted across a fence on the other side of the road.  One deer with a broken front leg was unable to make the jump, but every other deer left this loner behind.  It really had an impact on me. I remembered back to a Halloween years and years ago. My father had made me an amazing robot costume out of a cardboard box.  To save time the "pack" of friends I was Trick or Treating with decided to cut through yards and came to a fence.  They all hopped over that fence, but my knees couldn't bend because of the box.  One friend turned back and waited for me.  I was more important than candy! Jesus never ever leaves us or forsakes us! " I will never leave you nor forsake you."    Hebrews 13:5 " Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."   Deuteronomy

Around each bend was something wonderful to behold. October 8 Y'all know after all these years that I am a mountain girl.  It's what is familiar and what is beautiful to me.  I had the blessing of baby sitting for our four month old grandson, while his mother participated in a women's retreat at the Crossroads Conference Center in Louisville, VA. She hauled that beautiful harp of her's WAY up into those mountains.  No cell service, no wi-fi, no TVs, just this sound of the Little Piney River rushing down the mountain and the leaves rustling in the trees. The last 30 minutes of the drive to the camp was a trip! The last 5 miles holds a very curvy road and you have no idea what is around the next bend. (Fortunately, I went early while it was still light.  Later that evening a school bus bringing middle schoolers to the camp got stuck, as did the cars behind it, and it was an hour before help could arrive to get the bus back onto the road.) As I drove

October 6-7 We were strolling along the trails of Monticello last Monday and came to a "Y" in the path and took the bridge, just because it was pretty. When we are strolling along through life there is choice after choice to be made.  Thursday, I was assisting a "Good News Club" at a local elementary school.  Our "word for the day" was actually a command: "Follow God." The leader emphasized the importance of learning to pray to God for all decisions and learning to listen for his voice.  This weekend I have the privilege of baby sitting for our four month old grandson at a women's retreat in the mountains and I pray all of us in attendance will hear from God as we stroll along through the retreat. The GNC memory verse was " Young people can live a clean life by obeying your word. " Ps. 119:9 Where ever you stroll this weekend I pray you stay in communication with God about where you are heading.

October 5 Do you have places along your way home that make you love where you live?  This mountain is called the Peaks of Otter and I've seen it from multiple view points during my lifetime living in this mountainous valley in Virginia.  It has always signaled, "You are almost home." Home should be a happy place.  A place we long for.  Jesus tells us of such a place that we were created to desire.  A place he has personally prepared for us. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."  John 14:1-3 These earthly bodies are temporary dwelling places.  For those who love the Lord, we have a more permanent eternal address awaiting us. "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly

October 4 A group of friends headed to The Peaks of Otter for lunch on Tuesday.  Almost everyone had a story! "My husband and a group of friends have had a hunting cabin on Flat Top, since they were 20 years old."  "My daughter in law and grandchildren came across a bear when they were hiking Sharp Top!"  "My husband and I tried to hike up with four of our children. I recall we each ended up carrying two kids and vowed to never do that again. Fortunately, there was a bus we could take back down." The Israelites had some major tales to tell! Jimmie Nelson wrote-"The rescue at the Red Sea, the crossing of the Jordan, and the death and resurrection of Christ are explosions of God's power that are meant to color the whole horizon of the believer's life in order to assure us that the God who so mightily handles great emergencies is surely adequate for the smaller crises and anxieties that beset us...Remembering identifies believers with wha

October 3 It was one of the sentences you read over and over again! "You need not fear the future, for I am already there."   Jesus Calling Not only will Jesus be waiting when we step into eternity, He is waiting when we step into tomorrow! " Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself.  You have enough to worry about today." Matthew 6:34 Sarah Young also wrote: "Each day of life is a glorious gift, but so few people know how to live within the confines of today. Much of their energy for abundant living spills over the timeline into tomorrow's worries or past regrets." Oh, I was a planner in my younger years.  I had to be to some extent to get six kids out the door to the right places and to get their laundry done as well.  That day timer of mine was extremely valuable!  We didn't have cell phone calendars to keep track of our schedules. Fortunately, each page of the day timer had a scripture verse an

Apples and grapes October 2 A fall harvest is fabulous. Yesterday, we were able to escape to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville and walk along the apple orchard and grape vineyard.  The majestic mountain view left you praising the Lord. Galatians 5:22-23 in The Message says this about the Fruit of the Spirit.  It's worth a triple read to see if this correlates with the way we are experiencing life. " But what happens when we live God's way?  He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard-things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.  We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.  We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life,  able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. As we toured the orchard, there were workers diligently tending to the main