Boojoyful

This week I had the privilege of being with these boys on the morning they headed off to a new school.  I was amazed at the peace they had. I'm sure it helped having a brother alongside. That same night I sat for 3 1/2 hours in an emergency room.  There was no peace in that place. Heart wrenching and disturbing all at the same time.  The work the Lord provided for my husband to do during that waiting period was so unexpected, but so God ordained. Philippians 4:6 is familiar to all of us. "... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God ." Paul's words pack a big punch when we realize he wrote them from prison to his beloved Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. The four prison epistles came from various objectives of Paul's.  Some carried warnings in a time of crisis, but this book, Philippians, is filled with love and encouragement from a man who kne

These two know they are children of the King and that makes them princesses! They hope for the day they see their King. "Who hopes for what is seen?" The phrase flashed across my phone screen and vanished, but it got my attention. I have no idea where these pop ups come from. It's creepy how these devices have invaded our private space. Just how do these algorithms work and who is behind them. What an excellent thought though.  If we can see it, hold it, and know it exists then it is believable  and we don't hope for it.  Hope is a complex emotion filled with expectations and desires for the unknown future.  Heaven is one of my greatest hopes! It's unseen, out of this world, and takes faith to believe in. We don't want a God we totally understand and have all figured out. We want a God who is way beyond our understanding and allows us to hope for things that are unseen like eternal life! As I continued contemplating where and why that phrase

Have you ever left one of your devices charging to come back and find it hasn't juiced up at all. When I've done this the issue is that I've plugged into the device, but the other end of the cord has slipped out and isn't in the power source. That is such an example of how our faith funs out of vibrance and power. It's not plugged into the power source.  God's Word! I was inquiring about a young woman I had helped mentor this past year.  A friend said, "She's going to church, meeting with a mentor, and attending Bible Study, but there is no fruit."  In the mentoring process I had agreed to be an accountability partner and asked that this woman just forward me what she was reading in God's Word each day.  She never did it once.  She was attending "events" wanting to connect with people, but she wasn't connecting with God by pouring the power of his Word into her life.  We can attend event after event, but if we are not conn

I love drawing near to these two little ones. " Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind."   James 4:8 There are some people who give off an air of being unapproachable.  Too big time, too busy, just can't be bothered.  They bother me! The same God made and loves us all. I'm so thankful Jesus died for my sins and acts as the intercessory between God and me. A friend was sharing about being in a resort beauty salon last year and a movie star came in to have her hair done. She entered with a hat, which had to be removed when she hit the shampoo bowl, but her dark glasses never left her face in hopes of not being recognized and approached by fans. God is approachable every moment of every day. Some people just acknowledge him on Christmas and Easter, but He's right here and the real deal. Did you ever read The Velveteen Rabbit,  by Margery Williams

This crew will be heading back to school soon. I love how they stand at the front of boat looking out and discovering God's creations. Our sinful souls tend to have a "me first" mentality.  Even the disciples wanted to shoe the little children away and have some down time, but Jesus contradicted that decision and said, "Let the little children come to me." Luke 19:10 reminds us that Jesus came to serve.   "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. " There is a war going on though and the devil is behind the plotting.  He's been at it ever since the fall of man. "And he said to him, 'All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.'" Matthew 4:9-11 The th

I'm up to my eyeballs in a good time with grandchildren. Summer will eventually end, but I am thanking God for this time to invest in a generation that I see swamped with traps trying to turn them from God; from showing mercy to others; and drawing them into self-centeredness. For the sake of time I want to share from something I read in She Reads Truth recently. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2 "This is crucial to see. We must never let the Christian life drift into a mere social agenda. I use the word “mere” carefully, because if God is left out, our mercy will be mere social agenda. We do no one good in the end if we are not wo

I was answering some questions from a "Conversation Starters with Kids" book the other day. One of the questions was if you were going to make a New Year's resolution today, what would it be?  My answer was to not speak an unkind or negative word the next year.  (Rest of my life.) Never grumble. While traveling with some youngsters recently we encountered three stops due to road construction. Being the daughter of a road builder I have a different perspective on road construction.  It meant jobs for my father and his employees, so I always saw it as a good thing.  The young ladies with me, saw it as a major inconvenience. They grumbled, grumbled, grumbled.  Sitting there, I grabbed my camera and said, "I'm going to make the most of this time. Look at those beautiful wild flowers." It didn't change their mood, because they weren't invested. On the return trip a couple days later I said, "Let's spread joy to the flagmen o

Sitting pool side, at a resort recently, my heart broke as I listened to a brief conversation between a young girl, probably eight years old, and her father. She said, "We miss you Daddy. We wish you'd move back home."  I silently prayed for that family and for four others whom I know personally who are walking through separation. Then my mind switched to God gear and I thought...When was the last time I said, "I miss you Abba." Summer is a wonderful time that is filled with the presence of people I love and lots of new church activity as a pastor's wife, but the long getaways with Jesus have been hard to come by.  Jesus and his apostles experienced this. " But so many people were coming and going that Jesus and the apostles did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said, "Let's go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest."   Mark 6:31 Let's stop now and simply tell God we miss Him and we have made a place

The best ending to a boat ride is running into the Ice Cream Boat Yesterd ay, I wrote about devil darts and recognizing the battle and putting on our armor in preparation for attacks. I asked permission from a long time friend to share what she emailed me the other day. " That’s why you must encourage and help each other, just as you are already doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "At the risk of you thinking I am extremely strange 😂, I wanted to share something personal. An interesting thing has happened in my daily thoughts/walk thanks to you Boo.  I started years ago thinking that everywhere I go, I am always kind of looking around to find a cross (as in my mind my focus is that I'm always "clinging to the cross").  So, if I'm in a medical office with our daughter, on a business conference call, in a Bible Study 😘 (wasn't hard to find one at your house), etc.,  I'll just quietly look around and find crosses....in the wallp

This fellow is one tall drink of water! Do you ever laugh out loud at things the Spirit brings to mind? I was writing an email of encouragement to someone in ministry who was under attack. I wrote: I’m praying for God to work all things together for good that seem to be amiss and I'm asking Him to pour out his love over you in ways that bring comfort. In the mighty name of Jesus, may those devil darts flying around be gone and what God has set before you to accomplish come to fruition through the power of Jesus. Amen! Devil darts are real!  We need to learn to recognize and learn from the battle plan Paul has laid out for us in Ephesians chapter 6. The Fight against Evil 10  Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.  11  Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks.  12  We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in th

Day 12 Worship Through Proclamation Proclamation- a clear declaration of something. This short two week study on worship has been one of my favorites.  I hope it has challenged you. This last lesson enfolds a "Go Tell it on the Mountain" moment of instruction. What a great way to finish this topical study. Often when discussing our personal proclamation of Jesus I express it this way...When there is a great sale at a store, a solution for VERTIGO, a way to get free hotel or airmails, an incredible cleaning product, we readily share these opportunities/solutions with others.  Y'all we know about free clothes of righteousness, a comfort to sustain us through all trials, a guaranteed free ticket to heaven, the ONE way to remove personal sin, yet we are hesitant to share with others.  Makes no sense. "Worship is not an experience. Worship is an act. And this takes discipline. We are to worship in spirit and in truth. Never mind about the

Day 11 Worship Through Sacrifice Whew! Im so glad we don't have to sacrifice animals anymore. She Reads Truth writer, Melanie Rainer, wrote on this topic- " Sacrifice looks like submission to God as He renews my heart, mind, words, service—my whole life—to better reflect His perfect character and boundless mercy. I am called to sacrifice my sinful nature, my active temptations, and my selfishness in an ongoing act of worship and praise to God, whose sacrifice alone makes me worthy to stand before Him." One of the key passages we are called to study is Romans 12:1-2 " I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Won't it be amazing to t

Day 10 Worship Through Celebration What is the last celebration you attended?  I do love reasons to rejoice and what God has done in our lives is the greatest reason!  Do we simply celebrate Him enough.  I feel a praise party coming on at Shiloh! She Reads Truth author Ellen Taylor writes on their website today: "Any time we are gathered with other people to rejoice in what God has done or is doing in our lives, we worship and honor our God. Sometimes that takes the form of worship as we normally think of it, as singing, praying, and rejoicing, And sometimes, it can look a little different, like an outright, good ole celebration—birthday dinners and wedding receptions, baptisms and showers. It’s important to remember that celebration can be a form of worship—a response to who God is and what He has done. And when we remember all that He has done for us, of course our response should be celebration! We have received grace upon grace in Christ, and that is worth celebrati

Day 9 Worship Through Prayer "When we pray, we worship God by  aligning our will with His." SRT Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love  to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.     But when you pray,  go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." This chapter goes on with a key teaching in verses 14-15. "If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.  But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Last week there was a small altercation on our dock between two very young men.  One had hit the other.  More than likely there had been some provocation. Any way...I inquired of the one who had been hit.  What do you think a suitable punishme

Get your worship on.  Check out this video.  "All My Hope" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tElvdnId4Q Day 8 Worship Through Holiness "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God."  Leviticus 20:7 Holy-"devoted to the service of God, morally and spiritually excellent." "Learn to do what is good." Isaiah 1:17 So this was the show stopper, teach me Lord, moment in this lesson. How do we know what is good?  There are lots of people who do good thing and aren't believers in Christ. This verse in 1Peter recommends a starting point in the consecration process. A list of things to rid ourselves of. "Therefore rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, all hypocrisy, envy and all slander." 1 Peter 2:1 Check out these definitions. Malice-intention to do evil. Deceit-the intentional act of causing someone to believe something that is not true. Hypocrisy-the practice of claiming to have moral standards

Day 5 Worship Through Gratitude To have a heart that is consistently thankful we must know the character of God and have faith in what is not scene. Romans 8:24 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever."   1 Chronicles 16:34 She Reads Truth writer Melanie Rainer posted on their site today, "In corporate worship, private prayer, in the smallest moments, and the most earth shattering ones, we always have reason to thank God for what He has done and what we know He will do. Whether we feel grateful or not, whether or not we feel worshipful, there is always reason to worship in gratitude: because His faithful love endures forever.  In one of my piano books there is a praise song from 1978 called "Give Thanks."   The lyrics are simple, yet speak profoundly of why we give thanks. "Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

When the Lord calls you to a dunking booth you obey! Day 4 Worship Through Obedience The richness of God's Word can be better than a summer breeze.  I was on my screened porch studying this lesson and a couple grandsons came out and I said, "Would y'all let me just be here alone with Jesus for ten more minutes? It's so wonderful."  One grandson said, "Where is Jesus? Show me!"  Then my daughter came out and reminded me I needed to be at church in 20 minutes.  Sometimes it can be hard to pull away from His presence. The passages for this particular lesson were: Daniel 6:1-24, Colossians 3:17, Psalm 19:7-14, Micah 6:8 Psalm 19 is a whole lesson in itself that I can't wait to dig into later today and Colossians 3:17 is what I am choosing to memorize this week. The story of Daniel in chapter 6 and how he landed in the lion's den is an amazing story.  These were some major take aways for me. 1)" Daniel distinguished himself above