Boojoyful

Our Minnesota grandson sitting beside a clever pumpkin person with a  mouth, heart and stomach. Stirred me to think that we put into our mouths goes to our stomachs, but what we put into our minds goes into our hearts. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God Matthew 4:4 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ  Romans 10:17 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you  Psalm 119:11 “We need to encourage new believers to feed on God’s Word it is nourishment for the soul.”    Billy Graham The Song Im rushing out the door on a date day with my boyfriend of 46 years.  No song today.

                                              Three granddaughters sharing the love. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 The Song House of the Lord  Phil Wickham  (Joy in the house of the Lord, shout out his praise) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8uKldEUrPE

  Shiloh has been our home for the past 24 years. "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy,  the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." C.S. Lewis This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Hebrews 13:14 In this final chapter of Ruth Chou Simons study she points us to heaven.  She writes, "No matter how much we make our house a home, invest in a dream property, or finally surround ourselves with things and the people we love, there's still a nagging realization deep in our bones every day that we're simply not home yet... No amount of finding our place here on earth will satisfy the  longing we have to find our place with Him... We give attention to our places of dwelling, but often neglect our true dwelling place...our home in Christ." The Song "Hymn of Heaven" Phil Wickham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjB0mkj0XaM "M...

  Taking in the beauty of fall. A couple weeks ago, my husband and I were driving home and he noticed more road kill than normal. He said "Don't they say this is caused by a full moon?"  These random conversations tend to make me chuckle.  That very same week we were slammed with needs from church members, two heart attacks, a C-section for one expectant mother, two deaths in one family, a young child critically ill, an elderly member falling and needing hospitalization and a head on car collision.  It was a Lord, I need you kind of week. Years ago one of my children said to me "You like to be needed." I thought to myself, raising the six of you doesn't leave a void in that area.  Wait until you are a parent, you may want a day where no one needs you.  But there is great truth in that comment. I think we all like to be needed.  God created us to need Him, for close relationship is created in the needing. Do no grieve, for the joy of the Lord is...

   While visiting a local nursery I saw this creation among the gourds and exclaimed to the proprietor, this looks like an apple!  She quietly said, "Yes. It's an apple gourd."  Well, that makes sense. It now sits near our front door on a garden bench between a couple chairs.  Sometimes I sit in this spot and quiet myself before the Lord when waiting for my husband or guests to arrive. Rest Is Productive Most of my life I've been in Martha mode, doing, doing, doing.  Having a stroke greatly diminished that lifestyle and I can now see what Mary saw. Read all of Luke 10:38-42, but mediate on  " Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion ,  which will not be taken away from her." The Chapter 15 challenge in Beholding and Becoming  is a really healthy one. Schedule rest Close your computer Have blank space on the calendar Prioritize heart over hustle Sit still Simon...

We have way too many walnut trees in our yard and this year they are plummeting us! It's best to wear a hard hat or bike helmet in the yard and forget lying in the hammock.  The yard is blanketed.   My husband has literally picked up 1,000's.  One morning my husband came in from filling large garbage cans in the back of his truck with the nuts and was singing, "Pick 'em up a paw paw, put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day,"  Then he asked me, "What is a paw paw?"  I replied let's ask my phone. The reply made us laugh out loud.   "A Paul, Paul is an apostle." A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.   Proverbs 15:13 The Song "Paw Paw Patch"  (Warning this is kind of like, "It's a Small World". You may not want this on your brain for the day.) Kids version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJE8dH2R-rc Adult Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SidjBL6tQF4

  B eing trapped in a corn maze can seem unfair. We wondered why there were no directions or clues when we headed in.  Then after I while I remembered there were silos near where we entered and if we just LOOKED UP ,   we should be able to see the direction home! "Beholding and Becoming God's Mercy When Things Seem Unfair" is the theme of chapter 13. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.   1 John 3:1 "Discontentment is the weed that grows up through the cracks of disbelief or wrong belief...The path between discontentment and contentment may still be familiar, but it can become less worn when we stay fixed on how merciful the Father is to welcome us home.  When we stop looking over our shoulder, peering into the future, tallying up and comparing notes from our left and right...and instead, behold the amazing grace of our father, we move ever closer to true contentment and gratef...

Take 6:25 minutes to be with the Lord as you listen to this song. The Song "Do it Again”  Elevation Wordship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B_lnQIITxU

Here's a great greeting for your next email! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” who is always up to good! There were so many wonderful tidbits and takeaways in a sermon our pastor gave a couple weeks ago that I continue nibbling on them.  Consider this title: “How to get through what you are   growing   through.” “God’s comfort will always be greater than our pain.” “Be a student not a victim.” "Sorry  = sympathy, but that is not  comfort .  Comfort =  God standing beside you giving you the  strength you need to cope.” “God doesn’t waste your pain.” “Satan hates for us to be in community.” God highlighted II Corinthians 1:8 - 10  for me and spurred me on with a strong reminder to voice these reflections with others... For we do not want you to be unaware. (Have you said that to anyone?) On Him we have set our hope. Those passages go along with some  Do you not know   passages God has been urging ...

  Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!   Psalm 34:8 #12 Beholding and Becoming God's Goodness at the Table. "So much of Jesus' ministry was done at the table." There are times I think, why did God make us to need food?  We'd have much more free time without grocery shopping, meal prep, clean up, and then exercising to keep weight off.  But so much good  happens around the table.  I'm in a church connect group called "Sisters of the Round Table". We don't eat a thing, but we meet once a week seated at a round table for prayer and Bible study. Who is God calling you to welcome  into your home; your yard, on your boat here where I live, or into your life in some fashion? When is the last time you opened your door, maybe just your car door, to another and said "sit a spell" like on the "Beverly Hillbillies". Who is the last person that made you feel welcome? Simons challenges in this...

  You just have to laugh when a liter of piglets runs up and start nursing on your shoe laces! Our 13 year old grandson handled this with such grace. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast . Proverbs 15:15 The Song "See Me Through This" by Brandon Heath https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8anLMKB9N8

Our oldest grandson is carrying on the Andrews football legacy His younger brother is following in his footsteps. Being part of a team be it family, sports, scholastics or work we can set ourselves up as being the recipients of criticism and harsh self comparisons and evaluation. Ruth states in Chapter 11 that "Being yourself is not as important as being His! ...The higher we esteem-honor-or revere God for who He is, the truer our view of ourselves....lifting our hearts in worship to Him causes us to value who He created us to be, in spite of our imperfections...He considers us worthy of rescue." "Worthy of rescue" made me think of the things that drop into the lake. We often say, if the lake dries up there will be a lot of lost "stuff" to see down there. I know we have an assortment of deck chairs, fishing rods and keys off our dock!  If a favorite toy or your sunglasses take the plunge you may resolve they are not worth finding someone with an air tank ...

  Happy Birthday to this kind hearted boy who has become an amazing man. Wish he didn't live so far away so we could eat cake together. Happy Happy Birthday to my son. The greatest gift I can give you is that of prayer, so on this your 40th birthday I am carrying You before the Lord. Love, Mom Father, I thank You for how you fearfully and wonderfully wove my son inside my womb.  When his friends and family look at October 17th on the calendar they think of you creating this godly man and say, “This is the day that the Lord has made (and made this guy); let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Having this one as a beloved son, whose love never ends and whose prayers are always available to me is certainly a gift from above. Thank You for giving him to me. Father in the days ahead please grant him the desires of his heart and fulfill all the plans You have for him (Psalm 20:4)....

So thankful my sister and brother-in-law's fall travels brought them to visit with us this past week.   The Song "Plans"  by Rend Collection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXEskg9zQJU

We took a couple of our grandsons to pick out a pumpkin in VA Beach! They were very excited to see these giants! I texted this photo to our son who was in a business meeting. The man beside him said,  "What is that picture?"  He replied, "Oh, my mom is in town. There is a 50/50 chance when I get home there will be two, one hundred pound pumpkins on our front porch." He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21 The Song "God Will Fill My Mouth With Laughter" by Pastor K https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsF_tc2D_fk

Our surfer girl granddaughter and her sweet mama had the privilege of attending a mother/daughter conference sponsored by Bethany Hamilton!  Bethany lost an arm to a shark attack as a teenager.  My sister and her husband are visiting from Florida and when I told my brother in law where the linen closet was to find towels, I warned him.."It's jam packed."  I've yet to go from the summer Hotel Shiloh mode, where there can be 7-20 here at any given time, to the fall slow down. The closest needs a good shaking out to organize extra linens, pillows, sun screen, bug spray, every age of Tylenol and a multitude of band-aids spread across the shelves. I need a day to dedicate to dumping it out and only put in what is needed. As I thought about that I thought about my heart. It has a lot of unnecessary junk in there as well. Ruth Simons has captured my attention once again in chapter #10 "Jesus in Our Words". "Idle words reveal our idols because the words that co...

  God created laughter!  It is good for our souls.  I am going to share a "Let's Laugh" series of devotionals in the next few weeks.  This photo is from a card game called "What Do You Meme?" that our grandson introduced me to while I was baby sitting in VA Beach.  You are dealt 7 meme cards with slogans.  Then a photo card is selected and you compete to see who has the best meme for the photo. The second this photo was flipped over our 8 year old grandson, with sweet sincerity said, "Look Mama Boo!  You could be in this photo."  Out of the mouths of babes come truth!  Maybe it's just because they are praising the Lord, not because of their age. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.   Proverbs 31:25 The Song " Laugh Out Loud" Jason Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsy5vVCO-J4

A four year old Paw Patrol and father son spidermen. October 31st will be here before you know it and for Christians the responses on how to  respond to Trick or Treating vary greatly.  As a young mother of six children who loved eating candy and wearing costumes on any given day, I felt challenged to come up with alternatives to being excited about witches, werewolves and scary masked individuals knocking on our door.  Fortunately, we lived a top a 2 acre hill and very few children wanted to make the hike to our house, so we never had to shun our neighbors and always had candy to give out.  We would get all dressed up and drive to visit both sets of grandparents who gave away money and candy!  Our church always had a great fall festival and the children were encouraged to wear "appropriate" costumes that did not invoke fear.  (Hmm, that might eliminate clowns for some of us). Several years, we lessoned the blow of not going out by giving the children money...

  Carload of Krispy Kremes We ordered an abundance of donuts, 75 dozen, for the three campuses of our church recently.  I told the sweet friends who picked these up at 6:45AM,  they probably gained weight just smelling the donuts! How do we measure abundance and plenty?  By God's standards or the world's? Simons refers to the familiar story of the woman at the well with Jesus. She writes "The Samaritan woman couldn't  receive all that Jesus offered until she recognized that He was better than her hidden sin." She challenges her readers to do several things: "Count your blessings Name one of your riches in Christ Empty your online shopping cart.  (One friend said, "I did. I emptied it to be shipped straight to my house!") List things you need to acknowledge Jesus as "better than" in order to receive his abundance." Visiting with a couple godly women over tea this week, one shared how hopeless young people are saying they feel  these da...

  Last weekend Franklin Heights Church hosted a sold out concert by The Gaither Band. Bill Gaither started this band in 1981.  My friends who attended said it was incredible. Mr. Gaither is now 86 years old and they said he was on that stage for three hours bringing a fabulous performance!  While the rest of the band boarded the bus back to Indiana, our music minister drove Mr. Gaither to Roanoke to catch a late night flight back home.  What an amazing career he is having. The Song "Yes I Know" by The Gaithers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqLxtfkMILA

No one likes to fail, but we all will. Being in the height of football season, which is a favorite season in the Andrews household, my husband reminded our children of what his mother said to his father each time he left the house to coach..."Remember, no one likes a loser."  Whew. Harsh. Praise the Lord, Jesus came to die for losers. He came to make us all victorious! Yesterday, I mentioned a painful process I've just gone through related to failure to always use the correct words.  It took me back to chapter 8 in Beholding and Becoming.  The topic was being able to praise even in failure because the process of failure makes us better.  Simons lists a challenge to "admit shortcomings, celebrate and be thankful for small successes and give thanks for one that feels like failure." "Failures and shortcomings remind us that we are not saviors of our own lives. They keep us tethered to the humbling reality that in order to receive the grace of God, we must begi...

  Last week I was wounded by words three times.  Once by a stranger in Dollar General who got angry that I was not standing close enough to the man in front of me in line.  That gentleman was in his late 80's or 90's and purchasing tobacco or alcohol, because much to his surprise he was carded! There was a great deal of exchange between the check out girl and the man.  The angry man said to me, "Are you in line?" I quietly replied, "Yes". He then said, "Well, what's your problem standing back this far."  It was actually where the line begins, but I said, "I am allowing him to finish his business." The man then stepped in front of me and went up to the counter right behind the other man. I said, "Excuse me sir, but I explained that I am in line."  With that he yelled at me, "Then get up there!"   The incident truly rattled me. My husband was in the car waiting and asked after I shared what had happened, "Well, ...