Boojoyful

It's an upside down world. During a six day baby sitting gig, which included sick grandchildren the entire time,  I could be heard time and time again saying, "Help me Jesus" or "Lord, I need You." "I pray to you, God,   because you will help me." Psalm 17:6 This morning I am contemplating what it has taken in my life for me to recognize, as Paul did, "When I am weak, then I am strong."  What has it taken for the prideful attitude, like that of a toddler who says "I can do this, I don't need you" to be set aside and me recognize God's plan is to always help me and make something more beautiful than anything I could create. Now I look back and see it has been an ongoing process of "pride stops." Those times when puff-up-ed-ness" and " self-sufficiency had me reliant on my own strength. The stroke was probably the biggest "stop and look to God," but current health issues have me willingly leaning

This little one is looking to her shadow. May we look to God and not ourselves for wisdom. LOL. Both of our infant granddaughters enjoy listening to Michael Buble, so when I went to listen to Contemporary Christian Praise music this AM on Pandora, it was on Michael Buble Radio and took me by surprise.  The song was "The Way You Look Tonight."  Quickly, I clicked to CCR, then thought....hmm what will God see when he looks at me tonight? Recently my husband and I were out to dinner at a restaurant  where we were seated in a booth in the bar area.  Neither of us could remember the last time we've been to a bar. There was a lot to take in...mostly singles sitting at the bar.  Two young girls came in, they were quickly carded, but passed the test.  My heart ached for all those people alone at the bar.  The bartender was very attentive to them and most seemed to be regulars whom she called by name, as well as knew their drink.  I can see how that could bring a lonely person com

Sunday afternoon by the lake. Lawsie, lawsie. I have lost the file on my computer with all of our passwords. In my searching through files, somehow  I clicked on a music file.  No clue there was even such a thing in "Finder".  The gorgeous song, "Defender" started playing. Y'all tears were dripping down my checks, my hands were in the air and my soul was so happy. I had been in scurry mode, with the massive cleanup up from seven days of grandchildren here and adult guests arriving today, but I had it all wrong. God showed up and showed me with this song.  All He wanted me to do was praise, worship, bow down and stay still. Please find a quiet spot and click on the song link below and absorb the lyrics of this song today. "You go before I know t hat You've even gone to win my war You come back with the head of my enemy  You come back and You call it my victory Your love becomes my greatest defense  It leads me from the dry wilderness You know before I do

Sometimes we feel like we are up a tree with no place to flee from temptation. Other times temptation feels like a difficult obstacle course hard to maneuver, but with God... We've been on a major baby sitting binge here at Shiloh. It may take a 4 day recovery, so if I am missing in action don't panic. I hope to return. Yesterday, I had five grandchildren here on a very hot muggy day. The plan was to get outside early.  We have some very strict rules the children are to abide by here, especially outdoors with 900 feet of waterfront. The older 3 were in the yard while I finished feeding the baby and joined them. I arrived to find one of the rules being broken.  A rule we had just gone over the day before. Discussing my disappointment with the six year old offender he said, "Mama Boo, the temptation was just too great." It is such a joy to grandparent children who know the Lord, are being trained up in his ways and realize we all have a sin nature. We discussed the huge

  Oh, how I miss my Daddy. He was such a generous provider, sweet encourager and loved all of us well.  Father's Day is this coming Sunday.  Asking some of our grandchildren how they were going to remember their fathers, one said. "Oh wow. I didn't know. I better go to the golf course and hunt for golf balls!" Then I said, "What are you doing for Grandparents Day?" "I didn't know there was such a thing," he said with a pondering tone.  "Grandparents Day is actually the Sunday after Labor Day," I informed him.  He said, "Why isn't there a kid's day?" There actually is. Although, if you Google it there is some discrepancy.  June 1st or the first Sunday in June.  Hmm. We will have to wait until next year to celebrate that one. Whether you were blessed with an earthly father you remember with fondness or not, you have a Heavenly Father, who can meet all your needs. On my PrayerMate app there is a category you can sign up

I tend to share wisdom hanging out in the water with our grands. They are probably thinking...here it comes Mama Boo Podcast #264.    Life is a training ground from the moment we are born.  Newborns are trained, well, attempted to be trained in good sleeping patterns. Depending on the culture we live in we are trained in the areas of food consumption and traditions. On and on the process goes. When an inquiry comes as to why we are instructing in some manner,  sometimes the quick reply may be, "Because I said so." Other times, the response includes an explanation of why the process being trained is beneficial. I've shared before when I was growing up my parents would say, "Be sure you have a dime in your pocket, so if your plans change you can find a phone and call us."  I thought, "Why does that matter as long as I am home when I am supposed to be?"  Then, while traveling in Europe in the 1970s my parents changed their hotel plans and didn't let u

Our Minnetonka grands finishing up the school year. Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance” (Proverbs 1:5). This summer I am embarking on an adventure through Proverbs. It's an awesome place to gain wisdom. Reading and listening for wisdom occurs using our eyes and our ears.  We must allow what we study to gravitate to our minds and hearts if we what transformation of the way we live to be evident. Adam McHugh, author of  The Listening Life , says “Biblical listening is a whole-hearted, full-bodied listening that not only vibrates our eardrums but echoes in our souls and resonates out into our limbs.” Gaining wisdom requires action and guidance from the Holy Spirit, our interpreter. Matthew 7:7 says,  “ Ask ,   and   it   will   be   given   to you; seek,   and   you   will   find; knock,   and   it   will   be   opened to you." In my seeking wisdom process this summer I am going to use a variety of

5th grade graduation in Minnetonka, MN My husband and I both were in education for years.  He an administrator, who sometimes had the privilege of teaching his favorite course...government!  My role, an elementary teacher early on and later a middle school teacher. Talk to any educator today and they will say that educational standards in the US have been lowered. Speaking with someone grading AP exams this year, they shared they were told specific areas to lower the standards for students to gain extra points. If you google what country has the highest standards in education the US pops up highest the majority of the time. The basis of this ranking has to do with universities. Narrow the search down to undergrad programs and we drop to 9th in one survey I saw.  Having worked with Asian students over the years who have come to America they say we are much less stringent in our teaching standards and time spent on studies than their schools. Guess what? While our education system is dis

  Psalm 23:1-3 CEV You,   Lord , are my shepherd.  I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields  of green grass. You lead me to streams  of peaceful water,  and you refresh my life. This electronic age has us all "wired/plugged in" much of the time and we don't take the time to rest. When I am not intentional to get alone with the Lord, my relationship with him suffers.  When my relationship begins to disconnect with Him the rest of my life veers off from his plans and purposes for me.  When that happens I am not living my best life...the God version. We have been incredibly blessed to live on this particular piece of property on Smith Mt Lake for 26 years.  Lake life has certainly changed over those years, but the solitude of the 5 acres at Shiloh has not.  (Well, except for the critters who have gone crazy since COVID. Or it may be all the humans who flocked to the lake at that time that are driving them crazy.) The top photo is the view out our bedroom window. Th

An umbrella can block the sun and the rain.   Isaiah 55:10-11 “Rain and snow fall from the sky.  But they don't return  without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant  and grain to eat.  That's how it is with my words. They don't return to me  without doing everything  I send them to do. ” Sometimes I read a passage and think, "How have I never seen that?" Then I realized the Lord has had it cross my path at just the right time.  Once again, unable to sleep from pain (we have abused our old bodies getting Shiloh ready for summer), I was crying out to the Lord. "Lord, why can't I hear You?" He said, "You are plugged into too many things that are blocking you."  Hmm. Four days in a row we weeded, pruned, mulched, sawed, dug, lifted, painted, scrubbed, vacuumed, cleaned and carried a lot of things too heavy for our ages around.  In order to make the time pass instead of my usually praise music I have listened to books on tape with ear

10 Tins with money for a 10 Year Old Granddaughter today and... This 12 year old received a carton of a dozen plastic eggs with money inside We have numerous double birthdays in our family and it certainly is helpful to my memory! Both of today's birthday grands are celebrating with pool parties.  One in Minnetonka, Minnesota and one in Moneta. While we try to come up with creative gifts, the best gift we can give them are our prayers and bits of wisdom along the way. Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating these grandchildren who are precious in Your sight and in ours. As our grandchildren celebrate another year of life today, I pray that you fill their hearts with love, peace, joy, happiness and lots of reasons to laugh. Send good friends their way who are encouragers in their faith.  May these children continue to grow in faith, truth, wisdom, and knowledge of You. Please guide their steps along the path of life. May they long for fellowship with You everyday and know that th

A gentleman gave my husband a baggie containing cantaloupe seeds.  This man's cantaloupe are so, so sweet, but the critter issues we have on our property and a broken sprinkler system may be a detriment to a successful harvest at Shiloh. God provides the sun and sometimes the rain, but my  plants never do as well as my friends, because I never take the time to fertilize and buy good potting soil. The effort needed to see plants grow and flourish just isn't in me.  Do you know where I am going with this? For us to grow spiritually we have to be willing to put in the needed time and effort.  While corporate worship is a commandment and Sunday worship is a boost to our week, it's a minimal amount of care being given to our spiritual growth. The summer slack off is easy.  I lead a church connect group on Monday mornings, but not in the summer because of summer guests.  For 22 years I led Monday evening women's Bible study throughout the summer, but not this year because I a

We all have probably sung, "Lord you are more precious than silver, Lord you are more costly than gold, Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds, but nothing we desire compares with You." The Andrews family enjoys a good treasure hunt.  We do them inside and out. Over the years I've tried to add a scriptural element to the clues we use and the seekers are often required to recite a verse before being able to go onto the next clue. The Bible uses treasure  to relate to the value of spiritual things. Let's get hunting. May we treasure the wisdom and knowledge of God. " Oh, the depth of the riches and   wisdom and knowledge of God!   How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways."  Romans 11:33 "For   you are a people holy to the   Lord   your God. The   Lord   your God has chosen you to be   a people for his treasured possession , out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."     Deuteronomy 7:6💗 "In the way of yo