Boojoyful

These frames belonged to be precious grandmother who infested in my life with joy. I few years ago I had new lenses placed in them to fit my needs. Now as I look at them I think of all the things in our two lives that have been seen through these glasses and all the things Grandmama now sees in heaven.   An out of state girlfriend was visiting for a few days and sharing what she had been learning about the Lord in this season of life.  She posed the question that had been a six week series at her church called "Who is Jesus to You?"  Each week a different person from their congregation shared testimony on who Jesus was to them. Posing that question to myself my immediate thought is He is my All in All .  The next thought was Jesus is my go before. From the moment of my conception He has gone before whatever was next in my life. Then John 14:1-3 came to mind! Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be worried!  Have faith in God and have faith in me.  Ther...

Joyce and a G.R.I.T.S. sister strolling through a garden. Just think we will do that in heaven. Yesterday, I shared about the passing of a friend. I wish I had gotten these verses and the instrumental music in "The Song" below to her husband to play for her at the hospital. The music goes on for over an hour, but in my 10 minute time out with the Lord I was able to listen and record these 10 verses.  For me, as a visual learner, writing scripture places it more deeply into my mind and heart.  You might want to record these in a journal while you listen to the music. Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of His faithful people. Psalm 149:1  You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.   Psalm 22:3    For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of Your hands I sing for joy.   Psalm 92:4 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious .  Psalm 66:1-2 Let them praise H...

  A fellow Girl Raised in the South , who is now with Jesus. Here at Smith Mt Lake there is a group called the SML G.R.I.T.S. "Girls Raised in the South."  We gather once a month to celebrate our commonalities like enjoying front porch sitting, catching lighting bugs, sweet tea and pearls.  One of our members passed away this week and the group's president asked me to write a prayer that might bring us comfort. Heavenly Father,  Your Word tells is to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks” (1 Thes. 5:16-18).  In our humanness we find that some days are harder than others to do that, for you created us with hearts that love and thus grieve in loss.  By faith, we rejoice because of Your love for us and the gift of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection power.  We also rejoice in the hope of heaven in Hebrews 13:14 which tells us that “This world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.”  I ...

       Making memories. Your grandfather giving you some backyard coaching. These cool mornings remind us that fall is approaching. They hold such a blessing as I sit  outside on our screened porch with Jesus and the minutes turn quickly to hours. While asking God for wisdom to pass along to our grands who currently on school athletic teams the Serenity Prayer came to mind. According to Wikipedia, it was originally composed by Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s. It was used by the YWCA and then in the 40's adopted by AA. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This is what I emailed the grands: As athletes (and humans) it is so important to be able to pack away mistakes that were made (for at that moment, nothing can be done) and proceed to carry out the next task in the game at hand to the best of our ability.   But then as ...

Our #22 enjoying a sweet victory moment with the season's first touchdown. Such a blessing to have a friend who can lift you up! Matthew records in chapter 24 Jesus's teachings on the signs of the end times. He says, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." The Bible is filled with the records of many devastating wars. Judges 7:1-22 Is quite an exciting story of God's provision when He calls Israel to fight the Midianites.  If you've never read it, check it out. Priscilla Shirer has a quote that exudes a powerful remembrance for us when battles come. "We are not fighting  for victory.  We are fighting  from victory.   Station yourself in a  place of victory.  Claim what God has already given you." Whew! Amen. Judges 7:9  That night the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp,   for I have given you victory over t...

  This father son duo is finding summer refreshment visiting the Great Lakes. Recently, we had painters come to give an estimate for a refresh  on some areas at Shiloh.  There are also a couple stools with stained on the fabric seats that I need to recover to brighten up the kitchen and old landscaping that needs to be refreshed. Jeremiah 31:25 says I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. Where in our own lives do we need a refresh? Maybe we need to change up our spiritual enrichment routine a bit? There may be a way to do that at Shiloh in the coming months. Stay tuned! The Song "This is Our God" Phil Wickham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPDzQyk76PQ

I’ve learned over the years to let God make the seating arrangements for gatherings at Shiloh, by having people draw tags from a bowl for table assignments.  I want to give Him glory for  one  of the things He was up to at a women's event this summer. At the kitchen table sat a woman who had come for her first time. Tearfully,  she shared that her husband has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  Right across the table another woman compassionately shared that her husband received the same diagnosis last year.  The first woman said,  “We must connect.” Then we headed outside and people sat wherever they wanted.  I randomly paired people up in 2’s, 3’s to pray together.  This new woman was sitting next to another woman she had never met and shared the request for her husband. This woman shared that she is a nurse with certification for working with Parkinson’s patients. Go God! Chill bumps just ran over me again as I typed this testim...

  The time was 3:30 AM.  My husband had just crawled out of bed to start his day by de-spidering the exterior of our house in preparation for a women's event being held at Shiloh that evening.  I made the mistake of opening my eyes and getting up to use the bathroom. That is when my brain shot into the overwhelming thoughts that come  with realizing summer is almost over. "Lawsie, lawsie, we have so much ahead of us the next nine months."  As my husband passed through the bedroom, I said, "I can't do this anymore. We need to recognize. We are old!" Whew! My mind drifted back 22 years when I exclaimed those very same words to the Lord.  His reply was "You aren't supposed to do this. I am the one who will do this." We tend to go in our own power, not God's. The theme I had selected for the ministry event that particular evening was... When life gives you lemons, look to God. He will provide lemonade. Most of the details for the dinner were la...

Scout rafting trip. Our grandson and his friend. On the one year anniversary of the loss of a friend's son to suicide, she shared a beautiful tribute on Facebook accompanied by a suggestion from her grief coach "to make space for joy" through an act of service. In her post she challenged readers to likewise "do a small act of kindness" in memory of their son. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” —Micah 6:8 This young man had been an Eagle Scout and immediately my mind went to our grandson's scout troop. I texted our son and asked if there might be a scout in the troop with a financial need. Instantly, he shared that one of our son's favorite scout buddies was the child of Army parents who were divorced. Not only was there financial need, but this 13 year old scout had lost his best friend this year to suicide. I began to weep at what ...