Boojoyful

May 3 We had the privilege of attending our grandson's 5th birthday celebration on a steam engine ride in Chattanooga, TN.  This photo captures the enchanting trip.  He was filled with delight and mesmerized by all the details he learned about these trains. This particular car was restored from 1940.  Whether it was crossing a trestle, going through a tunnel or watching a steam engine switch tracks at a round house, he had a similar look on his face the whole time! I think this is what we will look like when we see heaven! Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was  no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look!  God's dwelling place is now month the people, and he will dwell with them....

Simon Says "Kick!" May 2 Our son in law had these three little fellows enthralled in a game of Simon Says.  What would life look like if we sincerely took to heart what God says. Love one another. John 13:34 Look after widows and orphans in their distress . James 1:27 Train up a child in the way he should go.  Proverbs 22:6 Be still and know that I am God . Psalm 46:10 Forgive others.  Mathew 6:15 Wait on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 Honor your mother and father. Exodus 20:12

This little grandson was having a wild hair day every time he went down the slide! April 30-May 1 Yesterday, I had a wild day myself.  Grief, over the loss of our friends' son, jumped up and bit me as my Bible Study Fellowship ladies were singing "When We All Get to Heaven."  I made it through the first verse and by the chorus I had a major, belly sobbing, melt down.  I don't know half of these ladies well and only four knew why I was sobbing.  After we completed the song, the leader graciously said I think we need to pray. I was ready to make an exit, thinking I couldn't go on, but she prayed for the Holy Spirit to comfort me and He did. The lesson was on "heaven," so I'm glad I stuck it out, but I was wiped out for the remainder of the day.  Grief is sneaky like that.  Eventually is has to find its' way out. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; grea...

April 29 Our daughter, Jiewon, has completed her doctorate work and will now be a professor of French at Covenant College, high atop Lookout Mountain!  We are so proud of this newest accomplishment and thrilled God has called her to a Christian University!  I wanted to take time to share the school's motto and mission statement, but also to ask you to pray for the door to stay open in America for students to be educated in such a manner. The focus of Covenant College is found in it's motto, based on Colossians 1:18. "In all things Christ preeminent." "Acknowledging Christ preeminent as the creator of all things, as the redeemer of people fallen into sin, as the touchstone of all truth, and as the sovereign ruler over all ares of life, the College strives to discern and to unfold the implications of His preeminence in all things. The Mission... is to explore and express the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things.  We educate Chri...

"Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 April 28 This fabulous stone gate is located in the gardens of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  It can't compare in splendor to the New Jerusalem 12 gates described by John in Revelation 21:21... " The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.  The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. " In the Bible  gates  were used for the protection of cities, as places for announcements and proclamations to be made and in some cases where marketing and trade take place. The Matthew verse above references a gate choice we have to make.  The small, narrow gate is the one we take if we want to enter  into a relationship with Christ.  Look at how T...

The view from George Washington Vanderbilt's covered terrace at Biltmore, in Asheville, NC. He died at the age of 51 from complications after an appendectomy. His only child, a daughter, was thirteen years old. April 27 I apologize for not remembering the source, but in a notebook I've written this quote sans the author. "Here's a hard truth; God's mercy does not require His treatment of us to be comfortable or safe (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).  But in the midst of our pain, God's plan is still good and His promises remain true. He will deliver us. He will free us.  He will redeem us (Exodus 6:6). And come what may, He promises to be with us (Isaiah 43:2) Here's another word that has been on my heart... cling.  "To remain very close; remain persistently or stubbornly faithful to something; to be overly dependent on someone emotionally."   (Yea, like clinging to Jesus.) "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good....

April 26 (I wrote this last week before learning about our friends' son's death, which I mentioned yesterday.) Alongside, the word kept reverberating in my mind...    A dear friend, who stood alongside her son recently as his 28 year old wife died of cancer, now prepares to stand alongside him for his birthday and then wedding anniversary.   Another friend emailed asking for courage to stand strong alongside her husband in the months ahead as he faces surgery for tongue cancer.   I look forward to standing alongside our grandson and granddaughter in the coming weeks to celebrate their 5th birthdays.   After receiving a phone call I drove straight to a friend's house to sit alongside her and listen to a disappointing medical scan report.  Have you ever stood alongside someone in church as tears dripped down their cheeks and just your arm around their shoulder or a tissue offered let them know someone was there?  Have you stood alon...