Boojoyful

Day Twelve "With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love." (Eph. 4:2) Part of the difficulty you may face as you continue in this 30-day challenge to encourage your husband is that you really are struggling to find positive things to praise. Perhaps the problem is not with your husband. Have you checked your own heart? Sometimes we get disillusioned because of our own unreasonable or unrealistic expectations  (Prov. 13:12). It may not be that our mates are doing something wrong; it's simply that we expect too much in some areas. Our expectations must be met in God alone, and then we will have the right perspective to ask God for the healing and grace we need to respond to others. How sad that we give more grace to others than to those in our own homes. Today, try to look at your husband through eyes of grace. Verbally thank your husband for what he is already doing. Journaling Thought:Describe ways God has shown grace...

Flashback to our daugter's wedding 10 years ago! The Bros Almost falling in the creek! " So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man separat e." Matthew 19:6 August 11 Happy Tenth Wedding Anniversary to our first born and her husband! It was a much hotter day here at Shiloh that year for sure.  It's a great marital exercise to look back on the beginning of our romances and remember what got the flame flying!  It's also important to remember marriage creates a cord of three strands. Five years after my marriage my husband gave his life to Christ.  At that time he said to me he wanted to be married again, for he had made his marriage vows making a commitment to me and now he needed to take those vows making a commitment to God. Day Eleven Encouraging Your Husbands "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" . (Eph. 5:22)  Women who are constantly negative toward...

August 10 Forgive me Jesus. Been a rough day. It started with me flunking encouraging my husband and then went right into putting grandkids before Jesus and writing this devotional. It's 2:23 and the first time I've made Jesus a priority today. Baby sitting alone the other morning for three of the grands my head was spinning with the requests... Mama Boo, I want hot chocolate, Mama Boo, cut this, Mama Boo put on my tutu, Mama Boo I want water, Mama Boo you said you'd play this game with me.... Finally, we got to everything. After a set of parents returned I went to my room to write a devotional and read Jesus Always  for the day. I laughed out loud at what I read: "Come rest with Me, Beloved. Though many tasks are calling to you, urging you to put them first, I know what you need most:  to be still in My Presence. Take some deep breaths, and fix your gaze on Me... In everything you do, put Me first, for I am the Lord of your life." ...

August 9 Tragedy hit our lake this weekend when a 9 year old boy drown after jumping off a water trampoline.  We happened to be boating by and saw all the rescue/dive/sheriffs boats. Our hearts knew it was probably not good news.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to this NC family. "My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word." Psalm 119:28  We've had a flurry of people participating in water activities this summer here at Shiloh. The kids always beg for us to allow them to swim without their jackets.  I told one 11 year old visiting from our church, I'm sorry to be so mean, but it's just not worth the heartache that could come if something happened to you.  She was sweet and replied, "You're not mean Mrs. Boo, you're just doing what you think is right." Let's pray: Father, we come to you on behalf of the family of this little boy, asking You to be an amazing Comforter to so many people filled wi...

August 8 " ...and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins." Mt. 3:6 This past Sunday it was such a privilege for my husband to baptize our daughter, Jiewon, here at the lake. She has loved the Lord for many, many years, but desired to profess her faith through baptism.  Friends and family gathered along the beach to celebrate this sweet time with her.  While baptism doesn't save you, only repenting of our sins and accepting Jesus as our Savior does that, it's an outward expression to the world of what has happened in our hearts. It's one more way to follow Christ in the example he set coming to earth in human form. "Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him." Matthew 3:13 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..."  Matthew 28:19 

Young eagle Handsome Blue Heron August 7 Our evening boat rides are full of God's glorious creation.  I never cease to be amazed. "You made me so happy, God I saw your work and I shouted for joy. How magnificent your work, God!  How profound your thoughts!  Dullards never notice what you do; fools never do get it." Psalm 92:4-5 May we take time to "Get it!" today. To grasp who God is...indescribable! If someone comes up to you today and asks you, "Why do you believe in God?  What is it that has you so enamored by Him?" how will you respond? Today's Biblegateway says: For the  Lord  is our judge, The  Lord  is our lawgiver, The  Lord  is our king; He will save us— Isaiah 33:22  

My man up to his tricks in middle school. Isn't he fabulous! August 5-6 What is on your "To Do" list today? Does it seem impossible? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  Do you remember the over the top pregnancy stories of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth? "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God," Luke 1:37-38 Well, nothing is impossible for God when it comes to using us for his glory in the most ordinary of circumstances in our day. Some of you are on summer vacation and lodging with a load of people, maybe you are sitting in a hospital awaiting a surgery outcome or you are by the bedsides of a loved one somewhere, others are gearing saying good-bye to their summer vacay and gearing up to teach the next 10 months or possibly you are walking into your office drea...