Boojoyful

More lights in our dwelling place. December 8-9 I'm so hoping to be dwelling in inches and inches of snow Sunday afternoon! (Got so caught up in 18 inches of snow I forgot to post this!) I love the quiet stillness of a snow fall.  We have three little boys here who may break the silence! You know when you are reading scripture and that one word grabs you and sends you back to reread the passage?  It happened to me in Ephesians 3:16. " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being."   That prayer was sufficient encouragement.  An "I'll take that God, moment."  I kept reading though and found the purpose.  It's not for me to be strong and survive all that life throws at us. Here's the purpose: "... so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. " The little word that stopped me was dwell.  "To think, speak, or write at length about....

This little guy's purpose is to make others feel loved! His smile melts all hearts. December 7 How often do we ask of life's experiences: "What is this all about God?  What are you up to?" The element that adds to the quandary in our questioning is that we think life is all about us. God had a plan when He created each one of us and all the plans involve bringing glory to Him. It's not about us, it's about Jesus. Moses was raised up for some tough times, like the Red Sea experience and wandering in the dessert, but every predicament had a purpose pointing people to God. " But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."   Exodus 9:16 Moses testifies to the Presence and purpose of the Lord. We are not left to flounder around aimlessly. " The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.   Do not be afraid or dis...

Our miracle baby's first Christmas. The star on the tree has him captivated. December 6 " Lord God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth.  You can do anything."   Jeremiah 32:17 As I was praying a Stormie Omartian prayer for my grandchildren the other day, I stopped and told the Lord I needed that prayer for myself. "Give my grandchildren faith in You and Your Word that is strong enough to believe for miracles when they pray...Help them understand that their faith in You opens the door to a miraculous life...Enable my grandchildren to believe that nothing is too hard for you, and all things are possible when they pray to You in faith." WOW.  What a challenge. Where have I not been praying with a BIG enough faith? It is a gift from God to come to Him in prayer.

December 5 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy-the Son of God..For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:35, 37 And Mary said, "Say what?" "The Ancient of Days became a newborn.  The One who created the first woman was born of a woman. Though heaven and earth cannot contain Him, He chose to be confined to a human body. He chose to be held in the arms of a teenage girl, even though His arms, His everlasting arms, hold the entire universe in place."  Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth Being the Christmas story that we've heard since we were young, we believe.  Yet, what is facing you that you don't believe God is able to resolve? “ Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.'”  Mark 10:27 May each of you find encouragement today to keep on keeping on,...

Love having this one so much closer. December 4 On the days I'm overwhelmed by the hopelessness of what seem to be impossible situations for so many people, I think of our pastor and all he carries in his heart. To be the Shepherd of a large flock is a heavy task best carried out by the Holy Spirit's leading.   I emailed our pastor and shared I was praying Romans 15:13 for him. “Abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  I told him I looked up the definition of abound and read “ exists in large amounts ” and was prayerful that Jesus was lavishing large amounts of hope on him to pass onto others! I"m praying that same prayer for you my friends. It is a gift from God to be able to abound in hope by faith.

Tree trimming in progress in Charlottesville. December 3 ". ..because there was no room for them in the inn. "  Luke 2:7 The story of Christ's birth is amazing.  There are so many personalities involved for us to learn lessons from...wisemen, shepherds, jealous rulers, innkeepers, baffled expectant parents and in laws (whom we don't hear much about), and then this baby who is God in the flesh. Today, I'm thinking about that innkeeper.  Hospitality is my God given gift and it truly is a joy, most of the time, so I really shouldn't judge. BUT... There just isn't a circumstance in which I'm able to imagine turning away a woman in labor. (Maybe having done that six times gives me greater sympathy.) I guess it was just all part of God's plan, so we could have manger scenes and remember Jesus' humble beginning. On the flip side there's a story in Luke 10 where I'm not sure I'd measure up to what the Good Samaritan did. ...

Our daughter's home decked out for the holidays. December 1-2 How did Christmas morning begin in your home?  Did you have to wait for the entire family to gather before you could head down to the tree?  We had the ole "gather on the steps for a photo" tradition with our children and then my husband would come and let us know if Santa had come.  As a child, the rule at my home was no one could go to the living room until everyone was awake.  Being the MUCH younger sibling, who still believed in Santa, the anticipation mounted during the long wait for my high school and college siblings to lumber out of bed.  An iPad would have helped the minutes tick away. The computer dictionary definition of  anticipate is:                                "r egard as probable, expect, predict or look forward to." Can you imagine Mary and Joseph's anticipation of what giving birth to G...