Boojoyful

Spring time, in all it's beauty, brings with it a plethora of chores and I am behind on mine. Pulling out pots and planters I noticed the handle on this cute purse planter had broken and immediately I stopped and thought how quickly we discard broken things, including people. Then I headed to another planter where dead growth lingered and the new was forcing its way out into the world.  It reminded me that God is always doing a new thing and in preparation to receive the "new thing" we often need to cut away that which is dead and a hindrance in our lives. Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.   Isaiah 43:19   And to that I say, "Hallelujah, thank You, Jesus."   The Song "Broken Things" by Matthew West https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdUu6ZsdVfM

  For the past couple months one of the connect groups I am in at our church has been working to put together a luncheon to honor widows in our community and it was held yesterday. This is an idea the Lord put on my heart several months ago.  I do not want to ever be a widow and I have enormous respect and compassion for anyone who has to walk though life without a beloved spouse. When I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts with these lovely ladies I asked them to just down four things on sticky notes to take home along with the verses below. #1 The name of someone who has walked beside you in a time of grief. #2 Name a fear you have had to turn over to God. #3 List your favorite alone spot for quiet time with God. #4 Name a person God may be calling you to encourage. Then I asked then to look at their page of sticky notes and remember God is still at work in their lives and there is... Someone t...

I know these are fake peonies, but hopefully no one else will know. Today, our church is hosting a luncheon honoring widows in our community for their courage.  One of my responsibilities was to attempt to gather enough door prizes from local businesses to provide a gift for every woman. Businesses and individuals were incredibly generous! Sharing with my husband the joy of this experience he said, "You could have been scamming them all."  My reply, "But I am kind of known in all those businesses as a patron." More than that every thought and action we have is known by God, so no scamming from this woman. O  Lord , you have searched me and known me! 2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;    you discern my thoughts from afar. 3  You search out my path and my lying down  and are acquainted with all my ways. 4  Even before a word is on my tongue,   behold, O  Lord , you know it altogether. 5  You ...

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a tour and lecture at a restored church in our area.  The owner of the property and renown historian, Dr. Francis Amos, is quite ill with leukemia but spoke from the reader's desk in the chapel for an hour and 20 minutes! It was one of the best lectures I have ever attended.  His words painted pictures in my mind that will never leave. And they shouldn't. The guests were taken back in time and reminded what it took to establish this nation and our religious freedom.  We need to REMEMBER!  We do not look back enough and our children and grandchildren certainly are not hearing of the sacrifices that were made. Our  Lord , I will remember  the things you have done,   your miracles of long ago. 12  I will think about each one  of your mighty deeds. Everything you do is right, and no other god  compares with you. Psalm 77:11-13 https://smithmountainlake.com/news/local/with-a-passion-...

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25 I can't remember the exact back seat squabble, but I think it may have been over sharing a bag of popcorn.  What I do recall was my response.  "Oh, my goodness, invest in someone else!  Find joy in giving of yourself or your stuff to someone else!"  This Mama Boo exclamation needs to be shortened, like "honeycomb" for unkind words,  to a simple one word comment "invest!" When water sits stagnant it begins to stink.  We stink when we are stingy. ...if you pour yourself out for the hungry  and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,  then shall your light rise in the darkness  and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the  Lord  will guide you continually   and satisfy your desire in scorched places  and make your bones strong;  and you shall be   like a watered garden,  like a spring of water,  whose ...

Sitting at the dinner table with my husband he began to pray "Lord, it's been a hard day in many ways, but it's also been a good day..."  Oh, how I needed that reminder.  I had spent over 3 hours on phone calls with two doctors offices and one radiologist office and came away in tears of frustration having no idea what I am supposed to do.  But what about the rest of the day... At 8:30 AM the doorbell rang and there within a beautiful flora gift bag with pink tissues paper pouring our the top lay an unexpected gift from a girlfriend. The text of prayer needs began dinging in by 8AM. Pray for a divorce mediation that day, contact a young couple at church whose 3 month old niece had died unexpectedly, text a young mother to share how much a hug from her 4 year old in the hallway had meant last Sunday, an email from a woman was donating one item as a door prize for our upcoming widows luncheon and instead is giving six.  Then...

  Our goal in this upcoming luncheon honoring widows is recognize their strength and to encourage them.  To remind them that God's mercies are new every morning and to commit to find beauty in every day. See I am doing a new thing!   N ow it springs up; do you not perceive it?    I am making    way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.    Isaiah 43:19 "Let’s vow to bring heaven to earth with the loving words we say and the moments we cultivate that bring laughter…. We can plan something joyful. We can plan for some moments that matter. We can plan to do something for another person that will simply be kind and honor God. Listen to a song-  you know the one where you can’t stay down when its rhythm gets turned all the way up. Dance . Sing. Let go for a moment. Watch something funny  with a friend and remember how good it feels to laugh. Stand in front of the ocean or a lake and remember how big the world really ...