MY PRAYER WARRIOR
The old, stained, cowboy hat is often seen on this gentle spirit’s head. Like the man wearing it, it’s been through many ups and downs, but he’s always managed to pray in all circumstances. We both know the power of prayer. However, I had know idea of the extent of that power until I witnessed it personally through my husband.
Throughout our lives together, he’s relied totally on God’s intervention. My oldest daughter recalls working in his office one summer and observing him engaged in prayer and Bible study before beginning his day. His total dependence on God was instilled in him as he grew up in a Christian home, but that was just the beginning.
Being born with a polished, silver spoon in his mouth, he lacked for little. He wasn’t arrogant about that, but our obvious difference in backgrounds was apparent. My folks had to scrape by. There was always enough and we never went hungry, but I learned early on that nothing comes easy.
Together we began to grow up in our prayer life. He taught me that God wasn’t simply a fearful judge, but an amazing advocate and redeemer. He shared the true Gospel message with me and strengthened my faith because of it. I had grown up afraid of God.
There were many times when Paul was placed in dangerous situations – when it looked as though he might not make it – when things were closing in on him, but he never faltered as a prayer warrior. When we went through the loss of his business, Paul kept a journal that read much like the Psalms of David.
When we opened our home to both of our mothers (not at the same time) he taught me to be compassionate, patient and caring. Watching your parents deteriorate is difficult. We prayed often during those days.
When he suffered physically, he would turn it over to God. I recall his going through radiation treatments for Cancer with full confidence in God’s plan for his life. When money problems mounted, he prayed for guidance and was led to start a new career. When our children would go through an injury or illness, he would pray before administering first aid. Every day he begins with prayer and Bible study. He recalls his confirmation scripture passage and says it before going to bed. He does this, not out of habit, but sincere reverence to God.
He knows that God is with us in all times – good or bad – and that His will shall be accomplished without our interference. When we found our new “old” house, he literally fell to his knees to thank God for providing exactly what we need right now. Our realtor was a little concerned something was wrong with him, but by then she had already seen how much strength Paul drew from God.
Now that our lives are ebbing towards eternity, we continue to pray for each other, for our family, for our grandchildren, our friends and our country. Our prayer list grows each day, but Paul has taught me that nothing is too big for God to handle. All we need to do is open our mouths and hearts and pray, and trust that God has our lives under His care. What an amazing plan he has underway for each of us.
Posted in aging, Family, prayer, Uncategorized
Tagged Christian Inspiration, Godly man, husband, prayer, trust
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THOUGH DEVILS ALL THE WORLD SHOULD FILL
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously and his children become a blessing.” Psalm 37:25-26
Living as long as I have has given me some experience with God’s amazing grace. Everyone will encounter some kind of pain or loss in this lifetime. There is no getting around it. The world is integrated with the results of sin, and things are not getting better. Each day we’re confronted with some deviation from God’s commandments. Life today is no better than it was fifty years ago. I expect it will get even more corrupt before Christ returns in glory.
One things I’ve learned through the battles of living is that God never changes. His consistency is what gives us hope to carry on in all circumstances. When it seems as though nothing is going our way – when it looks like God has forsaken you – when you feel useless or purposeless – when you think life is never going to get better – you can be confident that God is working behind the scenes to overcome all your obstacles.
When one door closes, another will open. You lose your job and something better comes along. You suffer financial ruin and God uses your talents to direct you to a new venue. You are constantly being remade by Him. We’re all works in progress.
In all our past sufferings or disappointments, we can rejoice, because God has always had a plan for us. He knows what we are capable of, because He designed us. He also loves us more than we can imagine in spite of our foolish mistakes and sinful leanings. When He crafted us in the womb, He knew what our purpose would be. He will never forsake those who call on His name.
In fact, He even provided a way for us to be redeemed and forgiven.
“Though devils all the world should fill,
All eager to devour us.
We tremble not, we fear no ill,
They shall not overpower us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
He can harm us none,
He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.”
Martin Luther
Posted in armor of God, Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged encouragement, God's plan for our life, Inspiration, motivation, Salvation
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BEAUTY IN UNLIKELY PLACES
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
A swampy mass of algae filled water,
Crusted with swarming gnats and flies,
Deemed a place to avoid,
Yet within the muck and slime,
A plethora of lily pads abounds,
Reaching the sky with enchanting, elegant blooms,
Even as we walk the perils of earth,
Through danger, evil and the pull of sin,
God looks at us and finds beauty,
Our ugliness has been shrouded by a greater love,
The blackness of our souls has been purged,
We are restored,
Made new,
Through His power,
Through His cleansing,
Through His Son.
Posted in art, Christian devotions, Christian Poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, encouragement, Inspiration, motivation, redemption
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NOT ALL DAYS ARE GOING TO BE GREAT
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON ATIMETOSHARE 4/11/15
Just think! You’re a Christian – you’ve been freed from the grip of sin and the devil – you’re beaming in the afterglow of Easter – life is perfect – right?
Monday morning comes and you get an overdraft notice from the bank. Your child is running a temp of 104. Your spouse tells you he’s in love with someone else. You receive a call from your doctor saying you have a terminal illness.
Some folks think that once you become a Christian, your life is going to be worry free, pain free and free from all the negativity that comes your way. The truth is Christians continue to have problems. We still get sick. We suffer financial losses. We bear the pain of losing someone we love. We have relationship problems. We suffer with depression. We make foolish mistakes. We lose sight of our final destination. Perfection only comes after we die. So what do we do in the meantime?
God doesn’t want us to suffer. He loves us with an unfailing love that we can’t even comprehend. We are His workmanship. He has a plan for our lives, but that doesn’t mean our lives are going to be without problems. Those problems may even be there for our benefit.
In fact, our problems may even become greater when we follow Christ. He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” That doesn’t sound like a very appealing invitation, does it?
Fortunately, He has also promised to be with us every step of the way in this life and the next. He holds us tight – lifts us when we stumble – gives us the courage to go on – protects us from the slings and arrows of this world – and finally carries us to eternity to be with Him in perfection forever.
Remember that He has this. He’s God!
Posted in Christian daily devotion, depression, hope, Uncategorized
Tagged Anxiety, encouragment, FAITH, God. Religion, Inspiration, prayer, trials
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A NIGHT IN THE WAREHOUSE
My husband was forbidden to purchase a gun when he lived with his parents. Their reasoning made perfect sense. They had witnessed many gun shot deaths in their business. When Paul got out of the Air Force and was still living at home, he purchased a gun. One evening, just as his dad was about to lock up the business, a man entered the building, came up behind Paul’s dad and threatened his life. Paul heard the commotion and approached the man with his gun drawn. It was then that his father agreed it was a good idea to have a gun on the premises.
When he left home, that obligation to protecting his family was always at the forefront of his mind.
We’d just purchased our first home. The house cost us $14,000.00 and that was at the top of our ability to repay. Today you can barely find a decent car for that money. The house was an old two story, in need of restoration, but then so were we. We had two toddlers, born within twenty months of each other. My going to work was not an option. So to make ends meet, he took a second job as a security guard in an old warehouse. The building was also in disrepair and was a haven for vagrants and addicts, so it was necessary to keep watch over it. The job for the most part was uneventful, but there was an element of danger to it.
He was not permitted to carry a gun, so instead purchased a super-sized flashlight as his means of protection. I suppose he felt rather like Barney Fife, with his unloaded pistol. He never knew what would be lurking in the corners of those ancient walls. He could’ve become victim to an attack by a desperate drug addict, looking for a few bucks for a fix.
One night a couple fellow guards, out for a night of adventure, entered the building with guns filled with blanks. They opened the door to where Paul’s desk was and started shooting. When they had their fill, Paul looked them square in the eye and said, “See that desk over there? That desk belongs to our boss. What if he’d been sitting there?” Those guys lost their jobs – not because Paul reported them – but for their further incompetence.
I often wonder what if those bullets were real? I could again see God’s protecting arm around my hero. In time, it wasn’t necessary for him to work a second job, but when he returned home each night, he’d tuck a piece of chewing gum under the pillows of our children, since he wouldn’t be awake when they rose in the morning.
He is a true hero in so very many ways.
Posted in Christian devotion, Faith, Family, Uncategorized
Tagged danger, encouragement, FAMILY, husband, Inspiration, protection, work
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YOU CAN’T HIDE
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
A hiding place where no one knows or sees or hears the truth,
A place where you can tuck away the trespasses of youth,
When hearts submit to God’s sweet call to come and be with Him,
Those sins will soon be washed away and we can dwell within,
For God is our true shelter, He loves us as we are,
When hidden in His sacrifice, we won’t stray very far,
Our sins have been forgiven, Our path has been made clear,
The Lord of Heaven saved us, with His own Son, most dear.
Don’t try to hide from Jesus, He’ll never let you go,
He loves and understands you, He dwelt with men you know,
He knows our every problem, He feels our every pain,
But through His sweet compassion, His loss was for our gain.
Posted in art, Christian daily devotion, Christian Poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, empathy, encouragement, God, Inspiration, Love, sympathy
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THIS ISN’T WORK
A couple weeks ago, I shared with you that I’m starting a new line of work. It isn’t a full time position. In fact, I’ll just be working at this particular facility once a month. I have to admit I was apprehensive about this, because I’m no spring chicken and I didn’t feel I had the knowledge or where-with-all to encourage seniors.
When I arrived and people slowly filtered into the room, I became more encouraged. One lady, already in the room, was napping, and I knew right away I was going to have to work hard to maintain my audience. As each resident arrived, I began to talk to them about what they did in their younger lives. I discovered that a few of them were teachers. Some were stay at home moms. One continued to remind me that she was 92 – but she didn’t look a day over 70. All of them are suffering with memory loss – some more extreme than others.
As I began my acting class with them, I could tell I was losing one or two of them. So I had to punch up my act. Slowly, yet surely, I was able to get almost all of them to participate – not by my own doing – but because they were actually beginning to perform and enjoying it. Some preferred to watch, but that was OK too, because the others needed an audience.
After talking about how an actor needs to rely on memory, concentration and adding life skills to the mix, I could see a new sparkle in some of those lovely eyes. It was so much fun to see them responding and participating.
I’m not an expert on memory care, but now that I’m considered an old lady, I feel I have to work hard to keep my own memory sharp. I can forget things within seconds. I believe, when we’re not called upon to use our brains, they slow down just like our bodies do if we don’t exercise them.
The second part of my class was to talk a little about writing, journaling and poetry. At that point an elderly gentleman entered the room with his daughter. He apologized for the state of his memory. He was sad he’d lost so much of his early life through this malady. He proceeded to read some of the poetry he’d written when younger. My eyes welled with tears as the confidence slowly built in his presentation. I could see him reliving the memory he’d created on paper. When he finished and the audience applauded, a sweet smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Affirmation is so rewarding.
I encouraged the others to start writing things down as they remembered them – to keep a journal – to experiment with words and exercise that part of themselves which held all those hidden memories. By doing so, they are leaving an amazing legacy for future generations.
This was way too much fun to be considered work.
Posted in aging, Christian daily devotion, confidence, Uncategorized
Tagged affirmation, AGING, encouragement, Inspiration, Sharing, writing
8 Comments
WRITERS’ FUNNIES
It doesn’t hurt to put the important things on your resume.
Posted in Uncategorized
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GREAT HUSBAND
When I met this man, we were just kids of 15, starting our first year of high school. We became great friends and by the time we were seniors, we decided we liked each other a lot more than just friends.
I outweighed him by about 40 pounds. He gave me his letter sweater as a sign of his devotion, and while others were drowning in their steadys’ sweaters, I couldn’t button his. His class ring just fit. We were an interesting couple, but God made sure that we would spend the rest of our lives together – not just as good friends, but as best friends forever.
We were 22 when we married. Quite young, by today’s standards, but anxious to begin our life together. Who knew that this snappy looking fellow was one to leave his dirty laundry in a pile in the middle of the floor and never closed the lid on the toilet? Who knew I would be greeted by undressed pheasants in the refrigerator.
Of course he had a lot to get used to as well. I squeezed the tube of toothpaste in the middle, rather than rolling up the tube. I also was known to go to bed with my socks on and hair in rollers. In my inexperience I left some frozen bread dough out to thaw. He came home to find all three loaves winding around the kitchen counter.
We’ve had our share of ups and downs over the years. We’ve had fights that seemed to scream divorce at us, but we never really voiced that thought. With each disagreement came compromise and compromise cemented the relationship.
Going through times of disappointment, loss, death, illness, growing up, having children, being responsible adults, facing adversity and struggling to make ends meet could’ve caused us to give up, but we didn’t forget our vows to remain faithful to each other forever. We saw faults in each other, but overlooked them because of our love. We encouraged each other when one was down. We stood beside each other through many problems and always looked to God to help us through the difficult times.
We laugh together. We enjoy many of the same activities, but each have our own special things that we take pride in. We’ve worked together to build a business. We cried together as it fell apart and we lost everything. We held each other tightly and comforted each other when we received news of serious health issues. We stood tall when each of our children was born and brought amazement, concern, love and even disappointment at times.
We are now in the latter years of our life together. It’s been a lovely ride in spite of the roller coaster effect. That’s what makes for the excitement of a solid marriage. That along with having God as the head of our house has been our mainstay.
Marriage isn’t easy and many choose not to do it. God instituted this sacred estate, not only for procreation of the species, but to share life with another – to rejoice in triumphs and lift each other up in times of grief – to be a helper for the other. I’m one of the lucky ones to have been blessed with my amazing husband for almost 53 years.
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Family, love, Uncategorized
Tagged God, helpmate, husband, Inspiration, marriage, rock solid, storytelling
14 Comments
MOONLIGHT SERENADE
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
Two lonely souls stand tall against the moon so bright above,
Proclaiming sounds unheard by men, of their undying love,
They lift their heads up to the sky, yet keep their gazes locked,
They plan a secret rendezvous, as hands move round the clock.
GRRRRRR
I’m having some trouble with WordPress this morning. I will try to post when this is resolved.
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Comments
WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” ― Winston S. Churchill
We went to see the movie, “Dunkirk” this weekend. As a work of profoundly crafted art, it is indeed a masterpiece. I’m not crazy about war movies and I have a fear of dying in the ocean so this movies wasn’t on my top ten of must sees, but the determination of the British army in evacuating the beach at Dunkirk was awe inspiring.
An amazing musical score used instruments to intensify the action. The sounds of the stringed instruments as the planes whirred and sputtered; the growing heartbeat of percussion as emotion and panic lit up the screen; the use of the brass section of the orchestra and the pounding of drums as bombs fell and bullets pierced the air was incredible.
I don’t recall learning much about the evacuation in my history classes as a child, but really this was an event which shows the determination, not only of the airmen, the nurses, the infantry and navy, but also how the civilians came to their rescue, when it seemed they would never escape elimination.
Forced to the sea, with no real chance of escape, these young men and women were sitting ducks. The movie uses very little dialogue, but the acting skills are enough to carry the story.. Most emotions were expressed visually and were extremely believable. I cannot imagine the fear that must rage in the mind of any soldier when faced with imminent death.
On the opposing side, which is not really referenced in the movie, the Germans decided to pull back from the beaches of Dunkirk, because they felt they could wipe out the allied troops with their superior air force. They weren’t counting on this mass evacuation causing a stronger ground army as the troops returned to battle. The addition of the American troops also helped to defeat Hitler and his tirade against the world.
War is ugly. No matter how it’s memorialized. We have cemeteries to honor the dead. There are many memorials to call attention to those wars. There are the broken hearts of loved ones as they grieve over their lost. Nothing can replace a life. Nothing can immortalize the great deeds they’ve accomplished or the horrors they endured for the benefit of serving their nation.
Posted in armor of God
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CAN YOU SEE HIM?
ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
Did you not notice as you walked, through brush and wooded path,
Did you not see him in the tree, as you so quickly passed,
He’s right above you just waiting, for you to take a look,
He’s simply anticipating, you’ll look up from your book,
So often we attempt to hide within the pages there,
We miss the things that matter most, we simply do not care,
A greater thing is just beyond the heavens oh so blue,
Our God is looking down on us, His love for us is true,
So take a little time today, to look around and see,
The glory of the Lord is there, waiting for you and me.
Posted in art, Christian Poetry, hope, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, encouragement, Inspiration, perseverence
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