View Out The Front Window 2/28/21

We posted a short video of soundcheck last night.

The view out the front window of the bus was different for a few minutes this week.

Sunday Morning Sanity

Wife: Is it just me or is the cat getting fat?

Husband: No, I think it is just you.

WRONG ANSWER!

Consider today's blog a public service. Thank you for stopping in.

Davy

The Power Of God's Word

 Hey Friends,

It is Saturday, which means this is Odie checking in with you. I hope you have had a fantastic week. I am happy to report that God has blessed me. I continue to gain a little more strength each day. We are trusting that we will come completely through this season totally victorious.

While we have navigated our Covid season, I remembered a saying from my childhood. My fellow Adventures in Odyssey fans will remember it too. The saying is, "go away bad dream BOO!"

"Go away bad dream BOO" is something that I have often said when I do not like what is going on around me. Most of the time I am joking when I think or say that phrase. I tried it during the height of Covid. It did not work at all.

Does that little phrase change my surroundings? The answer is a resounding no. Those five little words can not make my "bad dreams" disappear. I do smile every time I say or think about that phrase.

I wish I could speak the word and make my promblems and your problems vanish. Oh, that Covid would vanish! I wish heartaches, sickness, grief and a million other thing that can trouble us would disappear. Our word alone is powerless.

God's word is the source we need. He speaks and the sea and winds calm. When He speaks the blind receive their sight, the lame are healed, the deaf can hear, the dumb can talk and the dead man lives again. His powers are endless.

 

I could talk forever and never run out of things that the voice of my God can do. The word of God is powerful. It is a blessing to experience that power at work in my life. I am amazed by Him daily!

I treasure the times that He speaks encouragement to my heart. There are times that He reprimands me or convicts me. I am thankful that His voice guides me through life. God, please never go silent on me. I long to hear you in the good times and the bad. 

Today I am reminding myself to listen for God's voice.  My job is to listen. I also need to work on obeying His voice. There is my focus for this week, listen and obey.

In closing, I encourage you to reflect on the power of God's voice working for you. Talk to God about what is going on around you. Listen in prayer, church, while reading the bible and in everyday life. He can speak to us at any moment. 

Thank you for visiting with me today. See you next time.

Odie

It Is Time For A Plan, Plan A or Plan B?

I am a plan type of person. I like to know when. I like to know where. And I like to know why. COVID has messed with my plans in a big way. For the second late winter/early spring in a row, the small little coronavirus has thrown a wrench into the works and the gears have ground to a halt.

Both times we have been surprisingly calm about it and that pleases me well. Praise God for His grace and His assurance that He is really in control. He has stayed so near us and kept us.

Like last year, I still need to figure out how to jump back in the game. Do you remember trying to jump into the jump rope when two of your friends were swinging it round and round?

Yep, that is me, the one on the ground.😍 Oh, that hurts, Davy!

I know that I am not able to preach and sing every night yet. I know that I am not able to crank up the bus, hookup the car and drive a thousand miles yet. I have no idea when I will be able to do all of that and do it effectively. But I need to get started in some way.

So, I have thought long and hard about a plan. I have prayed about it. I have talked to Kelly Jo about it. AND I have talked to good men about it. I have asked them to punch holes in the plan or guide me in some other direction. This is the resulting plan.

As of yesterday, I have cleared our schedule for the month of March. We were beginning the month 1000 miles from home and ending the month almost 1400 miles further away from home than that. As bad as I hate to admit it, I am not able to keep those commitments.

Pastors were very understanding, as I knew they would be, but I hate to cancel anything! I hate it so bad!

Plan A is to stay close to Ohio for most of March. We will try to have some online services to see if I am able to sing and preach one night first and then hopefully multiple nights. We will also be open to singing and preaching one service on Sunday in local churches for the month of March. 

That will give us a chance to see if I am able to do that, without driving a thousand miles. IF we are able to do multiple online services AND sing and preach once each Sunday, then we can make a decision about where to go in April.

At that point, we will decide if we need to keep the rest of our scheduled meetings on the west coast or whether we will need to keep things closer to home for a while.

OR, we might consider plan B. Load up in the bus and drive south or west about a hundred miles a day toward someplace warm or pretty and build up strength there. That is not a bad plan now that I think about it.

Thank you for checking on us today. Thank you for praying for us too.

Davy

Moving A Bit

Yesterday we cranked the bus and moved it outside the barn to do the work of the evangelist and then pulled it back inside. I worked very slow and methodically and I was able to complete the task. We also backed up the drive next to the house and unloaded some sound equipment.

I also left the Ranch this morning for the first time in 24 days. 

I drove the Jeep to the dealership for a few minutes and I think I did OK. I am still using oxygen some, but I am gaining, I hope.

Thank you for praying for us and thank you for checking on us.

Davy

A Word For Wednesday Cities Where The Gates Never Close

I just posted A Word For Wednesday on YouTube. I hope you enjoy.

Davy

Thank God For The Barn!

 Thank God for the barn.

When we hit the road in January 2003, we were traveling in a Chevy truck, pulling a 1984 Hitchhiker fifth wheel. We did not have a designated place to park on the weeks we were home, so thankfully we did not have many weeks at home.

I do remember parking at a campground in Dayton for at least part of our short Christmas stay in December 2003.

At some point, Steve and Karen made their driveway available to us and for the rest of the time we owned fifth wheels, that is where we parked when home. It was quite an adventure for the whole family when we backed in, but the situation worked perfectly.

In March of 2008, we purchased the BoggsMobile and that changed everything. The bus was simply way too big for Steve and Karen's drive.

Bro. Rex Lloyd was Pastor at Dodd's at that time and he made a parking spot available at Dodd's Church. That was perfect for the bus! We tried to make our stays there as few as possible, but we were almost always there nearly two weeks at Christmas time.

From Christmas 2008 through Christmas 2013, we parked at Dodds Church. We will always be in the debt of the Dodds Church for that.

A few years the weather was fine, other years the weather was horrible. Some years, every day was a struggle to keep the bus from freezing up. I spent every waking moment and a bunch of moments I should have been sleeping, trying to stay one step ahead of the cold, wind, snow and ice. 

After 2013, I had enough. I was way past done. I decided that I would not bring the bus home in winter. I would park someplace in the south and drive the car or fly home for a week of Christmas. I was waving the white flag of surrender.

I had made plans to leave the bus in the southwest in December 2014 and fly home for a few days. By September of 2014, a window had opened for Boggs Family Ministries to buy the property next to Dodds Church, including the old barn I had been hoping to buy for 6 years.

By the end of September, a deal was struck and by December we were driving through New Mexico, finalizing the purchase and bringing the bus home.

We pulled the BoggsMobile into the barn for the first time on Thursday, December 11. You can see more pictures and read more about that HERE.

You are going to be tempted to say this is an exaggeration, but I assure you, it is not. 

Pulling the bus into the barn that day literally changed my life! 

At that time, the barn roof leaked like crazy! The barn is not insulated well, the barn is not heated, but it keeps out the wind. I have not had to worry about the bus freezing up for one moment in the last 7 plus years!

These last three weeks have reinforced this fact. Our weather has been horrible. We have had an abundance of snow, temperatures in the single digits and high winds. The bus has been in the barn, I have been sick and I have not had to worry about it for one moment.

IF the bus was outside, I would have been sick AND trying to keep the bus from freezing up. It would have been miserable!

Thank God for the barn. Thank God for the barn. Thank God for the barn!

Hallelujah!

Thank you for joining us today.

Davy

Pictures of Snow

There has not been a whole lot of activity going on over the weekend here at the Lazy OD Ranch. We have been listening to and enjoying a bunch of preaching and we have been trying to get well. Other than that, not much going on besides snow.

We are praising God for helping us.

Kelly has been taking some pretty pictures. I hope you enjoy.

Davy

Sunday Morning 2/21/21

Here is a beautiful picture that KJo took.

Sunday Morning Sanity

Keep smiling. It encourages those who like you and annoys those who do not. Anonymous

Keep praying! God is helping! Hallelujah!

Davy

God Is In The Chaos

Hey Friends,

Happy Saturday, this is Odie checking in with you. I hope that today finds you doing well. Are you surviving winter? Ohio has been getting pelted with winter weather, like most of you. The snow is pretty and I am grateful that I have not had to go out in the cold. I hope our coming forecast holds and some warmer temperatures are heading our way soon.

I want to share a testimony with you. I had a special moment where God ministered to me in January. I gained encouragement and strength when I felt God speak to me. Today I wanted to write this down and worship God. Also, I want to use this blog as a monument that I can look back on later.

We are going to rewind to January 13th 2021. We were enjoying a wonderful week in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Life was good and we were back to a sense of semi-normal.

If I focused on the world news it was definitely scary. This week I had decided to stay informed, but not overload my mind with all the, what could happen scenarios. I was trying really hard to give my problems fully to God.

Wednesday evening rolled around and I was preparing for revival service in Louisiana. I decided to join the church service with our friends at Anchor of Hope in Lebanon, Ohio via YouTube. Pastor E.J. Lamb was encouraging the church to worship. I paused for a moment to worship with them.

God inhabits the praises of His people. As my friends worshipped in Ohio God met them at that very moment. I was worshipping in Louisiana and He came to me also. It really was a precious moment. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God was with me.

I was praying for family, friends and our country. I had so many needs on my heart and I knew God was able to move in every situation that was on my heart. While I was worshipping God, I felt Him speak to my spirit. His words were the exact comfort that I needed! In that brief moment, I felt this gentle reminder "In the midst of the chaos, I am here."

Fast forward to real-time. The other day God brought this moment back to mind.  As I reflected and worshiped alone just me and God. He reminded me of what he spoke to my spirit on January 13th."In the midst of the chaos, I am here."

I was awestruck at the mightiness of my God. I may never fully understand what God has done for me and my family during this season. This one fact remains, God has been with us in the chaos! It is a blessing to know that we are never alone.

I want to rest in this comfort that God has given me. "In the midst of the chaos, I am here." God, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! You have carried us through safe thus far! Your power continues to amaze me daily. Thank you for caring for me!

This song has been speaking to my soul this week. I will leave you with these words. God is our Waymaker.

You are here moving in our midst

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

You are here mending every heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

You are here turning lives around

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

You are my 

Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, that is who You are

You are my

Waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper

Light in the darkness

My God, that is who You are

Even when I don't feel it you're working

Even when I can't see it you're working

You never stop you never stop working

You never stop you never stop working

In closing, I just wanted to encourage you that God is working for you right now. Life might be in a mess for you, but God is with you. Today my heart is full to overflowing with worship and praise! Thank you for letting me share my heart with you.

Odie

Another Step!

I suppose you have seen enough snow pictures on Mile Markers lately. However, this one is kind of special. I took this one myself!

For the first time since I pulled the bus into the barn on Tuesday, February, 2, I walked outside the barn for a few minutes Thursday, February 18. Not a giant step of progress, but a big step in the right direction.

Please keep praying. I have a long way to go to build up my strength in order to sing and preach and do all the work necessary to get back to the business of revival week after week, but by God's grace, we will do it putting one foot in front of another.

Thank you for praying for all of us. We feel God helping us tremendously! Hallelujah!

May God bless you for stopping by.

Davy

Wonderful News From Nigeria!

I am happy to report some great news from afar. Yesterday I received an email with pictures from Nigeria. The new addition to the GoodNews Christian School is finally completed, including a much needed bathroom.

This building was originally two rooms that we helped construct a few years ago. In this current building process, there was another room added below and rooms above. I am so thrilled to show you the pictures.

So many people have helped us with this project and we appreciate it so very much. Our latest round of money sent was made possible by the students of Ellisville First Assembly Academy, Bethany Revival Center and my brother Steve and his wife Karen.

May God bless these folks and all of you that have helped with this project in the past.

These rooms just barely keep pace with the needs of the school. In order to build more, we are probably going to have to purchase unfinished buildings next door. I do no even know the feasibility of those options, but help us pray for guidance.

Educating these children, many of them from non-Christian, even Muslim homes, may be the greatest impact we can have for Christ on Abeokuta and the nation of Nigeria. Thank you for helping us do that!

As a regular part of our support for the school, we try to pay the salaries of Bro. Shobanke's daughters and son in law that run the school. Thank you for helping us do that too.

Thank you for dropping in today. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Davy

A Word For Wednesday - A Heart of Gratitude

Well, I did my best to record A Word For Wednesday. I hope it is understandable and is a blessing.

Boggs Family Ministries YouTube

Thank you for stopping by today.

Davy

How?

How does a person catch COVID?

According to the CDC, this is the method most clearly understood.

COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets, created when someone talks, coughs or sneezes. Staying away from others helps stop the spread of COVID-19.

In other words, if you are close enough for someone to breathe on you, then you are close enough to catch COVID from them if they have it.

How in the world did Odie and I catch it? Good question.

We have not been caviler in our approach to COVID from day one. Odie and I were sick with the flu or something in January 2020, so we quit shaking hands with people then, trying to protect them from whatever we had.

On February 18, 2020, I wrote a post about the flu and coronavirus and stated my opinion that we ought to take it seriously, including recommending that we stop shaking hands in our churches.

As I suspected, I was laughed to scorn over my suggestion and even made fun of publicly. That was OK, it was no big deal. We determined then that we would do our very best to stay free from coronavirus and make our living the best way we could, carefully.

We shut down in the spring of 2020 like most folks and then followed a very careful regimen to ease back onto the road for the rest of 2020. 

Honestly, I had at least two Pastors cancel our revivals because they thought we were being too careful in our approach. That was disappointing and unpleasant, but not completely surprising.

The latter half of 2020 went very well. We determined to continue to follow our careful plan into 2021.

Our last revival preached was in Sweeny, Texas. We enjoyed great services with Bro. Lamb's small crowd and no one was sick there when we left or for the next two weeks.

We met friends for lunch the next day with masks and distancing. The waitress was masked and extremely careful. The two friends we met for lunch have not been sick since then.

Sunday morning we ministered in song for Pastor Don Goodwin in Livingston, Texas and everyone was extremely careful and considerate around us. No one in the church was sick after we were there.

The next week we had online revival in the bus and Odie and I did not get within 50-100 feet of anyone at all!

Thursday afternoon, the Pastor in Bernice, Louisiana came to the church to unlock the door for us, but I was no closer to him than 10 feet and only for a very few minutes. Plus, he has already had COVID and has not been sick since then.

While KJo and I were working outside an older brother stopped for a moment to check on us, but he did not get out of his truck, we did not get near the truck and like the Pastor, he had already had COVID.

Sunday morning, Odie and I both woke up sick and tested positive. That was nine days after revival, eight days after meeting friends for lunch and seven days from one service in Livingston and no one from any of those places became sick over the next two weeks.

So, how in the world did Odie and I catch COVID? We evidently got close enough for someone to breathe on us, even though we did not know it AND even no one we were around caught it or showed symptoms of catching it later.

Yep, this is a bad, bad bug! Please be careful out there. It is not hard to catch, but may be hard to shake. Once we are well, we will venture to the outside world again, but I promise you, we will continue to be careful and probably even more so.

Thank you for praying for us. We still need Him.

Davy

A Short Report

 Short Report

KJo

Thankfully, Kelly Jo has stayed well so far through this whole mess. We all went to be tested for COVID antibodies last November and she was the only one that showed positive for antibodies. They were not strong, so that suggested it has been a while since she had unknowingly had COVID. 

It is entirely possible, Kelly Jo had it when we were exposed in Australia and came through it while we were quarantined for 21 days upon arrival home. I was with her every single day of that period and since then, but evidently, I did not catch it during that time.

When we arrived home from Louisiana 14 days ago, Kelly Jo moved into Odie's house with her, Odie confining herself to her bedroom and bathroom. It was not a perfect plan, since the house ventilation is obviously one unit, but it was the best we could do.

Kelly comes to the bus in the barn 8-10 times a day to help me with medicine and food. We both mask up when she is here and she only stays 3-5 minutes for less.

KJo has worked so diligently to help me and Odie. It is amazing the multiple calls and trips she has made to drive-thru pharmacies all over this area to obtain prescriptions. She has worked and called and driven and then kept everything going medicine and food-wise.

Thank God she has stayed healthy. The weather has not cooperated with her at all. We have had much snow and cold, but her breathing has done pretty well considering. She has suffered some with asthma, but thankfully she has been able to stay on top of it.

Odie

Unfortunately, Odie did not have a light case of COVID.  She has suffered quite a bit, but we are very thankful that it did not attack Odie's lungs. Praise God for that. She is over it for the most part with only a few lingering and nagging effects.

The main thing now is that she feels like she has a sunburn at times, but with no rash or discoloring. We have heard from others that endured the same thing.

Davy

The very first symptom I woke up with 16 days ago was a burning sensation in my esophagus and lungs. That was the reason we made the difficult decision to drive home. I knew that if I became sicker, I would not be able to drive home later.

We did make it home on the third day and by the fifth day, there is no way I would have been able to drive. Thank God we made it home!

My main problem has been my lungs, but for about 30-36 hours on days five and six, my temperature fluctuated like crazy. If I told you the highs and lows of my temperature, I am convinced that many of you would think I am exaggerating.

As my temperature was soaring Saturday night, Bro. John and Sis. Ann Gabbar called and prayed heaven down on my soul! It was an experience that  I will not soon forget. Hallelujah!

Over and over since then friends have called and prayed for me and I appreciate every single prayer. Hundreds of others have been praying daily and we know that God hears and answers those prayers.

By the end of day 11, a friend found an oxygen machine and that has been a tremendous help. For the five days previous, I was breathing in deeply through my nose, holding my breath for 3-4 seconds and then exhaling slowly in order to keep my blood oxygen level anywhere near acceptable.

The oxygen has been a game changer. We also keep a humidifier going too.

I have been marching in place and religiously using this to help whip my lungs into shape, but I have a long way to go.

I have also been singing for at least a few minutes every day too. The presence of the Lord has been so near me every moment. All three of us have been physically alone most of these 14 days, but God has stood near us and blessed us.

Everything that I have preached about the presence of the Lord is true! It is true! He will walk with us! He will go beside us! He will carry us!

Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for interceding for us. We are praising God for His help and we are asking for more of it.

I appreciate my parents, KJo's parents and many other family and friends that have rallied around us to help us. From moving snow,  buying food, delivering whatever we need, you all have been lifesavers. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Thank you for stopping by today.

Davy

View Out The Front Window 2/14/21

Our view out the front window has obviously not changed this week, but I thought you might get a kick out of the view from some of the big snowstorm earlier in the week. We are expecting more overnight.

Sunday Morning Sanity

Who has not believed a lie told by someone they love and admire? Trust in others is essential to our own mental health. However, believing a lie in the face of undeniable evidence to the contrary is a sign of human susceptibility to self-delusion. Jackie David Johns

Thank you for stopping by today. Have a super great Sunday.

Davy

Real Life

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in with you for another Saturday. I hope you are having a good day.

Currently, at writing time, I am not having the best day. I write these a few days ahead of time so that I have time to edit and Dad has time to help me get the post ready to publish.

I am still dealing with Covid.  I am hoping by publication time that this will all be in the rearview mirror for me. This has been a rollercoaster of a ride. I am ready for it to end.

I am so thankful that my symptoms have been mostly manageable! God has truly helped me! I am so grateful.  

My family and friends have been super supportive and helpful. I appreciate the prayers and encouragement! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

The taste and smell decided to leave me on Day 7. This is a symptom that I have heard and read about for months. I had hoped to avoid losing my taste if at all possible. Sadly I had no control over what really happened.

Now I can faintly taste some things.  Sweet things are what I savor the most. At least I get to enjoy a little goodness. Today I am dreaming of eating a Chocolate Cover Keylime Pie on a stick from Key West, Florida.

It is the strangest sensation to bite into a piece of food that is normally full of flavor and taste nothing. I know that I am not alone in dealing with this symptom.  I hope and pray that it does not last long.

I know God is in control of all things. I plan to survive victoriously!

I have been encouraging myself with this scripture for the last couple of days. Covid can not take away the goodness of God in my soul!

x

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalms 34:8

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Odie

Praise God!

We are all still alive and improving and the Lord is near us! Thank you for praying for us! We appreciate all of the prayers unto God on our behalf so much! We are praising God for His amazing help and for His comforting presence! Hallelujah!

Davy

No Boredom Here

Tuesday I wrote about my inability to understand the concept of boredom when life has so much possibility for wonder and amazement. There are so many books to read, so many places to see, so many people to meet and so many new things to do.

I can not imagine life being boring?

My lack of understanding ratchets up a hundredfold when it comes to boredom in the life of a Christian. Life in Christ opens up doors of opportunity that are incredible. Look at this!

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What is boring about that? All things are become new! How in the world can the Christian life be boring?

Now, that is not to say that life is not sometimes challenging in its repetition. We are in a very delicate season right now. We pulled the bus in the barn last Tuesday and I have only been outside of this 45' tube for one time since. (I went into the barn to help KJo hook up the gray water drain for maybe three minutes) But I honestly have not been bored for one minute.

I have filled my mind with the Word of God. I have listened to Alexander Scourby read the Bible to me for hours and hours. I have listened to preaching online for five and six hours straight, maybe more for days on end. How could I be bored with so much to learn?

I have read and read and read. I have traveled places in my mind, I have listened to sermons from 150 years ago sitting in a church in London. I have walked with missionaries in Africa and sailed ships to mission lands. How could I be bored?

I have spent much time walking back and forth in the bus. Not because I was bored. Not because I wanted to move. Moving was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had to keep moving as much as possible. I had to keep breathing.

While sitting down, I have breathed as deeply in through my nose as I could, holding and breathing out slowly through my mouth.  Hours and hours and hours I have breathed like that. 

The Lord has visited me time and time again. I have had friends text with encouragement, Bible verses and comforting words. Bro. John and Sis. Ann Gabbard called Saturday night and prayed the Holy Ghost down on me. Other friends have called to pray for me as well. I have experienced times of refreshing in tedious circumstances.

How in the world could I be bored?

This season for Kelly Jo, Odie and I is not over yet. We have a few more dry places to walk through. We have a few more hazards to make our way through. We may have a few more monotonous and mundane days to navigate.

It may be tough. It may be rough. It may be difficult. It may be strenuous. It may be burdensome. It may be troublesome. But I promise you one thing. It will not be boring.

Thank you for stopping by Mile Markers today.

Davy