Flora, Illinois - Revival In Pictures

We are leaving this morning to make a whirlwind trip to Sandy Hook, Kentucky, Dayton, Ohio and then back to Flora, Illinois. We are planning to be at the viewing and visitation for my cousin Lowell Boggs in Sandy Hook, Kentucky tonight and then on to Bro. Joe Bill Houston's funeral in Dayton, Ohio on Friday.

I was planning to have the oil changed in the BoggsMobile this morning in Effingham, Illinois (One of the reasons I scheduled this revival to end on Wednesday) but we will have to squeeze the oil change into our travel day on Saturday if possible. I am very glad we scheduled like this since we usually miss so many funerals of family and church friends at home.

We closed revival last night here at New Hope Pentecostal Church in Flora, Illinois. This was our first visit with Pastor Jeff Hough and his church and we have enjoyed it very much. God has blessed in all five services and it has been a joy to meet and worship with all these fine folks.

It has been great to get to know the Hough family as well. The Hough's have a married son that lives away from here and we know him. Here in Flora they have a married son and daughter in law. Plus they have four girls that live at home. It has been a pleasure to meet them and to interact with them this week.

May God bless them all for the kindness they have shown to our family. I hope you enjoy the Revival In Pictures.

Davy

Sis. Hough and Kelly Jo



Bro. and Sis. Hough

Mobile Viewing of boggsblogs.com

A little housekeeping on the blog today.

Many of you read the blog on a mobile device such as your phone or your tablet. If you do then you may have noticed a different look on our blog the last week or so. Normally when you view the blog on a mobile device you seen the same thing as you see when viewing on laptop or desktop. It should look something like this.

Then you can tap it to zoom it up closer to read the body of the blog.

You can also see the contents of the sidebars on both sides.

I would rather view most websites in their full form rather than their mobile format. I like to be able to see the content in the sidebars. I like to be able navigate to the archives, labels and various widgets in the desktop format. 

Since that is the way I prefer to view it I left the mobile version in the off position. I have been reading lately that most internet users are viewing the internet primarily on mobile devices and those numbers are going up exponentially every year.

Then the company that designed our website at davykellyandodie.com sent me this:

"Approximately 66% of internet users are using mobile devices as well as their laptop/pc to view website content. With this in mind, it is important to offer them a mobile version of your website giving them faster load pages and easier navigation, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, to not lose your website page ranking. 

Google the largest search engine says:

Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices."

Our davykellyandodie.com website  is pretty much just a static information page now with no new content added so it being found by search engines is not as important as boggsblogs being found easily by those searching the web. I probably will not mess with creating a mobile version of davykellyandodie.com but it is very easy to do on blogger.

One thing that has been great about the blog is that it is so easy to find on Google. We get regular visits from all over the world when people search for names of people, churches, towns and restaurants that been in the blog and terms like pentecost, church, preachers, holiness, bible, buses, campgrounds and many more words.

If the blog shows up in an seemingly unrelated search and the searcher follows the link to our blog and stays to read a while, then that is a good thing. I want that to continue as much as possible.

So I toggled the mobile switch on last week and now you see a mobile version on your phone and tablet. It should look something like this.

My question is do you like it this way? Is it better? It may be here to stay but I would like to know what you think. Let me know what your opinion. 

If you would rather view the blog in the desktop version on your mobile device, you can go to the bottom of the page and click on "View Web Version" right under the "Home" button.

Have a great day.

Davy

Joe Bill Houston

Our dear friend Bro. Joe Bill Houston passed away Sunday and leaves behind a large grieving family, a home church that cherished him and a great multitude of friends all over the USA. He was 91 years old. Joe Bill was a Godly man, a preacher's friend, a tremendous singer, a great song writer, a hard worker and generous giver.

Those of you that know Bro. Joe Bill Houston know that the church lost a great soldier Sunday. Those of you that never met Joe Bill or heard him pray or sing have been cheated on a great part of life. Bro. Joe Bill was one of a kind and made a big impression where ever he went.

Bro. Joe Bill is part of our earliest memories of Dryden Rd. Church when we visited there in the mid 1980's. He was one of the first to welcome us with a big smile, a hearty GOD BLESS YOU and a few pieces of candy. We were strangers and his love took us in.

A few years after Dryden Rd. became home for us I made my first road trip with Bro. Joe Bill. I picked him up on a Monday evening to drive 800 miles to Allentown March Meeting in Semmes, Alabama. We loaded every thing in back of my Chevy Sprint but he wanted the large brown grocery sack in the front floor board between his feet. "You got to keep the driver well fed" he said, and well fed I was. It seemed like he had two tons of groceries in that bag. From cookies and pies to colby cheese, bologna, sweet potatoes, grapes, nuts, bananas and much more, he had it all.

He introduced me to Allentown that trip and in doing so introduced us to a whole world of friendships that we still enjoy today. We ate fried chicken, pies and cakes, seafood and my first gumbo! We sang, shouted and said Amen to the preaching until we were about to hoarse to talk on the way home. We duplicated that trip with my girls along several more times in addition to other trips to various campmeetings. It was a continuation of the tremendous influence Bro. Joe Bill Houston had on our lives.

He had a heart full of love and he lived to share everything he had with every one that would allow him to. He loved me and my girls as much as we have ever been loved and it changed our lives for the better. He affected us not only temporally but for eternity. He loved God passionately and talked to him as a man would his friend and that made God very real to us.

Bro. Joe Bill wrote the song "Fix It Man" that his son Evangelist Bill Houston sings and that we often sing as well. Bro. Joe Bill has blessed thousands of people with that one song. It ministers to people every time we sing it but nobody could sing it like Joe Bill did. I guess he danced in the Spirit every time I ever heard him sing it and it never got old.

Bro. Joe Bill was also famous for taking up offerings at campmeetings and praying over meals. He would often ask God to help the "stingy guts" when praying over the offering. I am sure he brought conviction to more than a few "stingy guts" through the yeas. His prayers over meals were as legendary as his healthy appetite.

Here is a picture of Bro. Joe Bill praying over lunch at the end of a morning service at Dryden Rd. Indoor Fellowship Meeting in 2012.



Odie was sitting in front of him when he prayed over the meal at Indoor in 2014. She recorded part of the prayer on her phone and I am glad she did. She made a video of the prayer by putting the audio with a picture of Bro. Joe Bill the same year and most likely the same day. You may have to view it on your computer as it may not play on a mobile device for some reason.

Here are a few more pictures of Bro. Joe Bill through the years.

2014

2012



2007

We miss you already, my dear friend. See you soon!

Bro. Joe Bill Houston's viewing will be at Dryden Rd. Pentecostal Church at 3201 Dryden Rd. Dayton, Ohio on Thursday night April 16th from 5-8 and the funeral will be at the church on Friday the 17th at 12:00 PM. 

Davy

Weekend Round Up

We wrapped up Friday in Evansville with a great lunch with Bro. and Sis. Eaton.





And a great final service at Full Gospel Mission.

We pulled out of Bro. Feldbusch's church about 9:45.

Here we are hooked up and ready to go.

It was only 95 miles from Evansville, Indiana to Flora, Illinois but only 45 miles of it was on interstate so it took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the drive. Although it has been rainy and stormy most of the week, Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. It was a great day to travel.

We were not sure if we could park at the church so we stopped at a truck stop and I drove the Green Machine to the church. I checked the church out and a church camp nearby and decided the church would be better. We squeezed into the parking lot and Kelly Jo did a 16 point turn around and now we are parked next to the church.

Pastor Jeff Hough helped me wire into the electrical panel and soon we were settled in for the week.

This is our first time with Pastor Hough and his folks at New Hope and we are very glad to be here for a few services. God touched us in both services on Sunday and we are very thankful.

Pastor Jeff Hough and Davy

I mentioned Bro. Joe Bill Houston in yesterday's post. Sadly Bro. Joe Bill passed away Sunday. I plan to post a tribute to him tomorrow.

My Dad's first cousin, Lowell Boggs passed away Sunday evening as well. Cousin Lowell was a good solid man and a fine Christian. He has been sick and declining a long time but he still left us too soon.

Here is a picture of Lowell, his brother George, my Dad and me taken in Grayson, Kentucky at Cousin George's house in December 2013.

Please pray for these families.

Davy

View Out The Front Window April 12, 2015

Check out our posts from this last week at the links below.

Odie's Saturday Post

Evansville - Revival In Pictures

Riverdale Choir Tour

The Great Shoe Experiment

Excellent Easter Weekend

View Out The Front Window April 6, 2015

He Wouldn't Stay Dead

We are parked at New Hope Pentecostal Church in Flora, Illinois where we are beginning revival this morning and plan to go through Wednesday night.

This is our view our the front door.



This is our view our the front window.

Please pray for all our Deane friends from Virginia and Florida. Larry Deane passed away last night. We loved Bro. Larry so much along with his brothers Phillip and Eddie and their precious parents too. They are all super great folks and they need God to help them through this. Thanks for praying.

This is Phillip, Eddie and Larry in the wheelchair with us at Lambert's in Foley, Alabama in March 2013. We will never forget that day and many others we have enjoyed with this family.

I also have an aunt named Dawn that really needs prayer and Bro Joe Bill Houston from our home church needs prayer too.

Thanks for reading today.

Davy

Love Is Stronger

Hey friends, happy Saturday from Odie. Today we are traveling to Flora, Illinois. We are anticipating a wonderful week in a new church for us. 

I hope you had a great week. We greatly enjoyed our week in Evansville, Indiana. It was so good to be with Pastor John Eaton and everyone at Full Gospel Mission. God met with us in a sweet way every service. 

This week is the 1 year mark since I had my vision problems. If you are a new reader, for 9 days last April I was completely blind in my left eye. At the end of the 9th day God began to restore my vision. According to my Nuero- ophthalmologist by August 2014 my "blind eye" had 20/30 vision. We still daily give God praise for a miracle! Glory to God for His touch.

I received a miracle because countless people carried a burden for me and interceded to God for me. I will forever be grateful for everyone that bombarded Heaven on my behalf! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for praying for me when I was in need of a miracle. 

God bless you for caring. God bless you for loving. God bless you for putting that love into action. The love of my family, the love of my friends and mostly the love of God strengthened me through this very dark time for me.

I have been pondering the Jason Crabb song "Love Is Stonger". This song is packed with powerful lyrics. It is not a new song, but listen to it and savor the words of this song. Maybe you have come through your valley and can look back and rejoice. But if you are surrounded right now by storms and can not find sunlight I want to encourage you to hold on to the love of an awesome God. The end of your hard time will come! God's love will conquer.

Have an excellent weekend!  

Odie

Below is the link to official Jason Crabb music video. You might want a tissue in hand before watching this clip. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mZuWbA2LnlE

Love Is Stronger 

You went down one of those roads
Nobody should have to go
Life sure got real real fast
You couldn't see your way out
Your world was under a cloud
All you could feel was helpless
You didn't think you could do it
Oh but you got through it

You kept faith when you didn't have a prayer
Found hope when it wasn't even there
Up against the impossible you just wouldn't back down
You kept fighting
That heavy cross you carried
Ain't weighin' you down any longer
Life is tough but love is stronger

You're finally facing the sun,
Your brighter days have begun
Look at you now just soakin' it in
You're smiling, you're laughing
You're happy you're living 

Every moment surrounded by
All the beautiful reasons why

You kept faith when you didn't have a prayer
Found hope when it wasn't even there
Up against the impossible you just wouldn't back down
You kept fighting
That heavy cross you carried
Ain't weighin' you down any longer
Life is tough but love is stronger

You kept faith when you didn't have a prayer
Found hope when it wasn't even there
Up against the impossible you just wouldn't back down
You kept fighting
That heavy cross you carried
Ain't weighin' you down any longer
Life is tough,So tough but love is stronger