TameraB

Offer Your Heart

2008-10-18T07:25:00.000-05:00

Now for one of the most beautiful mysteries of the feminine heart.

Women minister something to the heart of God that men do not. Look at the record. It was a woman who rushed into the Pharisee’s house uninvited and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and kissed them in an act of intimate repentant worship. It was a woman who broke the alabaster vase over Jesus’ head, anointing him with oil and the fragrance of her sacrificial worship filled the room. It was women who followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. It was women who stayed at the foot of the cross offering him the comfort of their presence until Jesus breathed his last. It was to women that Jesus first revealed himself after he rose from the dead and it was women who first “clasped his feet and worshiped him” as the Risen, Victorious Lord.

Women hold a special place in the heart of God. A woman’s worship brings Jesus immense pleasure and a deep ministry. You can minister to the heart of God. You impact Him. You matter. Jesus desires you to pour out your love on him in extravagant worship that ministers to his heart. This is not just for women who have the time; women who are really spiritual. You are made for romance and the only one who can offer it to you consistently and deeply is Jesus.

Offer your heart to him.

(Captivating, 124-125)

It Appears Sensible To Opt Out

2008-09-20T20:46:00.003-05:00

Wow, today's devotional. It says a lot. It is so true that we tend to do this "becoming our own directors and playwrights at least promises a level of control over the script." We want to control so much, and God is saying, 'I have a bigger picture than you can see, if you will just let go and give the control to Me, I already have the smash Broadway play written for your life! I already have the book written...and it's good, it's right, it's my plan for you. There is joy there and if you just let go, just surrender, allow Me to guide you into the bigger play, the bigger picture, it will come together, and then you will see...' and truly then we will say to The Lord "Why did I ever doubt you, how could I have ever thought I knew better."

"At one point in the long, arduous campaign of delivering to Judah the bad news of coming judgment and futile calls for repentance, Jeremiah explodes with thoughts that have apparently been building in him for a while with regard to God’s use of him:

O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived;
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
But if I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot. (Jer. 20:7–9 niv)

Jeremiah complains that not only has God written a play that casts him in a devastating role, but that he has also placed a fire in his heart that will not let him leave the play even if he wants to.

…Faced with the Message of the Arrows and a part too big that God the Cosmic Playwright insists is ours, with little clarity on the meaning and relationship of our scenes and character to the larger play, it appears more than sensible to opt out and go off-Broadway. Even though the smaller plays we write are often just pieces of stories, becoming our own directors and playwrights at least promises a level of control over the script. We hope we can eliminate most of the relational unknowns along with the villain and live in our smaller stories with some modicum of peace and quiet.

What is this drama God has dropped us into the middle of? What act of the play are we in and what do our scenes have to do with the larger story being told?" The Sacred Romance

Interesting article

2008-09-09T22:25:00.003-05:00

I had my eyes opened to some things recently. I have been "listening" to what is being said around me from many different directions. I keep hearing a theme. People have been coming to me from many different facets of life and through their unprompted sharing, have spoken volumns to me. More confirmations from the Lord on so many things He has been teaching me. Since the movie is coming out in a couple of weeks that I blogged about, I thought this article was interesting that was in my email today. Many of these points reminded me of some things I needed to remember....thought I would share it with others.

"Are you ready for a relationship that is going to lead somewhere without you being led on? It's time to start weeding out the commitment phobics and put your time and effort into men that are looking for the kind of relationship you want -- one that has a future. If you're interested in getting married, ignore these at your own risk. Here's what to look for:
1. His friends are married
If you are interested in a guy, check out his friends' left hands to see if they have wedding rings on.
Research has show that if his friends are already married, he's more likely to get married.
Research has show that if his friends are already married, he's more likely to get married. If all of his friends are still single and in the "party-with-the-boys" phase, that's a bad sign.
2. He's financially secure
Studies show that men who own a home are more marriage-ready. A man who is generally financially stable, and has his ducks in a row, feels marriage is a practical next step for him.
3. He pursues you
The guy who is commitment-ready is going to initiate doing things with you. If you're emailing him and he takes days to email you back, if you have to text him to find out where he is, if you are always calling him, you're chasing a man who's probably not marriage-material.
4. He's willing to wait
Yes, research is telling us what we already know: If a guy gets to know you before getting intimate, he is more likely to commit.
5. He watches DVDs with you when you're sick
Taking care of you when you're sick shows that this guy isn't just in it for the fun and sex. If he wants to be with you in bad times, it's a sign he's in it for the long haul.
6. He gets to know your friends and family
A guy who is thinking long-term wants to truly get to know you. Seeing you interact with your family and friends helps him learn where you come from and more about who you are. The flip side of it is that he will also want you to get to know him! He'll want to see if you fit in with his family and friends. A guy who keeps you separate from the important people in his life is just playing around.
7. He says, "we" instead of "me"
When he switches from "me" to "we", that's a sign he's committing to you at a deeper level. If your guy is all, "I", "me", and "my" instead of "we" and "us" in conversations after you've been dating a while, his mindset is still in single guy mode.
8. He's not afraid of compromise

A commitment-ready guy is going to ask your opinion, consult you about decisions he needs to make, and has the ability to meet you half-way.
A commitment-ready guy is going to ask your opinion, consult you about decisions he needs to make, and has the ability to meet you half-way. A bull-headed guy who needs everything his way or it's the highway, isn't ready for the compromise that's naturally part of a mature relationship.
9. He doesn't need excuses
Commitment-phobic guys always have an excuse about why they can't be with you on Saturday night, why they didn't call, and why they aren't ready for a relationship right now. A commitment-ready guy doesn't need excuses, he just needs you.
10. He likes being in a long-term relationship
Some men like being in a monogamous relationship and some don't. The sooner you realize and accept this the better. If he complains all the time about needing space, treats you like a giant burden instead of a gift, and keeps talking about taking things slow, he's telling you he's not ready for a commitment. On the other hand, if he's done with the party scene, enjoys your "couple time" together, and has a strong sense of family, you've found a commitment-ready guy."
Caroline Presno, Ed.D., P.C.C.,

Over Flowing

2008-09-04T23:55:00.003-05:00

Where do I start? So much has been happening this past several weeks. A new church, a writing class, filming in the studio, Sisters of Ruwanda (now known as 8Keza which means "Beautiful"), movies, Shakespeare in the Park, stacking wood :-), new places in The Lord, the county fair, awesome worship, new revelation, new classes, God promotions......Wow, I could go on and on. We're moving into a new place....spiritually and in the physical. You can feel it, see it, taste it....things are not the same, not what they used to be. No more same old same old....there is a stirring, a fire, an expectancy, an excitement, a knowing of what God is doing and about to do in the body of Christ. Revival is happening around the world. And in and through all of this, Jesus is showing himself strong in us, showing Himself in a new way to us and confirming His word every step of the way. We are entering into that rest, the rest where we cease from our labor or work, and truly trust and follow Him into what He has called us to. It's not an arrival, but the next level, the next step, following Him into the unkown if you will, neverthless, it's very real....exciting and scary.

There is a new movie coming out that was dropped into my email today from a friend. I hope everyone will go to see it. I have already bought tickets to go. See the trailer on my home page. It is very, very good and to see something like this, that is so near and dear to my heart, be released into the main stream theatre/media is just another thing The Lord is up to. In a time, like no other, when marriage, God's plan for marriage, is under such an attack from every side, here comes this movie. The timing is no mistake, just like The Passion of the Christ and it's release. It's no coincidence that a new class at church is starting in 2 weeks on Building Strong Marriages, or that I have been drawn to read Song of Solomon (no easy feat). I haven't read Song of Solomon in a long while, and that has been on purpose. It is easily the most erotic book written on marriage, courting, sex, make up sex, fighting fair, God's plan on how to do it right. Not easy to read when your single and don't have the mate to go to and...let's say.....put into action what you've just learned......hmmmm? Yea, you know what I mean (bow chica bow wow, chica bow wow).

Anyway, I have been wanting to blog for a couple of weeks and have been.....'productive' in so many area's that I have not had the time to do it. I have been reading a lot of things, Song of Solomon, Prophecy from MorningStar ministry, Captivating, some from Wild At Heart, Esther (I just love her), Ruth (another favorite), listening to new Worship music and messages from church, The Scene. And through all of this, God has been leading me, teaching me, a common thread woven throughout...........marriage, relationships, are not black and white, not cut and dry, not perfect. He is teaching me that there are many facets, many sides to it and many facets and many sides to each of us. Sometimes we will be pursued, and sometimes we will pursue (Song of Solomon Chapter 6 where they have a fight, he leaves, she pursues, she perfumes the bed, prepares it....why? Make up sex.) In the beginning of this book, she is pursued by The Beloved, romanced, wooed if you will. But something I noticed this time, they both have words of encouragement and building each other up, especially to their friends. Not backbiting or talking behind each others back, but she is telling her girls when they ask "What is your beloved any more than another beloved?" Oh my, have you seen her response..Chapter 5 vs 10-16. She is raving about her man. "Chief among ten thousand...his eyes, his cheeks, his lips, his hands, his legs....Excellent as the cedars. She says he is altogether lovely and she finishes this talk by saying "This is my beloved, and this is my friend." She know's who he is to her, she is assured of him and his love and she can't say enough about this amazing man God has given to her. And don't even think about saying anything against her beloved or it's Zena Warrior Princess time! But look in Chapter 6 vs 4-10 at what The Beloved has to say about his woman "you are beautiful, lovely, awesome as an army, my dove, my perfect one." You get the picture. But the point here is not that this relationship is perfect, what they were saying to each other at this point was after they had fought. The movie "Fireproof" gives a similar message....even if you have fought, argued, disagreed, don't leave your partner behind....God will make you stronger and closer with every thing that you go through. Committment is what you see in Song of Solomon, in this movie 'Fireproof". It's so easy to walk away, it's so easy to say I can't do this anymore, because most are doing that. But God is calling us back to a higher level, a new beginning, a new committment, a fresh anointing on marriages. The relationship can and will be better than ever, and He needs us to be the examples instead of the statistics. To show a lost world that it can be done through Jesus, that it can be a taste of heaven on earth as God intended. Yea it takes work, it takes putting the other person before yourself.....but that's true love, God's love.

We all want to be loved and cared about, nothing wrong with that at all. But when we do pray for God's best for each other, then we are loving at a higher level than our little understanding. None of us are perfect and we're all in process and that's OK. It takes the pressure off when we can trust God and know His very best for us is manifesting around us daily in every area of our lives. That we are walking in His will and our destiny...Wow.

Song of Solomon...He's talking to me!

2008-08-16T00:14:00.004-05:00

It's been a really astounding time. Lot's going on, up's and downs that come, but making progress in what He is teaching me. Sometimes things He teaches us are hard, even painful, sometimes they are just plain wondrous. Like how you can be down, and He comes along side you and woo's you, loves you, talks to you, guides you...and yes romances you. Would you believe all of those things in the past many weeks He has been to me. I'm getting some things that I never got before, seeing some things I never even thought of. As I have been listening to Captivating again on CD, I am learning more and more about myself, but just as much, and oddly I didn't expect this....I am learning more and more about my husband. Let me explain.

As I have been listening to Chapter after Chapter, I am rediscovering who God made me to be, and why He made me, as a woman to be this way. Rediscovering that the attributes He has placed in me are His attributes, I am His daughter; therefore, there is nothing for me to be ashamed of. He is Beauty, everything about Him is beautiful, and He has given me a beauty to unveil. He is affectionate and a Lover, so He has given me not only a need for affection, but to give affection and be a lover as well. What He has been showing me is quite amazing. As I rest in Him, as I grow towards my full potential in Him, as I walk into the Destiny He is calling me to, the more I am getting to know Him and who I am in Him.....the Lover of my soul.

I was pondering many things last night, and talking with Jesus. Troubled about some things, concerned about others, questioning even some additional things. When I woke up this morning, as I opened my bible, I just grabbed it and it opened to Song of Solomon 4. This is a new bible, a New Kings James Version, I haven't had it long, so it didn't fall open there from lots of use, and I have never read this book in this particular bible. Anyway, that's not important. But what is important, is that He began romancing me this morning and that matters. As I read the following chapter, I realized after what I had been talking to Him about last night, that He was answering me, He was romancing me, loving on me, but here is the newest revelation that I have gotten from this, for me anyway; He has been and is continuing to teach me about my husband. The example He is showing me, is giving me, the way He is being with me in every way, He is showing me what my husband is going to ultimately be like, how he will relate to me, how he already had those attributes of God in him (just like me, it is a process too). Now let me clarify, I'm not talking about a perfect man here, I'm talking about a man that will naturally walk in and project Jesus' attributes, because God created him to be that way. God already placed in him those attributes, and just like me, sometimes it takes longer to realize who we are, who he has made us to be, understand those attributes and walk in them, but He loves us enough to keep teaching us until we get it. So as you read the chapter below, remember this is the wedding day/night in Song of Solomon. Not only is this a picture of Jesus and His Bride, the church, but it is a true picture of a Husband and his Wife. See if you see the parallel between God and His attributes, and those same attributes he has placed in the man. In this book, he is the man that makes his intentions known; he doesn't keep her guessing, just like God does with us. He pursues her with the love and passion that takes her breath away, just like God does with us. He communicates with her, tells her how he feels, opens his heart to her and trusts her with his love, just like God does with us. He woo's her, compliments her, fights for her and her love, just like God does with us. He shows his strength to her just like God does with us. And what is the return? She willingly, passionately, completely and totally abandons herself to him, not holding anything back. Ready to love and honor and respect him because of all of these attributes God has placed in him....he is walking in and trying to walk in. Being the man that God created him to be and she being the woman God created her to be. It has been an amazing revelation, and I don't know that what I can write here will do it justice. I hope this blesses you all in so many ways.

Song of Solomon 4
THE Beloved
1 Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is barren among them.
3 Your lips are like a strand of scarlet,
And your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
Are like a piece of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built for an armory,
On which hang a thousand bucklers,
All shields of mighty men.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
Twins of a gazelle,
Which feed among the lilies.
6 Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
7 You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,
With me from Lebanon.
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions’ dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.
9 You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
10 How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
11 Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
15 A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.
THE Shulamite
16 Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant fruits.

Visiting my Parents

2008-08-11T23:13:00.002-05:00

When I went home to visit my parents a couple of weekends ago, my sister sent with me this cool 10ft x 10ft Gazebo. Me and my sister-in-law put it together for Mom and Daddy. They live in the country, so their driveway is gravel and we set it next to the house to get it as level as possible. We put folding chairs in it, a small fridge my brother gave them, a fan, and yes a throw rug! Pretty redneck huh! But hey, I also put white lights along the inside, so it's a pretty cool place to come in out of the sun when Daddy's been working in the garden or just to get some fresh air. At night it's pretty with the lights, and you can sit out there and hear the crickets and feel a cool breeze. They were really enjoying it. We even broke it in by having a picnic in there. You will notice that we put the gas grill right outside...Ha, Ha! All the conveniences of home right outside your back door....literally!

Daddy has had a pretty good garden this year. His tomatoes and corn are starting to come in and his trusty helper "Sam" is right there with him. Daddy loves this dog. He is an Australian shephard I think. Sam actually belongs to the neighbors at the end of their road, but Sam thinks he belongs to my parents so they feed him and keep him and he stays there most of the time. This pic is too funny, he looks like "you talkin' to me!?" Just thought I'd share some from East TN.

Living in the Present

2008-08-06T22:27:00.001-05:00

You know, life is full of surprises, twists and turns, but truly an amazing adventure. It's about connections, opportunities, moments, present moments, that will take us to the next step, the next moment the next level the next place, all bringing us to the point where, we don't arrive, but we move to the next chapter. God in all His infinite wisdom, placing pieces to the puzzle of our lives, one at a time, until we get to a point that we can actually begin to see the blueprint, the picture of our life begin to take shape and form, where we begin to walk truly in the middle of His will, His plan, and when it comes together, it's like the whole world stops. Like you have stepped into heaven on earth, and 'suddenly' all is right. All is coming together, and you know that you know that God is truly leading your every step. And your humbled, and your in awe, and you watch with great wonder, as He unviels His beauty, and a little more of His plan for your life, and you are ecstatic with the scope and possibilities it brings.

Such has life been this past little while. God has been teaching me about me. He has been revealing to me who I am, who I am in Him. He has been showing me how to live in the present, and not in the future where I have to admit I have lived most of my life. We miss out on so much of life by constantly looking to the future, and we miss the treasures of the moment that He has right here in front of us in the present. Maybe it took me longer to learn it than most, but it has been life changing for me. I have been learning about not going back into old ruts, but taking one day at a time, living in the moment, experiencing the present and touching the lives and the things He needs me to touch right here and right now. He has had me praying very specifically in some areas, ministering as He leads in others, and all the while showing me who I really am in Him. He has nudged me over and over again for several months to read/listen to Captivating again, and now that I am listening to it while in my car, He is giving me a whole new perspective. It's about becoming who I am supposed to be in Him and for Him. It's about walking in and appreciating and embracing His attributes that He has placed in me. Becoming everything He has created me to be.

The Lord has also through this been opening some very unusual doors for me. Meeting people for the first time with some amazing testimonies, things I have placed in my heart to chew on until He shows me more. Sisters of Ruwanda ministry that I am volunteering for. See the necklaces they have made, putting the tag on each one with the name of the dear sister that made it. Hearing the testimonies of how they have come out of their life of prostitution, and are blessed with this business opportunity to make money so they don't have to go back to the streets. Being rescued from a life that only God could reach down and rescue them from, and He does that, through all of us. It's an amazing time, it's a time of wonder and awe and "suddenly". I don't know what's next, but I know that I am taking one step at a time, one day at a time, living in this wonderful present, and being open to accept all of the opportunities He is bringing my way. He keeps showing me it is about realtionship and connections. Connections that He has put in place, we are all connected, and He is working it all for our good. It's not about me anyway....it's about Him...Jesus....and I love Him so much.

OK, I didn’t write this but I couldn’t resist posting....

2008-07-20T00:46:00.001-05:00

This was sent to me and I couldn't just pass it up. I had to post it. I thought it was a very interesting article. I have seen and heard many, many examples of younger men, older women. I have always been interested in hearing more about the successful relationships that people have told me about, so I thought it was very interesting that this article came to me. Thought I would share it for what it's worth........

Dating Older Women By Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D...

Perspectives from the "younger men" and dating tips for them

The reasons why some men date older women are as varied as the women themselves. These women, because of their experience, often have more wisdom and self-assurance than younger women -- perhaps they may also possess more self-reliance and tolerance.
Some men receive mentoring from older women, who have had more relationship experience and often understand men well. Clearer about who they are and what they want, "older women" may even have an advantage in the dating arena.
In some cases, having a relationship with an older woman may work for men who don't want children:
"My wife and I have been married for almost 20 years," says Rocco. "She was 53 and I was 41 when we met. We both shared many values, including our faith. Our children are grown up now, and mine love her. So, it's worked out very well. I tell men who have been divorced at least once to go for an older woman... If you find the right one, don't worry about age -- unless you still want more children."

A man who dates someone who has children his age will run into the occassional social opposition. But there are men (like Ben, 25, who is dating a 45-year-old woman) who can overcome resistance. Ben says:
"A woman can be 25 and marry a man of 45 or 55 and, hey, whatever. Traditionally, it's been ingrained in our psyches... that's the way it goes, but not the other way around. We've always known that age may be an issue. But now that we've been together for a while, I have a new perspective.

Through my experience as a therapist and marriage counselor, age difference isn't as important in a relationship as most people think. What counts is whether a couple can create a working partnership and build an enjoyable life together. So, for you men who've fallen head-over-heels in love with an older woman, I've developed nine tips on how to enjoy your newly found romance:

1. Be a gentleman. An older woman wants to be treated with respect, like any woman does. While she might attracted to your rebelliousness or youthful attitude, she still wants you to treat her with good manners.
2. Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't worry about the future until you actually might have one. Take your time and allow the relationship to develop.
3. Stay calm. You may be excited, but don't overdo it. Have fun and enjoy your dates, but don't come on too strong. She has some reservations, too.
4. Be charming. Don't underestimate how powerful your smile can be. Use it often, make eye contact, and keep the conversation flowing. Pay attention to what interests you about your date, and show interest in her opinions, experiences, and activities. Be complementary whenever possible, and respond intelligently to whatever she says.
5. Don't focus on looks.
Give complements, but focus less on her physical appearance -- she may be anxious about it. And even if you're complementary, she may worry that you're too focused on looks. She wants to be appreciated for who she is, including her intellect and style. Compliments like "That color is lovely on you," or "You look great tonight" are safer than "You're in great shape."
6. Have fun. Keep your dates simple and have a good time. Focus on being pleasant, and not getting too far ahead of the relationship. Refrain from talking too long about any one subject without inviting a comment from your date.
7. Keep conversation interesting and light. Feel free to talk about anything, including your personal lives, past relationships, and love in general, but don't be the one who brings up the intimate topics first. Be wary of prying too deeply into her private life and secrets, unless the information is voluntarily offered.
8. Avoid talking too much about yourself. Keep your focus on learning about your date. Dole out the boring information about yourself. Punctuate your conversation with questions: "What do you think?" "Has it been that way for you?"
9. Pay attention! Listen to answers to your questions. You have things to learn here! Seek to get to know each other better. No matter how thrilled you may be about her, listening to what she says, watching what she does, and understanding how she feels are the most important things you can do.

Can these older woman/younger man relationships last?
In my counseling office, I have seen many relationships succeed with this kind of older woman/younger man scenario.

The media focuses on the age difference, but what really makes or breaks the relationship is how well the couple can form a partnership that works.

Age difference is an adolescent worry: When you're a teenager, an age difference of even two or three years makes a vast difference in your experience and your outlook on life. Such a difference can interfere with communication, life goals, outlook, and relationship experience. In addition, for the young, the social reaction to such a relationship is often negative. If one partner is underage, a sexual relationship is even against the law.
But, as you get older, life experience and emotional growth help to equalize your relationship skills and resources. A 10-year or more difference in your ages makes little difference in how well you can conduct your relationship.

Don't focus on an arbitrary numbers difference in your ages. If you are getting along, you have good communication and problem solving, and you love each other, that's a precious thing, and far more important than any age difference could be. If other people have a problem with it, let it be their problem. Whether or not a relationship is healthy is not determined by age differences, but by the interaction between the partners.

Success in these relationships depends on what the motivations of both people are. Some older people feel younger at heart than their contemporaries and like to date people who are as active as they are. Chronological age doesn't always reflect either physical capability or emotional maturity.

If you're asking: "Is it OK for me to have a partner who is much older or younger than I am?" You'll do better off if you forget about your ages and concentrate on whether the relationship works for both of you, or not. What really makes a romantic relationship succeed is the emotional connection.

Ruts......

2008-07-12T09:44:00.001-05:00

Yes, that's right RUTS! God really started talking to me about being in Ruts last week. Someone mentioned it in our group that went out to the Parthenon one night and it just struck a chord in me and I started thinking about it more and more. I realized how easy it is for us to get stuck in Ruts, get out of old Ruts just to go right back in because it's easy and sometimes comfortable, or create new Ruts.

God's not in the RUTS!!!! Over the weekend I was driving in the country and looked out into a field and saw where the cows had made a path from a barn to the field and vice versa. When I saw it the Lord immediatly started talking to me about that. He showed me that as followers of Christ, we have gotten into Ruts in ways we never even thought was a Rut. We have gotten into Ruts in our prayer lives, in the way we pray for people, for situations. We have gotten into Ruts in the way we go to church, how we worship, how we come to Him. If something familiar happens the same way it has happened before in our lives, we tend to go back to that old Rut. We have gotten into Ruts in our thinking processes. If we are hurt, or offended or if something happens in life as it has happened before, we retreat to old thought patterns, which triggers old ways of thinking and acting accordingly, and yet we somehow expect different results!

The Lord said that those cows go out of the barn to the field the same way, every day, out and back in, out and back in, the same old rut. He has said the He is not in the barn anymore........He's over on the other side of the field! He's doing a new thing, working over there and if we stay in the same Rut, headed towards the barn, we're going to miss Him! His word never changes, the end results He has promised in His word never changes, BUT the way He brings them about changes. He is not a cookie cutter God! He is not going to do things the same way over and over again, so that He can be figured out and we can then say, OK if I do this and this and say this and this, and pray that and that, then Poof.....I can have the same results everytime! Nope, not gonna happen! Then we wouldn't need Him if we could do it on our own. He is asking why are we reverting back to old thought processes (Ruts), Old ways of doing things (Ruts), approaching Him in the same old tired way (Ruts), asking for the same old things (Ruts) and expecting something brand new, or something different!

He is saying, "Get out of the Rut, run across that field towards me! Behold old things are passed away, and behold alls things have become new!" Come learn of Him in a new way, force yourself out of that Rut so He can manifest into your life the things you have wanted and prayed for and believed Him for all of your life! Know that He is going to do it His way, and it won't be back where the Rut is! When Jesus called Peter to come and meet Him on the water, I expect the diciples had been across that water that same way many, many times. Peter didn't think twice about jumping out of that boat and heading towards His Lord, but then huge winds, tall waves (circimstances) got in the way and he let those become bigger than his faith in Jesus. Peter got out of the Rut, and he too walked on the water! Jump out of that Rut or Ruts, start running towards Him in a new thought life (our mind is renewed by the word of God), in new ways of thinking, in new actions, and don't let any circumstances get in your way! You will be so glad that you did. You will see the manifestation of the prayers, the things you have been believing Him for, in your life! Praise Him! Jesus is so worthy of ALL our Praise!

True Intimacy....True Love

2008-06-23T22:18:00.002-05:00

I had an amazing experience almost 2 weeks ago now, and I just continue to grow and learn what it all means, and I wanted to share this with everyone so that hopefully it will be light in darkness, blessing where there has been desolation, hope where there has been no hope. I know people look at my myspace and my blogspot (I have been blogging more there than here lately) from all over the country and the world, and I am trusting that this is going to be a witness to everyone around the world that reads it. It is all about HIM and it is all for HIS Glory.

I will be very open and vulnerable, but I am secure in who I am and who He has made me, so I do this for His Glory and so that others might see HIM and what He has for them.

I had a difficult couple of days this particular week. I had been fretting and talking with the Lord about some things that had happened, some hurtful, insensitive things that had been said to me, and just generally fed up with this area of my life. I had had enough. As I was crying out to God on a Tuesday morning, I felt angry, angry at the Lord. That is unusual for me, but I knew that I had come to the point (where He wanted me all along) that I needed to get very real with Him and very honest with Him about where I was and what I truly felt (like He didn't know that already!) As I was driving to Whitehouse to a one day job God had provided for me (that's another blog soon about His amazing Provision), I was crying, talking to the Lord, getting real plain, and real.....real with Him. I am writing this for anyone who has ever experienced any type of rejection in any area of life, felt like God was withholding things from you....etc. If you are breathing, you have experienced that at least once in your life. Back to the story, I told the Lord that I didn't understand why things had come about, had taken place the way they had in the past 2-3 years. I mean after all, I have waited a long time for God to manifest in my life, His promise of a husband and mate. So anyway I was getting very honest with Him about things and I was upset. I was thinking about some conversations and events that had taken place and really asking the Lord some very pointed, serious questions. He really does want us to get real with Him, because guess what? He can handle it. It is when we get real with Him that we are really getting real with ourselves and opening the door and allowing Him to now work and move because we have finally surrendered and gotten ourself out of the way.

Well, while I was at this job, I was by myself the whole day. I was thinking and thinking and talking to the Lord a little here and there, but I was hurt and mad. I was standing in front of the sink, the water was running to fill up the bucket and I was just watching it. In my minds eye I saw, and felt the Lord walk up behind me, I could feel Him, His presence, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. He put His hands on my shoulders and He whispered in my left ear "I love you" and I just started to cry and I relaxed and leaned back into Him and said "I love you too". Then He whispered in my right ear "I do have my best for you" and I cried even more and said "I know you do, but why can't it be right now.....today!?" And then I just let the flood gates open and I cried and cried and worshipped Him. It was the most amazing, initimate moment I have ever had with Jesus like that. We talk about how that He is our Husband first, or if you're a man, He is your Wife first and foremost, but I actually got to experience Him that way for the first time. Not only was He showing me and telling me how much He loved me, as a husband would, but He was also showing me an example of what a husband should be to me. If a husband and his wife were upset, or she was upset with him; he would go to her and comfort her and tell her that he loved her and that it was going to be alright, he would take care of her.

So here are some things He has continued to show me and build on that moment that I want to share with all of you. He loves us so much, He desires to be in every part of our lives. He desires a deeper intimacy with us, and having had just a taste of it, I can tell you it is so amazing. He is giving us an example of what He has planned for us, His best for us. He has shown me over and over and over the past few months His example of the roles of men and women. How He created it to work, and what He intends for me and all of you. If you are a woman, Captivating as He created you to be, we are to be pursued, we are to be fought for, don't settle for anything less (Not talking about playing games girls, just sharing His plan He has already put in place). Not striving, not hiding, not fighting, but Captivating, having that beauty to unveil, being the warrior princess when needed. If you are a man, you are made in His image, to be the Wild at Heart, hunter, fighter, pursuer, lover, priest of the home He has called you to be. Don't let the world tell you that you can't do it, or that you don't measure up....you are a child of God! You have HIS attributes!

He has told me and shown me over and over recently, I am not a concellation prize, I am not second best, I am not someone to be "settled" for and neither are you! I have not been passed by and I am not a victim! He has His best and I am His best for the man that will have his eyes opened to that and see what God has in store for him. And His promise is the same for everyone of you! He does not prefer one over the other....He is in love with all of us. Won't you be in love with Him too! Allow Him into the deepest most intimate parts of your heart.....you won't regret it.

Ephesians 5

"2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."

22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Currently reading :
The Secret Place: Passionately Pursuing His Presence
By D. Arthur Fife

ALL Provision is in HIM

2008-06-13T21:18:00.003-05:00

I just had to share how amazing, how awesome, how wonderful, how beautiful my Lord is. Several weeks ago, I obeyed the Lord by stepping out by faith and leaving the previous job I had. I knew I was supposed to leave and He opened a door for me to do so and I felt as if I was jumping off a cliff not knowing if He would catch me, but I knew in my spirit I was doing the right thing. I don't know where to start to tell you about how my spirit grasped the He is our Provision, that He has ALL provision in HIM. Read John 17:21. If Jesus lives in us and we live in Him, where is the provision? There is no lack of jobs in Him, there is no lack of finances in Him, there is no lack of husbands/wives in Him, there is no lack of health in Him, there is no lack of restoration in Him, there is no lack of opportunities in Him. No Lack In Him!

He has proven Himself to me over and over again and again in this past month. The more I have witnessed about this revelation knowledge to others in the past few weeks, the more I've seen His hand daily in my life. From jobs, to supernatural provision, to intimate moments with my Lord like I have never experienced before! He is changing my life, He is working in and through me and I give Him every bit of The Glory! He has done it all! He is so very worthy of ALL of our Praise! He has blessed me exceeding, abundantly above all that I can ask or think. He has shown me Himself as my Provider, as my Husband, as Warrior fighting on my behalf, as Romancer as my Healer like I have never known or experienced before. I just wanted to take a minute to share with you all and Give Jesus all of my Praise, and ALL of The Glory! He is so worthy! And He does not prefer one person over another, what He has done for me He will do for you! Trust Him like you've never trusted Him before! He won't ever leave you for fail you!

2008-05-29T09:45:00.003-05:00

Just like The Screw Tape Letters by C.S. Lewis, this is again, a reminder of what is really going on in the spirit realm, the battle that really is waged against us. Do we find ourselves asleep, or are we going to wake up to the fact there is a real enemy...the devil....who is out to destroy us? Whether it is with complacency and indifference, or blatant attacks against our stand for The Lord and what He has called us to do....there is a villain, and we can not afford to be naive of his motives......

"The question is not, Are we spiritually oppressed, but Where and How?

Think of it—why does every story have a villain?

Little Red Riding Hood is attacked by a wolf. Dorothy must face and bring down the Wicked Witch of the West. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi go hand to hand against Darth Maul. To release the captives of the Matrix, Neo battles the powerful “agents.” Frodo is hunted by the Black Riders. (The Morgul blade that the Black Riders pierced Frodo with in the battle on Weathertop—it was aimed at his heart). Beowulf kills the monster Grendel, and then he has to battle Grendel’s mother. Saint George slays the dragon. The children who stumbled into Narnia are called upon by Aslan to battle the White Witch and her armies so that Narnia might be free.

Every story has a villain because yours does. You were born into a world at war. When Satan lost the battle against Michael and his angels, “he was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Rev. 12:9). That means that right now, on this earth, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fallen angels, foul spirits, bent on our destruction. And what is Satan’s mood? “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (v. 12). So what does he spend every day and every night of his sleepless, untiring existence doing? “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against . . . those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (v. 17). He has you in his cross hairs, and he isn’t smiling.

You have an enemy. He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, destroy your life." (Waking the Dead , 150–51)

Walking with God

2008-05-17T10:15:00.004-05:00

Wow, you must go to this new website for John Eldredge and listen to the webcast about his new book. It is an entire evening and message about 'Hearing from God'! It is absolutly phenominal! Sign in and listen. I am ordering the book. I want to draw closer and hear from Him more intimately. You will be blessed and inspired to walk even closer with Him after you hear/read this new book. Just click on the title of this blog to take you there. I am also including it under my friend list to the right to get to this site.

There is no lack...He has provided everything

2008-05-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

There have been some challenges of late, to say the least. My job ended, but it was God opening a door. Through prayer and counselling with treasured prayer partner-friends, I saw the light and stepped out by faith to trust God to take me in the direction and next step He wanted me to take. I don't know where that's taking me, I honestly don't. Whether it is to stay here, move somewhere else totally, move into another area of work, relationships, life. I am not sure, but what I do know is I am available, ready and willing for whatever direction in every area of my life that He wants to take me.

Four things that really ministered to me and spoke to me in the past week I wanted to share.

First: I was listening a series by TD Jakes called "Divine Strategies" over the weekend while on the way to my parents. On one of the messages he talked about the children of Israel and Jericho. It was amazing what they went through, not unlike things we do today. What he was pointing out was that God is not a cookie cutter God. He does not get in a rut and have people do the same thing over and over so that He can be figured out. He had them walk around that wall every day. Joshua chapter 6. God told Joshua to walk around the wall one time each day for 6 days. So naturally, they thought the 7th day would be the same, but it wasn't. On the 7th day he told them to walk around the city 7 times not once as before. Not only that, Joshua told them they couldn't even make a sound that day, until he told them to shout. Can you imagine that many people walking around that city, 7 times, and not one peep, not one sound coming out of their mouths. You know they thought Joshua was crazy. God asks us to do what seems like crazy things sometimes, but He is working all things together for our good. So they obeyed, they received God's strategy everyday for where they were and what they were to do and sure enough, when Joshua told them to shout and sound the horns on that 7th day, the walls fell just as God has promised. What TD was saying about that story that moved me so much was that they were in a hard place, going through some rough things, but when they made that place they were in a sanctuary, and began to worship the Lord in the middle of hardness, in the middle of that "hell" they were going through, God gave them HIS strategy. And they obeyed that strategy and God delivered them so far out of that place they were in, that even to this day, Jericho can not be found by archeologist! What he said was that no matter how hard, how rough the place we have been in, if we will worship God, in the middle of this rough place, He will give us His strategy of what to do and He will deliver us so far out of what we have been going through, so far out of the place we have been in that our children and grandchildren will not be able to find any evidence of those hard places, those challenges in our life, but by our testimony only!!!! We will be delivered, moved by God, so far out of this place we have been in, and so blessed and serving God that our children and grandchildren won't be able to identify that we were ever in this time of difficulty!!!!!! Glory to God! Haleluiah!

Second: I was talking with a special, anointed man (you are meant for amazing things), about things that are missing from the Body of Christ. Especially in certain areas. Where are the revivals? Where is the Unity of churches worshipping and serving God as one, as followers of Christ. Where are the miracles, healings, salvations that are the foundation and Core of The Word of God. He has been working in us and calling us to more, something greater. He has been stirring us to wake us up (notice the increased earthquakes, tornados, tsunami's, cyclones) He needs us to step up to the plate and move to a new level of trust, a new level of faith in Him. There is a world out there to reach, and putting that first and foremost brings all of the other things into our life that we need and want and that He wants to give us. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you! People need us to bring Jesus to them. They are hurting, they need us to be ready to pray for them to be healed, delivered, set free, dicipled. Our jobs, our "stuff" doesn't matter, it is about putting The Kingdom of God first, putting people first, being His eyes and His hands and His ears and His mouth.....His Heart. To love unconditionally and be His handmaidens and servants and He will draw the people to Him. It is all for His Glory.....not ours. To shine for Him and lead people into the throne room of God so they too can be in and have a relationship with Him. A heart of worship draws people from every walk of life to Him. We have that heart of worship...........

Three: Right along with this, you can see a theme here that God has been revealing, one step at a time. There was another couple that I have known for a while and watched their lives. I was talking with the wife the past few days as well. They have one of those Jericho testimonies. They have been delivered and so far removed from the "hell" that they were going through, that you can not tell, their grandchildren have no way of knowing, where they came from. 12 or 13 years ago, they were seperated, neither were saved or living for God. He was having an affair, and she was just coming to the Lord, just learning about him and was praying for her husband, praying for their marriage. They were in an amazingly difficult and challenging place. A very long story, and tremendous testimony made shorter, she got saved, prayed for him and God brought him back, he got saved, they started going to church together and began to share about the amazing deliverance God had given them in their lives. They began to be a witness and testimony of God's faithfullness and goodness and sharing with other couples and God began to use them to minister to other marriages, to other people about God's faithfulness and deliverance for them. I watched them from the time they were saved to now grow stronger and stronger in the Lord and in their marriage. Together overcoming every obstacle the enemy tried to throw in their way. Committing their lives to the Lord and to each other to work together for the Lord in whatever capacity he called them to, never looking back. They have raised their family and the very small amount of money they have lived on over the years, God has mulitplied to what I am about to tell you. There has never been much money, but because they have walked out "seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you" they have a home, all new furniture, everything they need is met, but on paper it does not make sense. They have been good stewards of what God has blessed them with, so seeking a high paying job is not what is necessary. I have seen this testimony and it lines up with the first two points above. They have walked with the Lord, being a witness and light, giving their testimony and putting the Lord first, and their life is a living testimony of all of these things God has been showing me this past week. I want to be in this place, and have a testimony that glorifies God like this. There is not much money at all, but there is no lack in any area of their lives...........it makes me cry because of His faithfulness.

Fourth: God showed me in the past couple of days, there is no lack in Him, in His Kingdom. There is no lack of finances, there is no lack of spouses, there is no lack of babies, there is no lack of health, there is no lack of restoration, no lack of jobs.....there is no lack of ministry to be done, there is no lack in Him, and we are in Him and we are his children. So as our Father, He wants us to step into the flow that is already there and let Him carry us in all of His abundance and provision to our next step. In seeking Him first, He can't help but keep His word....and all of these things will be added unto us.

He gave me Finding Nemo as an example. The currant that flowed under the sea that Nemo's Dad had to find so it would carry him to Sydney where he could find his Son, was the key. That currant is the kingdom of God and His way of doing things. Nemo's Dad had worked so hard and labored and toiled and done everything he knew and was getting no where; then he was told about that current, he eventually found it and when he did, all he had to do was jump into it and it carried him to where he needed to go. All provision was in that currant, he didn't have to swim, or toil, or fight, all he had to do was let the current take him there. It didn't mean that he didn't have to work and search to get to the currant, but once he got there the way was already made. (God's strategy, Jerhicho, supernatural provision) He had to step into that currant, that flow by faith! It was an amazing analogy that God gave me and I am so blessed.

He has so much more for us than we can even imagine. God is ALL provision! Halleluiah! He is saying to us, relax, trust, surrender and by faith jump into His ever flowing current, where all the provision is, and allow Him to carry us there, where He needs us to be and where we desire to go. We don't have to fight (I'm not talking about keeping our guard against the enemy, because we do have to be Warriors and Princess Warriors where the enemy is concerned), but totally relax, surrender, trust and "be not afraid....only believe", and He will take us there.

I have learned His provision is always there and has always been flowing, I just didn't know how to step into it. He has shown me that we can't ever get our eyes on the "need", because when we do that becomes bigger than everything else and our focus gets off of Him and His "strategy and plan". But when I surrendered, I allowed myself to just fall into it, all of me, lock, stock and barrell! Just like jumping off a cliff and all you can see is clouds below, but knowing and trusting that the parachute is going to open (His hands) are there to catch and carry us to the next phase, the next step in our lives.....but it is always for His Glory and for His purposes. I Praise You Jesus!

Spring.....Suddenly.....Habkkuk 2:2-3

2008-05-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

"Can it really happen? Can things in our lives be green again? No matter what our creeds may tell us, our hearts have settled into another belief. We have accepted the winter of this world as the final word and tried to get on without the hope of spring. It will never come, we have assumed, and so I must find whatever life here I can. We have been so committed to arranging for our happiness that we have missed the signs of spring. We haven’t given any serious thought to what might be around the corner. Were eternity to appear tomorrow, we would be as shocked as I have been with the return of spring this week, only more so.

Spring here is really a wrestling match between winter and summer. It makes for a long time of waiting. You see, the flowers are pretty much gone in September. In October, the trees start turning gold and drop their leaves in a week or two. Come November, all is gray. Initially, I don’t mind. The coming of winter has its joys, and there are Thanksgiving and Christmastime to look forward to. But after the new year, things begin to drag on. Through February and then March, the earth remains lifeless. The whole world lies shadowed in brown and gray tones, like an old photograph. Winter’s novelty is long past, and by April we are longing for some sign of life—some color, some hope. It’s too long. Such as can be a promise we are waiting for, manifestation…just like Spring.

I rounded the corner into my new neighborhood, and suddenly, the world was green again. What had been rock and twig and dead mulch was a rich oriental carpet of green. I was shocked, stunned. How did it happen? As if in disbelief, I got out of my car and began to walk touching every leaf. The birds are back as well, waking us in the morning with their glad songs. It happened suddenly. In the twinkling of an eye, and it made my heart sing.

My surprise is telling. It seems natural to long for spring; it is another thing to be completely stunned by its return. I am truly and genuinely surprised, as if my reaction were, Really? What are you doing here? And then I realized, I thought I’d never see you again. I think in some deep place inside, I had accepted the fact that winter is what is really true . . . And so I am shocked by the return of spring. And I wonder, Can the same thing happen for my soul?

"Forever and ever? That’s it? That’s the “good news”? And then we sigh and feel guilty that we are not more “spiritual.” We lose heart, and we turn once more to the present to find what life we can. Eternity ends up having no bearing on our search for life whatsoever. It feels like the end of the search. And since we’re not all that sure about what comes after, we search hard now. Remember, we can only hope for what we desire. How can the church service that never ends be more desirable than the richest experiences of life here? It would be no small difference if you knew in your heart that the life you prize is just around the corner, that your deepest desires have been whispering to you all along about what’s coming. You see, Scripture tells us that God has “set eternity” in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11). Where in our hearts? In our desires.

The return of spring brings such relief and joy and anticipation. Life has returned, and with it sunshine, warmth, color, and the long summer days of adventure together. We break out the lawn chairs and the barbecue grill. We tend the garden and drink in all the beauty. We head off for vacations. Isn’t this what we most deeply long for? To leave the winter of the world behind, what Shakespeare called “the winter of our discontent,” and find ourselves suddenly in the open meadows of summer? Suddenly ready to embrace all that God has for us, bursting out with newness of life and sharing that life with others, especially that special one.

We are faced with decisions.............

2008-04-29T15:31:00.003-05:00

Wow, so many times we are looking for one thing, and then when something different comes, we dismiss it so easily. We've all done it. Maybe we should take a much closer look at what we didn't go looking for to see what God is up to.....in what way is He romancing us, what is the bigger story here, why don't we just choose to enter in?

"We are faced with a decision that grows with urgency each passing day: Will we leave our small stories behind and venture forth to follow our Beloved into the Sacred Romance? The choice to become a pilgrim of the heart can happen any day and we can begin our journey from any place. We are here, the time is now, and the Romance is always unfolding. The choice before us is not to make it happen. As G.K. Chesterton said, “An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing that we choose.” Lucy wasn’t looking for Narnia when she found it on the other side of the wardrobe; in a way, it found her. Abraham wasn’t wandering about looking for the one true God; he showed up with an extraordinary invitation. But having had their encounters, both could have chosen otherwise. Lucy could have shut the wardrobe door and never mentioned what had happened there. Abraham could have opted for life in Haran. The choice before us is a choice to enter in." (The Sacred Romance)

Today's Message from Pastor Dave

2008-04-27T22:44:00.004-05:00

globechurchpod.com/2008/04/27/service.aspx

It was a great message. If you want, you can click on the link above and listen to the podcast. One of those messages that takes you back to basics and the reality of what we are really here for. A reminder that really ministered to me and helped me get my mind off of me was about serving one another. True Servanthood. Dave was talking about serving one another and what a different place this would be if we had the attitude of "how can I better serve this person, instead of what can they do for me or have an ulterior motive." Having a heart truly burning for souls and serving them, helping others by serving them, mowing the yard of the lady next door or the neighbor out of town, not because it is convenient, but because it is serving them and showing them you want nothing in return. That makes them want the Jesus that lives in us. He truly helped me with a better perspective on marriage as well. He said that he and Kristy have arguments, disagree, just like anyone else, but the one thing that God has done for their marriage, even when they wanted to walk away, was remind them that marriage is about serving the other person, always, and not "whats in it for me". Death to self again... Now we realize that when we serve each other or as the word says 'prefer one another', then our minds our not on us but how can I bless this mate God has given me. I got excited just looking at that from a new perspective and starting to think about all of the ways I could serve and be a blessing to my husband when I get married. It's going to be an amazing time for sure! Anyway, listen to the Podcast I know God will bless you.

Also here is another great view of that perspective from The Sacred Romance:
Seeing from a Different Perspective
04/27/2008
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"Entering into the Sacred Romance begins with eyes to see and ears to hear. Where would we be today if Eve had looked at the serpent with different eyes, if she had seen at once that the beautiful creature with the charming voice and the reasonable proposition was in fact a fallen angel bent on the annihilation of the human race? Failure to see things as they truly are resulted in unspeakable tragedy. From that point on, the theme of blindness runs throughout Scripture. It’s not merely a matter of failing to recognize temptation when we meet it; like Elisha’s servant, we often fail to see the drama of redemption as well (2 Kings 6:15–17).

Needless to say, Elisha’s servant suddenly saw from a whole different perspective. I (John) think it’s safe to assume he also experienced a bit of emotional relief—a recovery of heart. What for him had undoubtedly been a harrowing encounter became an exciting adventure.

The apostle Paul experienced an even greater surprise on the road to Damascus. Thinking he was doing God a favor, he was hell-bent on crushing a tiny religious movement called the Way. But he had the plot and the characters completely confused. Paul, known at that time as Saul, was playing the role of Defender of the Faith, when in fact he was Persecutor of Christ. It took a bout of blindness to bring things into focus, and when the scales fell from his eyes, he never saw things the same way again. Paul later explained to the Romans that human sin and suffering are the result of foolish and darkened hearts, brought on by a refusal to see the Sacred Romance. It should come as no surprise that his most fervent prayer for the saints was that the scales would fall from the eyes of our hearts so that we might not miss the Sacred Romance (Eph. 1:18–19). (The Sacred Romance , 145–46)

Have an awesome week!

Releasing the Heart is no easy project......

2008-04-25T06:51:00.002-05:00

You know, it's always easy for us to say "trust God" and we work at it more and more every day. But it's not as easy to do. We grow in that, it's a process. We want to trust Him completely and never give anything we have taken to Him a second thought....but the truth is, we almost always give it a second or third or more thought. I know I am working on walking in more trust with Him especially in certain areas. I needed to hear this today.

"Remember, the purpose of this thing called the Christian life is that our hearts might be restored and set free. That’s the deal. That’s what Jesus came to do, by his own announcement. Jesus wants Life for us, Life with a capital L, and that Life comes to us through our hearts. But restoring and releasing the heart is no easy project. God doesn’t just throw a switch and poof—it’s done. He sends his Counselor to walk with us instead. That tells us it’s going to be a process. All sorts of damage has been done to your heart over the years, all sorts of terrible things taken in—by sin, by those who should have known better, and by our Enemy, who seeks to steal and kill and destroy the image bearers of God. At best, “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12). Certainly there’s been a bit of that in your life. “Even in laughter the heart may ache” (Prov. 14:13), which is to say, things may look fine on the outside, but inside it’s another story.

We’re told to “trust in the LORD” with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5), but frankly, we find it hard to do. Does trust come easily for you? I would love to trust God wholeheartedly. Why is it almost second nature to worry about things? We’re told to love one another deeply, “from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22), but that’s even more rare. Why is it so easy to get angry at, or to resent, or simply to grow indifferent toward the very people we once loved? The answers lie down in the heart. “For it is with your heart that you believe,” Paul says (Rom. 10:10). And in Proverbs we read, “The heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out” (20:5 NASB). Our deepest convictions—the ones that really shape our lives—they are down there somewhere in the depths of our hearts.

(Waking the Dead , 113)

The Year of Completion

2008-04-21T20:19:00.005-05:00

I have been hearing for a few months about this year of 2008. You can feel it, you can sense it, you can almost touch it, what God is doing, it is so tangible. It's like being in a thick fog, and you can hear all of the sounds around you, you can smell everything and even almost reach out and touch it, but you can't quite see it.....yet. Several people have been sharing about the start of Passover and what that means. I was blessed to be a part of a Seder 2 years ago and it was so special for many reasons. I met some very special people there for the first time and we learned about The Lords supper in a whole new way. I was honored to serve my table, it was very humbling. It was like washing the Lords feet, only I was serving my brothers and sisters.....very special.

This year is going to be like no other in all its Glory. A year of completeness and fullness of God's promises in our lives like we have never known. I am in such expectancy with my face toward the Lord as He fills my heart with love and wonder and Himself. He has revealed such surprises, such wonderful surprises. I'm still processing it all to see what He will do. He is the love of my life and He will bring the earthly love of my life when His time is right, of that I'm sure. What the Lord has taught me about praying for others, is to pray for them to come to the place of making the best decision for them, not for me. I admit I have been selfish at times and I repent of that, it was not what I intended. It has changed my prayer life and I am so thankful for that. It's easy to be selfish, we all do it, it's not bad to want things for your life, but if it involves another, always pray for their best interest, not your own. Thank you Lord for reminding me of that. When emotions are involved, it's easy to think of ourself....

I've been blessed with hearing new music that has touched my heart, Sleeping at Last, NeedtoBreath, Matt Wertz, to name a few. I was listening to TD Jakes today on Growing in the Favor of God. Much needed for me to hear right now.

My heart is overflowing and the songs keep coming out on paper. I am amazed and give God the Glory. I will have a new song to post soon. "There's so much I'd love to say, but I'll save it for another day when hearts are ready to receive and with open arms we can believe.....are you ready............are you ready? I'll hold your hand as we cross the promised land, are you ready.......are you ready. Two hearts they beat as one you see, where God is the light that shines so free, are you ready........are you ready?"

God loves us so much, He always has our best interest at heart. I love you Lord and I love you all.

I've Moved!.....

2008-04-02T12:09:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have moved, first move anyway. I don't have my computer hooked up yet, so, I have limited computer time on my roommates computer. I move again May 3rd to my new roommate condo situation for a while. So watch for posts and if you need to get in touch with me email me or call me or text me. Have a great one!

God's Heart for Relationship

2008-03-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

"The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be the most important thing we ever learn about God—that he yearns for relationship with us. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God” (John 17:3). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and his people. He yearns for us. He cares. He has a tender heart.

Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isa. 49:14–15)

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (Jer. 24:7)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matt. 23:37)

What a comfort to know that this universe we live in is relational at its core, that our God is a tenderhearted God who yearns for relationship with us. If you have any doubt about that, simply look at the message he sent us in Woman. Amazing. Not only does God long for us, but he longs to be loved by us. Oh, how we’ve missed this. How many of you see God as longing to be loved by you? We see him as strong and powerful, but not as needing us, vulnerable to us, yearning to be desired."

Awkward Love

2008-03-19T05:38:00.002-05:00

It was funny that I got this devotional today. The Lord reminded me once again, who He has made me and how He has made me. It's not easy being a woman sometimes; but being Redeemed Eve is where God wants us and needs us to be and to stay....for others and to draw people to Him.

"Honest communication in love is the only way to live and grow in friendships. There are ebbs and flows. There may be real hurt and disappointment. But with the grace of God firmly holding us, it is possible to nurture and sustain deep friendships. We are designed to live in relationship and share in the lives of other women. We need one another. God knows that. We have only to ask and surrender, to wait, to hope, and, in faith, to love. We must also repent.

For a woman to enjoy relationship, she must repent of her need to control and her insistence that people fill her. Fallen Eve demands that people “come through” for her. Redeemed Eve is being met in the depths of her soul by Christ and is free to offer to others, free to desire, and willing to be disappointed. Fallen Eve has been wounded by others and withdraws in order to protect herself from further harm. Redeemed Eve knows that she has something of value to offer; that she is made for relationship. Therefore, being safe and secure in her relationship with her Lord, she can risk being vulnerable with others and offer her true self.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable . . . The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love.... is Hell." (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves)
(Captivating , 181–82)

Obedience

2008-03-17T23:55:00.002-05:00

Big topic for sure. Sometimes we cause ourselves so much heartache and pain. You know, when God tells you something, and you know it's true. You know you heard His voice, but you keep acting like you didn't and keep putting off what it is He told you. Why do we do it?

I had a recent experience that caught me in just this place, somewhat. The Lord was leading me to do something I had been needing to do, and I kept putting it off and putting it off. The more I put it off, the harder I was making it on myself. He has already told me the end result. He has already told me some very specific things about the situation.........why are we not as quick to move sometimes when we Know that we Know that we know He has our very best interest and plans at Heart. His Heart. Jeremiah 29:11

Lord Jesus, I love you so much, and I ask you to help my unbelief, forgive me for not obeying as quickly as I should, I repent of my moments of distrust.

In Defense of Discontent

2008-03-09T08:48:00.001-05:00

I had to post this, it was too profound, and if all of us would admit it, it's where we are.

"By the grace of God, we cannot quite pull it off. In the quiet moments of the day we sense a nagging within, a discontentment, a hunger for something else. But because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong—not with life, but with us. Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What’s wrong with me? We feel guilty about our chronic disappointment. Why can’t I just learn to be happier in my job, in my marriage, in my church, in my group of friends? You see, even while we are doing other things, “getting on with life,” we still have an eye out for the life we secretly want. When someone seems to have gotten it together, we wonder, How did he do it? Maybe if we read the same book, spent time with him, went to his church, things would come together for us as well. You see, we can never entirely give up our quest. Gerald May reminds us,

When the desire is too much to bear, we often bury it beneath frenzied thoughts and activities or escape it by dulling our immediate consciousness of living. It is possible to run away from the desire for years, even decades, at a time, but we cannot eradicate it entirely. It keeps touching us in little glimpses and hints in our dreams, our hopes, our unguarded moments. (The Awakened Heart)

He says that even though we sleep, our desire does not. “It is who we are.” We are desire. It is the essence of the human soul, the secret of our existence. Absolutely nothing of human greatness is ever accomplished without it. Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. The same old thing is not enough. It never will be."
(The Journey of Desire , 10–11)

Glorious Weekend....

2008-03-02T19:02:00.004-06:00

I was in East TN this weekend and it was the most wonderful weather! I was so happy to see the sunshine. My parents and I took a ride in the new car God has blessed me with and I stopped and took some pics along the way. It was so beautiful. God was showing out today, giving us a taste of Spring and Romancing us. It was Glorious! The thought of Spring is exciting itself. I rings of all things new, everything blooming, new life, fresh starts, old things are passed away and all things become new. Love is in the air in the Spring as well. Just watch all of nature.

Valentines Day

2008-02-14T23:05:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had a great Valentines day. My friends The Lowry Sisters, had a bunch of us over to their place and it was a good time as you can see from the pics. We were hamming it up for the photographer and itt was great to see my old friend Mike again! The Garlic Cheese Ring I made went over well, and the taco bar was a big hit. You guys have a great place!

Definitely, Maybe

2008-02-13T07:31:00.004-06:00

I went to see this last night, and it was a good night. I liked the movie, I liked everything about the evening. The movie kind of put a mirror up in front of my face and made me think about things I had not let myself think about before....well, not as deeply as I have thought about before. It is a Valentines movie and takes us on a journey of one man and his serious relationships and the discovery of how that one constant, that foundation, that rock that he always turned to when everything else went wrong, was where he wanted and needed to be all along. Sometimes circumstances happen, maybe we're not ready at the same time, we have to learn some things before we know that we know that a very special person in our lives, can really turn out to be the very special person.

Who knows, relationships are not black and white, they can get muddled sometimes, all kinds of variables come into play. Maybe she realizes what a great guy he really is and wants to go to the next step, but maybe he doesn't realize what a great girl she really is, so she keeps her mouth shut and moves forward. Or maybe, he recognizes what a great girl she is, but he doesn't really know what to do with her, maybe because he thinks he is really looking for something else, a different package maybe (emotional or physical). Maybe he really does love her, but he has not either recognized it yet, or won't admit it to himself. Such is this movie. Art really does imitate life.

This one was close to home, and it really does have me pondering. Sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees, but then maybe, one day, the forest parts to reveal that one tree. Go see the movie, you will be glad you did. I truly had a wonderful evening.......Happy Valentines Day!

These Eyes

2008-01-26T16:40:00.000-06:00

These eyes, the window to my soul
The window to my heart
These eyes, what did you see there
When you looked into these eyes

Did you see the love
Did you see the happiness to see you
Did you see the longing to be with you,
Only with you-in these eyes

There’s something there that can’t compare
Did you see the admiration, did you see how proud
Did you see all the things that wanted to be said out loud
In these eyes, in these eyes

Forever is a long time
Did you see it there
It’s hard not to see the heart
That’s not going to depart
In these eyes, in these eyes so clear

These eyes, what did you see there
When you looked into these eyes
How could you know that you take my breath away
When you look into these eyes

What you see is real
There is no pretence here
What you know in your heart
When you look into these eyes
(Copyright 2007-Lyrics by tam)

Death to Self

2008-01-19T22:03:00.001-06:00

I met some new friends at church this past week. We had a great time of prayer and worship on Friday night. There was this couple that just had a testimony that touched my heart. They are about 10 years apart, just got married this past October for the first time, and have been friends for about 26 years. They both said they never ever saw themselves wanting to be married to each other, but then God did something, changed something, and they realized after all that time, they were finally ready. It would not have worked any sooner because they were not ready. Lends a greater meaning to "Gods Timing".

As we were in prayer and worship, the wife started praying over the Marriages in the church, in the Body of Christ, in Nashville,etc. It was as if she had looked into my heart and was praying what she saw there. It blessed me and touched me so much to hear someone else have that heart as well. There she was praying about the attacks on marriage and family from the enemy, taking a stand against him in warfare to protect that holy wonderful union that God Himself created. "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder." What a refreshing, amazing, full of hope reminder.

Afterwards she and I and her husband were talking, only married since this past October, but a couple after my heart. She said something to me that really opened my eyes and blew me away. She said that she never realized before what marriage really meant, but that she was discovering that it was the ulitmate "death to self". Meaning, when the bible talks about us crucifying that old man and putting on the new man and Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; She was talking about walking in a new understanding of preferring one another. Honoring the other person first above your own self. Putting them before yourself, death to self. I had never, ever heard anyone share it that way before and it was extremely profound and made a huge impact on me. I know this, I will treasure and protect and work at and cherish my marriage more than most because I have had to wait so long for it. Just like this couple, it will be blessed of God.

Randomness.........

2008-01-12T20:59:00.000-06:00

Decorating and Design--Well, I was truly blessed when a friend gave me her old kitchen table, which did'nt look old at all. Beautiful 48" round dark wood top with iron legs. Then I found 4 iron chairs on Craigslist (love that site) that matched the legs of the table so I was able to get those. Well, I am reupholstering the seats of the chairs and have included the before and after pics of the first chair completed. It's fun, but I am just ecstatic over how it looks. It's going to definitely brighten up the place for sure.

Life---wow....what to share and what not to share. I can honestly say that I have had some extreme challenges in my life, in several areas of my life, at the same time. Ummm, no need to go into details, because there will be an amazing witness and testimony that will come out of all of this, and God will get ALL of the Glory. John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That means in every area of our lives, spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, financially, relationally. He left nothing out. I have learned that just when you think you have reached the lowest point, the hardest point in your life, you can still stand because of Jesus, when you thought that you would be crushed under it all. It is because of Him that I am who I am, It is He who has made me and not me myself. There was this guy, and he was sharing with us about a friend of his that had committed suicide; and he asked the question "How does someone get to that point? How do you get there?" I can honestly say that I now understand how people get there, how the enemy comes at them just like John 10:10 says, until they feel that there is no other hope. But because of Jesus, who is ALL hope, we can overcome any attack of the enemy. You see, it is not that as followers of Christ we don't go through the same things that everyone else does, that we don't experience some really hard blows, but it is what we do with it, what we do in those times, who we turn to (Jesus) that makes us different and shines a light into a very, very dark world and gives hope to others who think there is none. Is it easy? not even, it has been the hardest time of my life, but that does not change who and what Jesus is and what He has and is and will be doing in my life.
I went to a prayer service the other night, and it really ministered to me. It helped me to get my mind off of myself and God gave me a right perspective again. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and I will add all of these things to you." God knows I need "all" of those things added to me, to my life right here, right now, however, if I don't seek the kingdom of God first and seek to help others first, then all those things will be nothing.
So as the Holy Spirit woke me up very early one morning and had me open to it, I now proclaim it over every single area of my life! Malachi 3:10-12 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

Movies---Well I went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was cute for sure. Several parts made me laugh out loud. I want to see the new Veggie Tales movie that came out this weekend "The Pirates who do nothing". I get the humor in Veggie Tales and it makes me laugh. I love to laugh, and really need to laugh now more than ever. It is so good for the soul. There is a lot of negative out there, it feels like we are totally swimming up stream sometimes, so when I go to the movies, I want to be entertained, something that makes me feel good, makes me laugh, makes me sigh with love. Corny or not, that's me and I make no apologies for it.

I could say a whole lot more, but nuff said for now.

2008....An Adventure Begins

2008-01-03T23:32:00.000-06:00

I may have posted this a long time ago, I'm not sure, but in looking forward to 2008 and all that it has in store for me, for us, I am excited; and so this daily devotional has a new meaning. I am so ready for the adventure and I know this year is going to be unlike any other before in every area of life. As we start this new year I encourage each of you to allow your heart to beat faster, like never before, take a deep breath, and allow God to sweep you up into His adventure.....you will never ever regret it! Tam

"Picture yourself in an ancient European city—Florence perhaps or Madrid. You find yourself at dusk, wandering through the older parts of town. Narrow streets are lined with dimly lit shops—pawnbrokers, no doubt, alongside various dealers in antiquities, booksellers, curious haunts harboring mysteries from far-off lands. Partly out of curiosity, partly out of a wish to avoid the jostling crowds, you turn into a musty parlor. As your eyes adjust to the twilight inside, you discover aisles crammed with Babylonian trinkets, Persian rugs, suits of armor, Colombian pottery. You browse indifferently among everything old and intriguing.

Then, something catches your eye. Sitting in a pile of forgotten silver urns and incense burners, it might have escaped your notice altogether. But it seemed to call to you, whisper your name. In fact, it is already in your hands. This is ridiculous, you think. You turn the lamp over and over most carefully, looking for . . . you’re not quite sure what. Obviously it is from the Middle East, Arabia most likely. What am I thinking? These things happen only in fairy tales.

Something you read long ago—was it in Chesterton?—crosses your mind. “An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not a thing that we choose.” He’s right about that, you admit. Alice wasn’t looking for Wonderland when she fell through the looking glass. Come to think of it, the four children just stumbled into Narnia through the back of the wardrobe. Anodos simply woke to find fairyland had taken over his bedroom.

But another voice rises within you, urging caution. You’ve got places to go, for heaven’s sake. Don’t let yourself get carried away. The voice is full of common sense, of course. But the voice also seems old and tired. From how many adventures has it swayed you in your life? How many dreams left in the closet? “Closing time,” calls the curator of the shop. He begins to blow out the lamps. Your heart is racing. Somewhere back in your mind you hear the voice urging you on to your duties. But it is too late. You’ve already rubbed the lamp."(The Sacred Romance)

True Forgiveness........

2007-12-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

I have a friend, she is such a blessing to everyone around her. She has been re-sharing her and her husbands testimony with me lately. Just like reading the word, every time you do, you see something new, even though you have read it before. That is usually because we are growing and are at a new place in life, different circumstances etc. As my friend has been sharing different stories and events that took place in their life, their marriage, that brought them to the place they are now, God has truly been opening up my understanding and shining light and encouragment.

I met this friend several years ago when she was invited to church by some other people that I knew. At the time, she and her husband were separated. She got saved at our church and began to walk with the Lord with a passion. She began to pray for her husband who was not saved, and had actually left her for another woman. She had prayed and asked God to bring him home if that was His will, and if not, she knew God would take care of her and her 3 sons somehow. So many details I could share with you, but for the sake of time I won't. Divine appointments, things happening that were miracles because they weren't supposed to happen, etc. At one point, when God brought them back together, her husband called because God had been talking to him and working with him as well. He told his wife, "I have to share some things with you that I have done and you probably are never going to want to have anything to do with me again". She told him, "Who am I to not forgive you, when Jesus already forgave you and me of our sins. Who am I to not allow you to come home when I prayed and asked God to bring you home".

The rest is history, they are serving God together, great witnesses for Him and give their testimony to everyone. They are getting ready to teach a class at their church and God has not only restored them, but like Job, double what they ever had together before. Here is what really jumped out at me and touched my heart and gave me a greater understanding of forgiveness than ever before, God's kind of forgiveness. My friend looked at me after she had shared many of these stories and testimonies about her and her husband and where God has brought them to, she said "True Forgiveness is refusing to ever bring up the past again".

When God brought them back together, they took one opportunity, they talked about what had happened, talked through it, prayed over it, forgave and put it under the blood of Jesus forever. That is the only way the enemy can not use your past against you. I have always been a very forgiving person, but this totally blessed me and took me to a new level when my friend shared this with me. I see the end results, have seen them for several years. I know the testimony, God is a forgiving God and if we are truly being Followers of Christ, who are we to walk in unforgiveness? True Restoration and Reconciliation are manifested through true forgiveness.

Pastor Dave was talking about this on Sunday concerning he and his wife Christy. He said "Marriage is work, don't kid yourself. Your mate will be the person that can take you to the highest high, the mountain top, like no other person in the world can; but, by the same token, they are also the person that can push those buttons quicker than anyone else in the world and make you madder than anything. That is real life, and it is truly work, but it is so worth it". Both my friends and my Pastors have learned to work at it the way God says work at it and they have reaped the wonderful benefits of a blessed, healthy marriage and ministry together for the Lord.........which is my heart. Now my Pastors' who are both 40, are going to have their second child, she is pregnant now, and they have been praying and believing God for that for 11 years! So God's timing is not ours, but He is ALWAYS faithful, usually last minute, but always on time!

I just wanted to share, this really impacted me and touched my heart. May we all walk in true forgiveness, the world will become a different and better place because of it. I love you all...............TAM

Christmas Time, Friends, Jesus

2007-12-17T22:00:00.000-06:00

Where would we be now, if Jesus had not come into this world to reconcile us back to God. To save us, heal us, deliver us, pursue us, love us, protect us, correct us.....To Him Be ALL The Glory.

I have some new friends I met at church, Allison, Lauren and Ashley, they are 3 sisters known as Scarlett. Great harmony. They had a Toys for Tots gig at the French Quarter last week and we went out to see them. They were happy to see us there to support them. Clay and RyLee were along for the fun too. There were several acts on before Scarlett. Let's just say.....where was the Gong Show hook when you needed it! It is so funny to listen to musicians 'critique' other musicians. We had a good time and some great laughs.

I also got to go to dinner with some friends. Kevin and Leslie brought my buds Dakota and Garrett. It was great to get together with them and do some Christmas shopping afterwards. I do love the holidays, especially the lights. I have not had a spare moment to drive around and see the Christmas lights, and I do love to do that. Merry Christmas to all of you...........I love you.

Perfume Model!?

2007-12-08T22:33:00.000-06:00

Yes it's true! I have had the opportunity to do some work at Dillard's as a Perfume Model (help sell their Ralph Lauren and Armani Line of Perfumes). It has been interesting for sure. I am working with some great people, but retail is not my thang. Especially standing for all those hours. But it is Christmas time, and shoppers are out, the Christmas music is playing, everything is decorated, so I love being out in it this time of the year! I love you all....let me hear from you!

The Essence of a Woman

2007-12-03T00:44:00.000-06:00

"When we speak about the essence of a woman – her beauty – we don’t mean “the perfect figure.” The beauty of a woman is first a soulish beauty. We know – it’s a harder jump to make. We’ve lived so long under the pressure to be beautiful. But stay with the thought for a moment, because it will really help. The beauty of a woman is first a soulful beauty. And yes, as we live it out, own it, inhabit our beauty, we do become more lovely. More alluring. As the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote, “Self flashes off frame and face.” Our true self becomes reflected in our appearance. But it flows from the inside out.

The essence of a woman is Beauty. She is meant to be the incarnation – our experience in human form – of a Captivating God. A Godwho invites us.

“You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.” (Songs 4:9, 15)

Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman. We know that – somewhere down deep, we know it to be true. Most of our shame comes from this knowing and feeling that we have failed here. So hear this: Beauty is an essence that dwells inevery woman. It was given to her by God. It was given to you.

Surely you would agree that God is nothing if not beautiful.
All around us God’s creation shouts of his beauty and his goodness. The way snow creates a silhouette of lace on a barren tree, the rays of sun streaming forth from a billowing cloud, the sound of a brook trickling over smooth stones, the form of a woman’s body and the face of a child anticipating the arrival of the ice cream truck all speak of God’s good heart if we will have but the eyes to see. The coming of spring after a hard winter is almost too glorious for a soul to bear. God’s beauty is lavished on the world.

Beauty may be the most powerful thing on earth. Beauty speaks. Beauty invites. Beauty nourishes. Beauty comforts. Beauty inspires. Beauty is transcendent. Beauty draws us to God.

A woman in her glory, a woman of beauty, is a woman who is not striving to become beautiful or worthy or enough. She knows in her quiet centre where God dwells that He finds her beautiful, has deemed her worthy and in him, she is enough. In fact, the only thing getting in the way of our being fully captivating and enjoyed is our hiding and striving.

So Jesus says, “I will quiet you with My love” (Zephaniah 3:17). A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest; trusting God because she has come to know Him to be worthy of her trust. She exudes a sense of calm; a sense of rest; and invites those around her to rest as well. She speaks comfort; that all is well; that all will be well. A woman of true beauty offers others the grace to be and the room to become. In her presence, one can release the tight sigh that so often grips our hearts, and breathe in the truth that God loves us and he is good.

This is why we must keep asking. Ask Jesus to show you your beauty. Ask him what he thinks of you as a woman. His words to us let us rest. And unveil our beauty." (Captivating , 130-132)
This is just another lesson for us on how much God wants us to rest in Him and truly trust Him.

Family Time and Firsts

2007-11-26T21:57:00.000-06:00

It was a good time with the fam for Thanksgiving. Mom doesn't like her picture taken so it's hard to get her in there. We had lots of food, sweet potato casserole, dressing, pecan pie, coconut cake, mac and cheese, turkey, ham, potato salad, green bean casserole.....I am sure I left out something, but all good stuff. My favorite part though, is a turkey sandwich the next day with the leftovers. Life is an adventure and full of firsts, so this weekend I had a few. My nephew Mark brought over Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 3 and taught me how to play both. I was game, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Halo is definitely for guys, but I spent 2 hours playing and learning how to just use the controls. I did kill Mark a few times, but only because he stood still and let me. Oh well, I can say I have played now. Guitar Hero was fun, Pat Benatar (Hit me with your best shot) will never sound the same again. It reminded me of DDR so I did pretty decent. I am sure it is nothing like the real thing though. Then I got to house sit this weekend for my friends Clay and RyLee and keep their new puppy dog Oskar! Oskar is great! 4 months old and growing fast! He is already 27 pounds! Clay says he is supposed to get to 65 pounds. He walked me around the block a couple of times. He was missing his Mommy and Daddy so nothing could keep him from sleeping with me. He is such a cutie! I will add some pics of him later.

Hope you all had a wonderful, amazing Thanksgiving. Tam

Happy Thanksgiving----Ya'll

2007-11-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

I wanted to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving, will all of the familiar foods, wonderful family. Carrying on some great traditions and creating some new ones. Be so very blessed and know that you are loved..........and pass the Pecan Pie! Much, much love...Tammy

Unity & Loving One Another

2007-11-17T22:22:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. NKJV

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. NLT

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. The Message

Proverbs 18:24
Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family. The Message

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. NLT

I have heard many preach about Unity, Authentic Community, and loving one another. But as a very wise man once taught, until the world see's us walk it out, until they see us walking in Unity and loving one another, then they are not going to change. Until we show the world Jesus, which means walking these two scriptures out, walking in Unity and loving one another, then we have nothing to offer them that is better than what the world offers them. What makes us 'different'? Church people, for the most part, are ready to throw anyone under the bus that has either messed up, reacted differently than "they" thought the person should, or people who dare to think outside the box. What is normal? Who made the "normal" mold? Did God do things "normally"? Did He think like most church people think? Did He react to situations the way "Christians" thought He should? I don't think so! Our Father thinks so far out of the box we can't even comprehend it! And who made the box anyway!? Religion! So, as follower of Christ, some may think I look silly, but Jesus knows, and as His child, I am going to edify and encourage that it may minister grace to the hearers. Not try to tear down. Am I perfect? Not even, but we have to start somewhere. Jesus has filled me with His love and I choose to give it to others, not withold it. Love God, Love People.

John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Farewell Palace People

2007-11-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

Well, this was it, my last night at the Palace with my wonderful Palace Peeps. They dressed up in costume for the most part. I was supposed to be Esther.....OK use your imagination! Most of you know God has said it was time for me to go, step out of the nest, take a leap of faith, get out of my comfort zone, obey Him so He can put me where He needs me next and where I need to be. Today was my last day as part of Sumner Life. I love those kids, and I wouldn't be the person that I am today, if they hadn't been a part of my life. What a blessing they have been. To watch them come to the youth 2 1/2 years ago, just babes, and see them start to grow, and get grounded in the Word with Jeremy as their shepherd. What an amazing job he did, how he sowed into their lives and they grew and flourished under his ministry. Then Dave and Margie came in and began to build on that aweseme foundation Jeremy had laid. Dave and Margie are taking the kids to the next level in the Lord. I have seen them grow so much; stellar young men and women for the Lord. It's been an honor and a priviledge for me to serve you this past 2 1/2 years. We've had some great times together. You are going to do amazing things for God and I can't wait to hear about it. I love you all and will miss you. Not goodbye, but see you later....

You Have What It Takes

2007-10-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

The armies of Israel have drawn up against the armies of the Philistines, but not a single shot has been fired from any bow. The reason, of course, is Goliath, a mercenary of tremendous size and strength, renowned for his skill in combat. He’s killed many men bare-handed, and no one wants to be next. David is barely a teen when he goes to the camp and sees what is going on. He offers to fight the giant, at which point he is brought before the king, who in turn attempts to dissuade the lad. Saul says, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth” (1 Sam. 17:33 NIV). Sound advice, the likes of which I wager any of us would offer under the same circumstances. David replies:

Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (verses 34–37 NIV)

Being a shepherd David learned lessons here that would carry him the rest of his life. The life of the shepherd was not a sweet little life with lambs around. It was a hard job, out in the field, months camping out in the wild on your own. And it had its effect. There is a settled confidence in the boy—he knows he has what it takes. But it is not an arrogance—he knows that God has been with him. He will charge Goliath, and take his best shot, trusting God will do the rest. That “knowing” is what we are after and it only comes through experience. And may I also point out that the experiences David speaks of here were physical in nature, they were dangerous, and they required courage. (The Way of The Wild Heart 83, 84)

The Eagles Nest

2007-10-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard the story of the Eagles nest? The eagles build their nests high up in the rocks so predators can't get to it. It's a large nest for her young eagles, made of strong branches, sticks etc. She lines it with everything soft that she can find, leaves, grass, feathers. She feeds them day after day, and they grow day after day, larger and larger until the nest starts to get too small. But at the appointed time, when the eagles are almost ready to fly, the mother eagle starts removing day by day, little by little the feathers, the leaves, the grass. Every day the nest becomes a little more uncomfortable, it becomes harder and harder to find a soft spot without branches and sticks poking, hurting. Then one day, every bit of softness, comfort and warmth is totally removed from the nest. It has become so uncomfortable for the small eagles, that they can't stand it anymore and one by one they go to the edge of the nest, and jump. They fly for the first time and it is a glorious thing.

We all have different times in our life when we are in the eagles nest. It does not mean we are still a baby follower of Christ, it does mean we are growing, learning and being taught, being prepared for that new thing, new area in our life God is taking us, has been preparing for us. See the small eagles had to take a risk, had to get out of the most uncomfortable place in their life, in order to soar to new heights. God is the same way with us. We get comfortable where we are, the box or nest we have created, but a life without risk, as I have said before, is no life at all. It takes courage to step up to the edge of the nest and jump. It is scary indeed, but, sometimes in order to get that breakthrough, in order to soar to the higher places God has for us, we have to do it scared. Going back into that nest, and trying to sit, trying to get comfortable, trying to keep the status quo has become unbearable. I know, because this is where I am. It has become so extremely uncomfortable that I have to move, I have to step to the edge of the nest, take risk, and jump. Only then can I soar into everthing God has planned for me. Only then can I be the most effective for Him and for His glory. To stay where I am is miserable. Yea, I know, this can make you very vulnerable, but when you have given it all up, laid down everything you know at Jesus feet and said "Lord Here I am, whatever you want me to do, wherever you want me to go, I'm totally yours" then He can bring about His plan, His best for you.

This past year God has been preparing me, growing me, showing me things like never before. Giving me glimpses of His plans, molding me, shaping me, making me into a new person. I have been through places I have not been before, had to do things like I have never had to do before, learned things that I had never learned before. It has been at times very hard, very difficult and at the same time glorious, revelational and humbling; but, He has never failed to encourage me, confirm His word and His plan over and over again. So here we are, on the brink, ready to jump, ready to soar.......scared and anxious at the same time. To be continued.......................

By the Lake

2007-10-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday afternoon, after all of the craziness of wedding preparations and tear down I just wanted to get away by the lake and relax, journal some, read some and just talk to the Lord. It was a perfect day for that. We had our last major summer blast with temps around 90 degrees. I have often retreated to this place by the lake because it brings such peace. There is something about the water. I know that I want to someday have a home by the lake, with lots of windows facing the lake and a big deck to just sit out there and take it all in, the beauty the awesomeness of God......maybe throw in a hot tub on the deck for good measure :)

"I'm Not Here"

2007-10-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

Wow.....this is so true. This is exactly what a friend taught a series on....Strategies of the Enemy. We are only deceiving ourselves if we think the devil does not exist. He is the real enemy, not people. There is a real battle raging, and as the word tells us, we have to put on the whole armour of God, As I put on myspace a while back, pull out our sword and face the enemy. We don't have the luxery of backing down, turning our backs on him, we have to stand....Praise God the battle is His......but.....we do have to show up! The great news is we are stronger together than we are alone. Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

"Incredible. What a self-indictment. “Nothing dangerous is happening here.” Those men have already been taken out because they’ve swallowed the Enemy’s first line of attack: “I’m not here—this is all just you.” You can’t fight a battle you don’t think exists. This is right out of The Screwtape Letters, where Lewis has the old devil instruct his apprentice in this very matter:

My dear Wormwood, I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves.

As for those who want to be dangerous (cutting-edge), take a close look at 1 Peter 5:8–9: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

What is the Holy Spirit, through Peter, assuming about your life? That you are under spiritual attack. This is not a passage about nonbelievers; he’s talking about “your brethren.” Peter takes it for granted that every believer is under some sort of unseen assault. And what does he insist you do? Resist the devil. Fight back, take a stand." (Wild At Heart , 159, 160)

Jenni Got Married

2007-10-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

Well, she did it! Jenni and Ryan got married yesterday! It was a day of celebration for sure. She has waited a long time for this and we were there to help them both celebrate the day at the cute little chapel in White House. Ryan is from Texas so a lot of his family was in as well as Jenni's family from Kentucky. They really do make a wonderful couple and it is a great story of how God can bring two people together in a way you would not expect. Enjoy the pics from the reception. Love you Jenni!

Find A Few of His Friends

2007-09-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

Hopefully you will find a few folks who walk with God to also walk with you through the seasons of your life. But honesty – and Scripture – forces me to admit they are a rare breed. Few there are who find it. All the more reason for you to make the number less scarce, by becoming someone who walks with God and teaches others how.

Look to those who have walked with God down through the ages. Certainly that is why the Bible is given to us. If God had intended it to be a textbook of doctrine, well then, he would have written it like one. But its not; it’s overwhelmingly a book of stories – tales of men and women who walked with God. Approach the Scriptures not so much as a manual of Christian principles but as the testimony of God’s friends on what it means to walk with him through a thousand different episodes. When you are at war, when you are in love, when you have sinned, when you have been given a great gift – this is how you walk with God. Do you see what a different mindset this is? Its really quite exciting.

And there are those who have walked with God since the canon of Scripture closed. Here is an Athanasius, a Bonaventure, a Julian of Norwich, a Brother Lawrence, a Tozer – here is how they walked with God. When it comes to time and place, temperament and situation, they could not be more different. Julian lived in a cloister; Tozer lived in Chicago. Athanasius fled to the desert; Lawrence worked in the kitchen. But there is a flavor, a tang, an authenticity to their writings which underlies whatever it is they are trying at the moment to say. Here is someone who knew God, really knew him. This is what its like to walk with God, and that is what its like as well. (Waking The Dead)

Confronting the Enemy

2007-09-20T00:07:00.001-05:00

God has been teaching me some things lately that I wanted to share with you. I hope it blesses you too. As I was listening to a Pastor on Monday, I heard about Joshua and the children of Israel in a way I had never seen. The 40 years in the wilderness....it finally clicked! I finally got it! Here is what he had to say........

All day it has been churning and churning over and over in my spirit about “I have to do this, I have to press through, and I can’t go around this mountain one more time.” The battle is the Lords and not mine, but He expects me to show up for it! The time is now.

The Sword is a symbol for 2007 according to the Hebrew Calendar. God has clashed the swords; He is ready to go to battle on your behalf! Clashing with every enemy in your life. Because you did not give up, because you did walk away, God is saying He is ready to take the battle for you and defeat your enemies. You are being sharpened for the greatest season you have ever seen in your life. He is sharpening you. Because you did not give up (2 Chronicles 20) He is taking up the battle on your behalf and He will defeat your enemies! The enemy has been camping on your inheritance. Joshua 5:13, Joshua was near Jericho, when they stopped wandering because of fear, when they finally came near to confront their enemies, God was waiting there to defeat their enemies! God had already promised him victory. God has been standing at the edge of Jericho for 40 years waiting for Israel to confront their enemies. They kept going around that mountain over and over again because they were afraid to confront their enemies.

God has been waiting on us, to arrive here in our faith so He could go to work on our behalf. Obedience will cause Him to take over the battle on our behalf so the sword could go to work for us. So we can walk into the promise, His promise.

Hebrews 3:16 this prophetic moment, the sword of the Lord is drawn, the sword of the Lord is ready, you have to come and face the enemy. We have all had rough times, identify your problem in the kingdom of God and walk in the face of your problem, and the sword of the Lord will come out and go to war on your behalf! This is your year; this is your moment that God has created! God has been waiting on you with a drawn sword. The place of rest is not running from your enemy or challenge, your promised land is when you confront the enemies of your life. Hebrews 4:1-2, This is YOUR YEAR to confront your enemies, to step out of mediocrity, to challenge that which has been challenging you, to go further than you have ever been before. Confront the generational curses. Deal with the issues. God says face the enemy. 2 Kings 4:5 When I step up and confront my enemy there is going to be a flood gate open and God will step up and overpower the enemy! The rest of the nation wanted to turned back because of the enemies, but Joshua said let’s go in. Joshua had to outlive the generation of unbelievers so he could go into the Promised Land! Even though he was 80 he was as strong as he was when he first saw the land! Ezekiel prophesied to those dry bones! He confronted his enemy! When you declare the word of almighty God, the sword of the Lord is brought out! It is time to confront your enemies! Now is the time! Speak the word! Those enemies that Peter ran from, he went back and began to declare the word of the Lord and 3000 came into the kingdom of God! Peter had to go back and confront those enemies he ran from before. He has put the arrows of victory in your hand. Don’t just strike the ground 3 times. Do it until all enemies are defeated! Confront the enemy of fear, the enemy of unbelief, the enemy of distrust. God is waiting to draw His sword and defeat those enemies for you. The battle truly is His and not ours, but we have to show up! We have to confront the enemy and know that God will do what He has said He will do. You can trust Him, you can take Him at His word. You can believe Him. You don't have to fear anymore. You don't have to go around that mountain one more time.

Let me finish by telling you of a story God reminded me of when I heard this message. When I was in Africa, the missionaries told a story about the lions. How that when the male lion, the head of the pride, gets too old to run and hunt with the pride, they have him go and sit at one end of the plain or field where they want to hunt. And the rest of the pride goes to the opposite end of the plain or field to wait. When the old lion begins to roar, the prey, the animals start running "away" from the roar of the lion. They run right into the hands of the pride and are killed. This is exactly what God is saying in this message.......Run towards the roar of the lion not away. "1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."

Goodbye to Friends.....for now

2007-09-18T21:35:00.000-05:00

Ryan & Andrea Surprise Party

Tonight we had a surprise going away party for Ryan and Andrea Holmes. They are moving to Roanoke, VA and I am going to miss them. They are good friends. The good news is we are already planning a trip to go snow skiing in Jan/Feb timeframe with them so that is a life goal I will get to check off. I have wanted to do that for so many years and now I am going to get to! We had a good turn out. We love you guys and will miss seeing you on a regular basis, but we will be seeing you!

What is Important?

2007-09-10T09:35:00.000-05:00

“Don’t be afraid of embracing the disappointment you feel, old or new. Don’t be scared of the unreasonable joy either. They’re the highway markers home.”

We snort with disdain at such quaint sentiments, and our choice made, strike off down the straight highway of discipline and duty. All goes well for a while, sometimes for years, until we begin to realize that we’re really not feeling much anymore. We find ourselves struggling to weep with those who weep or even rejoice with those who rejoice. Mostly we don’t bother looking people in the eye. They may want to engage us and nothing much inside feels very engaged. Our passions begin to show up in inappropriate fantasies and longings interspersed with depression, anxieties, and anger we thought we had left behind. With a start, we realize our heart has stolen away in the baggage. It is taking the journey with us but under protest.

We redouble our efforts at discipline to get it to knuckle under but it refuses. Some of us finally kill it well enough that it no longer speaks as long as we’re occupied. Any quasiredemptive busyness will do. We look as if we’re still believing. Others of us decide the deadness is too high a price to pay and agree to let our heart have a secret life on the side. We even try to be passionate about our faith but the fiery embers that once sustained it have turned to cool gray ash, the evidence that life was indeed once present.

We find ourselves at the same place of heart resignation we left so many years ago before we were Christians. We arrive at the Vanity Fair that John Bunyan describes in The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is a familiar city populated with many of the companions we had hoped to leave behind: deadness of spirit, lack of loving-kindness, lust, pride, anger, and others. Nonetheless, having been out on the Christian journey for a number of years by now, we assume that this is as close to the Celestial City as we’re ever going to get. We set up housekeeping and entertain ourselves as well as possible at the booths in the Fair that sell a variety of soul curiosities, games, and anesthetics.

The curiosities sold at the fair are endless in their diversity, many of them good in and of themselves: Bible study, community service, religious seminars, hobbies we try to convince ourselves are eternally transcendent (e.g., “Wow, I can’t wait to ski deep powder!”), service to our church, going out to dinner. But we find ourselves doing them more and more to quiet the heart voice that tells us we have given up what is most important to us. (The Sacred Romance , 129, 130)

Beauty......

2007-09-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

This where I want to live....all the time. Not striving, not distracted, but offering the beauty that God placed in me to others, everyone I meet, every where I go so that they see Jesus, because He is Beauty.

“Beauty overwhelms us, enchants us, fascinates us, and calls us.”
(Fr. Andrew Greeley)

For a woman to unveil her beauty means she is offering her heart.

Not primarily her works or her usefulness (think Martha in the kitchen). Offering her presence. At family gatherings my mother hid in the kitchen. She cooked and baked and prepared and served and cleaned and for the life of us, we couldn’t get her out of there. We wanted her to share her life with us, her thoughts, her ideas, not just her effort. She wouldn’t come. And we were less because of it.

The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come unguarded, undistracted, and be fully present and fully engaged with the one whom we are with. Have you noticed in reading the Gospels that people enjoyed being around Jesus? They wanted to be near him – to share a meal, take a walk, have a lingering conversation. It was the gift of his presence. When you were with him, you felt he was offering you his heart. When we offer our unguarded presence, we live like Jesus. And we invite others to do the same. (Captivating, 138)

Friends............

2007-09-02T23:29:00.001-05:00

Ryan & Andrea Dinner

Tonight we got together for Ryan and Andrea. They are moving away to Roanoke, VA because of Andrea's new job. Everyone had a great time! Dinner at Dos Margaritas, then to Jason & Maci's for Ice Cream and "Guitar Hero". The kids had a great time too! I think we wore out the dogs though. Check out the pics. Love you guys!

Romancing

2007-08-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

I love being outside and I love seeing all of God's beautiful handywork. This summer especially I have seen an unusual amount of large, colorful, beautiful butterflies. I have had many fly around and around me as I just held my breath reaching out to them. So fragile and yet so beautiful. I was reminded that God is romancing me because He loves me so much. Just loving on me and showing out for me. I love Him so much, my heart overflows. This is why the guys love to show out for us girls, they have their Fathers attributes. I am in awe of Him.

Something New and Very Cool

2007-08-18T00:23:00.000-05:00

I have had some very unusual and interesting things happen to me especially in the last month. I have written 2 songs and each one of them came to me in about 15 minutes. Prior to this, I had only written 1 song last May. When we were at The Call in July, at one point they asked musicians (that includes those of us who can sing and not play an instrument), song writers etc to stand and they prayed over us for creativity, for an outpouring of ideas and music to be written for the Glory of God and just great creativity. I stood in faith during that prayer and I have been amazed at what the Lord is doing. I have always admired songwriters and I know some very good songwriters. I have always wanted to be able to contribute, collaborate and participate I just didn't know how before. I give God all of the Glory for what has begun to happen in my life. Some songs have been secular, some have been worship, but it has all been God! I am putting these in a folder, not sure what to do with them yet, don't even know how good they are, but they are from the heart. I am looking forward to where God will lead this. To you very talented song writers, anointed of the Lord, you are blessed.

Prepare to be Amazed!

2007-08-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

I have been listening to this amazing series by TD Jakes called Divine Strategies. He always ministers to me whatever I seem to be going through. Anyway, there are 3 different messages in this series. The one that has blown me away is the one called "The Conflict of Being Chosen." He talks about Mary and Joseph, and Elizabeth and Zachariah. I began to study about these couples this past December. I watched (and bought) The Nativity which did a wonderful job of showing what both of these couples went through and experienced. TD Jakes taught further about the conflict that Mary and Elizabeth had in what they were chosen to do and bring forth and how that relates to us as well. Mary was going about her business, planning on getting married, and then God "chose" her to have a baby, to bring forth Jesus. She didn't ask for it, it was not in her plans, but God "Chose" her to be a part of His bigger plan. The same way He chooses us to be a part of His bigger plan. We are not our own, we are bought with a price. We didn't choose Him, He chose us. Now think about it, when the angel came to Mary and told her what she had been chosen to do and what was going to happen, who could she go and talk to about it? She couldn't go and hang out with her old girlfriends anymore, how would they believe her? They would talk about her and call her crazy. Even Joseph, her fiance' would not believe her. This was the conflict of being chosen. She had no one to turn to, no one to talk to, no one that would believe her, but God had Elizabeth. Elizabeth too was in a Conflict of her own. She had become pregnant in her old age with a child she had prayed for and believed God for all her life. Her husband was now struck dumb, he could not talk to her, she had not felt the baby move in 6 months. She was afraid, afraid that her dream was dead, afraid that the promise would not come to pass and she had no one to talk to about it. God sent Mary to her. When the two of them came together, and explosion happened! The baby leaped in her womb! She knew, she had the confirmation that her baby was alive, that her dream was not dead and Mary had encouragement that what she had been told about Elizabeth being pregnant was true, so she knew that what God had told her, shown her about her own situation was true and He would bring her through it. When God brings you together with another believer, especially with your "Chosen" spouse, there should be and will be an explosion! God can and will be able to accomplish what He needs accomplished when the two of you come together, because you could not accomplish it alone! As TD was saying, what makes your "baby" or dream or promise that God has shown you "leap" inside of you? Don't hang with those that don't make your "Baby/Dream/Promise" leap! The point of His message is that we have all been chosen and set apart as followers of Christ. We are part of His master plan, not the other way around. That takes the pressure off of us. He already has the best plan, we were invited to be a part of it, to play a role already written for us. That is where the conflict can take place, because sometimes others don't understand or believe the part that He has chosen us to play, to take part in. The role He has for us. Sometimes we can't tell others what God has told us, what He has shown us because people will think we are crazy......but it does not matter what people think. God did send his angel to Joseph, and showed him the same thing that he showed Mary, he confirmed what Mary had said to Joseph and then Joseph knew that it was God's plan, He believed Mary and confirmed to Mary that God had too shown him the same thing, the same plan and his role that he was to play. God got all of the glory because He did it, He brought it to pass, He confirmed it.....not man. I will leave you with the prophecy that TD Jakes spoke at the end of this message and it is for me, it is for you, as followers of Christ:

"I don't know whether you are in your first trimester or your third trimester, we are all in different places in this; but I prophesy to you right now in the Name of Jesus that the thing that is on the inside of you can not be hidden any longer! That thing will come to pass and no weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against you God will condemn. It doesn't matter what Joseph said, it doesn't matter what Zachariah doesn't say, and what God has for you.....it's for you! Some of you are hurting because of some things people have said about you, others are hurting because they didn't say anything, no support no help no encouragement, but both of you are pregnant with Destiny! And I tell you today that the thing that God has placed in you WILL COME TO PASS! We're better together than we are apart."

Love God, Love People, No Fear

2007-08-04T11:45:00.000-05:00

2 John 5-6 5 "And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."1 John 3:23-24 "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

Loving God first and with all our heart, causes us to love people because we want His best for them. A friend recently reminded me about something that I had thought about many times-the impersonal touch of blogging, IM, texting,etc. Ain't technology great. It's wonderful to be able to "talk" with someone you want to talk with at any moment via any of these methods, and there are many times when these choices are needed. But I would say that those same methods, tools, have also caused all types of relationships to suffer rather than to flourish. Having a relationship in person, that personal touch, "communicating" in conversation, common interest, adventure, that physical touch can not be replaced by any of these tools. The expression of Love or Care or Concern that you see in someone's eyes can't be conveyed in a cold email or IM or Text. You can't hug someone via any of these methods either. The human touch is so important. And yes you can't see or hear the hurt or pain in someone else either and this too is part of life, part of relationship with anyone, real world things that we have to work through. So anyway, people are the most important things in our life next to Jesus. Loving people is the most important thing we can do. Please don't hide behind these tools, but allow people to see you, experience you, the wonderful, strong, passionate, gentle, warrior/warrior princess, hero, and loving person you really are, after God's own heart.

Sunset at the Lake

2007-07-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

At the LakeUnder the Moonlight

I spent some time at the park next to the lake yesterday afternoon reading a new book a friend highly recommended. By the way, it is so peaceful and fun around the water. It was a beautiful day and the sunset was amazing. The kind of place you want to share with that special guy. I would love to go out on a boat and try some skiing or tubing, it looks like a blast. But back to the book; I have just started it, but I can honestly say that just as she had promised, it is a life changer. It is called "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn. There is also "For Men Only" by Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn. What is so amazing and different about these books, is that they have taken surveys, talked with Men and Women, and found out what He really hears when you communicate, and what She really hears when He communicates. It is a real eye opener and very encouraging. Just when you think you know a little something, you find out that you have so much to learn. But, life is a process and I thank God for teaching me. I want to give these books to every girl and guy that is getting married.

Listening to Music

2007-07-19T00:09:00.000-05:00

I was just sitting here listening to some new music and some old. You know the songs that touch your heart and say all the things that you would love to say, or have said to you. It takes courage and sometimes that's hard. There is a lot of good music out there and I guess if we could take all of the lines from every song and put them together, we could express how we feel. Sitting here listening to Travis-Closer, Under the Moonlight. Or listening to The Fray-Far Away, She Is, All At Once. Then there's White Flag, Bless The Broken Road. New music to me is Gavin Mikhail-Who We Are and Brave, just to name a few. Is it just me who is moved by songs like this?

Who Told You..(Revised)

2007-07-16T23:13:00.001-05:00

Genesis 3:11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked.”

Who told you that you could not succeed in life?
Genesis 39:3 “Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.”

Who told you that you could not succeed in business?
Genesis 31:12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.”

Who told you that you could not succeed in Marriage?
Song of Solomon
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
Gen 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Who told you that you could not believe God for the impossible? John 4:46 "So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum."

Who told you that you could not succeed in the destiny God has call you to? John 21:17 “A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
“So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. 16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.”
John 10:10 “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Or Life more abundantly!

Water............

2007-07-14T21:27:00.000-05:00

I found a park at the end of Lock 4 Road this afternoon next to the water. It was a beautiful place. I went there just to read, journal and talk to the Lord. I love spending quiet time with the Lord next to the water. I got to do that on the beach this past week in Florida as well. I have never had the time before, like I do now to spend next to the water or being on the water or in the water.....but I love it. It is so calming. Water is life. It can be powerful and calm at the same time. Just to watch the small waves lap against the shore, watch the sunset, see the birds, watch the boats go by, I just love everything about it.

The Call 07-07-07

2007-07-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

The Call

I really don't know where to start. We had been praying and preparing for this day since the beginning of the year. Everyone ethnicity was represented. We had come together the first Sunday of every month to pray, worship and prepare for what God was going to start this day. A change in our country, turning the hearts of the children back to the Fathers and the hearts of the Fathers back to the children as Malachi says. The day started at 7AM at Centennial Park where there were about 7000 people gathered to walk down Church street all the way to LP Field in silence, repenting for our country and what has brought our country to the place we are currently in. It was amazing to see as far as I could see ahead of me and as far as I could see behind me a sea of people, walking so silent, I did not think it was possible. As we came through downtown, and crossed over the bridge you could hear Jeff Deyo playing in the stadium and leading the first worship. It was exciting and such a sense of expectancy.

Throughout the day, there was a time of worship, each time a different group or leader would lead us in Praise and worship. Sometimes it was repentance sometimes it was rejoicing and in between Lou and others would lead us in specific prayers for our nation, for our leaders, for Israel, for our cities, for our churches, for ourselves. One of those times that really had an impact on me was when we wept and prayed for the unborn children. For the abolishing of abortion. The most significant part was when Lou had us pray for the church to step up to the plate and receive those children, be ready to mentor those who will choose to keep their babies instead of aborting them and to be willing to become parents and adopt those that are put up for adoption. Doing our part, not just praying about abortion. He had several couples up their young, older, in between, that had adopted children and the testimonies of how God had brought that to pass in each of their lives. I was very moved during this time and I asked God that when I get married, if He wants me and my husband to adopt one of these babies that will be saved, just open the door for us and we will. It is about His heart, about His people and His love for all of us not just some of us. Maybe it was because I have not had children yet but I felt God's heart on this issue as we prayed and wept, I am willing to do whatever He wants, walk through the doors that He opens and no man can shut.

It was hot, we were fasting, sweaty but it did not matter. I was thankful and humbled to be there and be a part of changing our nation for God. Making the sacrifice, continually, to reach His world, His people, that don't know Him yet. To show them how much He loves them. As we finished last night, Selah was playing. It was a great time of worship and the music was awesome. It as great to see friends that I had not seen in a while. They also had 300 men come to the front and blow their Shophars (sp?) and it was so mighty, so powerful. You felt as if you were preparing for Battle.

I was thoroughly blessed and spent by the time we finished at 10:00PM. It is a day that God changed things in our lives, in our city in this country and from this day forward, things will never be the same again............Praise God! (click on the pics to see The Call)

Emotions and Reason

2007-06-29T23:22:00.001-05:00

It is true that we can't just follow emotion blindly, however, I have learned, more than I ever knew I could, that when you are a follower of Christ, He puts things in your heart that He wants for you, that He desires for you. So, it is no surprise that we want and desire things that are after God's own heart. It can be painful to live from the heart, but for me.......there is no other place to live.

"The mind takes in and processes information. But it remains, for the most part, indifferent. It is your mind that tells you it is now 2:00 A.M. and your daughter has not returned, for the car is not in the driveway. Your heart wrestles with whether or not this is cause for worry. The heart lives in the far more bloody and magnificent realities of living and dying and loving and hating. That’s why those who live from their minds are detached from life. Things don’t seem to touch them very much; they puzzle at the way others are so affected by life, and they conclude others are emotional and unstable. Meanwhile, those who live from the heart find those who live from the mind . . . unavailable. Yes, they are physically present. So is your computer. This is the sorrow of many marriages, and the number one disappointment of children who feel entirely missed or misunderstood by their parents.

Yes, the heart is the source of our emotions. But we have equated the heart with, emotion, and put it away for a messy and even dangerous guide. No doubt, many people have made a wreck of their lives by following an emotion without stopping to consider whether it was a good idea to do so. Neither adultery nor murder is a rational act. But equating the heart with emotion is the same nonsense as saying that love is a feeling. Surely, we know that love is more than feeling loving; for if Christ had followed his emotions, he would not have gone to the cross for us. Like any man would have been, he was afraid; in fact, he knew that the sins of the world would be laid upon him, and so he had even greater cause for hesitation (Mark 14:32–35). But in the hour of his greatest trial, his love overcame his fear of what loving would cost him.

Emotions are the voice of the heart, to borrow Chip Dodd’s phrase. Not the heart, but its voice."

Evan Almighty

2007-06-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

OK, I went to see this last night and it was the most fun I had at a movie in a long time. I really enjoyed it. It was funny, good message (as Hollywood goes), and if you have not seen it you have to wait through the credits! That is the most fun part! We danced all the way out of the theater! It was great!

Faith, Hope, Love in a new light

2007-06-23T07:41:00.000-05:00

Don't Ever Give Up!

How easy it is for us girls to forget this. It seems we have everything working against us. The world constantly telling us and showing us that we don't measure up to "their" standards because we don't look, act or conform to how "they" think we should look, act or be. It is hard, if it were easy, no one would struggle with this. Do we really trust Jesus with our heart? I have found that too is not an easy thing. So many times, it's just easier to hide than to put your heart out there one more time. But if we don't offer it, time and time again, then we won't be all that God created us to be for those He needs us to be it for. It is scary that it's out of our control when we offer our heart in Faith, Hoping to make a difference to be seen and enjoyed for who God made us to be. I can totally relate as I know you can too. We want it to matter, and we can't give up hope......ever. I have this cartoon on the side of my fridge that I have had for years. I copied it from someone. It is a picture of a Crane standing in the swamp, and he has just opened his beak and started to swallow a big bull frog. The frog has grabbed the Crane around the neck with both hands so there is no way he can swallow him. The caption reads "Don't Ever Give Up!" I live by that and it has brought me so much encouragement over the years. It's not over until its over. So read todays message below, and don't hide, don't strive, but by Faith, unveil your beauty to others regardless of the outcome and trust Jesus with it. Unveil your beauty in Hope that it is going to matter, that you are going to make a difference in someone and for someone and trust Jesus with it. Unveil your beauty in Love, truly from the heart, so that the world and all those you care about can see Jesus. He put these attributes in us because they are His attributes. Don't hide anymore. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and jump in!------Tam

"Unveiling our beauty really just means unveiling our feminine hearts.

It’s scary, for sure. That is why it is our greatest expression of faith, because we are going to have to trust Jesus—really trust him. We’ll have to trust him that we have a beauty, that what he has said of us is true. And we’ll have to trust him with how it goes when we offer it, because that is out of our control. We’ll have to trust him when it hurts, and we’ll have to trust him when we are finally seen and enjoyed. That’s why unveiling our beauty is how we live by faith.

Unveiling our beauty is our greatest expression of hope. We hope it will matter, that our beauty really does make a difference. We hope there is a greater and higher Beauty, hope we are reflecting that Beauty, and hope it will triumph. Our hope is that all is well because of Jesus, and that all will be well because of him. So we unveil beauty in hope. And finally, we unveil beauty in the hope that Jesus is growing our beauty. Yes, we are not yet what we long to be. But we are under way. Restoration has begun. To offer beauty now is an expression of hope that it will be completed.

And unveiling beauty is our greatest expression of love, because it is what the world most needs from us. When we choose not to hide, when we choose to offer our hearts, we are choosing to love. Jesus offers, he invites, he is present. That is how he loves. That is how we love—sincerely, as the Scripture says, “from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22). Our focus shifts from self-protection to the hearts of others. We offer Beauty so that their hearts might come alive, be healed, know God. That is love." (Captivating , 147)

'Thank ya, Thank ya very much'

2007-06-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

Memphis 6-12-07

I went to Memphis with some friends who had never been to Graceland. I am not an Elvis fan, and I have been to Graceland once before. But I was up for a fun day and to watch their reactions as they toured the property. It is a pretty place, the property that is. The house is smaller than you would have expected, but very unique. One of the funniest things that happened was we went into one of the souvenir shops, and they had this 'build a bear' section. There was this wheel on the wall that kinda looked like Wheel of Fortune and in the middle was a pipe sticking out. There was a lever on the floor so Clay stepped on it thinking it was going to spin the wheel. It didn't..........it sprayed him hard with stuffing intended for stuffing the bears! It was hilarious! We were all laughing so hard, he was still 'pickin' out stuffing the rest of the day! We had some good ice cream. It was a good day. Check out the pics by clicking on them.

The Sum of Life

2007-06-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien)

I don't know how to say this any better..............

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien)

"The Sacred Romance calls to us every moment of our lives. It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love. We’ve heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of our first child, been drawn to it while watching the shimmer of a sunset on the ocean. It is even present in times of great personal suffering—the illness of a child, the loss of a marriage, the death of a friend. Something calls to us through experiences like these and rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure. This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality. It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive. However we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life. And the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God. (The Sacred Romance , 195)

Wahoo!

2007-06-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

OK, I know I have not blogged in a while. Life has been busy and I probably never said anything about our Co-ed Softball team this year either. Well, It was a short season, only 6 Monday nights, but tonight was our play off! Single elimination! We won a total of 4 games this season and we won 2nd Place for the season! Yeah! Awesome job everyone. We had a great time playing. There were 6 of us girls on the team and everyone did a great job! I am proud of all of you. Sorry about my hitting (not exactly anything you would write home about), but hey! We took pic's at Chik-Fil-A tonight with the after the game crew, and of the trophy, it is huge! Softball was fun and great exercise too! Thanks everyone! Love you guys!

Gotta love those Kids!

2007-05-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

Gotta love those kids

I had the joy of working with the 4-5 year olds at church today. What a great age! They are so much fun. They are smart, cute and funny. There was a time when I was still at home with my parents, and a 3 year old boy lived next door name Adam. He was great! They always make you feel so good. He used to watch for me to come home from work (I was working for my Dad at the time). I would go in the house to change my cloths and he would come to the front door and ring the doorbell. My Mom would answer the door, and I could hear this little voice say "Can Tammy come out and play?" That would just make my day! Of course I would go out and play with him. These kids were great today. One of my favorites is JP. He is only 3 but his grandparents bring him and he wants to go to class with his sister Julia. JP told me he went to see Spiderman a few weeks ago, and every since then, I can't call him JP.......he let's you know that his name is 'Peter Parker'! LOL! I want one just like him! Check out the pics.

The Point is.... Connecting with God

2007-05-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

I could write a lot of things here, but today's devotional say's so much and is pretty much to the point. I can share that in the past 2 years, connecting with God in new ways, on a regular basis has changed me, my life and I am not the same person I used to be. I Praise God for that......He did that in me. And it is a journey, a process that will never end here on earth. It is about HIM and all those lives He needs us to touch for HIM. Love you guys.....have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

"Against the flesh, the traitor within, a warrior uses discipline. We have a two-dimensional version of this now, which we call a “quiet time.” But most men have a hard time sustaining any sort of devotional life because it has no vital connection to recovering and protecting their strength; it feels about as important as flossing. But if you saw your life as a great battle and you knew you needed time with God for your very survival, you would do it. Maybe not perfectly—nobody ever does and that’s not the point anyway—but you would have a reason to seek him. We give a halfhearted attempt at the spiritual disciplines when the only reason we have is that we “ought” to. But we’ll find a way to make it work when we are convinced we’re history if we don’t.

Time with God each day is not about academic study or getting through a certain amount of Scripture or any of that. It’s about connecting with God. We’ve got to keep those lines of communication open, so use whatever helps. Sometimes I’ll listen to music; other times I’ll read Scripture or a passage from a book; often I will journal; maybe I’ll go for a run; then there are days when all I need is silence and solitude and the rising sun. The point is simply to do whatever brings me back to my heart and the heart of God.

The discipline, by the way, is never the point. The whole point of a “devotional life” is connecting with God. This is our primary antidote to the counterfeits the world holds out to us." (Wild at Heart , 171–72)

More Graduations and City Fest

2007-05-21T00:21:00.000-05:00

Graduations/City Fest

I have officially been to 4 graduations now. My Nephew Mark graduated today and we went to Green Hills Grill to celebrate with him. Yesterday my friend Katie graduated and then the night before was Jessica, Trey and Mikil. Andrea graduated last week and Jacob will graduate this coming Friday. Whew! Congrats to all!
We went down to City Fest tonight and Israel was awesome. Clay and RyLee and Ian and myself hung out around second aveneue for a while to show Ian the sites. We had a fun time. Click on the pic's to see! We went into Tootsies to hear the bands playing and it was from one end of the spectrum to the other to go from City Fest, listening to the testimonies and groups like Israel, to the bars. The musicians were pretty good, no doubt, some of the singers were good too. But they were without Jesus. As I sat and people watched, I remembered some friends who last year were talking about getting their band together to go into places like this to play their music and show these people about a relationship with Jesus Christ. The field is white and ready for harvest. I think that is a much needed and awesome ministry. As followers of Christ, this is one of the places where ministry is needed, as God leads. Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in. What a difference we can make, as followers of Christ, if we will just go, go and tell them about the one who can change their lives forever.

Graduations, Birthdays, Softball......Misc stuff

2007-05-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

Graduations, Birthdays, Softball

My friend Andrea graduated last night from WKU. She will be doing an internship at Vanderbilt. Way to go girl! My friend Melissa and I drove up to see her graduate......you girls rock! A little late on Birthday's, but my friend Stuart had his 16th on April 30th! He can drive now! Wahoo! Congrats Stuart! Our church did a Co-ed softball team this year and some of us girls are having fun playing. It is not the same as last year, it's just for fun, not competitive and we don't have the boombox and the fans coming out like we did last year......that was the best. But, we have won one game so far! Yea! I like that song by Chris Rice "When Did You Fall In Love With Me."
I was at some friends house recently, and they had this daily calendar that someone gave them. Here is what it said for that date: "It's not easy becoming one with another person. There is a lot of growing required. But it's not about causing our mate to grow into our image, it's about both husband and wife growing into Gods image, together." Truth. You may remember a long time ago I wrote about that. God showed me a vision about husband and wife "becoming" together and some about what that meant. "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helpmate....." God never intended for us to be alone...you can't 'become one' by yourself.
We went to The Call at an Hispanic Church on Nolensville road this past Sunday night. I can honestly say it was "fun". You could not help but think, "This is what heaven is like, everyone praising and worshipping God in their own language." They had an interpreter for both Spanish and English and God moved. God is preparing our hearts and this city for a major move of God. You don't want to miss this. 07/07/07 at the Titans Stadium is going to be an explosion of people from around the world fasting, praying, worshipping, praising God. Come and be a part of it with us!

The Return of Spring and Heart

2007-05-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

I read this from yesterday and was moved by how John Eldredge put this. After working with Clay & RyLee on their wedding and seeing how God has blessed them with each other and how He put them together, I have been thinking a lot about The Heart. It is the wellspring of life, out of it the abundance of who we are flows. Our hearts are not bad, they are God's heart and we have to learn to let it flow. He fills it with so much love, and everyone is not willing to accept that love, but nevertheless, it is still there, ready to flow out to the one or to those that are or will be vulnerable and open themselves to receive it. The heart is a very complex thing but......it means so much to God and so it should to us.

“Above all else, guard your heart.” We usually hear this with a sense of “Keep an eye on that heart of yours,” in the way you’d warn a deputy watching over some dangerous outlaw, or a bad dog the neighbors let run. “Don’t let him out of your sight.” Having so long believed our hearts are evil, we assume the warning is to keep us out of trouble. So we lock up our hearts and throw away the key and then try to get on with our living. But that isn’t the spirit of the command at all. It doesn’t say guard your heart because it’s criminal; it says guard your heart because it is the wellspring of your life, because it is a treasure, because everything else depends on it. How kind of God to give us this warning, like someone’s entrusting to a friend something precious to him, with the words: “Be careful with this—it means a lot to me.” (Waking the Dead , 207–8)

Today's devotional talks about the Spring and I think this year especially we have all longed for it. Winter has hung on this year like it would not let go. There is so much about Spring that gives us hope, a fresh start, a new begining with those around us, in every area of our life. Hope in what God has started, He will finish. He won't leave us hanging, He won't leave us in The Winter.

"Winter tarries long at six thousand feet. Here in the Rocky Mountains, spring comes late and fitfully. We had snow again last week—the second week in May. I’ve come to accept that spring here is really a wrestling match between winter and summer. It makes for a long time of waiting. You see, the flowers are pretty much gone in September. The first of October, the aspens start turning gold and drop their leaves in a week or two. Come November, all is gray. Initially, I don’t mind. The coming of winter has its joys, and there are Thanksgiving and Christmastime to look forward to.

But after the new year, things begin to drag on. Through February and then March, the earth remains lifeless. The whole world lies shadowed in brown and gray tones, like an old photograph. Winter’s novelty is long past, and by April we are longing for some sign of life—some color, some hope. It’s too long.

And then, just this afternoon, I rounded the corner into our neighborhood, and suddenly, the world was green again. What had been rock and twig and dead mulch was a rich oriental carpet of green. I was shocked, stunned. How did it happen? As if in disbelief, I got out of my car and began to walk through the woods, touching every leaf. The birds are back as well, waking us in the morning with their glad songs. It happened suddenly. In the twinkling of an eye.

My surprise is telling. It seems natural to long for spring; it is another thing to be completely stunned by its return. I am truly and genuinely surprised, as if my reaction were, Really? What are you doing here? And then I realized, I thought I’d never see you again. I think in some deep place inside, I had accepted the fact that winter is what is really true . . . And so I am shocked by the return of spring. And I wonder, Can the same thing happen for my soul?" (The Journey of Desire , 108–9)

Rehearsals,Weddings,Receptions,Brunches Oh My!

2007-04-28T19:51:00.000-05:00

Krasner Rehearsal,Wedding,Reception,Brunch

Well, the past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind for sure. We have worked on putting wedding stuff together almost everyday for 2 weeks. RyLee and I have spent a lot of time together becoming greater friends. From wedding dress fittings, to shopping spree's to yard sales, to Sam's Club pricing, to raiding the freezer at Aldi's, we have done so much! It has been exhausting, but fun for sure. I would not have missed it for the world.
We had the wedding rehearsal dinner at Clay & RyLee's and put together homemade Lasagna which was a huge hit. I did not know we could get 30 people into their living room/dining room... but we did! Chely let them have the wedding at her 1900's historic home, which was absolutely beautiful with the original hardwood floors and the remodeled kitchen. We broke the kitchen in real good too! Chely was great and her friend Melissa/Mindy were great hosts. The wedding was in the front yard and the reception was in the back yard. Clay had the band play "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles before he walked down the aisle. RyLee had them play "Someday My Prince will Come". It was a picture perfect day, a fairy tale wedding! We cleaned and packed everything up after they left and I got home around 1AM. The brunch at their house was today, a beautiful, sunny day and friends were over to eat hot dogs and hamburgers. It was a nice time to visit with new friends and old alike. Clay and RyLee wanted to do this for their friends because they love everyone so much.
Clay & RyLee were so appreciative of everyone that helped bring this together. They got to tell the story of how they met in France of all places. It truly was a union put together by God. I look forward to the day when they get to help me with my wedding. I love you my friends and I pray a Wild at Heart/Captivating, Song of Solomon marriage for you. You are truly blessed of the Lord!
Now they are off to their honeymoon destination.....sunny central Florida and all of the wonderful sites it has to offer. (Click on the pic above to see all the pic's from the past few days)

Hillsong United

2007-04-22T22:50:00.000-05:00

Hillsong United

We went to The Ryman tonight to hear Hillsong United. I can honestly say it was an amazing time in worship. When I am there with them (this is the third time I have heard them in person) it is such a worshipful time with the Lord. I just lose myself in Him. They sang many of our fav's and also some from their new CD which has not been released here yet. Their heart for worship is what makes the songs so amazing and that touch the soul. Worshipping my Lord is my true heart. I could do what United does every day of the week. What an honor to lead people into the presence of God, totally vulnerable, open and abandoned to HIM.

Also, Michael W. had a surprise guest there, Actor Jim Caveziel who played Jesus in the Passion of the Christ. He talked about how much one of Michaels songs had ministered to him and helped him through the filming of that movie when he was having such a hard time. He was struck by lightening, got Hypothermia, had his shoulder separated when he was carrying the cross. He talked about how there is nothing more important than Jesus and our influence as Christians on a lost and dying world. He spoke from the heart.

I also took some pic's while we were standing outside waiting to get in. The guys were hammin' it up for the camera. I was so very glad I got to go.

Quote

2007-04-20T09:03:00.000-05:00

God determines who walks into your life....
it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go."

Someone sent this to me today and I felt it was worth posting here. Very profound.

Birthday Week, Friends, Family, Flowers

2007-04-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

Birthday Dinner Family & Friends

Revised: I added some more pic's. Aaron, Beth, Wes, Sherry and the kids took me to dinner before church for my BDay. They gave me a wonderful journal! I love to journal. The mexican food was great! Thank you all so much! The Parrys had a Bday party for me after church on Wednesday night! It was great! They had some friends come by to help celebrate including my nephew! There was cake and music and flowers and a swanky present "Dance Dance Revolution!" Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Thanks so much guys! I love you all! Also my family took me to dinner for by BDay and some close friends went with me to lunch for my BDay. Then I got flowers from one of my youth friends-Jessica, and flowers from my Area Director in Arbonne plus a surprise mini party on Monday night. Thanks so much for celebrating with me-I love you guys!

Circumstances vs Trust in God

2007-04-10T23:53:00.000-05:00

Andy was teaching on Monday night at The Loop. It was a great message and one that really spoke to me.....I needed to hear it, and it sort of hit me between the eyes. I had let circumstances overrun my life...whether anyone else wants to admit it or not, we have all done this. It is so easy to get your eyes on the circumstances facing your life, because as Andy pointed out, circumstances scream the loudest. They get in your face and can overwhelm you and when that happens, you feel like you can't trust God.... which is exactly what the enemy wants. That is why I wanted to share the notes from his message. It truly ministered to me. It was the 4th part of a 5 part series. This night it was called "Trust Me". He referenced 1 Timothy 4:12

The theme of the message, and the statement that really hit me was "God is trustworthy and the circumstances are not!"

He talked about 4 points:
1) The beginning-God's divine plan
2) The Breakdown-where it went wrong (the breakdown came when circumstances overruled certainty. Circumstances speak the loudest, faith is a decision we make.
3) The Belief-returning to God's truth
4) The Blessing-living as a Godly man/woman

When it comes to circumstances he said to obey what has already been said to you- Gods will-Gods wisdom. Make a decision and step out by faith and do something. God will not be real to you until you trust Him. He is the one certain thing. It is our circumstances that are uncertain. Circumstances will lie to you, they do not take into account the God of the Universe. He is certain, we can trust Him.

Why do we fail to trust God?
The lie of smarts-we think we can figure things out, we think we can analyze and work through whatever we want to control, leave God out.
The lie of security-we think if we have enough money in the bank, a good car, all those things that we think will make us feel secure, but there is no security outside of truly trusting God.
The lie of safety-we will play it safe, not step out of the boat, not take chances or risks and then we will be safe. Trying to maintain security, fear keeps you from getting into relationship. Circumstances can overrule our lives.
The lie of status-trying to maintain how people view us, how we should promote ourselves, wanting everyone to think we have it all together. It takes us away from faith in God.

***Don't trade certainty in God for circumstances*** Believe God is who He says He is. We don't know what is best for us but God does. God when your truth conflicts with my life...that is when my life bends to you.

When you take a step of faith, it will rock your status, your security, your faith, it does not fit our normal thinking! What is He leading you to do? What steps of faith is He asking you to take? What are you trusting Him to do in your life? Do you believe He is trustworthy? Will you believe Him instead of the circumstances that are facing you? You have to make your own decision. God say's "trust me", He knows what He is doing.

Prayer: God we trust you, you are the one who knows how to work this out, we trust you to do it, speak it, change the circumstances in our life!"

God does not fit in the box of our reason. Nothing is impossible with God.

Time with friends............

2007-04-08T22:33:00.000-05:00

Easter Sunday

Today was a beautiful sunny day. It started out so cold, but is turned out to be glorious! We had dinner with some of my favorite people, The Parrys, and then on to another favorite peoples.....Clay and Rylee. I am blessed to have you all in my life and as my frieds. We worked on wedding stuff at Clay and Rylees, we worked on rocker hair for Stuart and Ethan at the Parry's. Click on the pic to see the rest of the day!

Greater Love.........

2007-04-08T07:54:00.000-05:00

It's Spring and with that comes all of the toil and struggle of nature to bring forth the leaves on the tree's, the flowers and it sometimes is a reflection of the struggle we are in.

Today's devotional is really a continuation of my last blog over a week ago, but at the same time, it comes on a day that shows God's true love, His greatest sacrifice for us.........The Rssurrection. Greater love has no man than he lay down his life for his friends. That is what Jesus did for us. There is no greater sacrifice, no greater love. He sought us, pursued us, fought for us, died for us, and now He romances us. Where would I be if He had never done any of these things? Lost for sure.

I am humbled, thankful, and in awe of how He made us in His image. The Man and the Woman each with their own distinctive attributes, yet all of those attributes are still God, still His reflection. How He see's us, what He see's in us even if we don't recognize it ourself. Sometimes as a woman, you begin to wonder if the way you are feeling is a weakness or insecurity. I mean, you have the media everywhere spinning their view of how a woman should be, should look, should talk like, etc. And then you learn more about God's attributes He has placed in you...how He made us to be, and you realize you're not weak, or insecure.....you just desire the same things God does. I love you Jesus.

"Can there be any doubt that God wants to be sought after? The first and greatest of all commands is to love him (Mark 12:29–30; Matt. 22:36–38). He wants us to love him. To seek him with all our heart. A woman longs to be sought after, too, with the whole heart of her pursuer. God longs to be desired. Just as a woman longs to be desired. This is not some weakness or insecurity on the part of a woman, that deep yearning to be desired. God feels the same way. Remember the story of Martha and Mary? Mary chose God, and Jesus said that was what he wanted. “Mary has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42). She chose me.

Life changes dramatically when romance comes into our lives. Christianity changes dramatically when we discover that it, too, is a great romance. That God yearns to share a life of beauty, intimacy, and adventure with us. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). This whole world was made for romance—the rivers and the glens, the meadows and the beaches. Flowers, music, a kiss. But we have a way of forgetting all that, losing ourselves in work and worry. Eve—God’s message to the world in feminine form—invites us to romance. Through her, God makes romance a priority of the universe.

So God endows Woman with certain qualities that are essential to relationship, qualities that speak of God. She is inviting. She is vulnerable. She is tender. She embodies mercy. She is also fierce and fiercely devoted. As the old saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” That’s just how God acts when he isn’t chosen. “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god!” (Ex. 20:5 NLT). A woman’s righteous jealousy speaks of the jealousy of God for us.

Tender and inviting, intimate and alluring, fiercely devoted. Oh yes, our God has a passionate, romantic heart. Just look at Eve." (Captivating , 29–30)

God's Heart for Relationship

2007-03-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

It is funny, but I was just talking to the Lord about this very thing this week. How He created me as a woman to be the way that I am, to have the heart that I have. I was talking to Him about true love, that He is the meaning of true love and how saying "I love you" or "I love this or that" is used almost as slang everyday, instead of from the heart, heartfelt (out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks). As a very anointed guy once taught a while back, we say I love you way to easily. Do we really "love" what we say we do, or is it just a phrase. Like in the song Chasing Cars, "those three words, are said too much, their not enough." I have heard those three words come out of the same anointed worship leaders mouth in his expression of love for God, and it totally enveloped and changed the entire place because you could tell, you could feel, you could see it was from a heart that truly loves God. That can not be faked. When we truly fall in love with Him, there is a true love that just wants to come out, to flow out of us and the more time we spend with Him in that intimate relationship, the more we want to express that love, the more saying the words "I love you" means. Do we really love Him, or is it just said out of habit. God has truly given us a heart, a capacity to love more than we ever thought we were capable of. I have learned that the more I have sought God, the more I have come into intimate relationship with Him, the more capacity He has given my heart to love. Sometimes I feel like it is going to burst. Even though I have not experienced the marriage relationship....yet, I now have a better understanding of the love and relationship God wants and intends between a husband and wife. I now understand better how it is an extension of our intimate relationship with God, that true and pure love.......The Triangle. Todays devotional is confirmation to me of what the Lord and I have been talking about this week. He has given us all His attributes, and the capacity for relationships, whether it be husband and wife (the ultimate manifestation and example of our relationship with God) or friends, or our relationship with our amazing and awesome Savior Jesus Christ. I never realized, until this week, how much God made me in His image. The very things that as a woman I desire, He desires as well. It totally opened my eyes to Him in a new light, and made me fall in love with Him even more. He has filled me with a love and a capacity for love like I have never known before. I just wanted to share.................

John & Staci Eldredge (Captivating)
"The vast desire and capacity a woman has for intimate relationships tells us of God’s vast desire and capacity for intimate relationships. In fact, this may be the most important thing we ever learn about God—that he yearns for relationship with us. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God” (John 17:3). The whole story of the Bible is a love story between God and his people. He yearns for us. He cares. He has a tender heart.

Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isa. 49:14–15)
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (Jer. 24:7)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (Matt. 23:37)

What a comfort to know that this universe we live in is relational at its core, that our God is a tenderhearted God who yearns for relationship with us. If you have any doubt about that, simply look at the message he sent us in Woman. Amazing. Not only does God long for us, but he longs to be loved by us. Oh, how we’ve missed this. How many of you see God as longing to be loved by you? We see him as strong and powerful, but not as needing us, vulnerable to us, yearning to be desired."
(Captivating , 28–29)

Clay & RyLee.....shopping for the reception

2007-03-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

Clay & Rylee shopping for the wedding reception

RyLee and I went shopping today for all the stuff we need for the wedding reception. Their wedding is coming up next month and we had a great time putting it together. Clay joined us for some last minute decisions, but what he really came to look at was the Gas Grill! It was such a "Clay" grill! I love you guys so much!

Softball and Beautiful Weather

2007-03-26T23:15:00.000-05:00

Pics with the kids

I was out at Jason & Maci's house Friday and we practiced some softball and the kids were there to help. Mr Titus was ready to be a big boy trying to walk, and Faith was cheering us on and Jeremiah was being catcher for us (when the dog was not running away with the ball). It was fun and the most amazing weather!

The Great Stories...

2007-03-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

OK, I know just putting John Eldredge here is not my words, but when you read this,it says it all. I don't know how to improve on what he has said here. I can only tell you that it is truth and this is how we feel. This is what we long for. This is where we want to live. To have my eyes opened by this book and know that those hearts desires, those things there that the world would tell you is only a fairy tale (because they are cynical and have lost sight of their heart)and know that it is from God, lets me know more about how God created me, created us. Lets me know how much He loves me, lets me know that I am not crazy.......and no amount of criticism will change my mind. It is His plan and how He created us to walk in it. I choose to walk in it......His plan. Thank you Lord for showing me my heart~Your Heart.

"Every man wants a battle to fight. It’s the whole thing with boys and weapons.

And look at the movies men love—Braveheart, Gladiator, Top Gun, High Noon, Saving Private Ryan. Men are made for battle. (And ladies, don’t you love the heroes of those movies? (Yes we do!) You might not want to fight in a war, but don’t you long for a man who will fight for you? (Yes we do!) To have Daniel Day Lewis look you in the eyes and say, “No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you”? Women don’t fear a man’s strength if he is a good man.)

Men also long for adventure. Adventure is a deeply spiritual longing in the heart of every man. Adventure requires something of us, puts us to the test. Though we may fear the test, at the same time we yearn to be tested, to discover that we have what it takes.

Finally, every man longs for a Beauty to rescue. He really does. Where would Robin Hood be without Marian, or King Arthur without Guinevere? Lonely men fighting lonely battles. You see, it’s not just that a man needs a battle to fight. He needs someone to fight for. There is nothing that inspires a man to courage so much as the woman he loves. Most of the daring (and okay, sometimes ridiculous) things young men do are to impress the girls. Men go to war carrying photos of their sweethearts in their wallets—that is a metaphor of this deeper longing to fight for the Beauty. This is not to say that a woman is a “helpless creature” who can’t live her life without a man. I’m saying that men long to offer their strength on behalf of a woman. (Side note from Tammy-we sing the song "....I need you Jesus to come to my rescue, where else can I go" and so it is....truth. We do desire for Him to rescue us from our lives that we have dug ourselves into, lives that He did not design for us to live in the way we are living them; but my point is, even as we sing that song can't you see where He designed us women to want to be rescued, and how He designed the men to come and rescue? His attributes placed in our hearts from the very beginning.)

Now—can you see how the desires of a man’s heart and the desires of a woman’s heart were at least meant to fit beautifully together? A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man; it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero." (Captivating~John & Staci Eldredge , 17–18)

I had forgotten.................

2007-03-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

OK, I read this today and yes, I had forgotten that I had learned this. I repented. I realized it is so easy to go back into habits that we have formed over the years. Back into what is comfortable, even though it brings us pain. I don't want to be there. I am so thankful we serve a God who loves us enough to remind us of the things that we have learned and then forgotten. Because He wants to help us, He wants us to be blessed in every area of our lives, especially in relationship with others. Here on this earth we only have each other. It's hard enough as it is without our relationships being strained and less than what God intends for them to be. So girls, if you have not read Captivating, do yourself a favor and read it. If you have, re-read it like I am, so you can fully become the Captivating Woman God has created you to be and thus be your True Self. I pray this reminder helps you as it has helped me. Jesus, I thank you for loving me.
"Awkward Love"
Honest communication in love is the only way to live and grow in friendships. There are ebbs and flows. There may be real hurt and disappointment. But with the grace of God firmly holding us, it is possible to nurture and sustain deep friendships. We are designed to live in relationship and share in the lives of other women. We need one another. God knows that. We have only to ask and surrender, to wait, to hope, and, in faith, to love. We must also repent.

For a woman to enjoy relationship, she must repent of her need to control and her insistence that people fill her. Fallen Eve demands that people “come through” for her. Redeemed Eve is being met in the depths of her soul by Christ and is free to offer to others, free to desire, and willing to be disappointed. Fallen Eve has been wounded by others and withdraws in order to protect herself from further harm. Redeemed Eve knows that she has something of value to offer; that she is made for relationship. Therefore, being safe and secure in her relationship with her Lord, she can risk being vulnerable with others and offer her true self.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable . . . The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is Hell. (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves)
(Captivating by John Eldredge, 181–82)

We have to fight for our Life!

2007-03-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

We are in a War, in a Battle and if we don't get that then we will not understand Life. We will misinterpret 90 percent of what is happening around us and to us if we fail to see that there is an enemy to our soul, to our heart and he wants to destroy us and our hearts desires. Jesus said the He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. I know you have heard me quote that here before in this blog. Sometimes it's hard to believe that God’s intentions toward us are abundant life! That's because the enemy does not want us to see that or believe it! It's even harder not to feel that somehow we are just blowing it. Worse, we will begin to accept some really awful things about God. I know the enemy has been trying to convince me of that lately. He has been applying pressure. So the battle rages, the fiery darts pound, our armor is singed and dented. We get weary, sometimes very weary. That is what the enemy wants. He sends his propaganda in many forms and says "why don't you give up?" "God does not care about you. He is withholding your hearts desire from you because you're not good enough, or have not earned it!" Blah, blah, blah. We have all heard his propaganda and sometimes we have even believed it....... for a moment.

Most people get stuck at some point because God appears to have abandoned them. He is not coming through. In a quote from John Eldredge he said "Speaking about her life with a mixture of disappointment and cynicism, a young woman recently said to me, “God is rather silent right now.” Yes, it’s been awful. I don’t discount that for a moment. She is unloved; she is unemployed; she is under a lot. But her attitude strikes me as deeply naive, on the level of someone caught in a cross fire who asks, rather shocked and with a sense of betrayal, “God, why won’t you make them stop firing at me?” I’m sorry, but that’s not where we are right now. It’s not where we are in the Story. That day is coming, later, when the lion shall lie down with the lamb and we’ll beat swords into plowshares. For now, it’s a bloody battle."

It sure explains a whole heckuva lot. I know many of you have seen this battle, have experienced these attacks. We won’t understand our life, we won’t see clearly what has happened to us (or is happening to us) or how to live forward from here, unless we see it as battle. A war against our heart. Don't give up! Don't give in! Fight for YOUR LIFE that Jesus came and went to the cross to give us! I am preaching to myself here as much as anyone. I felt that I could not be alone in this and I wanted to share with you all and encourage you as well. Don't let a root of bitterness into your heart. I know, when that happens we begin to look at God as if He has done something to us, withheld from us instead of the one who is bringing us through this battle.

2 Chronicles 20:15,17,20,21,22 "Thus says the Lord to you, Be not afraid or dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." " You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord with you..." "And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high." " Believe in the Lord your God, so will you be established; believe His prophets, so will you prosper." "....he appointed singers to the Lord, and those that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and said..Praise the Lord; for his mercy endures for ever." "And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mt Seir, which had come against Juda; AND THEY WERE DEFEATED!"

You and I are more than conquerors! We are strong in the Lord and in the power if HIS might! We can do ALL THINGS through Christ (the anointed one and His anointing)which strengthens us! We overcome by THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY! I love you all.........Tammy

Discontentment vs Desire

2007-03-09T07:33:00.000-06:00

I was reading some devotionals this morning and searching the scriptures about this subject and decided to write my commentary rather than cut and paste what the devotionals said. So here goes...........
In 1 Samuel 22 we see where there were those under the reign of Saul that were discontent because the scripture tells us that they went with David because they knew there was something more, something better than where they were. In Proverbs it tells us that the desire of the righteous shall be granted (10:24, 11:23). Proverbs also tells us that when we desire for something, and it finally comes--"is sweet to the soul" and "a tree of life." (13:12, 13:19, 18:1).
We have also read where the word tells us to be content, Phillipians 4:11, 1 Timothy 6:8, Hebrews 13:5. So many think that to long for or to have desire contradicts the Word of God........but this is not true. Who put that desire there? This is a matter of the heart. Does the desire line up with what the Word says about you? With what He says He came for you to have? (John 10:10 The theif comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly). Are we living in the more abundantly or have we just settled for all of the stealing the enemy has done to us? Are we living life to the full as this scripture says, or, are we just putting up with the enemy killing and destroying our lives, our hearts desires placed there by a Living, Loving, Live, Warrior God who say's "Fight for it, don't let the enemy rob you of what I came to give you, what I won back for you. Abide in it."
At the end of the day, when all is quiet and we are alone...we know there is much more than where we are. It nags at us. There is discontent because we know there is more to this life, more that God has called us to than where we are sitting at the moment. We are not discontent because we think God has not provided for us, blessed us, is leading us in this process.....we are discontent because God has shown us and is saying "I have so much more for you, don't stop. What does my word say, what does it show you, what have I placed in your heart?" Most of the time when the desire is too much to take, we bury it....we get into the business of life, serving, activities, because then we don't have to deal with it or think about it......until night comes, and we are in the quiet of our room, and then the nagging comes back, the calling is there, our heart starts to beat louder! We keep seeing 'glimpses', it keeps showing up in our 'dreams' when we are unguarded and God can get through to us. Even though we sleep, our desire doesn't. It IS who we are, it is the essence of the human soul, the secret of our existence. No human greatness has ever been accomplished without it. Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. The same old thing is not enough. It never will be.

The Call........The Fortress

2007-03-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

I went down to The Fortress last night in Nashville to The Call and saw some friends there (Josh and Tyler). Jeff Deyo led an amazing time of Praise and Worship. God truly moved in an amazing way. There was a great anointing there. He is calling us to a more intimate relationship with Him, a closer walk, to worship and to bring as many with us as we can. As we were in worship, praying and singing God kept speaking Jeremiah 29:11 to me. He also kept sharing with me about 2 Kings and the Shunamite woman and the resurrection of the dream.

There will be one of these nights on the first Sunday of every month, and then a huge Praise and Worship and time of prayer in the Titans stadium on 7/7/07. You definitly want to be there.

What Role Are You Playing?

2007-03-05T07:23:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share today's devotional from Ransomed Heart below. This is so very true. I have learned that I have so much to learn, but I want to live from my heart. It is hard and takes courage to be open (not hiding), to be vulnerable (it opens you up to possible hurt), to be real and honest with The Lord and with others (not striving to be in control). I truly want to be me, not put on a false self, but be the woman God has created me to be, the one He is constantly working on. That is what I have tried to do through this blog. It truly is about Jesus, loving and serving Him from the heart which in turn makes you want to love and serve others from the heart. I don't know if anyone reads these blogs, I rarely get a comment, so I have no way of knowing. But I do hope, in some way, it has touched peoples lives and that they have been drawn closer to Jesus, closer to His heart, become more intimate with Him, opened their heart more to Him and to others because of some things that have been shared here. Oh how I love Him, the one who saved me, the one who gave His all for me, the one who filled my heart with love to give and to share............Tam

John Eldredge - The Sacred Romance
"We come into the world with a longing to be known and a deep-seated fear that we aren’t what we should be. We are set up for a crisis of identity. And then, says Frederick Buechner, the world goes to work:

Starting with the rather too pretty young woman and the charming but rather unstable young man, who together know no more about being parents than they do the far side of the moon, the world sets in to making us what the world would like us to be, and because we have to survive after all, we try to make ourselves into something that we hope the world will like better than it apparently did the selves we originally were. That is the story of all our lives, needless to say, and in the process of living out that story, the original, shimmering self gets buried so deep that most of us hardly end up living out of it at all. Instead, we live out all the other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world’s weather. (Telling Secrets)

Think about the part you find yourself playing, the self you put on like a costume. Who cast you in this role? Most of us are living out a script that someone else has written for us. We’ve not been invited to live from our heart, to be who we truly are, so we put on these false selves hoping to offer something more acceptable to the world, something functional. We learn our roles starting very young and we learn them well." (The Sacred Romance , 84–85)

Beauty and the Beast....The Transformation

2007-03-02T07:31:00.000-06:00

Todays devotional from Ransomed Heart.........
"Now Beauty feared that she had caused his death. She ran throughout the palace, sobbing loudly. After searching everywhere, she recalled her dream and ran into the garden toward the canal, where she had seen him in her sleep. There she found the poor Beast stretched out unconscious. She thought he was dead. Without concern for his horrifying looks, she threw herself on his body and felt his heart beating. So she fetched some water from the canal and threw it on his face.

Beast opened his eyes and said, “You forgot your promise, Beauty. The grief I felt upon having lost you made me decide to fast to death. But I shall die content since I have the pleasure of seeing you one more time.”

“No, my dear Beast, you shall not die,” said Beauty. “You will live to become my husband. I give you my hand, and I swear that I belong only to you from this moment on. Alas! I thought that I only felt friendship for you, but the torment I am feeling makes me realize that I cannot live without you.”

Beauty had scarcely uttered these words when the castle radiated with light. Fireworks and music announced a feast. These attractions did not hold her attention, though. She returned her gaze to her dear Beast, whose dangerous condition made her tremble. How great was her surprise when she discovered that the Beast had disappeared, and at her feet was a prince more handsome than Eros himself, who thanked her for putting an end to his enchantment.

It is the deepest and most wonderful of all mythic truths, unveiled here in the original Beauty and the Beast, written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The Transformation. A creature that no one could bear to look upon is transformed into a handsome prince. That which was dark and ugly is now glorious and good. Is it not the most beautiful outcome of any story to be written? Perhaps that is because it is the deepest yearning of the human heart." (Waking the Dead , 55–56 John Eldredge)

Learning to Wait

2007-02-28T08:11:00.000-06:00

This is today's devotional from Charles Stanley. Man I hate to wait. I thought I was a patient person, and I am much more than I used to be, but not nearly as patient as I could be. When God shows me something, I get excited, and I am ready to go! Ready to act upon it right now, He doesn't have to tell me twice. Even though He loves my zealousness, sometimes that is not what He wants. It is a process and He is trying to teach me something in that process.

READ | Psalm 25:20-21

"What are you and I to think when God withholds His answer to our prayer? Most likely, you've wondered about this at some point. As creatures bound by time, we can find those ticking seconds very frustrating.

God doesn't see us simply in the here and now. He perceives the big picture all at once-where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. And, He knows the exact impact on our lives of every little decision, action, or blessing.

Does God want to bring something into your life that would absolutely destroy you? Of course not! He knows what may be a tremendous blessing later could completely devastate your life now. For this reason, He often pauses to give you time to prepare for that blessing.

Learning to wait on God is difficult. Patience successfully demands at least three things from us. First, we must be sensitive to Him. That is, we must nurture our relationship with the Father so we can hear Him when He tells us to wait. Second, we must trust His judgment. Does God know more than we do? Of course. Then doesn't it make sense to trust Him? Finally, we must be obedient. If we try to accomplish something alone after God tells us to wait, then we're headed for disaster. God blesses obedience, even obedient waiting.

The Lord doesn't operate in a vacuum. He works within His relationship with you. Never forget He is actively walking with you, even when He withholds an answer to your prayer. It doesn't mean He's not there. It simply means He's looking out for you even more." (Charles Stanley)

Random Thoughts and Pet Peeves

2007-02-27T10:24:00.000-06:00

TV
You know, since I have been home during the day, I have seen some TV that I have not had time to watch in a very long time. There are some shows that are funny, and don't get me wrong when I watch TV or go to a movie, I like to be entertained; But, for a long time now I have seen TV shows especially undermining the family and especially the Father role. This really, really ticks me off big time! I see show after show where the wife is the only smart one, and very smart alec to the Dad in front of the kids, which in turn causes the kids to view the Dad as some dumb, stupid moron to be made fun of. And the kids do just that! And what does the Dad do, just take it. We don't see any Wild at Heart examples on TV. That is not God's plan. Girls, don't for a moment think that what you see on TV is the way it is supposed to be, don't model that, that is not God's heart! Read Song of Solomon, get Tommy Nelson's CD's and listen for the practical knowledge of what God has intended between Husband and Wife and the family as a whole. Guys, don't take it! Don't settle for the TV example. You are a warrior at heart, God made you that way! You are the head, to be the Priest of the home! Ephesians 5:20-33. Society may tell you that is not the way it is today, but God never changes, His word never changes. It is still as valid and relevent as it ever was. Believe it or not, there are still some of us girls that do still want it God's way! There are still those of us who want the guy to be Wild at Heart, be the priest of the home, take the lead and the headship. I truly mean it! Not just saying it to hear ourselves talk, but we really mean it! Does that mean we will still get exasperated with one another, still not understand one another at times, still have to work through difficult times.......you bet! But the Whole package God has intended it so worth it! Let me hear from you and what you think! Please don't tell me that you guys like for these girls to treat you like dirt.....put you down and pretty much act like a "witch". I see so many girls doing that to their guys and I can't comprehend it. You know the bible tells us out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.......
CHANGE
There are things in my life that are changing. There are certain ministries that I have been a part of for a while. My role has been diminishing for many months now, but it is a God thing. God is getting me ready for the next stage, next chapter in my life. Moving forward to the next adventure. Wherever I go, whomever He has me with, the one He gives my heart to; I want to make an impact for Jesus and walk in the destiny he has for us. Serving God makes you flexible. I am used to change, some has been overnight, some has been very slowly. It could be missions, music, serving, praying for others....I'm flexible. One thing I do know, my heart is so about Praise and Worship. I truly love to worship Him, I love to harmonize and sing His praises. It has been in me for the past 12-13 years to be not only a follower of Christ, but to be a worshipper of Christ and to lead His people into His presence, into the throne room of God. That holiest of holies where you stand in awe of Him, in His presence where you are totally abandoned to Him and He can then do the things in us that He needs to do.....Surrendured.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
I love being outside in the sunshine. I love nature, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, volleyball, kickball, the mountains, the water, I love it all. I so enjoy the handywork of God. We have had some beautiful weather for February. Today is so pretty. The flowers will be coming soon. I love flowers. I love the stars and just sitting out there looking at them and talking to my Lord....my best friend. I can tell Him everything and He listens and talks with me too. That is something that I want in a husband.....a best friend.

Winter Jam 2007

2007-02-26T00:15:00.000-06:00

Winter Jam 2007

Tonight several of us from The Loop and church went to the Winter Jam concert downtown. There was some good music (Sanctus Real, Jeremy Camp, The Following). What I liked most was the invitation for people to get saved, make Jesus Lord of their life, the emphasis on winning souls. We had a great time. I really liked Jeremy Camp's songs. That was the first time I had seen him in person. I got some good pic's just click on them. SCC was there too (Steven Curtis Chapman). There was a surprise visit by The President of the United States (well an impersonator).

Killing Desire May Look Like Santification......

2007-02-25T08:39:00.000-06:00

Wow, I had to share this. God has truly been talking to me about how I look at Him. He has continually asked me to "get real" with Him and my heart. He has asked me to examine what is in my heart. What is my true hearts Desire? What is it I am most Passionate about, what is it that He keeps bringing me back to over and over again? What is the Core, what is it He has called me to do? What is it that I Love? Where is my Desire? He has shared with me not to bury that Desire, not to settle for something less than all that He has promised, all that HE has put in my Heart. Not to dim that Passion because He put that Passion and that Desire there! It is His nature which He has placed in us! He has asked me if I will Dare to believe Him. It is His Passion, His Desire and I DARE to Believe Him for it! I Dare to Believe Him for the Impossible! That is what He is looking for! He has asked me if I will Dare to Trust Him! (Malachi 3) Jesus, I love you.......

"You may recall the story Jesus told of the man who entrusted three of his servants with thousands of dollars (literally, “talents”), urging them to handle his affairs well while he was away. When he returned, he listened eagerly to their reports. The first two fellows went out into the marketplace and doubled their investment. As a result, they were handsomely rewarded. The third servant was not so fortunate. His gold was taken from him, and he was thrown into “outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” My goodness. Why? All he did was bury the money under the porch until his master’s return. Most of us would probably agree with the path he chose—at least the money was safe there. But listen to his reasoning. Speaking to his master, he said, “I know you are a hard man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it” (see Matt. 25:14–30 NLT). He was afraid of the master, whom he saw as a hard man. He didn’t trust his master’s heart.

The issue isn’t capital gains—it’s what we think of God. When we bury our desires, we are saying the same thing: “God, I don’t dare desire because I fear you; I think you are hard-hearted.”

Even though we may profess at one level a genuine faith in him, at another level we are like the third servant. Our obedience is not so much out of love as it is out of carefulness. “Just tell me what to do, God, and I’ll do it.” Killing desire may look like sanctification, but it’s really godlessness. Literally, our way of handling life without God. The deepest moral issue is always what we, in our heart of hearts, believe about God. And nothing reveals this belief as clearly as what we do with our desire." (The Journey of Desire , 57–59)

Passion or Indifference?

2007-02-24T17:33:00.000-06:00

This is today's devotional from the Eldredges. To be indifferent or passionate, there is no choice for me. I have always been passionate about everything I do, for the most part. This is no different. Life is too short to not live it with passion, espcially in marriage. It is your heart, your life you are sharing, if anything it should be passionate. Don't settle for anything less than God's best.....He gave us the passion, and we serve a passionate God!

"I thought of the last story we have from the life of the prophet Elisha. Jehoash was king of Israel at the time, and he went to visit Elisha on his sickbed. He knew that without the help of this great prophet, the future of Israel was looking dim. Enemies were closing in on every side, waiting for the kill. Elisha told the king to take in hand some arrows.

And the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped. The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated [your enemies] completely . . . But now you will defeat [them] only three times.” Elisha died and was buried. (2 Kings 13:18–20)

That’s it? What a strange story! Why was the old prophet so angry? Because the king was nonchalant; he was passionless, indifferent. He gave the ground a whack or two. His heart wasn’t in it. God says, in effect, “If that is how little you care about the future of your people, that is all the help you will get.” In other words, if your heart’s not in it, well then, neither is mine. You can’t lead a country, let alone flourish in a marriage, with an attitude like that. To abandon desire is to say, “I don’t really need you; I don’t really want you. But I will live with you because, well, I’m supposed to.” It is a grotesque corruption of what was meant to be a beautiful dance between desire and devotion." (The Journey of Desire , 56–57)

Unbelievable!

2007-02-21T09:32:00.000-06:00

This is the world [God] has made. This is the world that is still going on. And he doesn’t walk away from the mess we’ve made of it. Now he lives, almost cheerfully, certainly heroically, in a dynamic relationship with us and with our world. “Then the Lord intervened” is perhaps the single most common phrase about him in Scripture, in one form or another. Look at the stories he writes. There’s the one where the children of Israel are pinned against the Red Sea, no way out, with Pharaoh and his army barreling down on them in murderous fury. Then God shows up. There’s Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who get rescued only after they’re thrown into the fiery furnace. Then God shows up. He lets the mob kill Jesus, bury him . . . then he shows up. Do you know why God loves writing such incredible stories? Because he loves to come through. He loves to show us that he has what it takes.

It’s not the nature of God to limit his risks and cover his bases. Far from it. Most of the time, he actually lets the odds stack up against him. Against Goliath, a seasoned soldier and a trained killer, he sends . . . a freckle-faced little shepherd kid with a slingshot. Most commanders going into battle want as many infantry as they can get. God cuts Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Then he equips the ragtag little band that’s left with torches and watering pots. It’s not just a battle or two that God takes his chances with, either. Have you thought about his handling of the gospel? God needs to get a message out to the human race, without which they will perish . . . forever. What’s the plan? First, he starts with the most unlikely group ever: a couple of prostitutes, a few fishermen with no better than a second-grade education, a tax collector. Then, he passes the ball to us. Unbelievable. (Wild at Heart , 31–32)

Again we see that God is a Risk taker. He took a risk by giving His ALL for us. That's His nature, and He has placed His nature in Us. Shouldn't we be after God's heart, take risks, give our ALL for each other? Wouldn't the results be one great adventure after another? THE ULTIMATE RISK THAT ANYONE WILL EVER TAKE....IS TO LOVE

Bowling Blast!

2007-02-18T00:19:00.000-06:00

The Loop Bowling Pics

About 25-30 of us from The Loop had dinner at La Mariachi and went bowling tonight despite the weather. We had a great time, and everyone hammed it up for the camera. Our team had the last lane and Buck even got credited for a strike when he went down the gutter. Now that's the way to keep score! It was cold, and the roads were icy, but it was a good time.

God is a Risk Taker..........What About You?

2007-02-16T06:56:00.000-06:00

In an attempt to secure the sovereignty of God, theologians have overstated their case and left us with a chess-player God playing both sides of the board, making all his moves and all ours too. But clearly, this is not so. God is a person who takes immense risks. No doubt the biggest risk of all was when he gave angels and men free will, including the freedom to reject him—not just once, but every single day. Does God cause a person to sin? “Absolutely not!” says Paul (Gal. 2:17). Then he can’t be moving all the pieces on the board, because people sin all the time. Fallen angels and men use their powers to commit horrendous daily evil. Does God stop every bullet fired at an innocent victim? Does he prevent teenage liaisons from producing teenage pregnancies? There is something much more risky going on here than we’re often willing to admit.

Most of us do everything we can to reduce the element of risk in our lives. We wear our seat belts, watch our cholesterol, and practice birth control. I know some couples who have decided against having children altogether; they simply aren’t willing to chance the heartache children often bring. What if they are born with a crippling disease? What if they turn their backs on us, and God? What if . . . ? God seems to fly in the face of all caution. Even though he knew what would happen, what heartbreak and suffering and devastation would follow upon our disobedience, God chose to have children. And unlike some hyper-controlling parents, who take away every element of choice they can from their children, God gave us a remarkable choice. He did not make Adam and Eve obey him. He took a risk. A staggering risk, with staggering consequences. He let others into his story, and he lets their choices shape it profoundly. (Wild at Heart , 30–31)

Life is full of changes, ups and downs, joy and heartache, but adventure for sure. Life is not worth living without taking risks. There is so much out there that is worth the risk; True Love - sharing your life with the one God has given your heart to in one great adventure after another. There is Joy unspeakable, We can walk in the "exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask or think." A Life worth living for sure. God is a risk taker........will you be too?

Please Pray......................

2007-02-09T10:11:00.000-06:00

I just found out that I have been laid off of my job. I also have to find a new place to live by the end of the month. To say it has been a challenging week is probably an understatement; a little overwhelmed would be more accurate. I am not sure of what direction God has in store for me, but I know that I am in His very capable hands. I ask for your prayers for the doors to open where He wants me and to close where He does not. I always want His will and His plan and I am open to whatever He wants, I truly mean that. Thank you so much for your agreement prayers. To God I give ALL the Glory! Love, Tammy

The Loop.............great service!

2007-02-05T23:17:00.000-06:00

Ok, I was down at The Loop for the second week in a row and it was definitly a great service. The praise and worship was great and God really spoke to me in through this message. It was the last part of a two part series...Meaningful Relationships. Bringing people into the Body of Christ and creating relationships in order for them to stay. The guest speaker this week was Chris Conlee from Memphis. He started with John 15:12-14 "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you."

He talked about the 2 Great commandments "Love God, Love People" and how are we walking that out. If we come to great services, and the speakers are awesome, but no meaningful relationships are built, then people won't stay.

God's commandment isn't to KNOW more, but to LOVE more.
Independence from relationships is independence from God.

He talked about Excellence attracts people, but Relationship keeps them. Without friends, meaningful relationships, it is impossible to be happy, healthy and holy.
He said "What is more important than meaningful relationships? What is more difficult than meaningful relationships? What is more rewarding than meaningful relationships?"

God built the church on meaningful relationships. It is important to have Friend development rather than always having Self Development (speaking about all of the self help books out there).

The Information Age we live in has given us more information at our fingertips, more knowledge at our fingertips and we are lonelier than ever before. It has brought more Isolation from meaningful relationships.

Hebrews 10:24-25 This verse isn't about attendance, it's about relationship. It is far more difficult to drift out of friendship than attendance. Faithfulness depends upon connectedness. Friendships can inspire faithfulness or faithlessness. The church is at it's best when we build meaningful relationships.

You need God's people, just as much as you need God. You will not overcome problems without God's people. You can't reach your full potential without meaningful relationships.
Anyway, this was from my notes and it was really good. I can honestly say that I don't know when I have ever had a group of people make me feel so welcome and helping me to get plugged in. People I met last week looking for me this week, coming to sit with me, making sure I knew about all of the upcoming events. Emailing me to do lunch and stay connected. It is a great atmosphere that makes you feel like you are not going to fall through the cracks. If your single, check out The Loop on Monday nights in Brentwood. Starts at 7:30 and here is their link:
www.theloopnashville.com
Lot's of great events coming up, and they really want you to be a part. I have already been invited to 3 other events. When you see people practicing what Jesus did, it draws you and endears you. Love you guys!

Beautiful Snow!

2007-02-02T08:25:00.000-06:00

Snow, Beautiful Snow

I woke up this morning and was surprised to see the snow. I did'nt watch any weather reports, so it was a nice surprise. I love the snow, it's beautiful, clean, pure. When it snows there's just this hush that comes over the area..........a quiet calm that says "slow down, take your time......enjoy the moment." Too bad it wasn't enough snow to build a decent snow man. I really want to go snow skiing this year. I just know it would be breathtaking!

I drove into work late this morning and I saw, in 2 different locations, Dad's that had taken their kids out snow sledding. It was awesome to watch the wonder of it. Pure joy and delight on those kids faces as they sailed down the banks. I wanted to jump out there and join them..........

Magnificent, Glorious, God's Doing, God's Design...

2007-01-30T11:40:00.000-06:00

Taking a break from the Eldredges for a moment, I got this amazing article today from John Piper about Marriage. "Marriage is God's doing and it is God's design" Glorious! There is more to marraige, a greater purpose, than just what we see on the surface (but don't discount the "fringe" benefits that come with marriage either! That is part of it!) "Heaven come down to earth" as Pat Robertson said in the prophecy for 2007. Read this article and be so blessed. I pray the Holy Spirit will illuminate this truth to all of us and anoint us to walk in it for His Glory! Click on the title of this post and it will take you to the article.

The Point of All Living

2007-01-29T04:52:00.000-06:00

"I love watching a herd of horses grazing in an open pasture, or running free across the wide, sage-covered plateaus in Montana. I love hiking in the high country when the wildflowers are blooming—the purple lupine and the Indian paintbrush when it’s turning magenta. I love thunder clouds, massive ones. My family loves to sit outside on summer nights and watch the lightning, hear the thunder as a storm rolls in across Colorado. I love water, too—the ocean, streams, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, rain. I love jumping off high rocks into lakes with my boys. I love old barns, windmills, the West. I love vineyards. I love it when Stasi is loving something, love watching her delight. I love my boys. I love God.

Everything you love is what makes a life worth living. Take a moment, set down the book, and make a list of all the things you love. Don’t edit yourself; don’t worry about prioritizing or anything of that sort. Simply think of all the things you love. Whether it’s the people in your life or the things that bring you joy or the places that are dear to you or your God, you could not love them if you did not have a heart. Loving requires a heart alive and awake and free. A life filled with loving is a life most like the one that God lives, which is life as it was meant to be (Eph. 5:1–2).

Of all the things that are required of us in this life, which is the most important? What is the real point of our existence? Jesus was confronted with the question point-blank one day, and he boiled it all down to two things: loving God and loving others. Do this, he said, and you will find the purpose of your life. Everything else will fall into place. Somewhere down inside we know it’s true; we know love is the point. We know if we could truly love, and be loved, and never lose love, we would finally be happy. And is it even possible to love without your heart?"
(Waking the Dead , 47–48)

"...For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45 (NIV)
"Many waters can not quench love, neither can the floods drown it;..." Song of Solomon 8:7 (NKJV)