Verse of the day...

~ “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10



Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter............

Todays Sermon............


We are often not the Easter People
that we should be,
living in the certain knowledge
of your great mercy and love.
Distracted by the world around us
we fail to hear your voice,
or hide when faith is challenged
as we wander off the path.
Forgive us, we pray;
restore the love that we first had,
a faith that can endure.
We will keep our eyes fixed on you, Lord,
and with you at our right hand
we shall not be shaken

God Bless you all
.:: Tam ::.

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Bible.................



Please take the time this weekend to watch this mini series!!!
God Bless you all .::Tam::.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Jesus prays ...........

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Luke 22:31-32 

I have had my share of serious trial in my life, I felt as if I were all alone. I felt discouraged and powerless. I would spend hours every day in prayer for everyone else and their situations, asking God to intervene on their behalf, and yet I wondered who was praying for me. Was there anyone out there who cared enough about me and my suffering to bring it before God and beg Him to touch my life? Was there anyone who shared with the Lord that I was hurting? Shortly after that God encouraged me through His Word, and through this verse, that His Son Jesus does care for me and prays for me faithfully.

I wonder what would have happened to Peter after he denied Christ if Jesus had not previously prayed for him? Would he have turned to the world, denying Jesus for eternity? Only God knows the answer. But the good news is God would not have it happen. Instead, God heard the prayers of Jesus for Peter. Therefore, after denying the Lord three times, Peter wept, repented, and drew near to God.

Jesus prays for me as well. He intercedes on my behalf. He knows what is set before me and desires that my faith in Him will not fail. He prays that I will have the strength to keep my eyes on Him, never straying too far behind, and that I will stay close to His side.

Jesus is my prayer partner. I am indebted to the Lord for He is at all times working on my behalf. He is my High Priest, mediating between me and God. Because of Jesus, I am made strong when I am weak. Because of Jesus’ faithfulness to me, I have experienced what joy feels like!

Jesus prays for you as well. He understands that Satan wishes to sift you like wheat. Do not despair, Jesus has prayed for you! He desires to wipe the tears from your cheek and replace it with the joy that faithfulness brings. When you feel all alone and like the world has forgotten you, when you feel as if you can continue no longer, do not fret—the Savior is there praying for you! His Father always hears his prayers. They will strengthen you, and then in turn you can help strengthen others.

Dear Lord, sometimes I feel all alone and weary, as if I have no strength left within me. Yet, I will seek You in prayer. I will make my request before You, for I know You are there for me and interceding on my behalf. You know what is before me and what I need. Give me strength when it feels as if Satan is trying to sift me like wheat. Create within my heart faithfulness and steadfastness. Thank You for praying for me, taking my request to the Father so, through You, I may gain strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
hugs... love... & blessings...
.::Tam::.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

**Thankful Thursday...

So very thankful for my Father in Heaven.... for He loves me when noone else does... He protects me when noones can... He thinks of me when noone else is... He hugs me when noone else will... and He saves a spot for me right next to Him that noone else will have!
Thank you God for all the simple things!
Thank you Lord for saving me from myself and from others!
Thank you Father for excepting me just the way I am... with all my faults... mistakes... and failures!
I love you God....Thank you for never leaving me!

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone!
GOD LOVES YOU! ♥
 
(`'·.¸(`'·.¸ ¸.·'´) ¸.·'´)
«´¨`·.¸¸.*Tam!*·¸¸ ..´¨`»
(¸.·'´(¸.·'´ `'·.¸)`'·.¸)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Show & Share...........

Well.... its been a long time since I just had a post showing off something I made.
So.............. today... I'm going to!

I had a very dear friend email me a picture of a blanket a couple weeks ago asking if I could make something like that?
Well.......... I looked it over... the crochet stitches were all very simple.. .the idea was real easy... so I said I would make it for her.   She has a neighbor whos daughter who just recently had a baby.  My friend has been shopping and just cant seem to find the right little something to say exactly how she feels... so she came to me for a handmade gift.    PERFECT!!!!   Handmade is much better anyway... :)

So................. here is is....................

Started out pretty simple................



movin' along nicely.....................



DONE!

 I have to say.... I'm pretty proud of myself over this one!  
Thanks for stoppin' in .......
Have a terrific Tuesday!!!!

God Bless
.::Tam::.

Monday, March 18, 2013

It's PROM season............

Patrick waits for his girlfriend to come out of school after track practice last Thursday so he can ask her to Prom!
After sprinkling Hershey Kisses on the ground...he waits while holding flowers...balloons... And this sign that says... "Now that I've kissed the ground you've walked on... Will you go to PROM with me?"
Of course she said "Yes"
 
Love the look on his face too!!!!!   "Please?"   heheheheeee
 
 
Have a great day!
God Bless
.::Tam::.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

A Gardener............


Imagine your back yard and in one corner of the yard is a huge garden filled and overrun with weeds. You know you need to take care of that garden, but you also know it’s going to take a lot of work. But then you remember you have a big John Deer lawnmower. You can just use that to plow down every weed. So that’s what you do. You hop on the John Deere, plow down the weeds, wipe your hands, pat yourself on the back and say job well done. Sure the weeds will grow back, but you can just mow them down again.

Then your eye spots another garden in your yard. Not as big as the first, but also filled with tall weeds. Well, I’ll just use the lawnmower again, you think to yourself. So you walk toward the garden to assess the situation, and then you notice there’s already a gardener there. This gardener is working slowly and carefully. He yanks out by hand each tall weed and deposits them in a trash pile that’s growing taller. Well, that’s going to take a long time, you think to yourself. Let me tell him about my lawnmower. You slowly walk toward the garden, and as you draw closer, you notice beautiful flowers, hidden by the weeds. The gardener sees you and beckons for you to join Him. You stop. You have a choice. Do you join the gardener in tending the garden, or do you insist that you use the John Deere?

Relationships are like gardens............. parents and children... neighbors... church friends.... marriages... siblings....etc.   
God is saying  Let me be the Gardener of your relationships. Let’s try my gentle ways. I will help you uncover the precious treasures there.

Which Gardner are you? Are you  just plowing through, trying your own methods of fixing things, and leaving decimation in its wake. Not to mention your repairs are just temporary.
Or are you the gardener that takes his time .... gently sorting through the garden ... pulling only the weeds... giving room for the flowers to grow tall and strong?  
Or maybe you're the gardener that has several gardens that you treat differently.   Some you care for ... some you plow right over just to move on.   Are there gardens in your life that you tend to with more work and love than others?   

Talk honestly with God in prayer about your relationships. If you see that you are using the John Deere method of gardening...... confess this sin to God and ask Him to be the Gardener!

hugs... love... & blessings...
.::Tam::.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Reap what you sow........

"Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Galatians 6:7 One of the most damaging choices a person can make is to give up too soon when faced with a failure. I see this in children all the time. A child doesn't make the sports team in junior high, and gives up before his body has a chance to develop. Another stops singing because she doesn't get a solo in the school play, and her voice hasn't reach maturity. Children face "failure" in many ways, and discouragement can hinder their spiritual growth and potential. How can a parent help?

There's a biblical principle parents can apply when helping a child overcome failure and explore their potential. Galatians 6:7-8 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life"

Paul used the analogy of planting to explain the principle of spiritual growth. He encouraged his readers to sow into the things of God, with the promise they would reap the things of God. In the life of a Christian we sow into God by how we think, speak, our actions, where we spend our money, and our time. These are investments in a God-honoring life, which reaps a harvest of blessing – but not in the same season. There is always a delay between sowing and reaping.

What if we considered our children's hearts and lives as a garden? The principles of sowing and reaping apply as well. Every day we sow into those "gardens" through our words, behavior, and the disciplines we teach them. However, just like a vegetable garden, if we plant carrot seeds, we will reap carrots – not corn. Consequently, if we sow negative seeds of discouragement, we will reap despair. If we sow seeds of impatience, we will reap frustration. If we sow seeds of laziness, we will reap stress.

So, if we sow healthy seeds of good choices, we will reap self-discipline. If we sow seeds of patience, we will reap peace. If we sow seeds of perseverance, we will reap success. Our children's hearts are rich soil prepared by God to receive good seed. As conscientious gardeners, we need to plant those that will reap a harvest in our children's lives and prepare them for service in the kingdom of God.

What if you don't see results right away? That's normal. After a few days, the farmer doesn't get frustrated with slow growth and rip the seeds out of the ground. No. The farmer continues to water the soil, shoo the birds away, and pull the weeds. The farmer protects the seed until it has a chance to grow in its own time.

God designed our children to grow and flourish with love and care. However, failure can be the weeds in our children's lives. Weeds don't destroy the good seed, they just leech the nutrients out of the soil limiting the growth of the plant. Failure doesn't destroy our children's potential; it just removes the enthusiasm from their hearts.

In order to overcome the pain and heartache of failure, children need a parent who will step in with fresh water and bright sunlight, while replacing the weeds with healthy seed. With this tender care, perseverance and self-discipline will grow and develop. Then in time, our children will produce a harvest of confidence. May we be gardeners who don't give up until the harvest



God Bless

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Asking for help..........

For my Cousins Beautiful Wife............ Every dollar matters! Simply clear out the dollar amount shown and put in what you can to help Michelle.... THANK YOU!
Medical Fundraising Made Simple
God Bless you all......... .:: Tammy ::.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Holding God Close

We are told that we are to cling to the Lord (Josh. 23:8 and Deut. 13:4). We are also told, "There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You" (Isa. 64:7). But in King David’s case he said, "My soul clings to You" (Ps. 63:8). These scriptures help us to understand better how to make God our refuge. We have to arouse ourselves to take hold of God and, like King David, cling to Him with our very soul: "If we had forgotten the name of our God or extended our hands to a strange god, would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart" (Ps. 44:20,21).

Think about when you were young. Did you have a special blanket? Or did you have a teddy bear? Even when you were young, the evidence of your thirst for God was clear. Is it wrong to let children become so attached to a blanket? Absolutely not! However, the job of a parent is to help our children to make the transition from clinging to their blanket to clinging to God, not to their friends or anyone else. Don’t wait to start when they are a teenager because the transition has already begun. Remind them often that it is only the presence of God that can satisfy. When they get hurt by their friends, encourage them to soothe themselves by enjoying the presence of God.

It is a subtle thing that we do, but even as adults when we trust something for security we draw it in close. We "wear it" around us. It is true with money and clothing it is true with other things also. Whether it is a relationship with another person, a job, or our house, our refuge makes us feel secure. 

Depending on something as our refuge, involves drawing it close and wearing it around us. But note that if we don’t wear it around us, there is no benefit. It is all about abiding -- that is what we want. Whatever we are trying to abide in we have to hold it close or it won’t make us feel secure. The same is true in our relationship with God. Making God our refuge requires that we hold Him close. We have to abide inside His closeness all around us -- touching us. Trust you are near and take time often to think about the radiance of His presence being close to you.

The same is true for the love of God. The love of God can touch your human need for love more fully than you may now realize. In order to more fully enjoy and be feed by the love of God it helps greatly to thrill your heart with the closeness of His love.


hugs... love... & blessings...
.::Tam::.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Freebie Friday................

Homemade Juice Pouch.............



Summer will be here soon............. I promise!
So here is something fun.... and useful.  
Freeze your favorite juice... this one is Lemonade.  Toss a bunch in your cooler and take them to Baseball games... the pool... the park... etc.   They will keep whatever else is in your cooler cold... and when you are ready to enjoy one... take it out .... squeeze it a bit to make it slushy and enjoy.  :)


hugs...love & blessings
.::Tam::.