Category Archives: Relationships

remembering mom

accountability, Jesus, loss, maturity, parenting, Relationships, The Gospel

october 8, 1940Dear Seeking Sister,

Today is/was my mom’s birthday. She was born on October 8, 1940. It was a Tuesday. She was born to an uneducated, alcoholic, and economically disadvantaged family in central New York. She was the youngest of 6 children. I tell you this only because growing up, I often forgot about how she grew up. I was an angry, mean teen who both hated and feared my mother.

I know this will be an odd transition, but if I had been around during the Old Testament times, God would have likely frightened and angered me beyond consoling. Sadly, I would not have been able to know in my heart that it was the grandness of His nature, not the ease of His anger, that produced my fear. Continue reading remembering mom →

I am purposeful

accountability, Jesus, Relationships, Service,

Day 6 of 30 – Our True Identity Challenge

Dear Seeking Sister,

I am purposeful.

Let’s look at some purposeful synonyms:  Focused, determined, decisive, resolute, firm, fixed, and persistent.

Do you feel purposeful?  I have to admit, I don’t always, but when I do, I can relate to all of those synonyms.

As a Christian, there are many things that you can rely on as Truth.  God having a purpose or even purposes for your earthly life is one of those truths.

Every day we are the hands and feet of God.  He has a purpose for you in every day life.  Stay present to God at all times.  Stay present for all of your blessings, but also stay Continue reading I am purposeful →

I am not my own

accountability, Health, maturity, Relationships, Service, , ,

Day 3 of 30 – Our True Identity Challenge

Dear Seeking Sister,

The third day of our true identity challenge teaches us that we are not our own.  Your body is a holy temple.  How many times have we heard that one?

In ancient times, the Temple of Israel was where God dwelled among His people. It was a holy place that was set apart for God’s purposes and presence.  The level of admiration and reverence given to God while one was in the temple is hard to imagine today.  The Apostle Paul is telling us in this week’s scripture that this is what our bodies have become. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”

My body is not my own. Your body, if you are a professing Christian, is not your own.  Our bodies are a gift and have been set apart for God’s Holy Spirit to live in.  Think about how Continue reading I am not my own →

day of reckoning

accountability, Jesus, maturity, Relationships, Relaxation / Meditation, self worth, Service, The Gospel

Dear Seeking Sister,

Exactly 10 years ago on this very day (see my personal testimony), I made the decision to trust God and believe the man they call, Jesus the Christ. My serious doubts didn’t magically disappear. I asked tough questions. To be honest, I was kind of hoping I could find proof God and His love I heard so much about didn’t exist. I had a chip on my shoulder of sorts and I was angry. It feels weird to say it (write it) now, but I wanted to call God out! Continue reading day of reckoning →

How to Receive Jesus

accountability, Grace, Jesus, maturity, Relationships, self worth, The Gospel

Dear Seeking Sister,

The gospel confronts us with the hopelessness of our sinful condition.  A typical response when the gospel is shared with an unsaved person is often, “I’m a relatively good person.”  People tend to have a rather high opinion of their morality.  The concern here is that they are not measuring their “goodness” against the standards of their Almighty Creator.

They fail to realize they are saying they are “good” based on a comparison of the people around them and the acceptable norms of their culture and society.  The problem occurs when this society is a Godless society and compromising on God’s Word is found everywhere.

It is overwhelming to be faced with the fact the gospel teaches us that we are an enemy of God, spiritually dead in our sin, and in our state of rebellion, we are not even able to see that we need life. We are dependent on God to do something in our life that we could never do.

savinggraceThe Good News:  God did that something.  God came to earth in the flesh as a perfect sacrifice for our sin.   And it wasn’t a sacrifice of being crucified dead, Jesus’ sacrifice was made to God the Father fully knowing He would have to take in and on the full wrath of God.  He did that for you and He did that for me.   We owe Him our life.

David Platt in his book, Radical, put it like this:

“What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself. Some say, “God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away.” This is not true. God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.” (Radical, by David Platt, p. 36)

If you want to learn more about God, Jesus, and the saving grace only He can provide, visit the page I created below to help.

Receive Jesus as Your Savior

 

In His Grip,

Tammy

 

–

In the Garden

Jesus, loss, parenting, Relationships, The Gospel, ,

Seeking Sisters:

The most important person in my life growing up was my grandmother.  My love for her can’t be understood by anyone other than my Heavenly Father.   Based on some of her actions when I was very young, I realize she knew exactly how important she was to me.  God truly blessed me with her.

Her favorite hymn was, IN THE GARDEN, by Charles A Miles written in 1913.  The words are so beautiful and I didn’t come to appreciate them until after she was gone.   I also had no idea it was based on John 20:15-16. Continue reading In the Garden →

Is it a good idea to let little children drive?

accountability, Relationships

Dear Seeking Sister,

Recent bible study has led me to think about emotions.  I have a tendency to suppress feelings, especially strong ones.  I know it is unhealthy, but it is my first reaction when I feel something volatile stirring inside me.  My education taught me that the main reason I suppress relates back to the neglect I suffered as a child.

Identifying why we suppress emotionsWhat's driving your behavior? excuse us for doing so.  It is immature and unhealthy.  If we are to grow in Christ and mature along our walk we need to deal with our emotions in a healthy way.  The following phrase from a movie I recently watched struck a chord with me.

“Emotions are like little children, you can’t let them drive, but you can’t stuff them in the trunk either.” Continue reading Is it a good idea to let little children drive? →