My One Word 2013

For three years, I have participated in the My One Word Challenge, much to my own benefit.  PLEASE consider accepting the challenge of your own word...just try it.

My Words:

• Year 1:  Peace...so important during a year when I seemed to experience so much conflict and trouble, at work and during the loss of my mom.
• Year 2:  Quiet...the quiet during and after the storm.  The quiet I enjoyed also when I deliberately held my tongue.  Very powerful that not speaking is!  I also enjoyed more quiet time for me.  A really good thing.
• Year 3:  Fit...mentally, emotionally, physically.  All better in some ways...and in some, I still need to focus.  Hint...going to for a walk today!

My One Word 2014:  Smile

Why the word smile?  This may seem like a strange answer, but here goes...

When I was in college during my senior year, I was selected Miss Arkansas College.  What was amazing about that time to me remains that I was a "good" girl, one who, because of religious preferences, always wore dress, had long hair, and wore no make-up, yet I was chosen.  Why?  As I have looked back on that time, I think really do think I achieved that honor because I smiled and spoke to everyone.  I was just a friendly person.

Am I not now?

Yes and no.  This thing called adulthood causes us to change:  we have more responsibilities, we know who we are (if you don't like it, then that is your problem...ever heard that one?), we tend to like who we are, we more more self-dependent.  

As the year-end nears, I have begun pondering on my next word, and this memory keeps flashing to the forefront.  That and also because I do not think I am perceived as I once was.  Just last week, I was described as "prim and proper," although how I was in college probably fits into that category also!  I want my students to see me as happy.  I want to smile more.

I also want to smile more emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  Consider this:

Proverbs 15:13  A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:30  A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones. (NIV)

A cheerful face!  A joyful heart!  Healthy bones!  Yes, this is for I!  I'll take it!

Was and Am...Thankful

I participated in the 30 Days of Thankfulness on Facebook...and have decided to merge all those posts in one place...here!  I would like to comment...I read one comment that a lady posted about this, stating she just did not know where to begin...and that she was thankful most for her Salvation (as if, nothing can top that...well, she is right about that!).  Not sure why this troubled me, but it did.  Was this comment just an excuse to not comment...for this did require some focus...?  Surely her comment was meant to ridicule?

The Lord loves a joyful heart!  AND I hope that my comments brought some joy to some, for they certainly eased comfort, peace, contentment into my heart.  What this 30+ days did for me...was to place a daily emphasis on where my heart should be every day.  Every day.

As you read, you will read not one reference to my Salvation, but I would hope that by the time you read all these thankful comments you realize that I through this you shall know me...and that I am saved.

November 1
Day 1: TGIF!  Enjoy your weekend!

November 2
Day 2: Thankful for pumpkin spice coffee, a daughter who is involved in extracurricular and has be to back at school by 8:30 on a Saturday morning, a husband who likes to shoot (and will win the Zombie Match later today), Pioneers who just keep on winning, social events at church (looking forward to some excellent chili and soup!), those, oh, so beautiful trees outside, and nice cool mornings...which brings me back to my pumpkin spice coffee that I should finish so I can thankfully accomplish all of the above!

Day 2...Take 2: Just remembered time "falls" back tonight! Yay!

November 3
Day 3: Thankful for Bible studies...our Sunday School's study of the Book of John (learning so much with my awesome Class of Charis...charis means grace!) and Discipleship Training's study of October Baby (movie was sooooo good...great onefor youth to watch!)...just completed Experiencing God (wonderful, awesome study!), and will soon begin this one...doesn't it look good?! This will also be our December Sunday evening focus...

What study are you doing?

http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/the-women-of-christmas/

November 4
Day 4: Thankful for The Hubby who cooks dinner on days that he is off! He's a keeper! 

November 5
Day 5...thankful for siblings who "accent" and "scent" my life!!

5, part 2...I asked four people to help in some way while I am at a workshop. They all immediately responded, "Yes" or "What may I do for you?" Thankful for my peers!!

Day 5, part 3...thankful for my Prayer Army who immediately responds to my texts or in person says "Let's pray now"...as they did today. Now we are going to experience God!

November 6
Day 6...thankful for students (especially one in particular) who say (in front of me) when sharing his poetry with a guest in our class..."That metaphor...I learned to do that in her class." That just melted my heart!

November 7
Day 7 - So very thankful for these young men in blue!! — with John Gillmore and Holly Gillmore.

November 8
Day 8 - Thankful for a granddaughter who loves Minnie Mouse! Love you, Brennan! Will put this in the mail with your new MM hat when I get it!

November 9
Thankful for a doctor and nurses who have a Saturday clinic. Mary Jane Morrison-Vinson...you are awesome!

November 10
Day 10 - Thankful for those with whom I make music at church: Gale Weaver,Zelpha Bates, Steve Moody, and Jarrod Shirley. Why? They all play and sing from the bottoms of their hearts in service to our Lord!

November 11
Day 11 - Thankful to be in a family of veterans! Thank you, John Gillmore, J.d. Gillmore, Chris Gillmore, and Ken Moore!

Thank you to all have served!!

November 12
Day 12 (as in yesterday!) - Thankful for days with peers that are so busy that I had no time to get on Facebook! Yay, me!

November 13
Day 13 - Thankful for students who complete their work on time...I may take them for granted too much! Yay, them!

November 14
Day 14 - Thankful for airplane pilots that "drive" those planes and tires that help soften the landings...AND I love Arkansas!

November 15
Day 15 - Thankful for leftovers in the freezer! Yum!

November 16
Day 16 - Thankful for my Sunday School class...we call ourselves the The Class of Charis (which means "grace," which I learned when I attended the Beth Moore Simulcast at Mary N Bruce Qualls' church...thank you!)...isn't that cool? AND they are cool also...Jarrod and Sacha Shirley, Crystal Gale Slaughter Turney (we will miss your hubby!), Kristi Morgan, Tiffany Small, and I are going to visit our former pastor and his wife in Little Rock. May we have "showers" of blessing all day long!

November 17
Day 17 - Thankful for a Christian dad...now two decades in Heaven...who every Sunday morning, without fail, always told me how nice I looked before leaving for church. 

Shhhhh...he also told me I was his favorite daughter...named Tammy. Please don't tell Judy Hester and Janet Friel Moore but sometimes I left off (maybe still do?!) those those last two words! Sneaky me!

November 18
Day 18 - Thankful for students who say (after my missing a few days of school), "Mrs. Gillmore, I am soooooo glad your back." Ahhhhhh.....

Let me tell you, brown-nosing will get one everywhere! (Fortunately, this age group no longer knows the term brown-nosing! Ask one of them...it's true!)

November 19
Day 19 - Happy anniversary to my man! Soooooo thankful God blessed me with John Gillmore! Nine years of wonderful...and love...and happiness!

Day 19, Part 2 - Thankful for sisters who travel just to eat dinner with me (well, and Holly... Thanks, Judy Hester (also a great way to belatedly celebrate a birthday!) and Janet Friel Moore!

BTW..Joe Friel, don't worry we thought about you...talked about YOU, of course!
Day 19, Part 3 - Thankful for ATT who keeps all your data safe when your phone gets stolen...in this disappointing time, that is the light at the end of this tunnel!

I encourage you to put a password on your phone, download the tracking app, back up to iCloud...and whatever else I am going to learn to do when I get another phone! 

November 20
Day 20 - Thankful for people who love their jobs...especially our resource officer and vice principal. They are quite the team in action! Because of them, I have my phone back....and because of some prayers going up! Thank you!!

November 21
Day 21 - Thankful for awesome Lyon College students who did an outstanding job assisting in our presentation of wikis at the Arkansas Literacy Conference today! Thank you, Rachel, Drew, and JimBob! Proud of you! One more presentation in the morning! Won't this look grand on their resumes?!

November 22
Day 22 - Thankful for groups and authors who promote reading in our state...great job Arkansas Reading Association and Mark A. Rorie and Ashley Shaver Rorie!!

Great time spent with peers Carla Green James, Kim Robinson, Lindley Barnett,Danielle Rowell, Lisa Huff, Codi Ribitzki, and Julie Reardon!

November 23
Day 23 - Thankful for 1) the yellow stickers on meat at Wal-Mart that inspired me to cook a yummy-smelling stew...just finished cooking, 2) Turkey Shoots in which the hubby (who has a huge heart) felt compelled to support to assist families with cancer, for which he received a free ham (yes, shooting 32 out 33 from prone position with iron sites is good!), 3) tickets to see the Nutcracker this evening...tickets that a friend of Holly's gave her...yay!, 4) a house that I have time to clean in preparation of The Family sharing their Thanksgiving with us...and, well...because it needs it, and 5) Pioneers who keep winning so that I will have time to read Football for Dummies before the season ends (thanks, Zach, for the recommendation...and, no, of course, I did not take that personally!)...congrats!

November 24
Day 24 - Thankful for all the great cooks at church...yummy potluck today! Special thanks to the ladies to set up while the rest of us enjoy Sunday School and "Big Church"...Brenda Speakman, Carlene Jenkins, Wanda Yopp, and Debbie Yopp...you are all a tremendous blessing!

November 25
Day 25 - Thankful for inspiration to create tablescapes...from our preacher Bro. Kenny Crafton and his Thanksgiving message this past Sunday. AND for sisters who share...can you spot your donation towards this table?! AND for the time to "play"! AND for family traveling to spend time at Gillmore Farm...  AND to BSD for giving us Wednesday off as part of our Thanksgiving Break!

November 26
Day 26 - Belated thanks for my comfy chair...from which I would not move last night to post this!

November 27
Day 27 - Thankful that I did not listen to my sister Janet Friel Moore and made some desserts for tomorrow's lunch...because now we are going to taste-test...just to make sure it will be okay to serve to the fam!

November 28
Day 28 - Thankful for the family that could spend their day with me and mine...and for those who wanted to be here and could not. AND two of those in attendance had birthdays today! So glad I could cook a birthday lunch just for you...Happy Birthday, Leah and Ken!!

Then, we spent the evening with the Gillmore's...more food and laughs...

Special times with family...love them all dearly!

November 29
Day 29 - Thankful for the inspiration this bookstore gives me! I keep hoping to make their monthly book club meetings...maybe, just maybe this time?...so just in case, I purchased this book...then another by this author. Wow...you should check out this book! We are getting a jar ready!

November 30
Day 30 - Thankful for the elves that showed up and helped decorate Sulphur Rock Baptist Church yesterday (yes, this is a day late!)...Mrs. Lillie Mae, Mrs. Carlene, Mrs. Betty, and my Holly Gillmore...what a team! They kept me moving! An inspiration! Please thank them today!!

Thankful for niece Natalie...who turned 8, who loves my deviled eggs, and who is going to remind her mom to remind me about her Christmas play!

Thankful for my Christmas tree...it took on a life of its own and invited the whole family to work on it because it refused to stand by itself at one point...timber!!...right on to me...who was lying under it trying to stabilize it! (NOTE to former and current students...this is NOT a model sentence, as we would never, ever use this many "it/its" in one sentence. Right?!)

Finally, thankful that on most days in November you had a list of items to read...I am just truly blessed in all areas of my life! Now, to copy/paste all these onto my blog to preserve them in one spot!

December 1
Day 31 - Thankful that I am still thankful when November is over! So here goes...

Thankful for the dancer in the family, and you may wave at her during the Batesville Christmas Parade tomorrow evening! Have fun, Holly Gillmore!

Thankful for five very busy days off from school, and now thankful for technology that I use to create online lesson plans, so Pioneers get ready to write right, so I may travel and watch the Pioneers in action on Saturday! Not sure who all I will cheer on...football players, of course...cheerleaders? Prancers? Band? Hope so!!

Why I Read...or Don't

I have always considered myself an avid reader.  Avid.  Addicted. Until this year.

Pondering on this, I realize that this change is a result of my reading more Biblically-based books, thus, changing my genre of choice.  I have several other genres sitting...waiting...for me to read them, but I just do not have the same desires I once had.

Thus, my recent focus has been on either school/academic related topics or on a Christian focus.  For example, I just completed Christmas Jars (please read!) and am involved in a study of Liz Curtis Higgs' The Women of Christmas.  So wonderful. Let me share a few links in which you might be interested...

• Liz Curtis Higgs' website and Week 1 of the book study and her Facebook page
• Bible Cafe for Women...they, too, are hosting this study

Thinking you do not have enough time to catch up?  Then, just purchase the book (I saw it the other day at a local bookstore...you can find yourself a copy!)...and just begin reading.  You might want to have a pen, highlighter...or some favorite marking device handy, for you will find yourself saying, "Oh, that is good!  I want to remember that!"

This holy season is about making room for Jesus.

Welcoming him into our homes, our families, our lives.

Flinging open the door to our hearts.

Liz Curtis Higgs

For my Sunday evening Discipleship Class, I am using this study.  I have deviated a bit, for I only have three Sundays to cover the info.  Last Sunday, we met Zechariah, Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Mary...and got just to the point where Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost...had hoped to end on Mary's song, but time did not allow, or better yet, that is exactly where God wanted us to arrive.

I was so pleased with the attendance and participation and the sweet, sweet spirit that was there.  His presence is just sooooo peaceful, isn't it?  We have a committee meeting during this time, and I was concerned about attendance.  I really should just quit the worrying part, for when God's Will intervenes, he just takes care of preparing the hearts of the people, doesn't He?

I am also using the movie Liz Curtis Higgs recommended...The Nativity Story.  I had not seen this version (sooooo good!) and am just showing the scenes that go along with the book study.

Following the study, a man in attendance approached me and asked if he might run the PowerPoint and videos for me.  Yes!  That meant so much to me.  I love the people in my class, and I do not think I would hurt any of their feelings by stating that none of them are tech savvy!  So his asking was definitely a blessing.

One of the ladies just had to chat,  "Tammy, this is so good."  Here's the testimony:  her vertigo was acting up so badly that she just came for the class.  The result:  God was faithful and spoke to her throughout the study.  He just does good things like that for us...always mindful of our needs...and wants.  

From this study, I have written a draft of a Christmas program/cantata.  Just wish I had begun earlier, for now we have had wintery weather, and should we not have church, I am not certain if I/we can pull this program together.  We'll see...the Lord can work out amazing situations.  Just waiting for His Will.

So, yes...while I may read less, I am reading more of what God wants me reading.  That, my friend, is a win-win situation.

Blessings!

A Day of Blessings Coming Up

Tomorrow, my Sunday School Class and I are traveling to visit our former intentional interim pastor and his wife, and I am excited...for several reasons.

1. These two people have blessed my life beyond measure through their leadership, their exemplary model of daily living, their love.  They are just wonderful people, and I have not seen them in a month, and I am sooooo looking forward to sharing some time with them.
2. In addition, this will be our first outing for our new Sunday School class...a class of six young men and women who prior to this August were not attending Sunday School at all, and, now, praise God, they are!  Spending this hour with them on Sunday mornings and contacting them throughout the week has blessed me so!  We have cried together, laughed together, prayed together, and grown in the Lord together, and tomorrow, we share fellowship together.

This class came to be because of a vision that God placed in my heart a few years ago.  This class came to be because our former pastor realized that the timing was now right, and before they left, this is one of the decisions he helped see come to light.

God places those in lives to bless us so that we in turn may help others, thereby receiving even more blessings.

"I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I challenge you to put me to the test. Bring the entire 10 percent into the storehouse. … Then I will open the windows of heaven and flood you with blessing after blessing." (Malachi 3:10, CEV)

Blessings!

In Honor of Dr. Charles and Mrs. Lavelle

They came to guide
   through the year of Transition Time.
They stayed to shine His light
   and His praises did chime.
They led through example every time,
   always truly genuine.
They motivated when hopes despaired,
   never once their time declined.
They shared our trials and tribulations
   as if their own;
Then rejoiced in our successes,
   reaping the rewards from what they had sown.
They taught and from God's Word
   not one time did depart.
They sang and harmonized
   in the unity of the beautiful lark.
They laughed and laughed
  as throughout the church their voices rang.
They joked, always remembering every single word
   to stories to which they laid claim.
They visited our community,
   lending their ministering touch.
The loved us,
   always giving much.

Organized they are.
Prompt they are.
Leaders they are.
God's own they are.

And for a time they were ours.

To Dr. Charles and Mrs. Lavelle,
  Words simply cannot tell
The depths to which our love has grown
And how grateful we are for God's loan
   of you to us for this extended time.

Just as in life as families do
   Sometimes we have to part.
Just as in life as families do,
   Please know you have left your mark.

God's Family we are.
A family much stronger
   for the spiritual Dad and Mom you have been.

Through your prayers,
   you will continue to lead
For these we will always need.

Thus, as you leave...or "leaf"...
   Go with God and with our love,
Knowing because of you
   This part of your Family
       Remains...
         To continue the work of God
              at Sulphur Rock Baptist Church...
   Certainly better for the legacy your touch does leave.

The Faith Dare: Days 10-11

Shoo, fly!  Don't bother me!  I so appreciated this metaphor!  That is what my mind feels like at times when I become overwhelmed with too many negative thoughts!

...get out the lie swatter of God's Word and hit those pesky lies.  They are lies.  Shoo them away...Shoo them away and get back to the business of living in Christ. (pg. 106)

This may sound random...so be prepared...this would make an awesome devotion for a Women's Retreat, which I just happen to  be planning for this fall.  Hummmm....I might need to invest in a few fly swatters as a retreat favor!

From Day 11, this spoke to me..."Ask for grace to live bigger than the smallness of yourself."  I woke up a little after three this morning with a couple from our church on my mind and began praying for a situation, a situation about which that I have gathered God's Army to pray.  Later, this morning they go before the judge requesting visitation rights to see their grandchildren whom they have not seen since before their mother passed away about a year ago.  I know that God is about to do a mighty work in their lives...and I pray right now that His peace surrounds them as they go through these necessary steps, as they do their part in this work that God is about to perform.  Today, God is going to live bigger than these grandparents who so desire to see their grandchildren.  He is going to live bigger than the grandparent who has denied their getting to see these three young men.  He is going to live bigger than the judicial system.  Today, God is the Great I Am.  Yes!

How gracious he will be when you cry cry for help! - Isaiah 30:19 

Whatever your situation, shoo those pesky pesky flies away with the lie swatter of God Word and cry out for help.  He is the Great I Am!

Blessings!

The Faith Dare: Days 4-9

Listed below are a few nuggets that I have gleaned from my study time in The Faith Dare hosted now by Women's Bible Cafe...

• Day 4:  "Our body is a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells."  Hummm...why do I mistreat this body so much?! Sweets, snacks...weaknesses! Then...
• Day 5:  "Living sacrifice?  The trouble with a 'living' sacrifice is that it can crawl of the altar at any time.  We are to lay down our lives daily, surrendering our way in favor of God's way."  Hummm...am I too busy crawling instead of surrendering?  When I could be spending time in studies such as this, I remain on Facebook or play that game on my phone...just one more time.
  
  Let's pause here please.  From the above two days, I committed to fast from snacks.  Please let me share how this time has been different.  In the past, Tammy herself tried to quit...all by myself...and failed.  This time, with this spiritual emphasis, the quiet reminders have come..."No, you do not need that."  How empowering, how, well, how spiritual saying no to snacks has been!  

• Day 6:  "How can a young [woman] keep [her] way pure?  By living according to your word." Psalm 119:9 - This week my daughter and I have spent some quality time together as I have been working in my classroom preparing to return to teaching high school seniors.  The Lord has pressed upon my heart to talk with her about her clothing choices and adultery, for I want her to make choices that are spiritually based.  (She has left on a trip, but when she returns, we are going to have a Bible study on this topic.)  When are shorts too short?  When does the decision to not wear certain clothes become hers and not just because mom said no?
• Day 7:  "Life gets exciting when we realize that a resurrection took place within us when we became Christ's, and now we are filled with the Holy Spirit."
  
  May I testify?  On Thursday, my husband's managers were to make some changes in the distribution of staff on the crews.  This happens every so often, but this time he seemed stressed about it, for he really wanted to remain on the same crew with one of his friends, so I had suggested we pray.  As the day progressed, he text that no decisions had been made, and when he got home that evening, he relayed that they were still meeting to decide the fate of the workers' schedules.  I sent a message to our wife's pastor and asked if they would pray right then, asking that my husband be allowed to remain on the same crew with his friend and that he accept the decisions with grace and dignity and that he see God's hand in all this.  About an hour later the phone rang, and the decision came through...NO changes would be made, for they could not find a more effective way to redistribute the crews!  As the husband said, "God is good!"  Yes, He is...all the time!  My hands shot up in the air...giving God the praise, for as I said to my husband, "This just shows that God is always going to have more power than any manager on a job!"  Yes!  Oh, the power of prayer! You see...only God could have worked this one out.  This reminds me of Solomon who asked for wisdom, which he received...and also wealth and fame.  God answered our prayer above...by granting more than we had even asked!
  
• Day 8:  "When I remain in Him, a very real anointing gives me power to live."  I have been feeling the pull some time to also fast from Facebook.  I get on there planning to just spend a few minutes only to find that a couple of hours may have passed.  One, I do not have that amount of time to waste...lessons to plan, both for school and class (I do attempt utilize Facebook as a means of testifying at times, but, yes, for the most part, it is just a place to find out the latest!)  Two, these sort of tech tools are just instruments used to keep me from such studies as this.  I think I know the answer to this pull I am feeling...right?  Praying about this....
• Day 9:  "...God will give the right gift and answer to prayer at the right time."  I believe this and testify to this. My challenge...to "handle the wait time." That time in between the prayer going up and the prayer being answered.  I read a sign outside a church this week that said, "We act like Christians...but do we react like one?"  Uh, oh...those reactions I have sometimes during the "wait time" are not Christ-like!  May we remember, though, (yes, you may sing with me!)...
• In His time..in his time...He makes all things beautiful...in His time!
• Yes!  OR you may listen to this beautiful song here...

Blessings!

The Faith Dare: Days 2-3

God is amazing!  Truly!  With my discipleship training class on Sunday evenings, we are studying Experiencing God, and these two studies support each so much.  For example...

From The Faith Dare...To come and follow is a daily call of surrender to the God who made us.  When we do this, we approach him each new day and mover toward Him in fresh relationship. (page 55)

From Experiencing God...To live a God-centered life requires "a daily death to self." 

What does this mean to me?  Is God saying, "Tammy, I need less of you and more of me in you?" As I continue to develop my relationship with God, hearing things repeated is one the ways that I know God speaks to me. (Please check out these posts on this topic:  "The Pit:  Digging In or Lifted Out?" and  "Echoing Themes:  Yes, Lord, I Am Listening.")

Living loved.  May I share a testimony?  God has demonstrated his faithfulness to me and to others this week, and I have been blessed to be a part this...all because I went to Sunday School last Sunday and read the Bible.

While in class, I began to read the verses that fell before our selected text, and my eyes fell on these scriptures, while my soul began to stir.  Here is the PowerPoint slide I created to share my with class just this evening as I shared this past week's experience:

Maybe because we return to school in two weeks, maybe because of my prayer request to return to me the love I once had for teaching, which has been both my vocation and avocation...my job and my hobby, maybe that is why this scripture spoke to me?  Or maybe I am just living loved, loved by my Heavenly Father?  Yes!

Then, as the week progressed, time after time (with two teacher friends, my sister, a young lady from church who stopped by last night), I found myself sharing this scripture either verbally or by sending a text with the scripture embedded and hearing how much that scripture meant to that person.  I even shared it on Facebook, receiving 21 likes and one "Amen!"

Tonight, I feel loved.  God chose to use me in a way that I could not have foreseen. This is why we must be mindful of Him.  Thank goodness I went to Sunday School last Sunday and read my Bible. We should be ever mindful, for one never knows when the Lord will choose YOU to work through.

Did you read the scripture Ecclesiastes 3:12-13?  Be happy.  Do good.  Find satisfaction.  All this as we toil, as we do our daily jobs.  For this is a gift of God!  Yay!

According to author Debbie Alsdorf, "We learn to live loved by taking His Word of truth by faith.  In doing so he replaces our fears with a wonderful peace that some of us have heard about but have never experienced firsthand." (page 61)  To do this, we must first be in His Word.  I am sorry to say that I find this a challenge too much of the time.  Life is busy, and when I do have "down time," I often do not make the best choices for my spiritual life.  Just another good reason to immerse myself in such studies as this one!

My prayer for you:  to live loved, to experience that wonderful peace.  Blessings!

The Faith Dare: Day 1

Picture Source

Today's focus, Day 1's focus is on a new heart...and this one is close to my heart, for this reminds me so much of where we have been to allow God the use of doctors to correct my daughter's heart/lung defect.  She is a miracle, a miracle performed by The Miracle Worker.  He gave her a new heart by correcting her defect via four surgeries.  Praise God!

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." - Proverbs 27:19

Have you ever noticed, though, that the best reflections are the ones in the cleanest of waters?  Muddy water reflects, but that image just does not contain the pristine sharpness, the sparkle of life that comes from clear water.  This, then, has to be true of our hearts as well.  A heart that is pure reflects just that, a life that is lived for Him, a life that reflects His love.

My heart is not pure and will not be so until our days are ended here, but that does not mean that do not daily attempt to live for him.  I can strive to stay out of the muddy, stagnant waters, thereby better reflecting a Christian walk.  Two years ago this past May, I experienced a revival in my soul, and while I may not always reflect this minute to minute, from day to day, from week to week, from month to month...and now year to year, my life does reflect that stirring of revival.  As a matter of fact, I just shared with my Sunday evening discipleship class this past weekend, that this is my prayer for our church...that we experience a revival.  First, though, that revival has to come to each individual, for that is what makes up the church.  Lord, send your people a revival!

Debbie Alsdorf, author of The Faith Dare, encourages the following prayer found in Psalm 86:11:  "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."  To obtain this, I must not allow myself to be distracted, to be have division; I must remain focused on Him.  These distractions can be so simple, so sly, so seemingly insignificant, yet so harmful, for they are usually the things that steal our time away from such book studies such as these.  Social media is one such distraction for me...Facebook, Twitter.  If not careful, I can spend several hours perusing posts on each of these.  Precious time that I might have spent reading His Word.

All this adds up to that desire for a continued new heart, to a continued revival of my soul.  Yes, Lord, give me a new heart, one that is not divided, one that reflects Jesus Christ.

Tonight, for the first time, I experienced an online chat hosted by a facilitator for Bible Cafe for Women (please click on the link to learn all about it!).  What a blessing!  Truly! 

How's your heart?  Need a new one?  God can do that.  

Blessings!

The Faith Dare: I Dare You!

Women's Bible Cafe's next book study is  Debbie Alsdorf's The Faith Dare, which is a 30-day study, 30 days to new habits.

Please follow this link to become involved in Women's Bible Cafe Chat Room on Facebook.

Alsdorf encourages participants to find quiet time for each day's reading...preferably in the mornings.  I am going to try that, but I am not a morning person, and with school beginning mid-August, I may have to modify my reading pattern:  read/study at night and spend the next day marinating on that day's focus.

I am soooo good at beginning studies and not completing them in a timely manner (still working on Breaking Free!).  This one, I truly intend to adhere to daily.  As I read the introduction, I found my self re-reading paragraphs, thinking that sounded like myself.

I want this study for myself, a gift to me as I get ready to return to school and to a busy schedule. 

As Alsdorf encourages blogging, I am sure you will hear more about this 30-Day Faith Dare as I "power down from self -- come to Christ daily."

Blessings! 

VBS = Revival

I love VBS!  We started ours on Saturday in our local park and then continued at church last night (Sunday) through Tuesday, with Family Night on Wednesday.  After skipping VBS for a year, our church was ready for this event to return.

While our numbers have been low (total numbers about 40...we have had a 150+), I am not discouraged.  I have felt such a sense of anticipation for this event.  I am not sure if the event is for the children, for the workers, or just for our church in general...but the Lord is going to bless someone(s) mightily because of our endeavors.

Currently, I am enjoying reading Teri Lynne Underwood's Prayers from the Pews.  She notes, "Revival, in the Greek, is the word anazao, meaning 'to recover life."  VBS does this for me, for our church, and hopefully, for our visitors.  We had as more church members working our VBS this time than we had VBS enrollees:  total enrollment of 48, of which 25 were workers.  In the many years, that I have either worked or directed our VBS, I have always enjoyed most the excitement, the renewal that this event brings to our church.  The building so alive during those days.  Alive!  Praise God!  See...I get excited just writing about what revival has come to me!

More good news!  We have a family of four attending!  They are just the sweetest people!  I just hope we are blessing them as much as they are blessing us.

More good news!  The VBS workers are already excited about next year's VBS!  Yay!

Happy VBS!

What a Woman!

As I sit here contemplating my day, I am already amazed at what will be accomplished today, for, you see, our church is so blessed to have our current interim pastor and his wife.  Together, they are a whirlwind of energy, never tiring in their work for the Lord.  They are both 86 and 84 years old.  Yes!

I am meeting with them at 9:00 this morning to discuss our kickoff today for our VBS 2013, beginning July 20-24.  Then, Sunday School, worship (with the VBS emphasis), and preaching.  Following morning service, we are taking two young couples to lunch in hopes of further encouraging and praising their example in our community.

This afternoon, Mrs. Lavelle is going to assist me in finishing my part of the canvassing of our church neighborhood in hopes of ensuring that all have a home church, then inviting those who do not have a home church to ours should they not.  Yes, we are looking for that one last lost soul.

After this hot excursion (will have water with us on this hot day!), back to church to begin working on a database of everyone's canvassing of our neighborhood.  We initially mailed out about 500 brochures! Our initial goal is to type in all the families that have children so we can mail out our first initial VBS mailing.  Again, looking for just one more for Christ!

Then final set-up happens for a fellowship after our evening Fifth Sunday Singing.  This fellowship will honor our son Nathan who leaves next Sunday for the Army.  That date quickly approaches.  Hummm. We are so proud of his decision and are already in prayer for his time there.

Admit it!  You would be tired also!  Not Mrs. Lavelle!  She will go ninety-to-nothing (as the saying goes) all day long.  Me?  I will be looking for some caffeine!

Am I dreading the day?  Of course not!  This woman is an inspiration, one I aspire to be, one with whom I truly want to spend time, soaking up her Christian essence.  She is such an inspiration, such a mentor.

Truly, I am blessed.

Echoing Themes...Yes, Lord, I Am Listening

I have noticed over the last few months that one of ways the Lord speaks to me is through repeated themes. I posted on here earlier about how the story of Joseph became a focus in several aspects of my life:  book club, personal book study, youth trip...that's when I began to slow down and wait on Him.  Or could it be that I have to hear something several times, be totally immersed within a topic before I clearly learn what He's teaching me?  Or am I just continually being taught to wait...and listen...and pray...and read...and wait.

My Newest Theme

It's happening again...this time with the word story.  I noticed it at last month's WMU meeting when I opened our periodical and read The Story Lives On, WMU's theme for this year. In BIG letters.  As if a voice said, "Tammy, I need your attention."  Now, that may not be that grand within itself...although I sure felt the effect of the words, except...please read on...this wording echoes so closely the theme in my English 11 classes that we had had begun the week before...Everyone Has a Story:  What's Yours?  I actually did a double-take, for I had just been absorbed in the echo of the story of Joseph and the pit and becoming familiar with the echo of His voice, teaching me more about Him, teaching me more about myself.  Was a new emphasis starting?  Hummm....

Then, at the WMU breakfast hosted by our church's association group, I listened as Kaye Miller, a former president of WMU and a resident of our state, discuss this theme, stating again that everyone has a story, everyone has a testimony.  I so enjoyed listening to her story, of her being raised in Thailand and the loss and regaining of her friend there.  (Yes, I later bought her book Called to Love:  Stories of Compassion, Faith, and God's Amazing Grace, just waiting on Amazon to deliver it to my door!)

This "story" continued last week, as I was perusing the books at Wal-Mart, there, just released, was Jodi Picoult's new novel The Storyteller.  I read the back cover and decided to buy it...full price...brand new.  (This is something I rarely do...always looking for a bargain on half.com...or I choose to wait until book's price drops.)  I have not had a chance to read this novel, but I am bumping to my next read.  That's right...should our Lord want to speak to me via this book, I want to hear/read what he has to say! (Click here to read, in the author's voice, why she wrote The Storyteller.)

Tonight, we had our monthly WMU meeting and were blessed to hear the story of an 83-year-old Christian lady share her testimony and her love for our Lord and Savior, concluding her time by reading a poem that she had written just for tonight's event.  (By the way, she is participating in the MyOneWord Challenge...her word is joyous, and I do believe that the Lord is honoring her word!)

Just as the meeting concluded, I recommended another person to tell her story next month.  These testimonies...or stories....are such a blessing.  The Lord did bless us with vocal cords, a tongue, lips...yes, he meant for us to use them for Him!

Am I Crazy?

Maybe.  Crazy for Him!  While He chooses to speak to me this manner, I will listen, learn, and grow.  Should He choose to never to speak to me again in quite this way, I am blessed for these two experiences, and, therefore, I encourage you to pause and become more in tune with topics you hear and see being repeated within your life. A reason may exist, a Heavenly reason, for this repetition occurring.  You will know, for that still, small voice still speaks to you...and to me.

Blessings!

THE Lawn Mower...Tractor!

Here's just another example of how God works...but, first, a bit of background info...

Late last summer our John Deer lawn mower quit.  Just like that.  No more.  One could hardly blame it, as we thanked it for the fourteen years of service in mowing our ten acre yard (at least) and for the many steps it saved The Hubby as his personal ride up and down the shooting range and such.

As spring began to spring, we chatted about options, for the grass...and weeds, especially...did not cease to grow nor mourn the loss of that previous family member.  Thus, we thanked Mother Nature via the Good Lord for those extra cold days, as we determined what next mower might join our Gillmore Farm Family.

John Deere?  Bad Boy?  Kubota?  A new model?  A used model?

Finally, I reminded the hubby, "You just pray.  Every time you have made a big purchase, God has given you a great deal that you knew was the right one for you."

Yesterday, a used Kubota tractor...not just a lawn mower...but a tractor!...joined our family...and the Lord blessed us tremendously with an awesome deal that only He could have arranged.  The Hubby has been playing...ooppps, I mean mowing!  :)  Proud he is of the new big boy toy.  Proud I am of the nicely mown lawn.  A win-win for everyone!

This week,we were reminded that God's Time is simply that:  His Timing is perfect.  Sometimes...okay, nearly always...we have to wait, as He teaches us lessons and then blesses us for that wait time.  Yes, "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."  I invite you to enjoy His Strength.  He will be there for you...just wait.

A "Fit"ing Update

I just read a post by Rachel Olsen (co-author of MyOneWord), who reported she did not choose her MyOneWord until the end of January, a word that does not seem to have "sizzle."  Yes, I feel that way about my word fit, also.

Unlike Ms. Rachel, I knew my word back in December, yet it was a word that I wanted to keep quiet, for becoming fit means admitting that I am not...fit, which I am not.  No wonder God gave me this word!

When I chose the word, I knew I wanted to become more than physically fit (without having too many fits along the way!); I needed to be more mentally, emotionally, and, most importantly, physically fit.  Here's how  we (God and myself) have begun...

• Physically:  With a push from friends and family, I made an appointment with our family doctor for a much-needed physical and with my OBGYN for that female visit.  The first one I have accomplished with interesting results.  All my numbers are normal, except calcium.  Really?  ADMISSION OF GUILT:  I do not take vitamins.  I know...I should.  Except for calcium because one of the calcium numbers were high.  Not good.  This could mean that I have a tumor on a thyroid gland.  Back to the doctor I will go in two weeks for this number to be reassessed. MORE NEWS.  I finally lost two pounds.  That felt so good.  I want to loose two more.  Then two more!  Now, to get those hormone levels checked...have not had any since my hysterectomy several years ago.  
• Mentally:  My brain.  What I learned when researching the above additional calcium is that too much can affect concentration.  OR that just might be an excuse!  Seriously, though, here I see myself reading more of the books I purchase.  I have written elsewhere about my book addiction (sorry, can admit it; just not ready to give it up...)  Reading more...professional books, fun books...exploring new genres.
• Emotionally:  Very mixed is what they are.  Too much!  I also learned that this can be a side effect of the above excess calcium.  Thinking I may have found the excuse for all things negative in my life!  Maybe the key here to access my previous two MyOneWords:  peace and quiet.  And breathing.  And praying more. I am beginning to think that all four aspects of MyOneWord "fit" together...yes, pun intended.
• Spiritually:  I really like from where my spiritual life has journeyed and to where it is headed.  I enjoy leading our Sunday evening class, for this focus insists that I remain centered, if not on a daily basis, then, at least, on this weekly basis.  Also,we are so blessed to have our current interim pastor and his wife.  True blessings to our church family, my family, and me.  Both are so knowledgeable, so full of energy, such true leaders.  Around them, I am a sponge, soaking up all I can.  A sponge that does not want to rung out, either!

Does my word sizzle?  No.  My word is a life-style change.  A very good thing.

A New Word?

On Saturday, with a peer/friend teacher, I attended the Arkansas Teachers for National Board Certification Conference.  One of the guest speakers was the Arkansas Milken Award winner (very interesting lady, originally from Hungary).  She shared a new word with us:  frienemies, as is a friend who is also your enemy.  Sounds like an oxymoron. 

This word gave me pause. Am I a frienemy?  Do I have frienemies?

A frienemy is one who, when you are exceeding, is jealous.  A frienemy is one who would keep one from excelling, again due to jealousy. (I just googled this frienemy...here are the results.)

The presenter shared that she had peers that did not like her because her principal often used her work as an example.  She admitted, "I probably would not like it if I kept hearing another teacher's name over and over, either.  So part of me understands."  That other part of her had to be hurt.

Maybe my conscience was pricked.  Maybe the Christian in me perked up.  I do not want to be a frienemy, nor do I want to associate with such people.

But...can such people really be avoided?  No.  The lesson, thus, to myself is to be more aware of such instances, both when my old nature insists that this characteristic attempt to emerge its ugly head and when other friends adopt that split personality.

This might be an interesting word to share with my students, although chances are they have already heard of this trendy word!  Empowerment comes with understanding (education), though;  this might save some of them some heartache down life's road.

This reminds me of a quote my husband has often shared with me:  The enemy of my enemy is my friend.  

This term, then, is not a new concept, even going back to Bible times.  Consider this from Psalms  55:

If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
    at the house of God,
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

Thus, as I sit here and reflect, a frienemy is a hurtful person, one I am sure I have been, one I will attempt to not be.  No, I do not want to share personal examples!  

Here's to friends and to a new saying:  A friend of my friend is not enemy of mine.