How secure are you?

Gone are the days of leaving your car unlocked when you are out running errands. Gone are the days of leaving your house unlocked even while you are inside. We are living in the age of added security. One cannot turn on the television nor listen to the radio without news of a murder, a break-in, or a terrorist threat. We teach our kids to take extra precautions. We ourselves are always on the lookout.

In this day and age, is it possible to have security? I mean "real" security.

A while back, on a very rainy morning, Little Man and I headed down to the museum district for a field trip with our homeschooling group. From our home in the northeastern part of the city down to the museum district is about a 45-minute drive. When it is raining, it can take even longer.

As I am splashing my way down Hwy 59, I take a glance in the rearview mirror at the back seat. There sits Little Man without a care in the world. He is not paying one bit of attention to the rain outside, the cars moving all around us, or my driving. He is lost in his own sweet innocent little world of being a kid! What a wonderful little world it is.

I remember those carefree days. The days when someone else made all of the decisions. Someone else paid the bills, cooked the meals, and did the laundry. (I had great parents. Yes, my mom did ALL the laundry!) I was the one being toted to my various activities while someone else did the driving and worrying about if we would arrive safely and on time. Weren't those wonderful times? I rather enjoyed them. I felt secure.

Now that we are adults and living in a day and age where there is so much crime and things that can go wrong, is it still possible to feel secure? Like Little Man, is it possible to sit back and enjoy the ride while the storm crashes around you?

Yes, it most definitely is! God's Word tells us in Isaiah 41:10

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.

There is only one key to this security and that is Jesus. If you belong to Him*, there is no need to live in fear. You can rest securely in the palm of God's hand no matter what life throws your way.

May you find JOY today in resting securely in the hand of God.

Tami

*If you do not know what it means to have security in Jesus, I would be happy to explain it to you.

Comparing

Oh, comparison. We are taught at a very early age to compare things.

Which one do you like best?

Which item is larger, which is smaller?

Who has blue eyes, who has brown?

How many pieces of candy did you get?

It goes on and on and on. As we move into adulthood, we start comparing education, jobs, houses, cars, and prices at the grocery store. There are even times when comparisons are based on assumptions that just aren't true. The Professor is a highly educated man having a college degree as well as two graduate degrees from really good schools. I, on the other hand, chose not to go to college after high school. I went to a trade school and became a secretary. I loved being a secretary. I love to type!

It is often assumed that I have a similar educational background as The Professor. Prior to marriage to The Professor, one person was in great error in making this assumption. In the middle of a lengthy one-on-one conversation, she actually told me that it was impossible for her to carry on a conversation with someone who did not have a college degree. Oh the ignorance! Having a piece of paper stating a college degree does not make one smart, and it definitely does not give one wisdom!

When you think about it, aren't all of our comparisons just as crazy? Not only do we compare our own physical appearance from what size we are to how many wrinkles and gray hairs we have, but we also compare our children.

My child is the best baseball player, best dancer, or the champion of the spelling bee! From the time the child enters school, his intellect is compared with the other kids in his class via daily grades as well as other kids across the country on national tests.

What if the world stopped comparing? What if it no longer mattered who has the best job or if your child is the best at this or that? What if everyone could just be the person God created him or her to be?

In more recent years, I have been told by some that I "should" be doing this or that. I have even had some look down on me when I haven't done what they deemed I should be doing.

Last night I had the privilege of attending the LifeLine Pregnancy Center's annual banquet. It was such a blessing. The Professor was the keynote speaker. It was such an honor to be there in support of him as he shared his heart on the sanctity of life. We are 100% PRO-LIFE!

The Professor pointed out how through the life of the prophet Jeremiah* we can clearly see that each life is ordained by God prior to coming into existence - every life, not just certain ones here and there. Not only is every life ordained, but every life is created for a specific purpose! Can you let that sink in for a few minutes?

Basically, stop the comparing. God created YOU to be YOU! You are intended to be YOU to serve God in the way He has purposed. He just wants YOU to shine in the way he created YOU to shine. I can tell you, he did not create me to sing! There are many times throughout my life that I have "wished" that I could be like someone else in her talent. It is very freeing when you can come to grips with who God created YOU to be.

This goes for our kids too. It is so unfair to compare them to other kids even if your kid comes out on top in the comparison. God did not create Puppy to be a gymnast nor Little Man to play football. He did give them talents in other areas that are not necessarily the "norm" in each of their respective age groups. When they were younger there was a lot of pressure to put each of them into standard activities. Yes, we tried numerous to no avail. Not only have I received freedom in just being me, there has also been great freedom in allowing my kids to pursue their own interests even when it falls outside the realm of what is the "norm".

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

May you find JOY in being YOU!

Tami

*Please see Jeremiah 1 for the story of Jeremiah's genesis.

Having Fun, What Goes on Behind Closed Doors, and The Sovereignty of God

I absolutely love to laugh. Within our home, we do not go a day without a good belly laugh in some form. Even within the midst of heartache, we somehow find a way to laugh. It does my soul good. The Professor, even though he has a tendency to act like a PROFESSOR, has a great sense of humor. He often comes up with some type of riddle for us to mull over while eating dinner. Because he is a professor and doesn't have class every day of the week, he is at home the majority of most days. With us homeschooling, the kids are at home the majority of most days as well. In other words, we are together as a family A LOT!

Between chores, schoolwork, and outside activities our days are probably just as crazy as the next person's. For the most part, we just do it all under the same roof. We each go about our days doing what needs to be done to accomplish whatever task each of us needs to accomplish.

Then, evening comes. Very seldom are we not all together in the evening. There are a couple of days this semester that The Professor has an evening class. On those days, we wait for him to get home to have dinner so that we all eat together. After dinner, we have a tendency to scatter. The Professor typically goes to his office to accomplish a little more work. Puppy usually has to put a few final touches on a homework assignment. Little Man likes to perform a few more yoyo tricks or play one more computer game. I, well, one never can tell what I might be doing.

As the evening starts to come to an end, we all gather together in our family room for what was dubbed many years ago as "Night Night." This is our time as a family to come together for what is most important to us. For what is at the very core of our existence, our beings. It is during this time that we push to the side everything but one thing - The Main Thing. The time in which we pause, take time out from the world around us. The time in which we focus on God.  Even as we love to have times of laughter, we also cherish this most serious of times.

The Professor gets out his Bible and reads the words that were written thousands of years ago, but are so true today. I believe that I would be doing my friends a disservice if I do not share this aspect of our lives. The is the reason that we live, that we move, that we breathe. It is behind every decision that we make. The relationship that we have with God, the creator of the world in which we live, is the most important of all relationships.

We believe in the sovereignty of God. We believe that He alone has the supreme power, authority, and control not only over our lives, but the world as a whole. Because of this belief, we also believe that one day, when this life is complete, we will have to give an account to Him for how each of us has lived our lives. I will give an account for ME - not my mother, not my husband, not one of my kids, just ME!

First and foremost, God will ask if I knew his son, Jesus. His only son. The one who came into the world via virgin birth through Mary. The one who was persecuted, crucified, buried, and then rose from the dead. The one whom I believe lives eternally at the right hand of his Father God. The one whom I strive to follow and serve on a daily basis.

All of this has been weighing so heavily on my mind as I listen to our "Christian Community" spew hate and draw lines against each other over who will be president of the United States of America. It is a great country and I feel so blessed that through my mother I am a fifth generation American. However, my God is so much bigger than the United States. He doesn't love one country more than another country unless we start talking about Israel. And, well, that is His chosen country and the Jews are His chosen people. You can read about His relationship with Israel and the Jewish Nation throughout the Old Testament of the Holy Word of God. The United States, as great as it is, is not His chosen country. And we, Gentiles, are not His chosen people group. Thankfully, through the saving power of Jesus Christ, a way has been made for me and for you.

When it is all said and done, when I have to stand before God and give an account of ME, I do not believe that He is going to ask me for whom I voted in the 2016 Presidential Election of the United States. I DO believe He will ask me, "Did you know my son?"

Behind the laughter, behind the closed doors of our home, there is one thing that stands true today, tomorrow, and always, the Power of Christ. It never changes. It was the same yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow no matter whom I vote for or who wins the Presidential election. My God is bigger! He loves babies more than I could ever love. He hates ALL sin - even the sin in my life! And He loves every human being including Trump, Hillary and the terrorist.

My job is to seek Him, follow Him, strive to be like Him and to love at all cost. In that, I have JOY!

Tami

Forgetful

Are you a forgetful person? I sure am.

There was the time several years ago when I forgot my friend's baby shower. You may be thinking, "That's no big deal. It can happen to anyone." What made it so bad is that I was a hostess! I had spent the day before making food for the shower. The food was sitting in my refrigerator when the call came questioning my whereabouts while I was out shopping.

More recently, I forgot to go to a workshop that I signed up for and paid $25 to attend! Not only did I hate that I missed the workshop, but I also felt bad for the friend hosting the workshop. She was even kind enough to refund my money. I hope others attended.

Then, last week I went to put clothes from the washer to the dryer only to discover that there were WET clothes already in the dryer! Who knows how long they had been there. Obviously, not only had I forgotten to take them out of the dryer, I never turned the dryer on to begin with!

We so often think of forgetting something as a bad thing. Often it is. In the above instances, forgetting was definitely not a good thing. However, there are times when forgetting is a good thing. It can even be the best thing. Little Man recently asked me about something that he had done in the past. I honestly didn't remember it. At the time of the offense, he asked for forgiveness, I granted it, and didn't give it another thought. I told him that he too needed to forget about it.

Do you realize that is how God is? He can be VERY forgetful. The key is forgiveness. We are told in Hebrews 8:12:

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Basically, if I ask God to forgive me, not only am I forgiven but my sin is forgotten! Forgotten in the sense that He will no longer hold it against you. You really can't get any better than that. That is when forgetfulness becomes the best thing.

I pray that today you find JOY in not only forgiving and being forgiven, but in forgetting the past sin in your own life as well as in the lives of others. There are times when we would all benefit from being a little more forgetful!

Tami

God is Quite Funny

Yes, I believe that God has a sense of humor. That statement may have you wondering why I believe such a thing. Well, I have created a list to support my belief and since you are reading this I am going to assume that you would like to know why I believe what I do so here goes . . .

1. God created humans. Can you get any funnier than that?

2. I am a very "neat" person. My life motto is "Everything has a place and everything should be in its place - at all times!" I am married to a man, The Professor, who is well . . . ummmm . . . not that way. I also gave birth to two little people who are the messiest humans ever put on the earth.

3. I do not like to be touched. I have this comfort zone and I am only comfortable when I am the only person in the zone! I gave birth to this little person who loves to touch. For the first six weeks of life this little person would not sleep unless lying on my chest. Even though this little person now weighs almost as much as I do, this little person still wants to sit in my lap.

4. I am an introvert. You know, one of those people who gets rejuvenated by spending time alone. I homeschool my kids. Homeschool moms do not, I repeat DO NOT, get time alone! I also gave birth to this little person who follows me everywhere I go. If I go outside . . . if I go to the laundry room . . . if I go upstairs . . . if I go to the bathroom . . . you get the picture. I never, even in my own house, go anywhere alone.

5. I am not a morning person. I like to wake up and have a few minutes to breathe, not talk, adjust to my eyes being open. Well . . . you guessed it . . . I gave birth to a MORNING PERSON! This little person wakes up early and starts talking the minute another life form is heard. I am typically greeted with chatter before I ever cross the threshold of my bedroom. Waking up and slowly adjusting to a new day just flew out the window.

6. I really like to be in control. I'm sure that statement makes some of you laugh out loud. I truly imagine God chuckling at that statement or at least shaking His head, which leads me to one of my favorite Bible verses.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.   Proverbs 16:9

I often think that God uses this verse to get a good laugh out of me. I really like to have all of my little ducks in a perfectly formed row, everything organized, and just so. Our schedule this semester is a prime example of me getting everything "perfectly planned" and then it all going haywire!

I started the semester believing that I would be at home alone for three hours every Monday and Wednesday. The Professor has Monday/Wednesday classes and I "had" both kids signed up for coop classes on Monday/Wednesday afternoons. I had wonderful visions of peaceful, uninterrupted time to myself, and a sparkling clean, well-organized house with everything in its place. What a dream it was!

Not only was my dream shattered when a coop class did not work out, but now every Monday and Wednesday I get to make the five minute drive to the coop school four times per day! Perfect example that I really have no control at all. Once again, I am reminded that it was so silly of me to think I did!

However, in the midst of the messy, touchy, crowded with people world in which I live, there is JOY.

There was that special moment with my little one, who hates to write, laughing through his writing assignment because he found the paragraph he was writing to be so funny. I would have missed that if I was at home alone.

The hugs, oh the sweet sweet hugs, that remind me that even though my baby is no longer a baby, I am still needed and wanted.

Being followed everywhere I go. That one is reminding me that my little one still wants to spend time with me, values my opinion, and wants me to know what is happening in her life.

Those morning greetings remind me that God too wants to hear from me, spend time with me as I start my day.

In the messiness, I am reminded that those messy people are way more important than everything being in its place.

So, today, I am taking a deep breath and finding JOY in all the chaos of this wonderful life I live and choosing to cherish the time I have the privilege of spending with the ones I love.

May you have JOY amidst your chaos!

Tami

Can I Text You?

I have two kids who never - and I mean NEVER - stop talking. They both attend coop classes with our home-school coop. The minute they get into the car at the end of the day there is a battle for who gets to talk. I try to make them take turns, but I am not always successful. If you by chance have one of my kids in class, by the time the evening is over I know just about every detail of everything that went on in your class.

Honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes I get a little worn out, but if they are willing to talk then I am willing to listen. If your child is a friend of one of my kids and you are wondering what is going on with your child, give me a call and we can talk! LOL

Today, though, I really needed to help Little Man with his homework. He is taking a class that is way out of his comfort zone and needed a little one-on-one with Mom to get started on his assignment. Puppy had not used up all of her words. Poor thing. I told her that I really needed her to stop talking so that I could give Little Man my full attention. Again, she interrupted with something that was . . . ummm . . ."very important." How important? Well, on a scale from one to ten with ten being the most important it was about a ZERO!

Finally, I said to my sweet Puppy, "If you cannot stop talking, you have to leave the room. I really need to give Little Man all of my attention. You can have another turn later." To which she promptly replied, "Can I text you?" Oh that kid. NO! You cannot text me.

I wonder sometimes if God feels like Puppy wanting attention. We are going about our days moving here and there taking care of this and that with no regard for Him whatsoever. He is doing everything to get the attention He deserves and yet we continue to ignore Him. I know I am very guilty.

It is very hard as a wife, mom, home-school teacher, dishwasher, laundry service, taxi service, cook, and every other job we do to stop and just be still with God. The thing about it is that we are absolutely nothing without Christ. He doesn't want our attention for selfish reasons, but because time spent with Him will improve our very being. As we are told by Jesus in the book of John:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

May you have JOY in being attentive to the call of Christ.

Tami

Friendship and Laughter

Yesterday was not the best of days. The morning started with my feelings being hurt, not once but twice. My mother-hen feathers were big and bold and they were ruffled!* That is not a good way to start the day.

To top that off, I had to make the 45+ minute drive down to UH to have new lenses put into Little Man's glasses. That in itself was not that big of a deal, but because a major change was made in the prescription for the left eye, Little Man had trouble seeing out of them. To confirm everything was how it was supposed to be, we had to go back and see the doctor again. Needless to say, the appointment took longer than anticipated. Since we had not eaten lunch prior to leaving home, we were both starving by the time it was all said and done.

Thankfully, God sees and God knows. Nothing is hidden from him. He knows when feelings have been hurt and spirits are weary. He knows our every need.

Late in the day, Puppy and I headed over to the lakes at the entrance of our neighborhood to check out lighting for her upcoming photo sessions. As we were walking around one of the lakes with Puppy snapping pictures, our neighbor was driving by, spotted us, and stopped to check out what we were doing.

She ended up hanging out with us for a while. We laughed, we talked, we walked, we laughed a little more, we stopped, we posed . . . Puppy snapped lots and lots of pictures . . . we laughed, we walked, we talked, and we laughed some more. I know the lady walking the circle around the lake for her evening exercise must have thought we were crazy. It makes me smile just to think about it.

I will say it again, God sees and God knows. Nothing is hidden from him. He knows when feelings have been hurt and spirits are weary. He knows our every need.

God knew that I needed to laugh. He knew that I needed a friend to show up. This friend didn't know that my day had started with my feelings being hurt. Until she reads this, she still doesn't. No mention was made. There was no need for her to know. But God used her just the same to bring light into the darkness of the day.

Spending a couple of hours of laughing about insignificant things changed the day. Puppy also got some crazy pictures that are very good blackmail material she could use against my friend and me. I'm thinking that we need to stay on her good side!

If your day is not going as planned, your feelings have been hurt, and you are frustrated, I pray that God will send laughter your way. It truly does change everything.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

There is JOY in laughter.

Tami

*Apologies have been made. Forgiveness is a good thing.