Wednesday, May 28, 2014
3 Things that Happen when We Cry Out to God
Can we keep calm and cry out to Jesus? I don't believe so. There are
many examples in the Bible where people cried out to God and he heard
their cries. I don't think they cried calmly either.
2 Kings 20 says Hezekiah was sick unto death. The prophet Isaiah brought him a message to set his house in order for he shall surely die. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. Verse 3 says "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore." Hezekiah wept sorely not calmly. God heard his prayer, saw his tears and healed him. God added 15 years to his life. Have you been healed?
Exodus 3:7 God heard the cries of his people and delivered them out of the bondage of the Egyptians. He parted the Red Sea also. When is the last time you saw this magnitude of miracle in your life?
David was at his lowest when he cried out to the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Are you singing a new song?
So many examples of people crying out to God and him responding to their needs! My thought for today is "Are we crying enough? Are we crying loud enough? Are we crying long enough?" I'll confess I used to cry more. I still cry out to God but maybe I've gotten comfortable. I've told myself that people are uncomfortable with emotions. Today, I'm reminded God is comfortable with our emotions. I believe he yearns to hear them and see our tears, according to His Word.
I'm crying out to you. What do you believe? Leave me a comment about what you've received from crying out or if you feel it really even makes a difference...
Emotionally invested,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Can You Rob God?
I'm sure the people around me heard my sigh of relief when the sermon title was displayed on the overhead...Stewardship: Financially Giving to God! The verse our pastor used spoke even clearer to me. Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
Big Gulp! I may not look like a typical robber with a striped shirt, mask and money bag but if I withhold financially from God, I'm a thief. Have you been in this spot before? You want to give to God but you're thinking of every reason why you need that money in your pocket. It's seems way too easy to justify keeping it sometimes, doesn't it?
God loves a cheerful giver. He always amazes me with our finances. I've never come up short when giving willingly but I've definitely felt the pinch when I'm stingy with our household money. Know what I mean? Are you a good thief? Can you rob God and not get caught?
I welcome your comments/thoughts about tithes.
Pitching in,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Monday, May 19, 2014
Mom-ism Monday #5
Happy Monday! And say what? This is another mom-ism I had never heard until my kids coaxed it out of my Mom quite by accident. The saying has something to do with this picture.
My kids were playing a game with their Nanny. She couldn't figure out their game. They asked "Do you give up?" She replied "Calf Rope!" Our heads spun like Chucky's as we said in unison "CALF ROPE?" She looked puzzled. We asked her to explain the meaning of her outburst.
Calf Rope is basically the equivalent of saying "Uncle"! Nanny told us her older brother Hubert would make her and her twin sister say it for no particular reason. He would hem them in the barn until they said it or hold them down just as child's play to make them say it. Boys will be boys, won't they? They mmmeean!
I thought "Calf Rope" was a fluke until I stumbled upon it in the Dictionary of American Regional English. The dictionary says it originated around 1878 in mostly southern but some mid-western states. Calf rope means to surrender, give up or capitulate. Who knew?
Did you and your siblings yell "CALF ROPE"? Leave me a comment with your best story or if you ever heard it at all.
CALF ROPE,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Calf Rope is basically the equivalent of saying "Uncle"! Nanny told us her older brother Hubert would make her and her twin sister say it for no particular reason. He would hem them in the barn until they said it or hold them down just as child's play to make them say it. Boys will be boys, won't they? They mmmeean!
I thought "Calf Rope" was a fluke until I stumbled upon it in the Dictionary of American Regional English. The dictionary says it originated around 1878 in mostly southern but some mid-western states. Calf rope means to surrender, give up or capitulate. Who knew?
Did you and your siblings yell "CALF ROPE"? Leave me a comment with your best story or if you ever heard it at all.
CALF ROPE,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Friday, May 16, 2014
I'll Always Remember My First
Wow! My last post was "What Happens When Dogs Lust"
and now "I'll Always Remember My First"!
You bet I will always remember my first! I'd always wanted to do it. I wondered if my Mom had ever done it. I figured she probably had. I talked to my friends to see if they had ever done it. Some surely had! Some hadn't. The ones that had described their experiences to me. Some had fun. Some were scared to death. I didn't really know how I would feel, it being my first time and all. I was pretty excited with a bit of apprehension mixed in. I wondered what people would think about me but I really didn't care. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Right?
A friend asked me to do it. I agreed even though my first time was with not one but two women.
I bet you wouldn't guess in a million years what I did....
nope, that's not it!
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and now "I'll Always Remember My First"!
You bet I will always remember my first! I'd always wanted to do it. I wondered if my Mom had ever done it. I figured she probably had. I talked to my friends to see if they had ever done it. Some surely had! Some hadn't. The ones that had described their experiences to me. Some had fun. Some were scared to death. I didn't really know how I would feel, it being my first time and all. I was pretty excited with a bit of apprehension mixed in. I wondered what people would think about me but I really didn't care. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Right?
A friend asked me to do it. I agreed even though my first time was with not one but two women.
I bet you wouldn't guess in a million years what I did....
nope, that's not it!
Nawh, not that either...
Give up?
Aerica (that's America without the "m"), Cassie and I took an ambulance ride! It wasn't as exciting as I imagined my first time. No flashing lights, no sirens but Cassie did test blow the horn one time (just for me)! We took my friend Nina to Memorial Hospital for a doctor visit. This is our best shot at a selfie or maybe it's a threeie!
We had a fun time. See the smiles. Of course, this was after we were safely back at home with Nina. They both did such a wonderful job of safely transporting us. I have to admit it felt a little like a trip with my Dad driving. The ambulance was a klunker and would barely pick up any speed. I'm sure if we had an emergency their company had one that would go faster, faster. I learned something. I can honestly say I've never seen the name Erica spelled Aerica. I also learned the meaning of the acronym BLS or Basic Life Support! You just never know what kind of knowledge awaits you in a ambulance.
I hope your back feels better soon Cassie (left) and I hope to get invited to your ladies group meeting at your church Aerica (right). Thanks ladies! I'll always remember my first.
Blessed with new friends,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
What Happens when Dogs Lust
Meet my canine companion Hermie. Like all good pals he's got nicknames.
You might hear him called Hermdog, the Hermeister or simply Herm! I love
this mutt. He greets me at the door when I come in, sleeps with me
(don't judge) and relies on me for his most basic needs. I know Herm
loves me. He shows me by sitting on my lap, giving me kisses and
behaving. He knows the house rules and follows them.
Herm enjoys a nice romp in the yard. He runs around without a care in the world until he gets a whiff of a rabbit. He can't resist his hunter instincts. And he's off! The rabbit heads straight toward the tall grass of our hay fields with Hermie close behind. In warm weather, he comes home with grass seed matted in his beautiful black fur like his picture.
I'm aggravated! It takes me an hour to comb out those pesky seeds. I clean him up. We make up and the love continues. He knows no matter how far his lust for rabbits take him, I'll always clean his fur. I know no matter how many times I have to clean his fur, he's my dog and I love him.
While I'm grooming him, I talk and he listens. I tell him it would be more pleasant for him and me if he didn't run through the tall grass. He wouldn't get his hair pulled out with a small tooth comb and I wouldn't have to be disappointed to see him in this shape. Some days he sees the rabbit and doesn't chase it.
Do you ever get a whiff of a rabbit and chase it? Of course we do! The Bible says in James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. We don't plan sin. We allow sin to happen. Can we avoid it? Absolutely! We can resist temptation but what happens if we don't?
When we come home, Jesus clean us up. We make up and the love flows freely. No matter how far lust takes us, Jesus will always forgive us. No matter how many times he has to forgive our sin, we're his child and he loves us. He always warns us not to chase rabbits, sometimes we listen and sometimes we don't.
Herm enjoys a nice romp in the yard. He runs around without a care in the world until he gets a whiff of a rabbit. He can't resist his hunter instincts. And he's off! The rabbit heads straight toward the tall grass of our hay fields with Hermie close behind. In warm weather, he comes home with grass seed matted in his beautiful black fur like his picture.
I'm aggravated! It takes me an hour to comb out those pesky seeds. I clean him up. We make up and the love continues. He knows no matter how far his lust for rabbits take him, I'll always clean his fur. I know no matter how many times I have to clean his fur, he's my dog and I love him.
While I'm grooming him, I talk and he listens. I tell him it would be more pleasant for him and me if he didn't run through the tall grass. He wouldn't get his hair pulled out with a small tooth comb and I wouldn't have to be disappointed to see him in this shape. Some days he sees the rabbit and doesn't chase it.
Do you ever get a whiff of a rabbit and chase it? Of course we do! The Bible says in James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. We don't plan sin. We allow sin to happen. Can we avoid it? Absolutely! We can resist temptation but what happens if we don't?
When we come home, Jesus clean us up. We make up and the love flows freely. No matter how far lust takes us, Jesus will always forgive us. No matter how many times he has to forgive our sin, we're his child and he loves us. He always warns us not to chase rabbits, sometimes we listen and sometimes we don't.
Let's make it easier on Him and us... STAY OUT OF THE TALL GRASS!
What do you chase? Leave me a comment with one of your hardest lusts to avoid.
Combing and correcting,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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