Saturday, April 23, 2016

One Thing God and Donald Trump Do Alike


Have you seen The Apprentice? Donald Trump is the star of the show. He is looking for a good worker. He always finds that one person who completes their given tasks well, after he's sifted through the rest of the crowd. When you don't do your job well, Donald Trump pronounces "You're Fired!".

Now you may be thinking God never fires anyone. I agree, partly. God never fires anyone who has truly accepted his free gift of forgiveness. However, the Bible says in Luke 13:23-24 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

That is a pretty intense scripture. I audibly heard God say the other day "People should quit trying to do my job and do the job I called them to do." How can you and I know we are doing our job correctly? 
  1. Realize we can't save ourselves or anyone else. Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God...
  2. Remain humble in well doing. Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man boast. 
  3. Judge ourselves, not others. I Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 
  4. Stay on task. Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
  5. Be his workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
How do we work and be his workmanship? We become what Christ is. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."


In The Apprentice, Trump tells the eager workers what not to do. God tells us what not to do also. Galatians 5:19-21 instructs us "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

God and Donald Trump use different words but the meanings are the same. Be sure you are serving your fellow man from the goodness of your redeemed soul. If you're of Christ, let your work be from Christ! If not, you may find yourself like the folks in Luke 13:27 who tried to tell their Master what they had done for him. His answer was this: But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. In other words, You're Fired!

God always, Trump 2016
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Sunday, April 17, 2016

It's Not Polite to Stare


Looking and limping,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Juanita's Enchanted Gardens

The winding gravel road to Gran-Nan's house is lined with romantic Bradford Pear Trees and rocks!

bradford pear trees

These aren't your everyday, run-of-the-mill rocks, more like boulders. My parents hauled these giant stones one-by-one to their nesting place under the trees lining their driveway with a tractor, a 3-point hitch and some really strong chain! I remember it like it was yesterday, but it 25 years ago.
boulders

The rewards are always worth the effort!

My mom LOVES flowers and my dad enjoys helping her. Together, they give us beautiful scenery to enjoy almost year round.
pink azalea


Seven foot tall Blooming Bushes!
candy tuft

concrete border

blooming bush

She loves clematis!

white clematis

purple clematis

orchid clematis

Purple Iris and another clematis

iris




Mom loves garden statues




dog
Do you see Peachie, her Pom? Not a statue.
And....everything has a place.

The Walk!

Mom laid this concrete path, all by herself, using a 2 x 2 form from Lowe's and Sakrete! This picture makes it difficult to tell just how long it is. The sidewalk winds up to the porch and all the way around her house. Good job Nano!
sidewalk

We are so thankful for her and her beauty!

We kid her a lot about her flowers, harass her even at times but oh the blossoms. I can't imagine home without her gardens.

Loving on the scenery... and .... MOM AND DAD,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Wanna Trade Seats?

inspiration

I saw this truth on a church sign in Florida yesterday. For years, folks used bumper stickers to communicate the thought "God is my copilot". In all sincerity, this is the correct thought "God is my pilot". Any idea how things have gotten turned upside down in our country? We must allow God to be the driver in our life, not a passenger along for the ride.

Job 5:6-8 - 
Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks FLY upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:....

Life is like an airplane ride.
1. You take off. / I equate this to spiritual morality and understanding you're a sinner.
2. Reach the perfect flying altitude. / Spiritually when you accept Christ.
3. Land safely when your journey is over. / Enter into perfect rest in heaven.

The "flight" is your life journey. Some flights are long, some are short. Your flight may be turbulent and even smooth at times. If the cabin loses pressure, you'll need oxygen to survive. Just like when you sin against God, you need forgiveness to survive! During your flight, you have no control other than to trust your pilot. This example shows how we should trust Jesus, completely, relinquishing our life to him.

"We are now boarding rows 17-34."  "Boarding all rows all seats." You have an assigned seat. Be sure you're in it!

Only a co-pilot,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Saturday, April 9, 2016

I Got a Grill Crush

I got a grill crush, hate to admit it
I got a heated rush, flame ain't going down
I got it real bad, love everything it sears
Yeah, I got a grill crush.


THIS IS MY GRILL. 
An OLD model Jacuzzi my husband won from a band raffle vintage 1986ish
I.Love.Her!


grill crush

My husband has had his hands on her more than a few times!

New handles

grill handles


New Grates and Rocks

grill press

I don’t get no sleep, I don’t get no peace
Thinkin’ about her under the palms of your hands
The way that she’s steamin’, the way that she’s pullin’ you in
Lord knows I’ve tried, I can’t get her off my mind


jacuzzi grill

I wanna taste her burgers, yeah, ‘cause they taste like you
I wanna drown myself in a bottle of her smoky fumes
I want her rusty knobs, I want her magic touch
Yeah, ‘cause maybe then you’d want me just as much
I got a grill crush



Obviously I'm joking but I'm not joking about how much I love this grill. What I love more than the grill are the hours my loving husband has spent preserving it for me the last 30 years! I've had new grills but I always come back to her. The other grills never cook as well, heat as even or make our food taste as delicious.

Thank you my sweet husband, Steven G. Stafford for loving things, especially me, when they've become rusty with age and not much to look at, for never giving up when other's see despair, you see promise! It's not what is on the surface but the substance of the whole.  I've got a grill crush because you've shown me what love can do! I love you....


Admitting it,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap