Does anyone do these things anymore?

I have to say that I actually forgot about this blog. It has been like 3 years since I've written in here and it emailed me to see if I wanted to keep it. I went back and read a couple of the old ones and thought I would try to get back at it.

So here I am at the church and I am getting ready to take a trip to Texas for a few days. I'll be home for a bit after that and then I will be driving out to Pennsylvania to witness Aaron Loyet and Elina Sergeyev's wedding and visit with Wayne and Marie Randel. Then it will be Tabernacles when I come back and at the end of Tabernacles I will head to Honduras for a few weeks!

I am super excited to be back on the road a bit after being home for about 4 months. I haven't been home that long without at least a small trip for years! It has been great to be home and helping at the mission base for the summer, but I am ready for an adventure.

Many things have been changing and it has definitely been a time of growth and development for all of us here. We're very excited to begin work on The Nest at our newly acquired Dove Creek Ranch. Once the building is workable for worship, Eagle Rock Church will begin meeting there. We are all SO excited to have land that we can call our own!

Let me know what you think...should I hang onto this blog and try to keep it updated or not?

Catching up

Ok friends, I'm pretty sure most of you know some of the stuff that has been happening in my life lately, but I wanted to give an update and more information. Most of you know that someone stole a car and crashed it into my car in the early hours of the morning on August 18th. What many of you may not know is that the man ended up getting out of the car and attacking me while trying to take my phone away. It was not a brutal attack, but he did injure my right arm pretty badly. This has made it very difficult for me to work and has prevented me from doing a lot of tasks because I am right handed and cannot lift anything with that arm. There is definitely limited function and mobility. I believe that it will get better and that God can and will heal it, but for now it is causing a lot of problems.

I only had liability insurance on my car since it was an older car. Because the other car was stolen, the owner's insurance refuses to pay any compensation for my car. My insurance is obviously not going to compensate me for the loss either. Therefore, I have no means at this time of replacing my car at all. I am waiting for God to send a miracle and relying on my awesome friends and family to help with my transportation issues. This is really difficult for me at times and has been very stressful. I cannot even explain how grateful I am for all the love and help that people have given!

Just because I am injured and car-less does not mean that the ministry activities I'm involved in have slowed down or stopped! Actually, things in the ministry are picking up tremendously and I'm trying to keep up. I am currently still working at CLO (though I'm on a limited schedule due to my arm), but it is getting more difficult all the time to work and be in the ministry. We are hoping to get to the point where I can be only in the ministry and not work outside of it, but we're not there yet.

All of this leads to a lot of stress and a lot of praying and trusting God. I'm being very open and honest with you all right now. The finances are not there for me to buy a car. The finances are not there for me to travel with the ministry like I need to. Apostle Lisa and the ministry have been awesome with helping me in any way possible and I will trust God and travel whether I have money or not when possible, but some of the bigger trips are more difficult to work with.

I am leaving October 9th from Lawrence and we will be traveling all throughout Western Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona before going back into Mexico and ministering there. We will be, tentatively, arriving back in Lawrence around the 4th of November. We will be ministering all the way back as well. These are things I would love for you all to pray about. We need strength. I need to be completely healed so I can be more effective in the ministry - drumming and playing piano are things that are very difficult to do right now and I need to be able to do them without hindrances.

I never enjoy asking anyone for money, but I am asking you to please pray about whether you can help in any way with either the trip or the car or however God leads you. If you have any questions please feel free to call or text me. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Love,
Tami

Oh the sweetness....

You know, one day a few years ago I was having a conversation with Addi, my little niece, and we were talking about Jesus. She was talking about something she said to him and then what he said to her and I commented that I thought that was nice. Her reply was so precious...she looked at me and said, "I know. Jesus is just so sweet!"
I haven't thought about that in a while, but this past Friday night Apostle Lisa was preaching and she was talking about the sweetness of God. During her sermon and afterward we all began to feel the sweet presence of God!
This week has been a little tough, physically speaking, because we all have a lot to get done and we're working really hard to prepare for our conference next week, but in the midst of it we are having prayer in the mornings and evenings. I have been coming at 7:15 in the morning and joining with some other precious friends and we have been praying and seeking God's face and his heart for our ministry, for ourselves, and for the conference.
Anyone who knows me KNOWS I am not a morning person! But I have to say that the sweet presence of God that has been in those times of morning prayer is beyond priceless to me! It gets stronger each day. His sweet presence is so overwhelming and overpowering that it is hard to leave! Walking away from the sanctuary on these mornings has been difficult to do, but we must press on to get things done.
I don't know if you have ever experienced God in all of his sweetness, but I highly recommend it! I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal that part of himself to you. Just be sure you're prepared for him to show up!
Blessings!

Just a quick hello

I haven't said anything on here in a while. It's not that I don't have things to say, I just haven't taken the time to write them down. I will. Soon.
But for now I just wanted to stop by the old blog and say a quick hello to anyone who reads this :) I am still here, still going. I have been working a LOT over the past couple of months at my CLO job as well as working at the church/ministry, so there has been little free time for writing. However, now I think all the open positions at work are filled, so I will have a lot less time at work and more time to do other things.
If you pray for me, I want to say thank you. I can always use prayer! I need prayer for finances for things like mission trips, car issues, clothing, and to finish some much needed dental work. I could also use prayer just for guidance, direction, strength, and endurance as I continue in this crazy life of mine! Also...I miss my family. A lot. With the schedule being what it has been and my car having the issues it had, I have not been able to see my family much at all lately. In fact, I haven't seen my Wellsville family in three weeks now (except for my sister Benita and her husband Chuck...they came to fix my car the other day. WOOHOO!!!)
Tomorrow (Thursday) night I get to lead worship again for our local chapter of Aglow International. This is always such an honor and a privilege! I may not be the best worship leader, but I sure do enjoy having the opportunity to worship with other people.
I'd better run...tomorrow's schedule seems to be filling up quickly! I will try to write again in the next few days and share some things that I feel God has been speaking to me about.
Blessings and peace!
Tami

Que pasa?

Hey friends,
I am so very excited! This Friday I am leaving for our trip to Mexico! Ha, as excited as I am you would think that I have all my "ducks in a row" and my bags are packed and everything is neat and organized, right? Umm...no. None of the above is true. I have been terrible about procrastinating all of that. However, I have thought a lot about it all and I have a plan, does that count?

Anyway, I am jumping on here to say hello. I also want to say that I am SO blessed and humbled by the outpouring of love, prayers, and finances that I have been experiencing from so many of you! These past few weeks have been emotionally difficult, but I am overwhelmed by the love that I have been shown. For those who have been a part of all of that, I cannot say thank you enough! You are a blessing to me! You should also know that I am a firm believer that those who support missionaries through prayers, encouragement, and/or finances receive the same blessing as those who are on the mission field! When I bring back testimonies of how amazing God is and all He has done on the trip YOU receive the same reward for them that the team and I do. It's a biblical principle (google David at Ziklag).

Be blessed my friends! I may try to write another post during the trip, but it's quite possible I will not have the opportunity. If not, I will write when I come back. Have a great few weeks!

Tami

I went for a walk today...

     I did. God gently woke me up this morning without the alarm clock. I got up, felt like doing some bible reading, so I read for a little while, but then I felt an overwhelming urge to get myself outside and go for a walk, which is something I SHOULD do more often for so many reasons!
While I was out walking, almost immediately, God began speaking to me through nature and the scenery all around me. First of all, it's a beautiful day today! The sun is shining, the sky is SO blue, and the grass and trees are such a beautiful green. I should post a picture for you...hang on a minute:

I literally just went outside and took a picture with my phone of what it looks like down my street right now. So beautiful! So you can imagine how lovely it was on my walk.
     Anyway, as I was walking I was talking to God and just thanking Him and telling Him how beautiful everything is and talking about the colors and the beauty of it all. I was thanking Him for all of it and I mentioned how green everything is and suddenly He said to me that it is the rich color of green that comes through after a long, difficult winter. I began to cry. It has been a harsh winter season, hasn't it? There has been some of the bitterest of cold during this winter. But that isn't what He was talking about, at least not really.
     Just as it has been winter season in the natural and has only recently turned to spring, I have been experiencing a harsh winter season in my soul as well. Many of you know some of what I have been going through. I've talked about some of it a lot, really. Already this year I have gone through some major medical challenges with my grandma that has left her not quite herself. This has brought about some interesting and terrible family dynamics that I would have never dreamed possible. All the while I, and many in my family, have had to push aside the emotions of it all in order to help her fight through this somewhat unknown illness to get her to the point she is at today. Then suddenly, now that the initial severity is over and she is safe and, for the most part, well....well, now we all have been able to look back at what we've just been through over the past 3 months and we've all begun to grieve the loss of what once was and can never be again. In the meantime there have been challenges at work, challenges in the ministry, challenges in close friendships...and some of this may never be resolved. There have been days when I have been happy and days when I have been sad. There have been days when I didn't think I could take the next step or even get out of bed because the stress and the weight of it has been so heavy. Can you relate?
     All of that adds up to a very harsh winter season. Have you been there? Are you there now? Let me share what I felt God was speaking to me about it. I have had a strong desire to read the book of Daniel lately. I especially have been hanging out in Daniel chapter 4. A long time ago God used that chapter to teach me about His sovereignty and how what He says goes and that's that. But I was having trouble figuring out what He was trying to say to me this week. Today He told me that, just as Nebuchadnezzar said at the end of the chapter, "...all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride", He has been taking me through a process to bring about a new level of humility. Humility is the key to authority. I need so much more authority in my life (as in authority over the power of darkness)! He also reminded me of James 4:6, "...God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."
     I don't know about you, but I CERTAINLY do not want God to resist me! And boy, do I need more of His grace and favor in my life! During this time of stress, grief, and uncertainty I have been learning from God more sides of Himself. There have been many ups and downs, but through it all He has remained faithful and constant at ALL times! He has never said one thing to hurt me, has never been harsh, has never turned His back on me, has never grieved me. He has been there for me to turn to at every moment! Why? Because He loves me with an unconditional and everlasting love! And yet He gently teaches me how to become more like Him. So today's lesson, God can and will humble those who walk in pride. Oh Father, may it never be me! May I learn to always walk in humility and be an example of this to all who come across my path! I never want God to resist me and I never want to lead anyone astray by my actions or words!
     I'll write more about what is happening these days in a few days, but I had to share about my walk this morning. I hope it speaks to your heart just as it did to mine! I'll leave you with this YouTube video that kind of sums up what I'm talking about. I'm singing it as a sincere prayer! Love and peace to you all!

Better think before I sing next time...

I was sitting at work tonight and as my Pandora shuffled through my list of stations, the song Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) came on. Now, I have really enjoyed this song over the past few months and even learned to (somewhat) play it on the piano and sing it. In fact, in some of my personal prayer/worship times, this has been a song that I have kind of hung out on, especially on the bridge. Read these lyrics:

     Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever      You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be        made stronger in the presence of my Savior.

Sounds nice, doesn't it? In fact, I thought it sounded really awesome! Yes Lord! I want to walk on the waters anywhere You send me! I really do! Don't I? I mean, it'll all be sunshine and roses, won't it? Ha, my friends, I don't know about you, but if you're anything like me you have a tendency to wander off into some imaginary land where everything is happy and meat doesn't come from animals (yes, I do know the truth, but leave me in my make-believe world!!! It's nice here!). I have a propensity to choose to expect only good things. This isn't always bad, don't get me wrong. However I can think of two places in the Bible where that bubble is busted right away. 

The first is Ecclesiastes 7:14, "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future." The second is John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Wow! So King Solomon tells us that God has made our good times as well as our bad times and then Jesus told us we would have trouble! Sounds really encouraging, huh? But it is friends, it truly is. And Jesus reminded us that He has already overcome the world! That's comforting for sure! But sometimes that part is hard to see and easy to forget.

Many of you know, to some extent, the roller coaster of trials my family has endured the past several weeks with my grandma's health. She's currently getting a little bit better again, but we're still praying for a miracle in her brain. It has been so hard because I love my sweet grandma and you cannot even imagine the things that have transpired during this time. I have had to really press in to God for the strength to keep going in the direction I know He wants me to go because my nature is to drop everything and do whatever I can to fix the problem with grandma until either she's better or I can't go on any longer. But I cannot do that anymore. It's not because I don't want to or I don't love her, but it's because I have to fulfill the call of God on my life and in order to do that, I must keep going and keep saying "yes" to Him!

So when I heard that song tonight I felt as though He was asking me during the bridge part, "Do you remember singing that over and over? Didn't you ask Me to take you to a place where you could learn to trust without borders? Didn't you ask Me to teach you to walk on the waters? Did you not listen to what you were singing? This is a perfect situation to practice these things. When Peter got out of the boat and walked on the literal water, do you think it was calm? No, it was a stormy sea. This is your stormy sea. Stop freaking out and start walking with Me on the water. Start trusting and stop fretting. I AM."

I don't know what to say, other than, "Yes, Lord. I hear You. Your servant is listening." If this is speaking to your heart about your life as well, I pray you will say the same.

Blessings and love,

Tami