"Mom,come here!" I usually hear this phrase at least once every night from one or each of my kids. Usually it has to do with homework, laundry or a project that is due the next day and they are asking me if we have a poster board in the house!! You know the drill, those late night trips to Walmart that we all love. I actually had to stop doing that and made them go themselves. It was either that or they had to turn it in late. But tonight Lexi called me in for a different reason..........
I have to say that there is nothing more precious than to hear your teenage daughter asking you to come into her room and finding her reading the bible and asking you to help her to understand the passage! Lexi has been on a journey this summer. It has been difficult at times and we have spent many days talking and crying, and talking and crying some more, but God is clearly at work. Lexi has learned some hard lessons over this past year about integrity, honesty, and what it means to be humble. She has had to suffer some stiff consequences, but her heart is tender and receptive to what the Lord wants to teach her and this is what we have been praying for her for many many years. She has learned about the importance of doing her devotions daily and what that means in her relationship with Christ. It is a beautiful thing to see your child hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to see God answer your prayers. He is Faithful.........and we are Grateful
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth"
1 John 1:4
ByGrace
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Life Group...........
It is only week 2 of Bible Study Fellowship and already I am being convicted! I love that God encourages me to step out of my comfort zone in order to grow and learn. Last week we studied Acts chapter one and it was regarding the promise that Jesus made to the disciples that He would soon return to heaven but that He would send the Holy Spirit to them. This weeks lesson we are studying Chapter 2, regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. In this chapter we see that the Holy Spirit came just as promised. He enabled Peter to boldly proclaim the Gospel message, when just 50 days earlier he had denied he even knew Him. In the lecture Peg encouraged us.... "Don't think that your past disqualifies you." God used Peter in an extraordinary way............as he boldly proclaimed the Gospel message to all that had gathered for Pentecost. Three thousand were cut to the heart that day and realized that they too were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. As we realize that "we too...... that "I too"........ am responsible for the crucifixion of Christ, and turn to Him in repentance .....God gives to us that same Holy Spirit we see in Acts Chapter 2. We are changed just as Peter was.
This is the part where conviction comes in.........We may not be given a pulpit as Peter was, but we have "our 3000." We influence those that we interact with and share our lives with on a daily basis, and this either draws them to Christ or it turns them away depending on whether we are filled with the Holy Spirit as Peter was that day. It is God that draws them, by His Spirit, not us! The Holy Spirit was manifested in the life of Peter and 3000 were added to the church in one day! I pray that the Holy Spirit will be manifested in my life.......daily!! May God help me to show His
LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS & SELF CONTROL
I loved studying this chapter in depth and learned that the Holy Spirit brings power to change hearts, and He brings unity and compassion for one another. Peter was only "successful" because he was dependent on the Holy Spirit.
I pray that I am able to grow and to experience in even greater measure what I see in Acts Chapter 2. They prayed together, broke bread together, took care of one another.........this makes me ever so grateful for my church "life group." We have been meeting together for the past several years, learning and growing together. This weeks lesson puts an ever deeper meaning to the word fellowship and spurs me on to even greater love for them. Praying for the Holy Spirit to bless our time together this year as we meet on Monday nights to study the book of Matthew.
bygrace
This is the part where conviction comes in.........We may not be given a pulpit as Peter was, but we have "our 3000." We influence those that we interact with and share our lives with on a daily basis, and this either draws them to Christ or it turns them away depending on whether we are filled with the Holy Spirit as Peter was that day. It is God that draws them, by His Spirit, not us! The Holy Spirit was manifested in the life of Peter and 3000 were added to the church in one day! I pray that the Holy Spirit will be manifested in my life.......daily!! May God help me to show His
LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS & SELF CONTROL
I loved studying this chapter in depth and learned that the Holy Spirit brings power to change hearts, and He brings unity and compassion for one another. Peter was only "successful" because he was dependent on the Holy Spirit.
I pray that I am able to grow and to experience in even greater measure what I see in Acts Chapter 2. They prayed together, broke bread together, took care of one another.........this makes me ever so grateful for my church "life group." We have been meeting together for the past several years, learning and growing together. This weeks lesson puts an ever deeper meaning to the word fellowship and spurs me on to even greater love for them. Praying for the Holy Spirit to bless our time together this year as we meet on Monday nights to study the book of Matthew.
bygrace
Sunday, September 18, 2011
A New Journey...........
Last week was the first week back for Bible Study Fellowship. It feels good to get back and see all my friends again after the summer, and reminds me of the feeling that kids have going back to school each fall. We are studying Acts of the Apostle this year and I am very excited. In the lecture it was stated that
Jesus works through the power of the Holy Spirit, in and through His people, to further His cause to the world.
God is taking me on a new journey as I am stepping out of my comfort zone to lead a group this year. For the last several years I have taught in the Children Program and have been so very blessed. Each week they have taught me as much as I have taught them. They love so freely, and forgive so quickly! They don't see the imperfections or handicaps that we often think limits a person. I will always cherish the time God allowed me to teach these precious little ones! I still remember many of these precious ones and think about and pray for them often. That God was so gracious to allow me to teach them God's True Word was an amazing blessing in my life. Through teaching them, He was also teaching me!
LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS & SELF CONTROL
These are the things God developed in me through the Children's program in Bible Study Fellowship, and I will be forever grateful! I look forward to the new things He will teach me in my new role as a group leader. I tried my hand at "Homiletics" this week and actually enjoyed it! Through the study of Acts Chapter One He reminded me once again.......
"He is faithful to His promises and will guide those that trust Him"
I pray that I will remember that I can trust Him to guide me in every area of my life.
Because of Calvary,
Tammy
Jesus works through the power of the Holy Spirit, in and through His people, to further His cause to the world.
God is taking me on a new journey as I am stepping out of my comfort zone to lead a group this year. For the last several years I have taught in the Children Program and have been so very blessed. Each week they have taught me as much as I have taught them. They love so freely, and forgive so quickly! They don't see the imperfections or handicaps that we often think limits a person. I will always cherish the time God allowed me to teach these precious little ones! I still remember many of these precious ones and think about and pray for them often. That God was so gracious to allow me to teach them God's True Word was an amazing blessing in my life. Through teaching them, He was also teaching me!
LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS & SELF CONTROL
These are the things God developed in me through the Children's program in Bible Study Fellowship, and I will be forever grateful! I look forward to the new things He will teach me in my new role as a group leader. I tried my hand at "Homiletics" this week and actually enjoyed it! Through the study of Acts Chapter One He reminded me once again.......
"He is faithful to His promises and will guide those that trust Him"
I pray that I will remember that I can trust Him to guide me in every area of my life.
Because of Calvary,
Tammy
Thursday, September 15, 2011
It's Been Awhile
Well, obviously it has been longer that I thought.....as I have forgotten how this thing works and will have to re-learn how to use this technology. Reading through my last posts, it is overwhelming to think of all that the Lord has done in the last 18 months. I now have a married daughter and a new son-in-law!! and am seeking God's wisdom on how to parent Adult Children. My second child is now a Senior in High School, and AJ is in his last year of Middle School. Tony remains the love of my life and we have a new puppy named Lilly. My dad has battled Lung cancer and is in remission after surgery last year followed by chemotherapy. God is so good and is teaching me over and over again how He is forever Faithful to His promises. He does not promise that our lives will be without difficulty, as a matter of fact He tells us that in this life we will have trouble!!
“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.” John 16:33
Yet we are Blessed that He does not leave us to face these trials alone, but that He walks along side us, teaching us through them. I have faced my share of "trials" in this life, but I am thankful that I have been taught to have an eternal perspective and that ultimately I know who has overcome, and through Him I can too!!
Because of Calvary,
Tammy
“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.” John 16:33
Yet we are Blessed that He does not leave us to face these trials alone, but that He walks along side us, teaching us through them. I have faced my share of "trials" in this life, but I am thankful that I have been taught to have an eternal perspective and that ultimately I know who has overcome, and through Him I can too!!
Because of Calvary,
Tammy
Friday, May 1, 2009
Are you afraid of " The Hermit Crabs"
I have to tell this story because it is so very funny, but also has a great Truth that God taught me through it as well.......My daughter Lexi has been attending a youth ministry called Young Life. One of her teachers at school is a sponsor and invited her a few months ago. She loves this teacher and asked if she could attend, and has been going ever since. Just like she used to do when she went to AWANAS, we are again filling our car each week and taking her friends to learn about the love of Christ. A few weeks ago she came home asking if she could go to camp.....we discussed it and I told her that since she was already going on a mission trip this summer, that we would not be also paying for camp. She was disappointed but also understood, asking if she could earn her own money in order to be able to go. Then the following week she came home telling me about a way that she could win her camp tuition....I was listening! She had to go on a "treasure hunt" with a list of all sorts of silly things that she was to bring to club the following week. Included were * Both parents * A jersey with the #49 on it * Anything involving a unicorn * A can of Verve energy drink * A bath robe * A shirt with the Young Life logo * A moped * and then she was to bring friends! 2 Freshman 2 Sophomore 2 Juniors 2 Seniors .........so we went to work. Lexi had a lot of fun gathering all of the items and inviting her friends. She didn't know many Juniors or Seniors, but she asked her friend's older brother's and sister's.....she REALLY wanted to win this trip to camp. When the night came, we loaded up and went to "Bring It Club"...lol That is what it was called that night. We arrived to find that there were several other kids that were serious about getting to camp as well. It was a friendly competition and Lexi did not end up being the winner of the trip, but her friend and fellow Cross-Country runner and Soccer teammate was!!! We were happy for her.
Now for the funny part of the story. Since we were there for the "treasure hunt" we were supposed to stay for the entire club festivities...lol So we went in not quite knowing what to expect....There we were in the midst of approximately 45-50 high school students singing and praising our Lord and Savior!!! I'm LOVING IT!!! Then they went on to the next part of club....GAMES! and the leader announced that they had "Pre-selected" their volunteers????? He called out the names and guess who was "pre-selected"....lol Yes, you guessed it....I heard "our next volunteer isssss Tammy Null!" and thought OH NO! The other two volunteers were students, but I thought okay...I can do this, as I am going to the front of the room to find out what I had gotten myself into. The leader began to explain the game and told us that we would be blind-folded and lead across a piece of ply board....oh, and then he pulled out a small box and said that we would have to listen closely because the ply board would be covered with.....Hermit Crabs! We would have to be careful and listen closely so that we would get to the other end without stepping on them. I was beginning to think.....NOT!!!!
Before I could say anything they took us upstairs and brought us down one at at time...told us to take off our shoes and socks and then put the blind-fold on. As I am being led through the room blind folded ...all the kids are screaming "Tammy, Tammy, Tammy " I am getting a little nervous. The leader begins to guide me across the ply board by telling me take one small step forward, but when I would go to step... all the kids would begin to scream and shout NO! I would begin to take a step..... and then feel the crabs under my feet! I didn't want to step on them....A.J. ( My 11 years old ) wants one for a pet...he would be upset to know that I killed one. So here I am blind folded....trying to walk across this board with everyone yelling at me ...Do this, Do that, NO! DON'T!......I was starting to sweat, and my heart was beginning to beat faster. Then I felt one of the crabs crawling on my foot....I screamed like a little school girl...lol It was no longer funny and I was afraid they were going to bite me.......I think the leader got the message that I was no longer having fun and took my blind-fold off.....to reveal......PEANUT SHELLS ! There were no Hermit Crabs ! I was so embarrassed ......and found out that what I thought was a crab, crawling on my foot, was actually one of the students rubbing my foot with one of the peanut shells! ...lol But it was fun and there is a great Truth in this!!
There will be times when God will ask us to do something, and we think, " I can't do that!"....."What will people think??"..... We are afraid of the "Hermit Crabs" I thought this way when I began to pray about writing this blog, but what we fear can not hurt us for they are only Peanut Shells!!! If we give into our fears, then we miss out on the Blessing that He has for us. Christ died to set us Free..... He tells us "Follow Me"
Because of Calvary,
Tammy Null
Now for the funny part of the story. Since we were there for the "treasure hunt" we were supposed to stay for the entire club festivities...lol So we went in not quite knowing what to expect....There we were in the midst of approximately 45-50 high school students singing and praising our Lord and Savior!!! I'm LOVING IT!!! Then they went on to the next part of club....GAMES! and the leader announced that they had "Pre-selected" their volunteers????? He called out the names and guess who was "pre-selected"....lol Yes, you guessed it....I heard "our next volunteer isssss Tammy Null!" and thought OH NO! The other two volunteers were students, but I thought okay...I can do this, as I am going to the front of the room to find out what I had gotten myself into. The leader began to explain the game and told us that we would be blind-folded and lead across a piece of ply board....oh, and then he pulled out a small box and said that we would have to listen closely because the ply board would be covered with.....Hermit Crabs! We would have to be careful and listen closely so that we would get to the other end without stepping on them. I was beginning to think.....NOT!!!!
Before I could say anything they took us upstairs and brought us down one at at time...told us to take off our shoes and socks and then put the blind-fold on. As I am being led through the room blind folded ...all the kids are screaming "Tammy, Tammy, Tammy " I am getting a little nervous. The leader begins to guide me across the ply board by telling me take one small step forward, but when I would go to step... all the kids would begin to scream and shout NO! I would begin to take a step..... and then feel the crabs under my feet! I didn't want to step on them....A.J. ( My 11 years old ) wants one for a pet...he would be upset to know that I killed one. So here I am blind folded....trying to walk across this board with everyone yelling at me ...Do this, Do that, NO! DON'T!......I was starting to sweat, and my heart was beginning to beat faster. Then I felt one of the crabs crawling on my foot....I screamed like a little school girl...lol It was no longer funny and I was afraid they were going to bite me.......I think the leader got the message that I was no longer having fun and took my blind-fold off.....to reveal......PEANUT SHELLS ! There were no Hermit Crabs ! I was so embarrassed ......and found out that what I thought was a crab, crawling on my foot, was actually one of the students rubbing my foot with one of the peanut shells! ...lol But it was fun and there is a great Truth in this!!
There will be times when God will ask us to do something, and we think, " I can't do that!"....."What will people think??"..... We are afraid of the "Hermit Crabs" I thought this way when I began to pray about writing this blog, but what we fear can not hurt us for they are only Peanut Shells!!! If we give into our fears, then we miss out on the Blessing that He has for us. Christ died to set us Free..... He tells us "Follow Me"
Because of Calvary,
Tammy Null
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Telling of His Marvelous works........
Well……..I think it is funny how many people have said to me since I started this blog how they would have never guessed that I was ever any different than I am now. Some friends have asked many questions and I have had opportunity to tell them more of what God has done in my life….how He has changed me. I also realized how hard it is to explain to someone that hasn’t known me for very long how much has changed. Its complex….it has been a long journey…..a wonderful journey. I look forward to all that He will continue to show me, the things He will continue to change in me.
I do want to explain another reason that I started this blog…..God’s Word tell us to tell the next generation of His marvelous works. Over the last six years I have experience the deaths of my Mother, Father-in-law ( 3 months apart ), my Great-Aunt and Grandmother (six months apart ) as well as one of my mentors. I have discovered that I have a rich history of Faith filled family members but I don’t know many of their stories. I don’t know how they came to love Jesus, and how God changed their lives. My hope is that I will tell my children over and over……but as I have done this I have also realized that they don’t quite get it. I can tell them that their father and I are different, and that we were not always the same people that we are today, but they don’t yet have the understanding and life experiences to fully know how God takes a life and changes it. My prayer is that with this blog I will have a way to preserve the stories……. God’s stories……of His Faithfulness to our family.
Blessings!
Tammy Null
I do want to explain another reason that I started this blog…..God’s Word tell us to tell the next generation of His marvelous works. Over the last six years I have experience the deaths of my Mother, Father-in-law ( 3 months apart ), my Great-Aunt and Grandmother (six months apart ) as well as one of my mentors. I have discovered that I have a rich history of Faith filled family members but I don’t know many of their stories. I don’t know how they came to love Jesus, and how God changed their lives. My hope is that I will tell my children over and over……but as I have done this I have also realized that they don’t quite get it. I can tell them that their father and I are different, and that we were not always the same people that we are today, but they don’t yet have the understanding and life experiences to fully know how God takes a life and changes it. My prayer is that with this blog I will have a way to preserve the stories……. God’s stories……of His Faithfulness to our family.
Blessings!
Tammy Null
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
"I will give you a new heart........."
You might wonder why it is titled "By Grace 1996".....well that is the year that my life changed forever. It would be hard to explain all that has changed over these last 13 years but I will attempt over the next few posts, so just be patient and I would love to hear your feedback and comments ! Enjoy !
It was 13 years ago.....I was 28, married to Tony and the mother of two beautiful daughters. My marriage was not all that I had dreamed it would be, and Tony and I were on our way to a marriage conference.....put on through "Family Life" called "A Weekend To Remember." There I learned how little I knew about a healthy marriage, and how much I had bought into the 50%/50% marriage that just doesn't work !!! I remember sitting there thinking as I listened to the speakers....."that is exactly what we do." I listened to what they had to say and began to pray that God would help me to understand what He truly had designed when he created marriage in the first place. The speakers spoke of how God never intended marriage to be a "partnership" ( 50%/50% ) , but that He designed to be a "relationship" ( 100%/100% ), and that I was to give my 100% irregardless of whether Tony was giving his 100%, and then let God deal with my husband on what needed changing in him. I had gone to the conference hoping that God would "change" him and what I found was that God had some "changing" to do in me !!! I don't pretend to mean that after that weekend that my marriage suddenly became the one of my dreams...... but I will tell you this much....... God took a hold of my heart that weekend and I have never been the same !!!
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. " ( Ezekiel 36:26 )
I left the conference with a renewed commitment to my marriage and the knowledge and belief that the Lord Jesus would help me to make those changes. Those changes did not come quickly or easily......there were times of struggle and hurt but also of joy and celebration. I was attending a wonderful church ( Sagemont, Houston Texas ) and went into the library to find some more books on building a healthy marriage, and a woman invited me to a home bible study for women ....yes... you guessed it....on building healthy marriages. That is not exactly how she described it but as I look back............ that is what the main focus was. She and the other woman that held the study called it "Titus 2" based on the scripture.
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. ( Titus 2:3-5 )
I began attending this bi-monthly bible study about 2 months after the conference and like I mentioned earlier was reading some great books that we had gotten from there.
"The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman
"Staying Close: Stopping the Natural Drift Towards Isolation in Marriage" by Dennis and Barbra Rainey
"Rocking the Roles: Building a WIN-WIN Marriage" by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks
But what helped the most was to be with other wives and mothers who were dealing with their own struggles and having a safe place to share openly in order to gain wisdom, guidance and encouragement.
I was blessed to spend three years in this bible study to help me grow and learn....during this time my husband and I had our son, who has been a huge blessing to our family.
Nine years ago my family moved cross country leaving my parents, friends, family and church. I can tell you it was not an easy thing and I struggled for quite some time. But once again God was Faithful. He brought us to a great church family ( Olathe Bible Church )where we are apart of an awesome small group, and a neighbor invited me to a new Bible study ( Bible Study Fellowship or BSF ) where I am growing and encouraged to Trust God in deeper ways and grow in my Love for Him as well as Love for others.......and that is why I started this blog. To share what God is doing in my life.......to share how He is continuing to change my heart !!!!!
Because of Calvary,
Tammy Null
It was 13 years ago.....I was 28, married to Tony and the mother of two beautiful daughters. My marriage was not all that I had dreamed it would be, and Tony and I were on our way to a marriage conference.....put on through "Family Life" called "A Weekend To Remember." There I learned how little I knew about a healthy marriage, and how much I had bought into the 50%/50% marriage that just doesn't work !!! I remember sitting there thinking as I listened to the speakers....."that is exactly what we do." I listened to what they had to say and began to pray that God would help me to understand what He truly had designed when he created marriage in the first place. The speakers spoke of how God never intended marriage to be a "partnership" ( 50%/50% ) , but that He designed to be a "relationship" ( 100%/100% ), and that I was to give my 100% irregardless of whether Tony was giving his 100%, and then let God deal with my husband on what needed changing in him. I had gone to the conference hoping that God would "change" him and what I found was that God had some "changing" to do in me !!! I don't pretend to mean that after that weekend that my marriage suddenly became the one of my dreams...... but I will tell you this much....... God took a hold of my heart that weekend and I have never been the same !!!
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. " ( Ezekiel 36:26 )
I left the conference with a renewed commitment to my marriage and the knowledge and belief that the Lord Jesus would help me to make those changes. Those changes did not come quickly or easily......there were times of struggle and hurt but also of joy and celebration. I was attending a wonderful church ( Sagemont, Houston Texas ) and went into the library to find some more books on building a healthy marriage, and a woman invited me to a home bible study for women ....yes... you guessed it....on building healthy marriages. That is not exactly how she described it but as I look back............ that is what the main focus was. She and the other woman that held the study called it "Titus 2" based on the scripture.
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. ( Titus 2:3-5 )
I began attending this bi-monthly bible study about 2 months after the conference and like I mentioned earlier was reading some great books that we had gotten from there.
"The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman
"Staying Close: Stopping the Natural Drift Towards Isolation in Marriage" by Dennis and Barbra Rainey
"Rocking the Roles: Building a WIN-WIN Marriage" by Robert Lewis and William Hendricks
But what helped the most was to be with other wives and mothers who were dealing with their own struggles and having a safe place to share openly in order to gain wisdom, guidance and encouragement.
I was blessed to spend three years in this bible study to help me grow and learn....during this time my husband and I had our son, who has been a huge blessing to our family.
Nine years ago my family moved cross country leaving my parents, friends, family and church. I can tell you it was not an easy thing and I struggled for quite some time. But once again God was Faithful. He brought us to a great church family ( Olathe Bible Church )where we are apart of an awesome small group, and a neighbor invited me to a new Bible study ( Bible Study Fellowship or BSF ) where I am growing and encouraged to Trust God in deeper ways and grow in my Love for Him as well as Love for others.......and that is why I started this blog. To share what God is doing in my life.......to share how He is continuing to change my heart !!!!!
Because of Calvary,
Tammy Null
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