Luke 8:14

Luke 8:14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

After reading this verse I thought how often does God speak to me and I am overwhelmed with joy but then soon realize I am being choked by life’s worries. How many times are we in the middle of something before we cling to God and His Word? How often do we meditate on His Word to continually keep us? Our lives get busy fast.

As many of you know from the breads, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2005. Just when I think I am to get on with my life, I was told I was positive for the gene mutation. For me that means many things. The first thing that had to be done was a hysterectomy. I had the operation on October 4th and was told I couldn’t do anything for six weeks. Well, I was up and doing fine the next day. So, you can imagine now that more than a week has passed, sitting here doing nothing has been hard. Then I said to my husband, I have no peace sitting here at home doing nothing. He said, you need to speak to God about that. He was right. God has quieted my world and yet the time I have spent with Him as been so little. He has so much peace to give me. He has so much love to shower me with but yet, I got choked by life’s worries. So, the rest of my time resting, will be resting in His Word and in His presence. I need to be thankful for being able to have this time alone with Him and allow Him to shower me over and over with His Blood and His Word and His Peace and His purpose. I need my Dad to hold me. I need to curl up in His arms and rest. I have a lot ahead of me and I need my Father. I need my Father to guide me. I need to be quiet and let Him tell me what He needs to tell me.

When in your life has God given you “quiet” time? When He does, what are you doing? Watching t.v.? Reading a good mystery novel?? Tinkering around the house? What is taking up your quiet time? My prayer is that we realize when God has given us our quiet time and use it to be with Him. Turn off the t.v. and the computer and whatever else we do in our “free” time and give it to God.

With much Love,
Tammy and Max

Hebrews 9:11 - 14, 24, 28

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Hebrews 10:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

How many of us try to build a highway to the sky? Or how many of us try to change the highway that Christ built for us? Christ is the only way to eternal life with God. So, let me ask, how busy are we trying to work our way to heaven?

Matthew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

I am sure the people seeing these signs and wonders thought this was of God. I am certain the people doing these signs and wonders were even more sure it was from God.

The only way to know any of these things is to seek Him. Seek Christ. Ask Him to guide you each and every day. Ask Him to show you Himself and His Works and His purpose and ask Him to reveal to You your purpose in Him. Read and meditate on His Word. Start today by making your number one purpose, Your relationship with Chirst, the forefront of your life.

My prayer is that before we speak, before we go, that we seek Christ and ask Him to guide us each and every second. My prayer is that we put our relationship with Christ first before anything else. Lord, help us to seek You in every aspect of our lives.

Tammy and Max

James 1:2 - 4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Dear Father God, we come before Your Heavenly Throne to give You thanks. We know that all we are going through is Your will for us in Christ Jesus. Thank You Lord for giving up Your life so that we may have life. Help us to find joy in our trials and to rest in knowing that Your purpose is far greater than anything else Lord. Please draw us close to You and reveal Your purpose for our lives as we seek Your face. It is in Jesus’ name that we ask these things. Amen.

The Word is my Comfort. When I need comfort, peace and rest, I know I can go to His Word and curl up in His presence and know that I am safe no matter what is going on around me. His love is far greater than I can imagine. His love is the same today as it was yesterday. There isn’t anything I can do to make Him love me anymore than He already does.

During our trials let us remember Who it is that put us there. Let us seek Him and His purpose and find rest in knowing He is in control. When you enter a trial, know that it is God’s hand in Your life and ask Him to reveal to You His purpose. If you are put in a circumstance with someone else, ask God, why am I in this person’s life? How Lord, do You want me to touch this person? Ask why Lord, am I here in this trial or circumstance. Seek Him. Nothing we do is random. No one we meet is random. Who are we touching for the Kingdom of God? Who is God using us for? When I take “I” out of it and replace it with God, it makes all the difference. I can’t find anything else more rewarding than doing His work.

There are times we will get overwhelmed and not even realize it. I know a couple of weeks ago, I did exactly that. I was completely overwhelmed with things going on in my life and I thought I cannot handle one more thing…and in a dream God gave me Hebrews 4:

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

He gave me all of Hebrews 4 but I gave you just a few Scriptures out of it. I encourage you all to read the full chapter. For we, which have believed do enter into rest. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
What an awesome God we serve. Lord, thank You so much for Your love, mercy, grace and the list is endless. Help us enter into Your rest. Thank You for Your Word and for all You are doing in our lives. May we consider it all pure joy. Amen.

Mercy Me – The Promise I love you and I will never leave you nor forsake you. I love you. And I will never leave you. You are My child. You are My child. When you’re down, when your heart is broken, when no one seems to care, please know that I love You. You are My child. You are my child. I want to wrap My arms around you. I want to wrap My arms around you and say everything, everything will be alright, ‘cause you are My child…you are My child….let Me wipe those tears from your eyes…let Me wipe those tears from your eyes…come to Me. Come to Jesus, come to Me.

Max and Tammy

Exodus 3:6 - 8

6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey— Exodus 3

but when we cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. "Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. Numbers 20:16

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. Psalm 34:7

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. Isaiah 19:20

I sometimes think we confuse crying out to the Lord as a lack of faith and trust in Him. It is the total opposite. As I sat here thinking about how these two things can be confused, I went to His Word. As you can see from above and throughout many more Scriptures we are to CRY out to Him. Crying and carrying the burden of others is not a lack of faith but an answer to obedience to His Word. Galatians 6:2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. I am concerned that because we have such great faith and are told we need to have thankfulness in all things, that we forget our world needs us to cry out to the Lord and the children of God need to carry the burdens of others.

On one hand my mom is doing well. The chemo has taken care of the cancer in her body but we are still dealing with a tumor that is creating a lot of problems within her. My dad calls me daily to tell me how mom is doing. She cannot complete a full sentence. She falls down all the time. She thinks she can do things like getting dressed on her own but when she tried the other day she fell into a full size mirror and it fell off the wall. Thank God it missed her head and just barely scraped her back. Her glasses were broke but other than that, she is she was not hurt. When she eats her cereal is all over the floor and when she attempts to get coffee she puts the pot on the counter instead of where it should go. The other night dad called and said her leg was swollen. I told him to call her doctor right away. They thought it could be blood clot and had to rush her to the hospital. She got so upset she had a couple of very bad seizures. I called my brother who lives in the same town and he met them there. When I talk to her on the phone many times she does not make sense but many times she does. I know 100% God is in control of her situation. I know 100% that God’s will is being done. But I pray to the Lord that, that doesn’t stop me from helping them carry their burdens and that it doesn’t stop my heart from breaking and crying out to the only One who can save her. What a sin it would be for me not pray for her daily and cry out to the Lord. I pray that my total trust in knowing He is in control doesn’t make me forget what He has called me to do…cry out to Him, help carry their burdens and praying without ceasing.

My prayer is that we cry out to the Lord for those who are suffering, for those who do not know the Lord, for this world, for the children who are being abused right now, for the poor, for the lonely, for the sick, and the list goes on. My prayer is that we will cry out to the Lord and ask Him to have the Spirit lead us in prayer to know how to pray for others. I pray that we ask the Lord to show us where we are to go and carry the burdens of others. My prayer is that He will make us more like Him.

Tammy and Max

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:19

Have we given our speech to God? How often are we hurt and discouraged by the words of others? How often do we hurt and discourage with our own words?

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. Daniel 10:12

My eyes are awake through the night watches,That I may meditate on Your word. Psalm 119:148

7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath 8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. 10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

I encourage each of us to pray and seek the Lord before we speak. Let’s each day give our words and thoughts to God. Once we begin to do this I am certain it will be a life long journey. God will work this out in us if we humble ourselves before Him and ask Him to begin this change within us. Words can either lift up or tear down. Words can either be the Words of God or words from our own hearts. Which one are we speaking?

My prayer is that we look closely at what we are saying to one another and what we are saying to our awesome Father. I pray that we allow God to change how we speak to one another and to Him. That He put in us a desire to speak only when he tells us to. That we lift up and not tear down. That we love with our Words.

Tammy and Max