Author: Tammy M Cardwell

Store My Commands

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“Store my commands,” he says, and “Write them deep in your heart.”

God’s Word isn’t just a book meant to sit on a shelf between church services. It is the very Word of God, words from God that He gave us for a reason. We aren’t just to look at them, or simply read them. We are to learn them, to interact with them, to use them. Yes, we are to KNOW them, to have them be so truly part of who we are that it is as if they were physically written in our hearts. 

God’s Word is THAT important. 

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

Without Love 

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…though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

1 Cor. 13:2b

We tend to think of faith as IT. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and to him who believes (has faith) all things are possible. But here we see that faith itself must be built on a foundation of love or there is no true profit in it. 

This makes sense, because God IS love. Given that God is love, if our faith is in Him it must be built on love. So it is not enough that I pray and ask for help in building up my faith; I must first determine to build up my love. 

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

A Timely Word

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Here’s a good Word for a new year.

My Child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 NLT

Years ago, I realized how often the book of Proverbs commands us to seek out three things: Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. I made it a practice to ask for them, and as I did I learned how they build on each other. For instance, knowledge is great, but without wisdom and understanding there is only so much you can do with it. 

There is much to be gained by listening to the wisdom in the book of Proverbs. It really is a great place to go when starting a new year. 

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

They Began to Worship?

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There’s a verse that bothers me every time I read it, and I’d like some input. 

Adam and Eve, and clearly Cain and Abel, had fellowship with God even after being kicked out of the Garden. So why, in Genesis 4:26, do we see that, “At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.”?

I’ve thought of several possibilities myself, and I may share them later, but I’m honestly looking for input and others’ thoughts. Has someone, somewhere, studied this verse? 

Thoughts?

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

Glorify God in Your Body

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By the time I hit post, it will be very close to 2017. I’m amazed, really, because I seldom stay up until midnight, but God and I have been talking. 

I don’t do New Years Resolutions. To me, that’s too close to setting yourself up for failure. What I do, however, is ask God what He’d like me to focus on, and then I ask Him to help me stay focused. I have two main assignments this year. One of them is to take even better care of my body. 

I’ve worked hard, in the past twelve months, to eat right and get at least some exercise every day. Many times I’ve intentionally cheated. Many times I’ve failed. Even so, I am healthier and stronger than I was in December of last year. In large part, this is due to the fact that I’ve been having to care so much for my husband, who’s had a very rough year. My reality is that if anything were to happen to me right this minute the two of us would be in serious trouble. This knowledge is a great motivator. 

But he IS getting better, which means I will hopefully not always have that reminder, so I asked God to help me stay conscious of the necessity of a healthy lifestyle. Which brings me to tonight’s Bible reading. I prayed, “Give me this day my daily bread,” then turned to the next chapter in my daily reading; it “happens” to be 1 Cor. 6. The context here is sexual immorality, but truth is truth and God hit me with exactly the reminders I needed. 

(13) …the body is…for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 

(15) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

(19) Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN? (emphasis mine)

(20) For you were bought at a price; therefore GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY and in your spirit, WHICH ARE GOD’S. (emphasis mine)

Ask and you shall receive. I have my reminders, scriptures I can come back to in the coming year any time I forget why I’m limiting sodas and pulling out the weights and trying to take 10,000 steps a day. With God’s help, next December 31st will see me even healthier, stronger, and more prepared to take on the challenges that come my way. 

Happy New Year!

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

I Really Don’t Know

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I recently had a conversation in which a gentleman who had just discovered I am a church secretary said something along the lines of, “You work all week? I guess I figured you would just show up at services and that was it.” Er… no. Not even. Not EVEN. 

His comment started me thinking, again, about how little we know about each other’s lives. We look at what we see another person do and think we get it, but we usually have no clue. (And the stay-at-home moms shouted, “Amen!”)

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

It’s Just Color

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Sapphires and rubies: They’re two very popular stones, and have been through the ages. I may be mistaken, but as I recall the ruby has consistently been the more valuable of the two.

When people think of sapphires, they generally envision a rich blue, but in reality sapphires come in a wide range of colors. My personal favorite is the pink sapphire—the hotter the better. I’ve never bought one for myself, though, because jewelers generally label them as rubies so they can get higher prices for them. Deceptive, no?

Well, it depends on how you define deception…and which deception you’re talking about. You see, rubies and sapphires are both corundum. They’re the same stone. Red, yellow, blue, or white, the only differences are their color and their perceived value.

The same is true of people. We were all made from dirt and will return to dirt. Yes, there are different colors of dirt, but it’s all dirt. Other than our delightfully variegated cultures, the only differences between the so-called races are color and perceived value. Like a customer who walks into a jewelry store, many have bought into the idea that one color is more valuable than another.

But it’s just color.

Celebrating Jesus!

Tammy C

Why Church? Multi-generational Benefits

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This one may surprise you – or may not. Another of my favorite things about my church is its multi-generational composition. With our current lifestyle, we often end up surrounded only by people in our own general age range, but in my church we have people of all ages as well as ethnicities, backgrounds, etc. When my kids were growing up, they had grandparents nearby, but if they had not they would still have had their “church grandparents,” those seasoned family members who have so very much to offer those of us who haven’t walked as far down life’s road.

I’m thinking of a particular couple right now. They’ve been married longer than any other couple I’ve ever known, and still obviously love each other dearly. They are a constant example to those of us who are married, or who want to be married. Their love of God, their understanding of Him as sustainer, their persistently positive outlook on life… These are things developed over time, and I am truly grateful to be a partaker in what they have, what they are.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Why Church? I Never Thought of That!

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One of the things I most appreciate about church is the many “AHA!” moments. God has given me a pastor who is unique and obviously chosen just for me. He sees things in the Bible that I’ve never noticed before, and shares them in ways that can be truly unforgettable. I don’t know how many times I’ve been sitting in church and, whether through his specific words or the Holy Spirit using his words as a springboard, been shown something I’ve never seen before.

I love sharing those moments with the rest of the family too, hearing what they take away from the service, seeing how each of us implements the things we’ve learned, and learning more from friends with whom I “geek out” over the Word. No, we don’t stand around all day talking about religious matters, but many a lunch has turned into a “Have you ever noticed…?” session. Again, family shares common interests, and these particular common interests help us grow in the Lord as we share and learn from one another – as “iron sharpens iron.”

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C