Word of God

Why the Word? Light for the Next Step

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Open Bible with ribbon bookmark, titled “Why the Word? Light for the Next Step,” representing a Christian teaching series on staying in Scripture.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NASB2020)

I live on my sister and brother-in-law’s property and spend a lot of evenings in their home. If I forget to turn the porch light on when I head out the back door, I’m left either cautiously feeling my way or turning on my phone’s flashlight. It’s either that or risk a nosedive I don’t need.

Becoming a student of the Bible is like me turning on my phone’s light. If I didn’t realize my phone even had a light, I’d be stumbling around in the dark. If I know my phone has a flashlight and I choose not to turn it on, I may still be stumbling around in the dark!

It occurs to me that I may be “preaching to the choir” here, that you may love the Word of God and, like me, can’t get enough. Sadly, if that is the case, we’re in the minority. While over two thirds of American homes have a Bible, a little over half of America’s Christians hardly ever read it—if they read it at all. 

Which, of course, is why I’m doing this series.

Back to the point. If you’re not getting into the Word, you don’t know what you’re missing. I mean that literally. Going back to my phone as an example, there is a lot on that thing that I don’t know about, and I don’t care about what I don’t know about. But, every once in a while someone will point out something amazing that I’ve been missing and I get excited.

God’s Word is very much like that, except that it has worlds more to offer than my technological toy. This is one book that no one will ever fully grasp. Why? Because, as Hebrews 4:12 says:

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word is alive, so every time I read through it (which I’ve done fifteen times if I remember correctly) I see things I’ve never seen before. This may mean I literally don’t remember having read them, or it may mean I see them differently, apply them to my life differently, find a deeper meaning than I was able to before. As I read, I grow, and as I grow, the light grows brighter.

And the brighter the light, the easier it is to see the right path.

I have no idea how many times God has used Scripture, either by reminding me of it or leading me to it, to help me navigate this life. He’s given me direction through the Word. He’s shown me clearly why I don’t need to see what’s lying in wait down the road and just need to trust Him. He’s constantly using the Word to help me grow closer to being the woman of God he has called me to be.

Have you heard the idiom about “seeing the light”?
Pull out your Bible. That’s where you’ll find it.

Stay in the Word—and let the Word stay in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Why the Word? It Restores the Soul

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Open Bible with ribbon bookmark, titled “Why the Word? It Restores the Soul,” representing a Christian teaching series on staying in Scripture.

The Law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:7 (NASB2020)

Your soul is what makes you you. Generally referred to as the “mind, will, and emotions,” your soul is one third of who you are: Spirit, Soul, and Body.

And I have a true example to share that illustrates just how well the Word of God restores the soul.

There is a man I’ve known about 40 years. I met him at church, and it became quickly apparent that he was quick witted and highly intelligent. In conversation, he once explained that this hadn’t always been the case.

According to him, when he got saved he’d been so destroyed by drugs that he didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. But he heard that the Word of God has the power to restore the soul and he took that promise literally. He dove headfirst into the Bible and has never left it.

The Word of God restored—repaired, revived, converted, refreshed, renewed (depending on your translation)—his soul. It also “made wise the simple,” as it declares at the end of Psalm 19:7.

His is a dramatic account, but yours can be too. If you feel like you’re not smart enough or don’t have the brainpower to read the Bible, remember that he didn’t either. Sometimes you simply have to step out in faith and ask God to teach you as you read.

It does help to find a translation you can relate to. I have sixteen Bibles in eleven different translations, and each of those translations serves a purpose.

  • Most of the scriptures I have memorized are from the King James Version, because its poetic nature makes memorization easier—for me anyway.
  • If I’m doing a straight readthrough, my go-to is the New Living Translation, because it’s the closest to the way I think and talk.
  • If I want a better grasp of how an Israelite would have read a passage, I grab either my Complete Jewish Study Bible or The One New Man Bible.

Intimidated yet?
Don’t be.

My first Bible, or the first one I really used, was a New American Standard, and I can tell you that the 2020 edition of that Bible (NASB2020) is one of the best. That might be the prime choice for you. 

My point is that, if you’re new to the Bible, you’ll find it easier to understand if you choose the right translation. With internet access, that’s a piece of cake. All you need to do is head to blueletterbible.org and use their tools to start comparing Bible translations.

It seems almost too simple to say the Bible restores your ability to think and reason, but I’ve seen proof of this truth time and time again. And it does a lot more, as we’ll see while working through this series.

Truly getting into God’s Word is a life-changing experience. The more time I spend with my Bible, the more I grow in every way—and the hungrier I get.

Stay in the Word—and let the Word stay in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Why the Word? Series Introduction

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment
Open Bible with ribbon bookmark, titled “Why the Word? Series Introduction,” representing a Christian teaching series on staying in Scripture.

Can we get real for a minute?

Most of us don’t have a problem with owning a Bible; we may even have several. What we can find challenging is making the time to actually open it up and dig in. 

I used the phrase “making the time” intentionally, because this isn’t about finding the time for something we want to do; it’s about intentionally setting aside the time for something that is essential to our spiritual health.

“I know I should, but…”

How many times have I heard a diabetic use these words in reference to watching their sugar intake? Eating excessive sugar could kill them, and yet many struggle to stop.

The same principle applies in all areas of life.
“I know I should exercise, but…”
“I know I should call my mom regularly, but…”
“I know I should study, but…”

Don’t exercise—hurt your body.
Don’t call your mom—hurt your relationship.
Don’t study—hurt your GPA.

Don’t spend regular, intentional time in God’s Word and you hurt your spirit man—the part of you that is meant to be alive and responsive to God. How can we expect to successfully fight our flesh (which, honestly, is our worst enemy) if we consistently starve our spirits?

I mean that seriously. If you wonder why you keep fighting the same old battles with your flesh, you need to take a good hard look at what you’ve been feeding your spirit. And if you’ve been thinking sitting in a church pew was enough to keep your spirit man alive, you are sadly mistaken.

And I am officially at risk of launching into the series right here and now. I can’t do that, but I will do this. There are myriad scriptures that talk about the importance of being in God’s Word and having it live in you, and there’s no time like the present to get started.

You can study up on why you should be studying.
And here’s a list of pertinent references to get you started.

You don’t need to read these all at once.
Choose a section, read thoughtfully,
and ask God to speak to you through His Word.

The Value & Power of God’s Word
Psalm 19:7–11
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 119:160
Proverbs 30:5
Isaiah 55:10–11
Hebrews 4:12

Loving, Meditating on, and Delighting in the Word
Joshua 1:8
Psalm 1:1–3
Psalm 119:15–16
Psalm 119:97
Psalm 119:103
Colossians 3:16

Learning, Teaching, and Passing on the Word
Deuteronomy 6:6–9
Deuteronomy 11:18–21
Psalm 78:5–7
Proverbs 4:1–7
Matthew 28:19–20
2 Timothy 2:2

Hearing and Receiving the Word
Nehemiah 8:1–3, 8
Matthew 4:4
Matthew 11:15
Luke 8:15
Romans 10:17
1 Thessalonians 2:13

Abiding, Remaining, and Staying in the Word
John 8:31–32
John 15:7
Acts 2:42
1 Timothy 4:13
2 Timothy 3:14–17
1 John 2:14

Obeying and Living Out the Word
Deuteronomy 30:14
Psalm 119:9
Matthew 7:24–27
Luke 11:28
James 1:22–25
1 John 5:3

The Word as Protection, Guidance, and Strength
Psalm 119:11
Psalm 119:130
Proverbs 2:1–6
Ephesians 6:17
Colossians 1:9–10

Warnings Against Neglecting the Word
Hosea 4:6
Amos 8:11
Matthew 13:19–23
Hebrews 2:1
Hebrews 5:11–14
2 Timothy 4:3–4

Scripture About Scripture
Psalm 119 (entire chapter)
Romans 15:4
1 Corinthians 10:11
2 Peter 1:19–21
Revelation 1:3

I’ll see you next week with the next installment!

Stay in the Word—and let the Word stay in you.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

Photoshoot Results

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

Photo Credit: Angela Hernandez of Creative Heart Photography

Aphantasia Network publishing my latest aphantasia post as an article triggered the need for an updated set of portraits. Or, more accurately, it shoved me forward into doing what I know is a professional necessity for my upcoming new website and my social media accounts.

But, you see, photoshoots are one thing I have always dreaded, because I almost never like photos of myself. This is literally the first time I’ve gone into a shoot unfazed. I’d decided to leave the whole thing in the hands of God and the photographer (and told God about this decision, of course). The result was a Tammy who wasn’t worried about “producing” and could simply relax into obeying the photographer’s instructions.

It was a great experience over all, even though our outdoor shoot in Baytown’s historic district meant very cold wind. I told my photographer that I had a whole new respect for models who do bikini shoots in the middle of winter! We did get some good pictures, though, including the one above. My favorite is this one of me against a plain brick wall. It was one of the few times that the wind worked in our favor. Or, as she put it while shooting, we got a diva wind.

You see those crossed arms? Yep, not only for looks.
It was fuhreeeezing! But fun!

It got even more fun when we moved to the studio. Not being at the mercy of the elements meant we could take our time and get more creative while having laughs and picking on each other. I really like a lot of what we accomplished there!

I genuinely appreciate the results of this shoot, both because I had an experience I not only totally enjoyed and that we ended up with such completely satisfying results.

And I leave you with the last photo we took. Well, one of the last. I’d already kicked off my shoes and moved to the floor for other poses when she asked me to “sit criss cross.” My book, Experiencing the Bible, was sitting right there so I snatched it up as if I were reading it and she started shooting.

When she was finished, I read aloud the verse I’d randomly turned to. It was Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” That “happens” to be my life verse, has been for years, and I don’t believe there was anything random about it being the one I was looking at in those last shots. God is so cool!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C

PS: The links to Experiencing the Bible are associate links. If you buy a copy using this link I’ll not only earn my usual royalties, but will also get just a little bit extra as an Amazon associate. Thanks!

From “Houston we have a problem” to…

Tammy M CardwellLeave a comment

We have a cover!

The cover files are complete and in my hands.

The manuscript issues have been repaired and the final copy is in my hands.

I now begin that one, last (I certainly hope) fine-toothed-comb edit.

Almost there!

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C