White Sand

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness

of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."  

Daniel 12:3

Earlier this morning, my daughter asked me about Pensacola, Florida..which made me think, "Ahhh, the warmth and beauty of the white sandy beaches of Pensacola!  How I'd love to visit there one day!" 

Well, that got the wheels in my mind thinking.  Aren't WE, as Christians, supposed to be like "white sand?"  You may be wondering, "Tammi, where's this going??"   Let's take a trip to the beach, shall we?  :o)

Have you ever been to the beach around "high noon" on a cloudless day?   The brightness of that sand under your feet reflects the sun's light!   Remember how your bare tootsies felt with that warm sand squishing between your toes?  So therapeutic--not to mention the wonderfully smoothing effects on the bottom of your calloused feet.  (You see where this is going yet?)   We need to be reflecting the Light of the Son each and every day of our lives...S H I N E so brightly that others have NO MISTAKE that the brightness of our lives are due to none other than the Son!   When we do that, others will no doubt feel the warmth of the Son as well, right?  They SHOULD.  Do others see the Light of the Son and feel His warmth whenever they are near you?   They SHOULD.   If not, ask the Son to shine brightly in your life...ask Him to take away all the impurities in your heart so that others see only the purity and brightness of Him in you.  

A Follower

Well, since this blogging "stuff" is rather new to me, I wasn't quite sure what to think when I was setting up my blog a few weeks ago and found the word "followers" on there.   What?    What in the world is that anyway?  It actually "kinda" made me cringe a bit....why would I want anyone to be a follower of ME?  I mean, hello?  Aren't we supposed to follow the Lord?   Seriously, I considered removing that little link on there...And then there was the little junior high insecurity complex---what if that number remains at "zero," will that make me a "zero?"   (you know exactly what I'm talking about---junior high--the one with the most friends "wins" -- ie isn't the "class nerd" or "outcast.") 

Anyway....back to the original idea before I hop off onto a rabbit trail Boing BoInG!  = :o)  I really didn't like the idea of someone following me.     But then it hit me. . . BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (ouch that "hoit:")   I AM supposed to be able to say to others "Follow me, as I follow Christ."    OH MY!    Then that placed a big burden on my heart and shoulders (no..not HEAD and SHOULDERS-the shampoo)  .. but nevertheless, there was the burden....I am responsible for others around me.  "am I SERIOUSLY my brother/sister's keeper?"  SERIOUSLY???    Yep.  Sho nuff!   

We are living epistles "known and read by all men."   So....that means, in a sense (Oh I'm clapping here people!)  WE ARE LIVING BLOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?!?!?!?       Are you still with me ????   Isn't God good!?!?!    When He just told me that, it was like He was saying, "See, Tammi, I may be the 'Ancient of Days,' but I AM also CURRENT TOO!"  God is never OUT OF DATE!!!    

Oh Dear Father...Dear Jesus, and Dear Sweet Holy Spirit....please, and I humbly repeat, pretty please help me to be a worthy "blog"---PLEASE enable my life to be a living BLOG--known and read of all men. . . all of my friends, all of my co-workers, all of my F A M I L Y!    I want to be able to safely say to them, "Follow me, as I follow You, Dear Lord.  Oh, and P.S., please help me follow YOU because that is the only way I can safely say that.  Thanks.  In Jesus' Sweet Beautiful Name, Amen.

Okay people....let's get "B L O G G I N' "  
have a great day y'all!

"Play Me"

An instrument...this could be something used by a doctor to perform surgery, a tool used by a mechanic, or anything that a skilled person uses to perform a specific task.   Even in music, an instrument is used by a skilled person to perform--or to make beautiful music.

When I read Romans 6:13, "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God," I imagine the Lord as being a skilled Musician.   Then I apply this verse to my heart.  Am I an instrument in His hands?  I want to be an instrument in His hands used to make beautiful music.   Do you? 

Of course, instruments require some tuning every once in a while.  Thankfully His ears listen to me every day and can tell when something is not "sounding right."   In order for Him to make something beautiful out of my life, He needs to tune me first.   I need to yield to His every "twisting and turning" of the strings, and let Him "pluck the strings" until they sound just right.   After I have yielded myself completely to Him in the tuning process, He will begin to make music out of my life.  

Tuning takes time----so if you find yourself in the process of being "plucked," just be patient.  Sooner or later the Skilled Musician will begin to make a sweet sound from you, others will be blessed, and the Master Musician will be glorified in the masterpiece He has created!

The key is to just yield..and whisper, "Just Play Me."