Just Look at My Hands

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.   I Peter 2:24

Well, as I sit here waiting for yet another load of clothes to wash, I am extremely thankful for the fact that our washer/pipe problem has been fixed! Yee-HAW! (can you believe I'm actually EXCITED to be able to do laundry again? Me neither! But, as they say, "this (happy-to-do-laundry-feeling) TOO shall pass!") LOL

If you haven't read yesterday's blog, ("Pressure Washin'") you may want to read it, or at least the "Breaking News" Part at the very end. Today's blog picks up from that.   What did you think when you read the part that said: Local 'Plumber and Son, Co.' left with a final statement: "It's just a shock that anything could GO DOWN!" Son added, "Yeah, when my dad said it was clogged with junk, he was NOT KIDDING! Just look at my hands!" As soon as I read that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes! "LOOK, Tammi!  The SON added.....'LOOK AT MY HANDS!' Did you catch that?" I thought of Jesus, God's only uniquely born Son. I could imagine, our home's clogged main pipeline as a spiritual lesson.

When we're born, our hearts are totally clogged. Not with cholesterol. (or at least I HOPE they aren't.) But our SPIRITUAL hearts are clogged by sin. Of course water could not flow through our clogged pipes. Same with us---if we are clogged up by sin---the Living Water can not flow through us. So, what did our Father have to do? Before the foundation of time, He decided, along with the Son, to "fix" our problem.

God chose him as your ransom long before the world began,
but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

I Peter 1:20 (NLT)

"Yes, Son, they have a problem. We are the only One Who can fix this." Now, in my home's plumbing situation, my husband directed our son in what needed to be done, what tools to get, etc.  The planner was the dad.  The son followed through.  But isn't it amazing that my little boy would say "Mom! Dad was NOT KIDDING when he said the pipe was clogged up with junk! JUST LOOK AT MY HANDS!" ?  Oh my word. 

P R I C E L E S S!



Clogged Pipes~~a few $ Measly Dollars $
Spiritual Lesson to appreciate the redemptive work of the Son of God~~
P R I C E L E S S!



Our Lord and Savior, the Holy Son of God, came to earth and did the work for us.  He made a way for His Living Water to flow through us. Now~~today, did I turn on the water in my house and let it flow????????????? You better believe it! In fact, laundry's going, even as we "speak." But what good would all that work have been IF I had not chosen to take FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT!?!?!? I mean, after all, the Son has said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.."And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet." (Luke 24: 39, 40)

Are the pipes in your heart completely clogged by sin?    Do you need to call a "Spiritual Plumber" to remove the gunk and filth of sin from the pipes in your heart so that His Living Water can freely flow within?  Behold the Hands and Feet of our Savior. He's reaching out to Y O U.  What can He do for you? He's already done the major work ... all you have to do is "pick up the phone" and call Him (pray) and accept what He has done, by believing in HIM, receiving Him as your Savior, and repenting of your sin.

Note: That word is Repenting, not Repeating of your sin. In order to keep from REPEATING your sin: Let His Living Water flow FREELY through you, so that you can in turn, be a blessing to someone else by recommending the Best Spiritual Father/Son "Heart-Plumber" around! And THE BEST PART IS-- (drum roll). . .

He's already paid for it! IN FULL, with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

Need Proof??  All you have to do is

"Just look at His hands."

Thank You Father for seeing a desperate need in our lives. . . for reaching out and coming down to us to get all dirty and grimy, completely covered by our nasty, yucky sin! Thank You, dear sweet Son of God, Jesus, for being my Savior.  I pray if there is anyone out there suffering from clogged arteries in their spiritual heart, please cause a big back up somewhere, so they'll know they need to seek help. I can personally guarantee that You are the best! Why should they settle for less? Dear Holy Spirit, flow freely through me....and if ever there's a small build-up, help me remember to call on my Heavenly Father to do a follow-up exam! Thank You for letting a sweet little boy speak those five simple words, 'Just look at my hands' today. And Thank You for reminding me of the nasty but necessary work you did for me and for all the world around me!

I know You depend on the word of mouth recommendations---so give me courage to spread the Word of Your Wonderful Cleansing, Heart Opening, Eye Opening, Life Changing,

Eternal-Life-Giving Work!    In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

And the Father replied....."This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

Pressure Washin'

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:26, 27

As I look back over the year that recently passed, I can see how the Lord has led me, and been working in every circumstance. When He led me to start the blog last February, I had no idea how He would bring such special people (you) into my life to share life's lessons. :)

I remember a particular week during last February that was difficult, but the lesson that He taught me is worth contemplating again. Since He hadn't led anyone to the blog during those "early days," I think I'll share the following post with you, in case you missed it~~Especially if you're Under Pressure right now! My prayer is for the Lord to use this to encourage your heart.

Okay...here's what the post was, dated February 26, 2010:

Ever had one of those days when you just wonder "what else in the world could go wrong?" Pressure here, pressure there, pressure everywhere... except where it needs to be (like a tire!?!?) LOL  Yes, we've all had those days when it just seems as if we can't take it any longer. Just when you feel the walls closing in, He's got His eyes on you.  He knows how much pressure you can take.

Well, this week has been "loads" of fun, and I do mean LOADS. . .of laundry! For some reason my washer is putting out so much water during its drain cycles that the old pipes just can't handle the outflow.  So in order to get a load done, I have to stand there, and "patiently" watch and listen for the washer to drain. As it's draining, I can hear the water quickly rising in the drain pipe. When I DO finally see the water begin to peak, I immediately push the "STOP" button. I have to press STOP on the washer to allow the pipe time to drain . . then I pull "start" and let the tub drain, then stop & repeat that process again. You get the picture.  It takes a long time.  And it's not really fun either.  However, if I don't do this, the garage would end up flooded!

"So what is it that You are trying to teach me in THIS situation, Father?"  Well~~"Ask and ye shall receive..." LOL  He showed me something pretty neat:

The Lord reminded me of how He is watching us during our trials and storms. He can HEAR and SEE when we've just about "reached our limit." And before we "about LOSE IT completely," HE WILL PRESS STOP, letting some of that "water pressure" go down a bit. Then He'll pull out the tab and let the water drain some more. . . and keep on pressing STOP and START til the tub is empty.

"Oh Father, I am seeing where You're taking this one now!" Do y'all? He is trying to empty us of ourselves.

 Let that one sink in.

Compare my ridiculously inconvenient washer situation to our lives being drained of ourselves (*our selfish desires, sinful nature). . . that's the first cycle...then it fills back up again~~this time to rinse. Then. . . He washes us (with His cleansing blood) and rinses us off completely in His Living Water~~only to drain us again, little by little! This time, what's draining out (or pouring out) is . . . (drum roll) HIM!  His love, His power, His mercy, His compassion, His forgiveness is pouring out from us to others.   Selah.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within him."  John 7:38

Thank You Father for revealing this truth while I'm in the midst of an inconvenience. This was so worth the loads of laundry! And by the way, thank You that we have clothes to wear! Please help us to look, S E A R C H for the special N U G G E T of wisdom that You have carefully hidden in the middle of our circumstances...none of these inconveniences are meant to be obstacles, but a SpRiNg board to higher places. Thanks Father! Wash us, drain us of ourselves today, then fill us back up with Your Living Water... when we've reached the "max line," drain us out---for others to see the cleansed life You've given and the refreshing waters You offer. Thank You, and P.S.--now that I've learned the lesson, can we get the plumbing fixed?? Thanks :) In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Breaking News!

EXTRA!! EXTRA!! We interrupt your day to give you an important update: Local plumber and son, B & C Yates, just released a statement: Main pipe line under house was so clogged they are just suh-prized ANYTHING could get through! To provide proof of this statement, they brought a piece of pipe line which further revealed a line almost entirely clogged by dirt and just overall G U N K! To add further to this development, the joints throughout the entire plumbing system were found to be in similar condition: CLOGGED! Local "Plumber and Son, Co." left with a final statement: "It's just a shock that anything could GO DOWN!" Son added, "Yeah, when my dad said it was clogged with junk, he was NOT KIDDING! Just look at my hands!"

This report brought to you by local reporter, Tammi
Stay tuned for tomorrow's continuing coverage of this story.

Purrfect Pity



Here's Myles, our kitty, when we first brought
him home. Oh, so tiny and cute!!  (so is Myles) 
 

"Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelelth and thy want as an armed man."

Proverbs 6:10, 11

We have a kitty cat that reminds me of Garfield in almost every way.  He's an orange tabby, and he's flabby! He eats twice a day (because I have to split up his once-a-day-feeding into 2 "helpings" to trick him into thinking he is eating more...) and then he sleeps for almost the entire day.   He refuses to eat salmon, chicken, tuna...the only thing he wants to eat is his crunchy dry cat food.   The vet calls him a carbohydrate "junky."   LOL  Maybe he'd eat lasagna, like Garfield---but I've not given him the chance to try it!  LOL  Anyway, I think he's learned how to pop the lid off his food container because I don't understand how he's become such a tub of "over-sized flabbyness." 

Ding, ding!  Oh boy!  Time for din-din!

At first, he was rather "active"---playful and running around like a wild kitty!  Exploring his new world.  Hey, he even enjoyed a "bed time story" too!  (I just love the expressions on their faces here....Myles looks so "thrilled!"  LOL)

Bedtime Story, May 2007

"Where's Waldo Myles?"

Maybe it was all the love and attention he received that "kept him from exercising."  ??  (Could we be enjoying our Heavenly Father's lap--where it's nice and cozy---just a little too much, instead of hopping down and exercising our faith just a little bit too--to keep us "in shape" spiritually??)     Hhhmmmm. 

The Royal Treatment for a "king."

Sooner or later it was bound to happen. . . the typical life of a cat began to emerge.  No more did we see playful little Myles romping around, chasing anything he could swat across the floor. 

Talk about an excuse for not doing your homework!?
My fat cat fell asleep on my notebook!
My daughter didn't look too disappointed either! LOL (2007)

S L O W L Y, but surely, he took over our recliner. . . and there you'd find him, always propped up lazily in the corner of the recliner.   Every now and then he'd roll over, or change positions ever so slightly, so as to not disturb his "body alignment."  LOL  


We are no longer allowed to enjoy our recliner! LOL (2010)

So, as I was folding yet another load of clothes, there slept "Mr. Pitty." (my nickname for Myles) Purring comfortably in the recliner. I thought to myself, "Myles, what a life!"  I used to think of the life of a cat as "easy street." And, from a cat's perspective, it really is easy street!  LOL  But as a child of God, I'm not really supposed to long for the "lazy life of a cat." I'm supposed to be "Busy about the Master's Business." Oh boy, when I thought of that, I began to have a little "pity" for Mr. Kitty. "Myles, WHAT A LIFE?! (unless, of course, you're looking at this from a cat's point of view)"   LOL

"Purrrrrfect Pity"

Pity Pity, Mr. Kitty, that you lay there all alone. . .

Cuddled up on my recliner, in this warm little home.

Your life's sure not exciting; it contains very little surprise.

But ME, I want to live a life that will be pleasing in my Father's eyes.

So every morning I better wake up, & stretch these muscles of faith.

I better get fed by the Word, and live as the Lord saith.

I'll follow Him each & every day; my life will not be boring!

And while you lay there purring so contently, I'll be busy, & not snoring!

Dear Father, even though the lazy life of a kitty seems appealing at first glance, please help me to be reminded whenever I see him resting there comfortably that You want me to be busy...serving You by serving others....Thank You Father for the promise of Your help for me today, even if I am tired. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.