Tammie Tarell

To whom do we give the glory? Do we really believe that we succeed on our own merits? Yes, we work hard, but who gave us the ability and the opportunities? Moses was warning the Israelites not to become too proud or self-satisfied. The warning continues with what will happen if they leave God behind and rely only on themselves. The warning applies equally to us. Whatever gifts and opportunities we have been given, they are just that – gifts! We have done nothing to deserve them. We are expected to use them to the best of our ability for the good of others. It really doesn't matter what our gifts are, and it isn't important if the world doesn't see us as successful. Not all gifts bring fame or fortune. The good listener can bring comfort to someone who is lonely or in pain. The person who loves people will always find a way make someone's life better. We all need good cooks, good mechanics, teachers, plumbers, electricians. We can't all be doctors or lawyers, but we need the gifts of everyone in a community if we are going to function well. We can and should take pride in doing a good job, the problem comes in thinking we didn't need God to do it. Unfortunately, it is often those who achieve the most success in the eyes of the world who forget to thank God for their success. There's a popular saying from Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall." Scripture continues to remind us to take heed of Moses' warning.

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalms 5:11 King James Bible App. Inspiration: Who can we depend on for safety and protection? You may have some in your life who you trust, but we live in a fallen world. Even those we trust may let us down. But, those who place their trust in the Lord will always be protected. Those who do not place trust in themselves or in others, but instead trust God, will find refuge. Why? Because God's love is for eternity. No matter what you face here on earth, you can rest knowing you will spend eternity with your savior. Prayer: Dear God, help me to place me trust in you alone. You alone are worthy. Help me not to become too self-dependent or self-righteous. Help me to avoid putting my trust in people who will hurt me. When I am tempted to rely less on your strength, remind me that you are my refuge and strength. Thank you, O Lord, for defending me and protecting me. You fill my heart with joy. May I continue to rejoice in all you have done and will do. In Jesus' name, amen.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 King James Bible App. Inspiration: I believe that society is structured in a way that is primarily due to humans' being fearful of death. Most conflict, sadness, and selfishness are borne through the fear of death. Christ did all that He could to remove this fear from our lives. His death was a beacon for all of us, shining His light for all humanity for all time. Surrender to Him and recognize His death and you will be reborn, without the fears and anxiety that the rest of the world struggles with. Imagine the impact that a person that is not fearful of death can make. Christ was that person and gave us the chance and even the duty to live without this fear. Prayer: Generous and benevolent Lord, I wish to be more like Your son, Jesus Christ. He lived and died for You and me, and I hope that I can live for You and others as well. My mortal body shall perish, and I pray that I respect its fragility, taking care of it as a temple and cherishing the precious amount of time that I have. All of the good in my life I owe to You and Jesus, and I pray this in accordance with Your mandate. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Thanks! I'll check out some of the other options the gurlies are posting.

This psalm tells us that laws can be perfect, bring wisdom and happiness. They can open our eyes to see things we might not otherwise see. Is that how you or I view laws? I'm sure it depends on the law! God's laws promote the good and good laws are helpful. We all know that some laws can cause pain and go against the laws of God. Let's not talk about them here, but let's consider only the laws of God. Who among us wants to be lied to? Who wants someone to steal from us or endanger our lives? No one! Laws actually keep us safe. Several years ago, I read a book by Stephen King who usually writes horror mysteries, but this one called The Stand was about a terrible plague that demolished a significant amount of the population. People who survived banded together ad crisscrossed America to locate and support others. As they gathered, they realized that unless they enacted laws, chaos would be the result. Ultimately, two groups came together in a battle of good versus evil – law versus lawlessness. The good triumphed. God's laws open our eyes to the needs of others as well as provide a defense against those who would hurt us. The ultimate law is love. God's love for us through his covenants with Noah, Abraham and Moses let us know that he will always be with us, only asking that we put him first. The commandments he gave Moses provide some protection against violence, theft, and false accusations. Yes, people still do all the things that the commandments forbid, but they can be punished because of the laws we enact to secure the right to life and property. Our responsibility is to work to see that the civil laws provide justice for all as God's laws do.

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Matthew 13:22 King James Bible App. Inspiration: Have you noticed that just hearing God's word is not enough? No matter how many sermons you listen to or how many times you read the Bible, if your heart is not tuned to the Word, it will not change you from the inside out. What sorts of things can be distractors from allowing God's word to be fruitful in our lives? Worries about the world, wealth, pride – just to name a few. When we focus on the worries of the world or grow materialistic, we will not grow in our relationship with God. Prayer: Dear God, help me not to be like the man who heard your Word but became more concerned about the worries of the world and the pleasures of wealth that he became unfruitful. When I do sin by not placing my trust in you, forgive me and redirect me. Lord, I want to grow stronger in my relationship with you – not move further from your goodness. Help me to hear and to act according to your word, O Lord. May I produce good fruit because my heart desires you above all else. In Jesus' name, amen.

I bet he didn't say nigger any other time. I'm sure you don't fully grasp it either. They can have normal convos, the tics and outbursts are involuntary. Cursing or saying something inappropriate is rare. He said it after seeing black people. Not randomly.

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This is my go to toner for now. I used to use just witch Hazel, but teen daughter stole it. Love the subtle smell of the rose water. #Blackgurlchat

Vanilla based anything has been my scent this year. Gonna rock that into Winter me thinks. Love a vanilla oil after a shower or behind the ear.

Point me to some of you work. I wanna see if you’re actually funny before I cook you.

It's weird that of all the tics or outbursts he could've expressed, he shouted Nigger, when two black men were receiving honors. BBC let it ride. It's very rare for someone with tourettes to express racist comments. "Out of the mouth the heart speaks". He suddenly had "great timing"?

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 King James Bible App. Inspiration: In this passage, Paul wants to emphasize that Christ is a human. I believe that this verse in the letter to Timothy was written to reinforce Christ's humanity for 2 reasons: first, to demonstrate that God made a real attempt to help humans understand His divine plan. Second, so that Timothy would understand and believe that Christ was a human and existed. After Jesus' death, there must have been fantastic tales of Jesus' life and death. Some of them may have been unbelievable, which was why Paul emphasized Christ's humanity in this verse. He was very real: he lived, died, and was risen for our salvation. Thanks be to God! Prayer: Eternal light in the darkness, You have illuminated the righteous path for us through the work of Your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. I pray that You remind me of His sacrifice, O Lord, so that I will live my life in a way that would be honorable in thy sight. Favor me with Your eternal grace, and I will do all that I can to spread the love of Christ to all that know me. I pray this in service to You, merciful God. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

This reading is very familiar to us. Jesus has just been baptized by John and now goes into the wilderness to prepare himself by prayer and fasting for his public ministry. Enter the devil! Today, Jesus is being offered pleasure, power and wealth by the devil. He responds by looking to the Scriptures for his answers. We all can be tempted by some good because no one thinks they are purposely choosing evil. This is a model we can follow as we navigate our way through life. There will always be the "road not taken" or missed opportunity, but we can always find help along the way as we make decisions. Now, giving in to a candy bar may not be a big deal for most, but continuing to make poor food choices can be. Playing a computer game isn't a big deal either, unless you are so "hooked" that you are spending money that could be used for food or bills on something that is advertised as "free." We will never be free of the temptations in our lives but we have been given the power to overcome them – the Holy Spirit. We only need to ask, and the Spirit will give us the wisdom and strength we need to do the right thing. And if we fail? Well, then Jesus has given us a way back – ask for forgiveness. We pray in the Our Father, "Lead us not into temptation," but God is there both to help us overcome it as well as to bring us forgiveness when we fail.

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Ecclesiastes 7:10 King James Bible App. Inspiration: Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature. This bit of wisdom is rebuking the act of wondering why it was better before. The "back in the good ole days" mentality explaining why everything went wrong. Don't focus on the past saying it was better. You are living in the present. Enjoy it, and if you don't like what you see, seek to change things instead of complaining about it. Today is today, love God, obey Him, and love others. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to live in today, not in the past. Keep me in the present, loving You and serving You today. You are the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You do not call me to live for You in the past that I cannot change, but You do call me to live for You today. Help me change the things that are bad about today instead of complaining about it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4 King James Bible App. Inspiration: Promises have been made and kept to us. We were given the gift of potential everlasting life. All we must do is to avoid the temptations of Satan, the sins of this finite world. It sounds so simple when the reward is eternal life, but as we all know, it is much easier said than done. Prayer: I vow to always worship You, O Lord, and rejoice in Your name. Forgive me for my many transgressions for I have sinned. I pray that You help deliver me from this evil, hardening my heart to the evils of this world. Through Your glory, I know that all things are possible, gracious Lord, my rock and strength. Amen.

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; 1 Timothy 5:1 King James Bible App. Inspiration: There are likely older believers in your life. Here, Paul tells Timothy not to rebuke his elders, but to come to them the way he would come to his father. Then, he tells Timothy to treat younger men as his brothers. Similarly, you can treat older believers in your life as you would a father or mother. Don't be harsh with them, but come with respect and humility. With younger believers, treat them as you would a sibling. Do not taunt or be rude to them. Do not act as though you are better than them. Rather, treat them with respect that you would want to receive from those who are older than you. Prayer: Heavenly Father, make me respectful and humble as I interact with those older and younger than me. If I see something in their life that needs correction, give me wisdom and humility to address it. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit, and do not let me do it on my own strength. Let me correct others because I love them and You, not for selfish gain. Thank You God that You correct me in love and not wrath. Let me correct and treat others how You treat me and how I would want to be treated. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Perhaps these sound familiar? If so, you remember that Jesus said much the same in Matthew's Gospel, in his parable of the Last Judgment and the separation of the sheep and the goats. If anyone thinks that God's teachings concerning justice begin in the New Testament, this is just one of the passages from Isaiah that would disprove that. It's kind of interesting to me, but Lent and Advent seem to be the two seasons of the year that turn people's hearts to God. During Advent we see a spirit of generosity that extends to those who have less, particularly to children. Although it's easy to think that all the talk about Santa Claus, or whatever name is given to him in different traditions, people are more willing to serve in soup kitchens, or knit for the homeless, or donate toys to community organizations. Lent brings out another spirit, that of increased introspection that encourages us to see where we have failed and where we can do better. Churches often add services because they know that more people will make the time to attend them or that people are more willing to think about Jesus' sacrifice and look for ways of helping the less fortunate. How will you "fast" this Lent? You can give up time to help someone who might need a visit, or a phone call to let them know someone is thinking about them. Maybe, there's a community issue that can use your support. Maybe it's just taking more time to pray for peace in this world or for an end to violence in the home. Whatever you choose, whatever I choose, may all that we do be pleasing to God.

Moses knew when he spoke these words that he would soon be dead and the Israelites would be moving into a new territory where they would be tested by the culture of the tribes that already lived in the Promised Land. He told them that they had a choice. Later, Joshua would tell them the same thing and give them the same choice as they prepared to cross the Jordan River. We may not realize it, but we have the same choice as well. We can obey the laws of God and live and multiply in peace, or we can choose to abandon God and try to go it alone and suffer the consequences. Moses didn't tell them that they wouldn't suffer, that they wouldn't face challenges or that they would always be happy. God doesn't promise us that either. What we are promised is that He will be with us as we face those challenges. Just as the Israelites would be tempted by the culture into which they would be moving, we are tempted by the culture in which we live. A culture of pleasure that has few if any moral values; a culture of division that doesn't look at the children of God as belonging to the same family! This is a culture that promotes looking out for oneself instead of looking out for others. We choose how we will respond to these temptations. The Israelites started out strong but soon they began to listen to those around them and they adopted those very behaviors that Moses had warned them against. We can start out strong in our faith as well, but it can be easy to be lured away. It's Lent, a time of reflection and renewal. Let us stay strong!

We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Psalms 106:6 King James Bible App. Inspiration: We are sinful. Every human has sinned – except Jesus, of course. We have all sinned and fallen short. We have all done wicked. It is not how God created us to be, but we chose to rebel and when we did, we changed. Adam and Eve chose to ate the fruit. God created us to be able to choose, and we chose evil. Our nature changed to sin nature. It is not in us to be wholly good or uncorrupt. That is how we are now. Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know I am sinful, evil, and wicked. I know I've done wrong to others, and I know I have sinned against You. I cannot choose to be good on my own. I cannot save myself from my sins. I am sorry. I repent of my wickedness. I come to You in the name of Jesus, who makes it so that I can come before You. Amen.

Throne said we aint playing bout your safety

Even when the odds are against me God never leaves me stray or forsakes me

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This will forever be funny

I'm 53!

I play video games, watch Scooby-Doo, have impromptu solo parties! The kid in me is free to do whatever they want. I spoil her!

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For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. Psalms 33:4-5 King James Bible App. Inspiration: Many people view nature and the beauty of earth as proof that God doesn't exist. I cannot fathom how a person can witness the wonders of our world and think that there is not a higher power, one that is faithful and true to a purpose that we can barely grasp. We do know this to be true, and it is our duty to help others get to know God as well. Prayer: Creator of heaven and earth, blessed are all that come in Your holy name, my Lord. Every day that I bear witness to Your creation I thank you, wondrous God, for each day is truly a gift. Strengthen my faith in You, knowing that there is a divine plan that I may not always understand. I ask all of these things in the name of Your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

This psalm is prayed by King David as he repents of his adultery with Bathsheba. The words are appropriate as we celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin the season of Lent. Although this is not a biblical event, it was a tradition in the early church to seek repentance for sin in the weeks preceding the Paschal celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They would wear sackcloth and sprinkle ashes on their heads. The tradition evolved into the forty days we now have as we prepare to for the commemoration of our salvation. The Christian community decided on forty days because of the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, and ashes are placed on the forehead instead of the sprinkling of ashes on the head. Most denominations celebrate these traditions. Even if you don't officially belong to a particular church, this is a good opportunity for us to examine our lives to see where we need to root out sin and renew our commitment to Christ. Fasting and prayer are two of the traditions of Lent. Some people fast by eating less and donating the money saved to the poor. Others give up something they enjoy, perhaps a favorite television program, playing on the computer, drinking alcohol, etc. Some choose to donate their time doing community service such as working at a soup kitchen or visiting a nursing home. It really doesn't matter how one chooses to take the time to reflect on their priorities and spend more time with God. If we have slipped into bad habits that we had turned from at the New Year, this is a good time to begin again. Let us make this year's Lent a time of reconciliation and renewal.