The Gospel of Grace is Good News

If what you're hearing about God isn't Good, then it really isn't about God, it's about man's interpretation and false perception of who God is. In Proverbs 4:23 it says above all else guard your heart for out of it flow the issues of life. We filter everything through our heart, which is our belief system. We are to guard our belief system and not just allow any wind of doctrine to corrupt our heart.

Recently, I've been accused of believing a false doctrine. I had made a comment one day that as believers in Jesus Christ we no longer have to continue to ask Him for forgiveness because our sins have already been forgiven. This person literally turned about 10 shades of red and grew angry in my presence. I did say that I thought if we wronged someone we should ask for forgiveness because its the right thing to do. However, when I've per say "sinned" I just go to my Daddy God and say I messed up and declare that I know He'll help me fix this because He loves me and I'm His daughter! My relationship with my Daddy God is one of open communication and authenticity. I do not fear God because He is my deliverer. He is the one that can fix things when I mess up. He's my father and my very best friend. I don't go out and blatantly "sin" but I am not perfect. I just thank God that Jesus was perfect and became my sin so I could be righteous in the sight of God. So this person who grew angry with me, pointed out 1 John 1:9. It reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I began to ask this person the following questions: "who wrote the book?" "who was this written for/to?" "was it before or after the cross?" These are three very important questions when studying the Bible in it's context. I did not give him the answers, however the answers are: John wrote 1 John. The first chapter was written to the Gnostics (these were the unbelievers). So yes, if you are an unbeliever, we do need to confess our need for a Savior. It was written after Jesus went to the cross. In the 2nd chapter we see John addressing the believer. He addresses us as "my little children" and goes on to say that he write's us that we may not sin, and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also the whole world.

The Word also declares that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound! What exciting news! Listen, God is good and He is a loving God that does not impute our sins against us any longer! He imputed sin on Jesus Christ and He fulfilled the law. The law was designed to show us our need for a Savior because it was impossible to measure up to the law. Under our new and better covenant, Grace showed up in the person of Jesus Christ and measured up for us!

Praise God, my sin is not counted against me! Because of the work of Jesus Christ I can approach the throne of God boldly and confidently even in the midst of failure! He will never reject me and will never condemn me. I am in Christ! There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ!

Just Plain Funny

So yesterday I ended up collapsing at work having difficulty breathing. I had just come in from outside and it was about 104 degrees out there. I was lying on the floor and 3 men standing over me getting me various things...ice, gatorade, water and one on the phone with 911. Stubborn me said "don't you dare call an ambulance." How embarrassing, not to mention the bazillion dollars they charge you, even with insurance! I finally cooled down, but I felt like an elephant was sitting on the right side of my ribcage. It was incredibly weird. After a while, I started feeling ok, just really drained and tired. I was getting the talks from everyone - go to ER or go to Urgent Care. Finally, I decided I would. I ended up going to Urgent Care and this is where I had to laugh.

The nurse comes in and take my vital. I'm fine! Then the doctor comes in and basically tells me to strip down. She starts feeling around and asking me to take deep breath's in and out. She found the painful place by placing pressure on the area. Not fun! She then wants to complete an X-Ray. So she leaves the room and the tech comes in saying, "Tammy we need to do a pregancy test." I busted out laughing!!! She looked at me and said, "what's so funny?" I said, maam' I haven't had sex in 11 years...not even a kiss! She laughed and said,"not even in your dreams?" "Nope...not even in those," I replied. Well, they still had to take one. Five minutes later she comes back into my little room and says "Maam', guess what? Your not pregnant." We both just cracked up and had the whole place in stitches!

I had to share this humor! Oh...I have a myofascial strain of the right ribs and heat exhaustion. I'm fine!

Excerpt from Tammy's upcoming book, "What Did He Say About Me?"

Daily Scripture
II Corinthians 12:9 AMP
But He said to me, My grace [My favor and loving-kindness and mercy] is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect [fulfilled and completed] and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ [the Messiah] may rest [yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell] upon me!

Daily Devotion

This is going to be a long devotional, but I feel compelled to be extremely detailed. Recently, I had an incredible adventure! I went to Colorado Springs, CO for the first time. I was able to go horseback riding in the mountains for 2 hours and then immediately after, was able to go whitewater rafting for the first time. The horseback ride was challenging, but I knew how to handle the horse aspect, especially growing up riding! However, the whitewater rafting was a whole other world that I had no knowledge of in the least.
A few years back I went kayaking with my Aunt Rosemary, but it was a rubber kayak and the water was in no way as rough as what I was about to take on. Upon my arrival, I was given a wet suit and boots and fitted for a life jacket. I could barely breathe in Colorado, let alone have a life jacket that was squeezing the life right out of me. I had to adjust! I was praying for the Lord to just help me breathe.
We loaded up in the bus that would take us to the river entrance to embark on my 4 hour rafting trip. Yes, I signed up for 4 hours on the river! I just thought we were going to put our raft in the river and go. Well, that is not what happened in the least.
We all got a detailed talk on the way to the river and then when we arrived, we did as we were instructed – we unloaded the rafts! They were so heavy! Being oxygen depleted made it even more difficult! Yet, I was part of a team and everyone of us had to contribute! We unloaded the rafts and set them on land. We began to practice, on land!!! I thought to myself…how weird.
We would have to get in the boat and fake paddle and then our guide would yell out something like high right or right side and those of us sitting on the left would have to move quickly to the right. Then he’d say center and quickly we’d move to the center. No sooner as we got settled in center…he’d yell “left.” Quickly everyone was moving to the left!
We then got the chat about how we were all a team and needed to move when we were told to move. He then said this, “when we go through the rapids and you are in position to paddle, keep your paddled connected with the current. Sink it deep he said!” He said, “the paddle connected with the current will keep you in the raft!”
First of all, by this time I was scared out of my mind! I thought this was going to be a fun adventure. I didn’t realize the danger! Second of all, I thought you sat in the raft, not on the side of the raft. Something was wrong I thought. How in the world am I going to be able to stay in the raft if I’m sitting on the side of the raft, and not get bounced out of it when we hit the rapids? All these questions were flying in my head like a tornado.
As we finished our land practice, we began to load our raft in the water. As we got in the water and set our positions I was actually able to catch my breath and relax for a few minutes taking in the beautiful scenery. Our guide then began to instruct us to practice while the water was calm. So we began the once again tedious task of finding positions when our guide yelled out the various instructions.
I was actually really terrified now that we were in the water, knowing there was no way I was getting out of this one! I was going through this, and was at the point of no return. We got to relax a bit more after our guide thought we would be able to handle these rapids.
Then, our practice was over, we were ready to actually experience this as our guide called out “rapids ahead.” I tensed up in fear! I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them. My limitation of sight caused this fear in my heart that I couldn’t describe. Finally, the rapid came into view, our paddles were down deep in the current and there we went.
What do you know, the guide was right!!! The paddle, when kept in the current really does keep you in the raft! All of a sudden through that experience, I began to not fear, and lighten up so I could really enjoy this trip. God’s strength was made perfect in my weakness.
What was my weakness? Lack of experience! Many individuals have knowledge. After all I “heard” what I was supposed to do and I could have reiterated that to someone else easily, yet I had no experience to back it up. In the spiritual sense, experience with God gives us wisdom. Knowledge is not wisdom!
As I continued on this rafting trip, God showed me something so amazing. He showed me that even when we encounter trials and hardships that life bring us, we must keep our paddles (our lives) connected with the current (Jesus) in those storms. Some storms are small, some storms are huge.
The rapids started out small, but the experience of getting through the smaller ones, gave us “experience” enough to handle “The Widow Maker.”
The Widow Maker was our final rapid on this course and let me tell you, I have the pictures to prove that this rapid was tough! Yet, I knew that God’s grace would be sufficient – even in danger, just like our daily scripture says. His grace is His ability.
I was so trusting in God through this rafting trip because of my lack of both knowledge and experience in this area. God showed me that the problem with most people that follow Him is that they don’t stay connected to Him in the storms of life, instead they remove their paddle from the current and then they are just tossed into the blender of life, and then to make it worse, they actually blame Him.
It’s not God making your life miserable or causing bad things to happen to you. How could we trust Him if He was the cause of our pain and hurt? It doesn’t make sense. Life happens! If we would have removed our paddles from the current while going through any of those rapids, we would have all fallen out of the raft! We need to stay connected to the current (God) so that we can go through the rapids of life. Let the power of Christ rise up in you by staying connected. Through staying connected with Him, you will experience; not just have knowledge, but experience, that He really is sufficient!

Copyright 2008 - May be used with permission

www.outofexile.org

"The Shack" by William Paul Young (Book Review)

THE SHACK www.theshackbook.com
“The Shack” is a fictional book written by William P. Young. I believe everyone in the entire world should read this book. It will free you from any religious tradition and gives you, what I believe, is the reality of who God is! This book will take you on an emotional journey where you will experience every emotion known to the human race! It will set you free if you allow it to penetrate those areas of your heart that you’ve kept protected and locked up from past hurts. It will bring you to a place of a real, living breathing relationship with your creator. By the end of this book…you truly will call God, your Papa!!!!
On their website you can continue your experience with “The Shack” in the following ways:
Share how you feel about The Shack and read what others are saying
Share your insights and discuss the book with other readers at The Shack Forum
Communicate with the Author
Read Willie’s blog
Purchase additional copies of The Shack
Find out the latest news for The Missy Project
For information about having the author speak to your organization or group, please contact: Wes Yoder at (615) 370.4700 Ext.230 or Wes@AmbassadorSpeakers.com

Movie Review - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

So, this evening I took my 13 year old along with 3 of her friends to the movie "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2." I actually enjoyed the movie and found it to have some great life lessons. I felt the PG13 rating was inappropriate as there is a sex scene, a nude model (nothing shown) in an art class, a pregnancy scare and a girl staying overnight with a guy. Obviously this is not appropriate behavior for teenagers to exhibit.

All in all, I do feel the movie was great and mild in comparison with other PG13 films. I would say go see it, but monitor your children. It does make for great conversation with your teenager after the film.

TDahl

Why Can't We Just Be Real?

I love to watch people and study their body language and actions as well as listen to their words. Once I get to know someone, I find that most of the time their words rarely are backed up by their actions. I find that incredibly sad! Our words should line up with our deeds. If our words do not line up with our deeds, then I must ask the question "why can't we just be real?" When our words are not followed by actions, then we must ask ourselves why.

One of the saddest things I see is people hiding behind various masks trying to disguise who they really are. The mask could be religion, relationships, a title, or possessions. They may say all the right things, but their actions are entirely opposite. For years I lived my life behind a mask, but eventually I came to a place within myself and realized that if I wanted to effectuate change in this world, it had to begin with me.

So why is it that we feel we just can't be real? Why must we put on a mask and literally rob ourselves and others of who we really are? Why do we have to hide behind masks? Maybe who we really are isn't as nice as what we portray? Maybe it's because we are so insecure in our own identities that we try to take on the identities of those we admire instead, but highly fail because that is not really us!

Recently I had a long discussion with someone about the importance of authenticity. If you hang around someone long enough, you will eventually discover the real them. That's why when people get married that are supposingly so in love, wake up 6 months after the wedding asking themselves "what the heck did I do?" and "who is this person laying beside me?" because neither person was their true authentic self. We've been deceived and we blame the other, because it's always easier to look at that other person rather than take your responsibility of your own actions. We always look to play the blame game.

We humans have this great weakness of living out of our emotions worrying what other people may say or think about us. We want to control what other people's opinions about us are! I think that's the most insane thing, as we have no control over that. We would rather try to control the thoughts words of others than to just live authentically.

Why? Because, rejection is our greatest fear! Even the rejection we place upon ourselves by thinking negatively about who we are. We all want to be loved and accepted. We all want to make a difference in the world and know that it was a better place just because we lived. At least I do!

I believe for us to begin making the difference and impact we were meant to make, we must first begin with living out of our true selves - not afraid to be who we are and express those things that make each of us an individual. I believe that this world would become a better place just by our being here, and we would find great friendships, great relationships and have the fulfilling, meaningful life we were destined to have!

So...Let's just be real! Don't fear who you are - God created you and put His stamp of approval on you!

*Always remember, there is only one you! There is no one else on the planet that can do what YOU were created to do! Live your God-given destiny! You're the only one who can!!! Tammy L. Dahl