Trekking with Me

I love this song.  I love the Words. As the dew falls on the blade You have touched all this fragile frame And as a mother knows her baby's face You know me, You know me And as the summer air within my chest I have breathed You deep down into my breast And as You know the hairs upon my head Every thought and every word I've said Every thought and every word I've said Savior, You have known me as I am Healer, You have known me as I was As I will be in the morning, in the evening You have known me, yeah, You know me Oh, and as the exhilaration of autumn's bite Oh, You have brought these tired bones to brilliant life And as the swallow knows, she knows the sky This is how it is with You and I Oh, this is how it is with You and I Savior, You have known me as I am Healer, You have known me as I was As I will be in the morning, in the evening You have known me, yeah, You know From the fall of my heart to the resurrection of my soul You know me, God, and You know my ways In

1.  Family.  They made this holiday beautiful in many ways. 2.  A place setting especially for me :-) 3.  A grand display of God's Love and Beauty... 4.  Peace in my heart, because of His Mercy and Grace. 5.  A visit with a dear friend from my youth. 6.  Lots of FOOD. 7.  A toasty fire and perfect FL weather :-) 8.  Coming Home - enjoyed my travel time starting with a starbucks stop, a discounted chic-fi-la sandwich (thanks for a coupon!), praise music, time to talk with the Lord, some great podcasts that encouraged my heart and mind, and warm welcomes from my kitties and puppy who missed me.   I can tell by their "meeee-ooooows" and excited tail wagging... 9.  Christmas time... is here.  I may get a miniature real tree this year.  Inspired by my sis-in-love. 10.  Energy to unpack my bags as soon as I unloaded my car.  :-) Exhaustion is setting in as i type...

In the last few days I have rubbed raw some places on my skin, how acutely painful they are right now.   Interestingly, my heart is a bit raw right now too. "He is close to the brokenhearted..."  Yes, He is. I think of a few dear friends I know right now, who are raw on the inside.  One couple lost a son in the past few months, one man is in a storm, another is in a time of testing.  God is in each of these situations, working, answering, acting through the pain. I was struck as I was listening to a song on my nano, based on the verse found in Jeremiah 33, ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ I wrote this verse in my journal several weeks ago.  I was pressing into the LORD; my heart longed for him to answer me in a certain way.  As I listened to the song, I mused: God has answered me.  He is showing me great and mighty things.  Things I did not know.  Not necessarily the way I had hoped or dreamed or even

Pain is a forest we all get lost in Between the branches hope can be so hard to see And in the darkness we've all got questions We're all just trying to make sense out of suffering but You say I am blessed because of this So, I choose to believe As I carry this cross, You'll carry me Help me believe it Fear is a current we all get caught in And in its motion faith can be so hard to find And we all falter 'cause we're all broken We're all just trying to turn the shadows into light but You get glory in the midst of this And You're walking with me And you say I am blessed because of this So, I choose to believe As I carry this cross, You'll carry me And I know Your promises are faithful And God, I've seen Your goodness in my life And oh, I've found Your mercy is a river Your love is an ocean wide You say I am blessed because of this You get glory in the midst of this And You're walking with me And You say I am blessed because of this So, I choos

To me life is a journey, thus "trek with Tammie."  I like to share the great views, the amazing discoveries, the vibrant springs and delicious green valleys I traverse upon.  Yet most of us know that the journey of life is often dealing with the commonalities of the daily hum-drum and more often than not characterized by painful precipices or unexpected turns and dark shadows that are confusing, painful, and scary. This is the place Romans and James calls out for patient perseverance, for counting it joy in the trials of life.  This is when Faith calls us to look up and hold onto the Hope of our Calling.  This is the work of our sanctification.  There is purpose in the pain.  He has higher, better, purposes for us than we have for ourselves. The LORD does not waver or change like shifting shadows; He is always, always good.   (James 1:17) "Every generous act and perfect gift is from the Father of Lights, with Him there is no variation or shadow of turning."