What season are you in?

Every year depending on what part of the country one lives there are 4 seasons.  In the winter, everything lays dormant, hibernating, preparing and getting ready to bloom.  In the spring, things start to grow and develop.  The ground is ready for planting and the weather is comfortable.   Then it hits summer, the things that are planted, are in full bloom, and it seems all you can do is endure the heat and try to make the best of a hot situation.  Then we hit fall.  The weather returns to a comfortable temperature and the colors of the  trees are at there peak as it prepares to shed the leaves of the spring.  The trees go through a natural pruning process in the fall.  The things that are dead, are dropped to the ground to be put in bags and thrown away never to return.

As I think about this hot summer evening and evaluating where I am in the midst of the seasons in my life.  I feel like I'm in the winter season.  I've been resting and now I'm waiting to spring forth.   I'm ready for new things in my life.   However, it seems to me that the winter will never end.  I begin to realize that there is nothing I can do to rush the season.  I just have to take it one day at time. Then there are those moments when I feel like I'm at the beginning of spring.  I begin to enjoy the new things that are happening, things seem to be progressing then all of sudden there is a winter storm that comes from no where.  It wasn't expected, and it stays around for days on end.  My question is why is it so hard to just have life happen?  To know that ultimately God has a plan for my life.   I just need to be prepared to receive it, I must be obedient to what He is requiring and I must be willing to do the work that He asks of me.  I don't know that I have the answers to the questions but I do know that 

Isaiah 40:31, 

"They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

My question is how long must I wait?   I guess in reality as long as it takes because my life is in God's hands.    I don't know about you, but waiting is very hard, but necessary in this journey.   So as I encourage myself in this winter season of my life, I want you to also be encouraged.   I want you to know this day, that you are not alone.  We all go through the seasons of life.

What's your season?

We need serenity

One of the ways that we experience peace is that we we realize that it is not about us.  When I graduated I was given a little plague with the serentiy prayer on it which reads:

God, grant me

the serenity to accept the things

I can't change,

The courage to change

the things I can, and

the wisdom to

know the difference.

I have to tell you that when I read this today.  I realized that there is only so much I can do.  Realizing that even having the courage to change implies that I need the courage to do the things that God has asked me to do.  Then  there are those things in our life that we have no control over.  We have no control over the family we have been given, we have no control over our skin color, no control over hair or eye color.  For some you may feel like there are other things in your life that you have no control over but you do.  Your job, your health, where you live, and etc......  I'm also not saying that life's circumstances hasn't left us in what appears to man to be impossible situations.  But God can work it out.  For he says, in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans."  

It is my belief and I'm working on it too, is that we need to learn to hear from God. We need to obey what we hear from God.  When He says move, move.  When he says stay, stay.   Then have peace/serenity that God is in control. 

How do we find serenity in a world of so much chaos?  Any ideas........

He Dwells

Lately, I have been teaching Bible Study and we have been studying Exodus. In particular the part about building the Tabernacle, setting up the Holy of Holies and the robes that Aaron and his sons where to wear.  All of the planning and preparation of these assignments of the Israelites was so they could be constantly reminded that God Dwells with them.  I was thinking about the the scriptures in Numbers 9:15-23, which reads,
On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

I gave you the whole passage so that we hold onto the significance of God dwelling among his people.  they created the Tabernacle to be reminded of His Dwelling and here we see them obeying God.  Does he have that type of guidance in your life, that you can easily move when God tells you too?  I know I don't always.  I think one of the main reasons I don't is because, I'm not sure if the I see the cloud or the fire because I'm looking in all the wrong places.   I look for guidance amongst God's people, I use my intellect and sometimes I'm just guessing.  But how powerful the journey would be for all of us if we just did what we where told, when we where told without delay.  In order to do that one has to be in tuned to hear the voice of God.  We must be in close relationship with Him, if we desire to be guided by Him.   We also need to be prepared at all times to move.  Can you imagine what it must of been like for the Israelites to not know if they would be staying for a long time or just over night.  The faith one must have to believe that God knows best.  

Today, look for God.  He is everywhere because He Dwells amongst us.  Look for Him in the big things and the little things that happen in your day.  I think you will be surprised at the places where you will find Him.  Close by waiting to lead you. 

Follow the cloud of fire............It will never lead you in the wrong direction.

Everything that the devil Stole

I recently got a chance to sing in a choir and I learned a song, by Dorinda Clark-Cole called," Take it Back." My favorite line in the song is Everything that the devil stole, God given it back to me.   This is one of those songs that reminds you that God is in the restoring business.  He knows that we often get discouraged because we feel bad about the things that seem to push us further and further away from HIm.  But I am here to let you know that He loves you too much for you to be separated from Him.  So don't let the enemy convince you other wise.  

It says, in a very familiar scripture in Romans 8:38(NLT) And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love.  Death can't, and life can't.  The angels can't, and the demons can't.  Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away.  

God has the ability to take back all of that heart ache, depression, and broken relations.  He can even take back your self doubt about the dreams He has given you.    So today, don't be discouraged.  Because there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God.   The song goes on to say, Can't have my joy, Can't have my peace, Cant have my faith, I want everything.   So don't let the trials of life steal your joy, peace and faith.   God desires for you to have them and They are yours!!!!!!!

Clarity........And........When did your relationship start?

A few people have asked me, why this is called Tea Cake.   It is not a recipe.  About 2 years ago, I started writing a devotion which was sent to an aol list serve that I started with the help of my sister.  And due partly to the fact that  the Tea in Tea cake stands for Tiffany, and the cake part...... doesn't really stand for much except when I was younger my favorite cookies that my grandmother would make were you guess it, "Teacakes"  so a mixture of my name and my favorite cookie.

What's great about those days when grandma would bake those cookies we would have such a great time.  I would watch her make them, while she sang the hymns as she cooked.  

When I think about those moments it reminds me that we need to get back to the ole days.  When a little girl could sit and hear songs about Jesus.  It was there that I fell in love with Him.  It would take years later for me to develop a relationship.  But it started in that little kitchen in St. Louis.  

When did you fall in love with Jesus?   Singing,"Falling in love with Jesus" Falling in love with Jesus, falling in love with jesus was the best thing I ever ever done...........

Do you see the new thing.......

In Isaiah 43:19, God says " Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.  

Have you been stuck?  Life seems to be going no where fast.  However, it says right in his word that He will do a new thing.   I think all too often that we are just too scared to step out and trust God.  But this scripture is awesome because it says that he will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  What God is saying if you just trust me, I will do the impossible on your behalf.  See deserts are dry land, but if a river runs through the desert there is the possibility that life has a chance to exist in a dry place.   

So as I start this blog and venture into a new journey, it is my hope that not only will we discover God together but we now have a forum where we can dialogue with one another and share with each other.  So here's to doing a new thing.  

What's your new thing, that God's begun.

TS