Terrie's Tender Touch

What Do We See in the Mirror? Every day we spend time looking at ourselves in the mirror.   We use it to see ourselves, to make sure things are in place, to apply our make-up, fix our hair, make sure there is nothing in our teeth, see if our tummy shows less with our top tucked in or out…we use it all the time, right?   But, when you look in the mirror what do you see?   I am positive that none of us see ourselves the way others view us.   We look for our own faults, and we tend to be much harder on ourselves than we are on others.   We look so that we can present ourselves to others looking the best we can. I wish there was a mirror for my heart, one that would be honest with me and tell me who I really am on the inside.   See, our hearts are so deceitful; our hearts tell us what we want to hear.   I am pretty sure that my heart can convince me to believe anything that I want so that I can get my own way.   The Bible confirms this in Je...

In God’s eyes, we are little children.  After all, a day with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day…so by that standard, even someone that lives a good, long life – we never even live to be a day old! “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  2 Peter 3:8 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  Mark 10:15 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  Matthew 19:14 Salvation requires child-like faith, upon salvation we are called the children of God.  “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:26 As His children, He wants us to know that we can always go to Him. Now, as moms, let’s think of the things we know about children...

First Things First. That’s the saying, right?  That’s the recipe for success when we start a project and set out to make the plan – we all have heard someone say, “first things first.”  When we want to organize and set up a new home, we use that same phrase.  Sounds almost redundant really, to say first things first – but, there is a reason; we don’t always want to do the things that are most important first – we want to do what we like to do or want to do first.  It is a lesson to ourselves to remind us that the first things we should do, are the things that are number 1 priority. The truth is, we always do first things first.  By that I mean that we always do what is first to us first.  If you want to know what is really first in your life – look at your day, what did you choose to do first?  I believe the real test on seeing what is first is found by our choices.  There are 3 things that motivate or dictate what we do: 1. ...

When birds build their nests, they instinctively know that they will have to build a new nest, or remodel their nest for a place to abide when the birds fly the coupe.  One of the things that many women struggle with is what we call the “empty nest syndrome.”  As an empty nester for over 10 years, I know the syndrome well.  Fortunately, I have learned to build a new nest instead of sorrowing over the fact that my baby nest is empty. I believe that one of the reasons women do struggle so much is because we, unlike our bird friends, do not prepare or even consider that we will have a need for a different type of nest.  From the minute, our babies are conceived they are in our hearts to stay – nothing separates us from the love that we have for our children.  However, every step in life is a step towards our children leaving the nest.          They leave the womb         They sleep in their own beds  ...

How I love God’s Word.  For years I have always considered, believed, counted on, and depended completely on God’s Word – every day for everything. Continuing from my posting yesterday, this year in my goal to “Seek” I have approached my Bible with a desire to truly search and seek God.  Of course at different stages of our lives, and through various paths along our journey as we read the Bible we seek different things, and we view things differently. When I first got saved I sought truth and knowledge.  I wanted to be a good wife, and a good mother, a good church member – and I sought the Bible to help me to try to be all of those things. I wanted to know what the Bible said, and I wanted to learn the truth.  For many years I had an idea about who I thought God was, what I thought He might want, and viewed life on my own terms.  Sadly, I believe that many Christians view the Bible that same way – through their own terms.  More and more I find p...

This year, 2016, my theme, my goal is to “seek” Jesus, the Lord, in everything.  Now, I know that I am a Christian and have sought the Lord for nearly 31 years.  I am thankful that through the years, I have grown closer to the Lord, and He has done so many amazing things in me, through me, and most especially FOR me!  This year, in my “seeking” the Lord has shown me what probably every other Christian knows and I have just been too self-focused to notice.    I am sharing this because it has helped me tremendously and I pray that those of you like me that never “looked” at the Bible through this view may be helped also.  You see, for the first 27 years of my life, I was raised in a religion that never focused on the Bible at all.  It was something that I was never encouraged to read or study, and I was simply told what my religion told me I needed to know about it – and as long as I followed their rules, I would be “okay.”  Then, on May 9, 198...

It seems that so many Christians today want to all but discard the Old Testament.  When we practice a principle, or hold a standard based on verses from the Old Testament we hear, “oh, but that is the Old Testament.”  Yet, in the verses I have quoted below – we see that Jesus taught us that He did not come to destroy the law, but rather to fulfill it.  I believe that teaches us that the demands the law made in punishment were fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross.  However, I believe it also teaches us that while the punishment for breaking the law was paid, it does not mean that we don’t have to observe or obey the law.  As an example, in the law when a child disobeyed they were to be publicly punished, stoned to death.  Now, Jesus paid the death, but God still wants children to obey their parents.   God intends for us to use the Old Testament, because It testifies of Jesus.  The disciples used the Old Testament to preach the gospel an...

2015 was the first year I can remember that God gave me a verse to claim as my theme verse for the year.   Luke 1:38, “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. ”   With that He also gave me a word, “believe,” and a song – “I Believe God.”   Now, I am sure He gave me all of those to equip me as we have stepped out by faith leaving everyone and everything behind us to go on deputation as US Missionary Church Planters!   Over and over again throughout the year the Lord used His Word, His Song, and “Believe” to help and encourage me. Well, now it is 2016 – and I decided that I want a new word.  I spent several days praying about it and asking the Lord to give me a theme word for 2016.  His answer?  Seek!  I spent a good portion of the afternoon yesterday studying the meaning, the several (over 233) times it is used in the Bible, and exactly how and what we are to seek....