Meet Tara

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think....(Eph.3:20)
We serve a God of FAR MORE beloved.

Somewhere along the way, whether by fiery arrows of doubt and fear from the enemy or by our own insecurities; this truth becomes threatened.

We begin to think small. We begin to ask for little. We begin to tell ourselves to settle for less. We may even begin to think that we are hoping for too much.

Ah, what welcome relief to know that we serve a God who is able to do far more, abundantly than all we ask or think.
And the cherry on the top is the next verse: “According to the power that works within us!”
When you follow Jesus and His Spirit comes to live inside you, you have this same power, the power that raised Jesus from the dead. That’s no small thing friend.
So let’s dream with God. Let’s set our minds on things above rather than the earth. Let’s ask and seek and knock and do it all for His Glory.
#seekandsavorpodcast #hopeforthefuture #renewyourmind ...

Have you ever found yourself holding your breath, not even aware you were?

Maybe you are anxious about all the things staring you in the face.
They may even be accompanied by the potential threats of what could happen tomorrow .
 It’s hard to follow the instruction not to worry about tomorrow.
 And yet God’s word doesn’t just say. DON’T WORRY for tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.
He tells us what to do instead.
Today’s episode of the Seek and Savor podcast is, “In Need of Joy.”
We don’t just talk about needing it. We look at God’s word for instruction on how to attain it.
Find the link to listen in my bio. #seekandsavorpodcast #findingjoy #womenoftheword #christianpodcast ...

I sat in a room this week where we talked about obedience coming from a place of love.
And I remembered a simple prayer I have prayed for years, “Increase my love for you, Father.”
It is a prayer I have prayed on repeat.
Then today God took me back to a little swing I sat on beside a lake in Minnesota. I was a young college student with a freshly broken heart and God’s presence with me on the swing that day was tangible.
He was tending my heart while also inviting me deeper.  
All these years later I am so grateful for his invitation to go deeper, and to remember we don’t have to do any of this alone.
I am human and I forget.
 Sometimes my heart defaults to fear or anxiety.
I forget the invitation.
 But I believe that simple prayer to increase my love for Him has been guarding my heart all along.
When I forget I’m not alone He reminds me.
When life feels unbearably hard, He lifts my chin and says, “ Lift up your eyes beloved.”
 When I am walking in times of answered prayers, surrounded by love He calls me to notice it.  
Love for Him increases in my heart and I am compelled by His love to continue this obedience journey.
 I am compelled to follow Him.
“I love those who love me and those who diligently seek me will find me.”
Prov. 8:17
How have you seen God pursue your heart?
#drawmedeeperlord #liftupyoureyes #seekandsavorpodcast #renewyourmind ...

It was just a couple of years ago, but I still remember it.
She told her mama that Nana had to have this even though they had already bought me a present. Her mama obliged.
 
It was a necklace that said two words, “Immeasurably More,”
A lump rose in my throat as I opened it.
 
My heart needed  those words.
It needed to remember that while I “lift up my eyes,” I also need to remember that God is able to do immeasurably more than I can find the strength to ask for or even imagine.
This is for you too friend.

Our God is for us.
His book is a love story.
Sit down, and invite Him to speak to your heart.
You are dearly loved.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen
Eph. 3:20,21
#seekandsavorpodcast #heisforyou #renewyourmind #rejoicealways ...

This week I was reminded that often beauty and devastation go hand in hand. As I walked around my neighborhood I marveled at the trees glistening as if they were covered in diamonds. I also mourned the massive trees lying on their sides,roots lifted in the air.
The longer I walk this earth I see how much we can learn that it is possible to hold both. It’s not only possible, good can come from it.
Today’s episode of the Seek and Savor podcast is a reminder that we can still find beauty in the middle of broken places.
Are you looking beloved? Comment link if you want to listen to this 8 minute episode. Save to remind your heart. ❤️ ...

I like to think of joy as that feeling of bubbling mirth that just wells up inside us and spills out of our mouths in trickles of laughter.
And it can be.
I have memories of time spent with family sharing stories, reliving the past punctuated by outbursts of laughter.
What has joy looked like for you?Do you have memories reuniting with loved ones you haven’t seen in a while?
Your heart feels like it may burst when you open the door and they walk into your arms.
You are overwhelmed with joy.
This may surprise you but I have also found joy when life has so wearied me with its storms I find myself stumbling to the Word.
Out of sheer desperation I gather it up close.
Glancing down at the page the words seem to leap off of it and down into the soil of my heart and I feel seen.
The God of the universe sees us friends.
He knows us.
Those words written so long ago were written for us, for such a time as this.
Our hearts begin to fill with deep joy, as we remember He is with us.
It’s as if our very soul splits wide open with a grin and His Joy becomes our strength!
What brings you joy friend?
#joyoflife #givethankstothelord #rejoicealways #wordofgodspeak ...

What encourages you to keep going friend?
Is it setting goals?
Is it words of affirmation?
I was thinking about how hard it can be to persevere when life feels hard.
When all we want to do is REST…
And I had a memory come back to me.
I was in high school in the middle of a track meet.
I wasn’t fast. A sprinter I was not.
No, the mile was my race.
I never considered myself a runner, just someone who could endure.
But as I remembered circling the track I was taken back to the stretch of turf that ran in front of the home crowd.
You know, the one right before the finish line.
And, I remembered instead of slowing down because I was tired and it was near the end of the race, I actually ran faster.
I had a bit of a kick at the end.
You see, it didn’t matter that my body was tired.
I had witnesses. All my friends and family were cheering me on!
I wanted to give it everything I had to finish well.
Guess what!
We have that still.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.(Hebrews 12:1)

So friends, let us lay aside or throw off every weight be it sin, or sorrow or heaviness or fear and let us RUN.
* Save for the days you feel weary.❤️
#seekandsavorpodcast #rejoice #finishtherace #hopeforthefuture ...

Sometimes, we just need to step away and remind ourselves that our God knows all that is troubling our souls and He has not given us over beloved.

For me that often looks like walking.
After I walked this beautiful farm I sat on top of a hill and witnessed the ever changing sky. Minute by minute the colors changed, chasing each other until even the lavender faded to black.

It reminded me that everyday he goes to great lengths to show us He is present. We can either stop and notice or continue on, overwhelmed by what our feelings are speaking to us.

He is for you beloved!
How do you press pause and remind your soul this is true? ...

I love this sweet reminder I stumbled across one day, that joy is found in His Words.

Although I often look for joy in so many other places, no one else’s words have the power to remake me.

Like a surgeon’s scalpel they can precisely strike the place in my heart that is believing something other than the truth.

And when His Word replaces that old lie, new life springs up and with it comes joy!

Oh that we would go to your Word FIRST, when all is not well, Lord! Gives us a hunger for it, so that it becomes our joy and delight!
#itiswellwithmysoul #onethousandgifts #seekandsavorpodcast ...

Many of us have been asleep.
We literally are moving from one day to the next, our schedules filled from morning til night with things for us to do.

We try to make our lives here as comfortable as they can be.

But God’s word says, to be on your guard, instead of asleep to stay alert and clearheaded.
He calls us to
prepare our minds for action and exercise self-control.

The enemy of our souls would have us remain asleep. He would have us believe that the action we might take surely can’t make a difference, so why try.

We have a choice whose voice we heed beloved.

Join us for today’s episode of the Seek and Savor podcast, “It’s time to wake up.”

This is one you might want to save/share.
Find it at the link in my bio.
You are here… today…. for such a time as this. ❤️
#wakeupnow #liftupyoureyes #seekandsavorpodcast #christianpodcast ...