Letters to Christian Women

Upcoming.

tsoutherland — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:13:37 +0000

A change is in the air.

Something new, something amazing is coming. Get ready.

Something has been stirring in my heart for two years, it’s time to hold fast to the Lord for He has given vision to my desires. Very soon this site will be dawned with a new coat, a new style and a content that has been around for two thousand years.

Loving the Christmas Season!

tsoutherland — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:06:00 +0000

It is finally cold in Dallas! I mean really cold. Today I woke up and it was 29 degrees with 20 mph winds. That IS cold. A few days ago I wore a t-shirt and shorts. Today I am bundled up like a little bear ready for hibernation. All this cold weather really gets me into the Christmas spirit! Its like the icing on the cake for a great season!

Our living room tree is finally up! Our gingerbread kitchen tree is finally up! Our mantle is finally decorated! Our bathroom is finally set up complete with Christmas decor! Whew!
Now I can focus on the never ending box mess we still have from moving. Not much is really in its place, but at least our kitchen, living room and guest bathroom are DONE! Now its time to slow it down and enjoy Christ’s season.

One thing I love about Christmas besides amazing overpriced drinks at Starbucks is the music! Many of the Christmas songs are great worship ballads that have powerful stirring your soul qualities. I try to engage myself each season with a great time of worship.
I have finally found a way to channel all my favorites and some new ones on a “channel” via Pandora. Which totally makes my day at the office. I can listen to all of them all day long! Currently I am playing a few favorites!
My Christmas shoes mix:

“I’m in Love with You” by: Joy Williams
“Gloria” by: Watermark ** The whole CD is Amazing!**
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” Christy Nockels
“Here with Us” by: Joy Williams
“Prepare A Place” by: Michael W. Smith
“Mary Did You Know?”
“God is With Us” by: Christy Nockels
“Whole World in His Hands” by: Christy Nockels
“O Holy Night” Josh Groban
“Josephs Lullaby” by: MercyMe
“Messiah” by: Handel

That is just a few that stirr my heart, I hope you have some time to enjoy worshipping our Lord and Savior this Christmas season for it truly is Christ’s season.
Time to slow down, serve others, join in gatherings of family and loved ones and worship our Lord. Take time to savor the season. The season of our Saviour.
For unto us, a child is born…
~Tiffany

Impact

tsoutherland — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Very few times in life and I am blown away by the impact a website can have on lives. www.iamsecond.com is one of those websites. Check it out and let us know what you think and how it impacts your life. Look for the stories that you can relate to and connect with. The stories are powerful but the God of all the stories is even more powerful.

Share this site with as many people as you can, its that good.

Black Friday

tsoutherland — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Why I shop on Black Friday…

Well I have certainly noticed alot of the “Christian online community” folks are somewhat adamant about not shopping and not getting hyped up Black Friday and about the materialism taking over.

Well…to justify the craziness I participated in, here is the rundown.

Why I enjoy being a master of shopping on one day a year?

The early bird gets the worm, that old adage is still ever present on Black Friday. The earlier you are out there the better the deals you can get. (Duh?)

I am a big fan of the home, I mean a big fan! I love decorating, taking care of my husband and being courteous to guests by providing a comfortable and warm environment for people to take rest in. So, this Black Friday I set out on a mission to get some things to better the home, Kohls had blankets for cheap so I was out at 3:30 am to get a nice blanket for our bed.

I arrived in the parking lot at Kohls promptly at 4:00 AM just as the doors were opening. It was a bizarre scene. I have done BF shopping since I was a kid, it was our household tradition to try and get all shopping done in one day and for cheap! I have never scene anything like this though, it was crazy! People were everywhere! By the time I got back to the blankets section I was outnumbered 10 to 1. There were comforters flying over the racks, blankets flying every which way. I dodged a few comforter sets flying at my head twice until the young BF first timer actually pelted me in the head with one. I still say he got lucky on that shot!

Well, the aggravation started then….then I waited in a line for an hour and half to purchase my blankets. An hour and a half. That is nuts! I missed getting in line at another store at 5AM becuase of the massive line I was waiting in! So, I then headed over to Home Depot and had a great spot in line, I was able to get my hubby some great deals on small tools and stuff for our home. We don’t really have any tools of our own and we end up having to borrowing everyone’s tools and being a burden. So, Caleb gets some tools under the tree this year! Yeah!

All in all, we are church planters. We aren’t made out of money! Despite the Texas mentality of “Money does grow on trees in Texas!” We don’t have a moneytree…So we bargain shop, we research deals and sales and then make appropriate purchases that will benefit our home, our family and our church.

Plus we love the thrill of the hunt! ha!

Moving!

tsoutherland — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Ok, over the last two to three weeks Caleb and I have been knee deep in packing, moving and unpacking. Over that time we have moved into a new home! No, its not ours we can’t afford to purchase our own home, but its still a very nice home which will house us for the time being. We have a blessing of a landlord who made the house look amazing for us! It is really alot bigger than our old home…I mean the bedroom you can actually turn around in without hitting someone or something with your leg. I have tons of bruises on my legs from the old house.
So in that I have decided to get rid of alot of junk. We all have so much junk in our lives. It is truly time to consolidate and shrink the mass junk. Over the next couple months I will be cleaning out boxes and junk. I have moved a total of about 8 times in 8 years….which means alot of stuff gets lost and then you buy new. I actually just found an old box from when I moved out in the summer of 2000. Yikes! Moving is never fun for me, its actually very stressful…I am a keyed up personality anyway and when you start moving my “stuff” watch out…it is not a fun expirence! The next move will be easier because I am on a mission of the home: Consolidation!

I think we all could use a little cleansing out of our bodies our minds and our homes. One thing I am constantly reminded of are the foxes in the garden. The foxes in the garden are from the Song of Songs. We need to always be cognizant of what is weighing us down, rearing its ugly head and what is bearing down on our relationship with God and with our spouse and friends.
Some questions to think about: (That I am currently wrestling through…)
~Does TV/Internet usage interfere with our relationships?
~Does having too much junk hinder or help you in your relationships?
~Does our attitude reflect the junk we see on TV, hear on the radio, read on the internet? Or does it reflect a Kingdom attitude? An attitude of obedience? Does your home reflect an attitude of obedience? Do we have a filter to keep the junk out, out of our homes and out of our minds and bodies?
Hum…I need to get rid of the junk!

~Tiffany

UH is growing!

tsoutherland — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:29:00 +0000

To God be the Glory!
We have had multiple visitors come the last few weeks and each week we are seeing Gods growth and transformation! It is such an amazing and blessed event that God is using for His glory! We worship God, we bow before Him and others are joining in our song and story of worship. Throughout recorded human history there are snapshots of worshippers engaged with God, we now get to be apart of that snapshot, that fragment of time when we join the millions who have gone before us, God is glorified and we humbly worship His majesty.
May God continue to grow His Kingdom, may God continue to allow us to be the disciple, the voice, the seed for the Holy Spirit to move on this earth.
~Tiffany

Song of Solomon

tsoutherland — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:28:00 +0000

My wonderful husband Caleb and I just finished the Song of Solomon conference here in Dallas. The speaker at this conference was non other than the Pope himself, Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. The SOS Godfather Tommy Nelson usually does a majority of the SOS conferences but it was a sure blessing to have Driscoll at this one. He brought a little hard core Seattle to soft Dallas-which I think was very needed in our society.
We took a small group from our church plant and by in large everyone had good reviews of the conference. I think we all left with some great applicable questions and goals for our marriages and for some the soon to be marriage. Some of the marriage questions I felt were excellent that everyone can benefit from are:
1. What are the foxes in your garden?
-foxes are little nuisances and annoyances that seek to destroy your garden, ie “marriage bed.”
-example, finances, past history, abuse, annoying behavior by your spouse, chasms, lust, games, food, etc.

2. What can you do to become a servant lover?
-A servant lover with a selfish lover is recipe for a disaster and marriage ending in pain
-A selfish lover and a selfish lover is a drunken train wreck that will ultimately end in pain
-Becoming a servant lover with a servant lover takes time in gathering and cultivating intimacy, protection starting with the mind, soul and then body will create intimacy that allows for a servant lover and a servant lover to be one. The oneness and openness is the ultimate goal.

3. What is needed to become sexually the spouse God designed you to be?
-acknowledgement of sin in your lives
-confession, to God and each other
-repentance, to God and to each other
-restitution, make up for lost time, give back what you took
-perseverance-key to living a full life on earth as a Christian spouse. Persevere even when it is hard and you don’t want to continue, keep going-sin is alive and protect your mind, body and soul from sexual sin and sins of co-mission and omission. Keep on fighting to maintain your marriage. Marriage is hard but can be delighted in with the Lord. Share in the delights with each other, explore your life with your wife and with your husband. Love each other in a serving way. Serve each other, love each other and protect each other, pray for one another.
Love one another as Jesus commanded.
~Tiffany

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

tsoutherland — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Tick Tock, Tick Tock…I can hear your baby clock!??

Yes, someone said that to me this week. Yes, seriously.

Then I was asked today when are you going to have children?

I replied; “well, when God allows.”

I really wanted to say, have you not heard me complaining many mornings that I have too much to do already and I am knee deep in a full time secular job, in the midst of a family tragedy, while trying to hold down my home and help my husband full time with our church plant? I mean really? When in the world would I have time for a baby in that mess? Not to mention we don’t make enough to support a baby!

Without me even saying that she said, “I know you have a ton going on, but don’t deny God.” Don’t deny God? That statement rained down on me like a ton of bricks. In rained down because for one, I really desperately would love to start our family, secondly I know if we wait too long my body physically will not allow us to, thirdly I have chosen to honor God with my life. Her statement somehow felt to me that I was denying God, it bothered me because I don’t deny God. So I was stuck with a dilemma, tell her off, cry or share with her why we have to wait. So I chose to tell her that God makes people wait until things are done according to His will. As much as I really would love to have a family right now I know God has us waiting. For instance, in the Old Testament many of those women had to wait a very long time for God and for their families to start. I told her I was OK with that. I know my husband has our best interest in mind and when he is ready we will start our family.

Several things need to be in place before we could begin our family. We need a stable sustainable income without me having to bear the burden as much, a viable home, not one we rent for a few months, and for things to settle down a little with the church. We are in the throws of the birth of a church, we have great growth going on and are seeing transformations-all this takes time and energy. With Caleb having a staff of himself which does really drain him out I have to help allot more now than I will in the future, but he does have some great men who are stepping up to help lead the church which is helping with the burden.

All these little puzzle pieces are fitting together nicely. Yes, its not always on my time but the pieces are at least making progress. I know this is pleasing to the Lord, I know that God is in control. I know that if God wants us to have a baby we will, I know that God is the Almighty. I know that Caleb and I are already praying for that day when we will meet our baby and our family will be started. I know we are already praying for my health through a pregnancy if I do and am able to get pregnant. I know that God is teaching us through patience and waiting.

I know God, I know He is in control.
So for now, everyone is just going to have to hear my tick tock! (It is reminiscent of the crocodile on Peter Pan when I come near.) Enjoy!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock.

~Tiffany

Like it or not, I don’t care.

tsoutherland — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:04:00 +0000

Speaking of covenant, I found this on the website of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I love it.
~Tiff

Covenant

tsoutherland — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:21:00 +0000

What is a covenant?
Before defining a covenant, I want to relay what it is not.

A covenant is not a feeling. “It just feels right, or I have never felt this before!”
A covenant is not a one time deal. “I am done, I don’t want to do this anymore.”
A covenant is not a circumstance. “I don’t like where we are in life so I will do this
A covenant is not a worldly love. “I just don’t love you anymore.”

A covenant is vow before and to God.
A covenant is a relationship with God.
A covenant is a joining commitment.
A covenant is bound by the parameters of this world and the next.

A covenant is a beautiful and powerful commitment gifted by God to us and with us. God made several covenants in the Old Testament with humans. The Abrahamic covenant, the Mosiac covenant and the Davidic covenant, etc. The most important covenant in the New Testament was the fulfillment of OT prophieses, the covenant with the world through His son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we have life and the promise of an incredible eternity. We are set free.

Now, a marriage covenant is a vow between one man and one woman to stay married to each other before God until death do you part. Thus meaning divorce is not an option. Reconcillation and restoration before divorce, unless your spouse is habitally cheating and will not change.

A marriage covenant is not a feeling, its not an emotion.

What if Christ just decided to tell you one day, I am sorry I just don’t feel like being your savior anymore…Its not working out for me!? What if the God of the universe decided one day to just blow off His relationship with you because you valued watching TV or your dog more than Him?

What if God just forgot to keep His promise to you with His Son? What if God said, “beacuse you did that and said that…I don’t love you anymore?!?” What then?

I am so very blessed to have an amazing relationship with God, I truly desire Him and His path that He has me on. His hand is so welcoming yet so punishing at times when I fall astray. I couldn’t imagine a life without Him. I truly couldn’t imagine a life where God didn’t keep his commitments and His covenants with me. I would not want to live in a world where there were no commitments, no covenants and no relationships worth anything. As a society we need to be vigilant, this is happening in America and in the world we live in. Marriage is just a toy, just lustful sex, just feelings, just emotions. “I love him!” “I want her!” “I have to have her.” “I will have this life with him or her.” There is such an assult on marriage today, beginning with Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” and the feminist movement. Todays assults are based in the media, the images we see, the porn, the magazines, the cheap divorce, the ruthless unsatisfying lives of TV characters, the unrealistic view of a better life with someone else.

What if God said, well today I am going to love on and embrace this other person because I feel like I am just not that passionate with you, I think I have fallen out of love with you therefore I think I can have a better love life with this other person rather than you.
(Yes you laugh, but seriously that is what we look like to God.)

I can not imagine leaving Caleb, just as I can not imagine God leaving me.

Men and women need to fight, a godly marriage is a fight between three, God, your husband, your wife against Satan and against this world. My heart just breaks when I hear of more and more young couples calling it quits because of feelings and or tempermant changes, “he didn’t do this for me, or she doesn’t love me.” A covenant is more than that. A covenant is more than love.

You took a vow before God.
You took a vow before your families.
You took a vow with God
You took a vow with God with each other.

I love and adore my husband and my God. I am glad my husband and I are fighters, I am glad that we took a vow with God and before God.

I am bound to him until death do us part….and I love that.

All this being said, this next weekend is the Song of Solomon conference in our area, Pastor Mark Driscoll or Mars Hill Church in Seattle is going to be one of the speakers and he is amazing. Caleb and I are going through his sermon series entitled, “The Peasant Princess.” The PP is a detailed look at the Song of Songs and the hot covenantal relationship there. It is rather steamy and we give it two thumbs up, please take the time to go through his sermons on marriage, love, relationship and sex and the covenant of God.
http://www.peasantprincess.com/

~Tiffany