Tina The Storyteller

This week I'm thankful that last week is over! Oh my word! What a long and fun filled week it was but that doesn't mean that my butt isn't still dragging. I'm thankful that even though my house is a mess, I have the opportunity to get it clean and tidy today. I'm thankful for an amazing husband that listens to all my crazy dreams and occasionally entertains one or two of them. I'm thankful for a daughter that doesn't keep everything to herself. I'm thankful for work that provides purpose as well as free time. I love the freedom that I've been given to write and share about the gospel online as well as the ability to continue to care for my family and our home. I'm thankful for the ability to pray and the honor to do that for dear friends and family and those that we connect with in this world. What are you thankful for today?

Week 5, can the tongue be controlled? Study Question for week 5: We all stumble in many ways. Have you ever let the fear of failure stop you from doing something that you're called to?  Is there something in your life right now that you need to take more seriously? Teachers are judged more harshly but we're all called to be good stewards of our time and gifts. Are you using your gifts to the best of your ability? Horses are led by a bit but it doesn't mean that they won't reject a harsh master. Are you allowing some small event, emotion, or slight to direct the course of your life? Can you get back on course by giving the reigns over to God? The tongue is something that can easily set fire to a situation. Has your tongue ever got you in trouble? Have you ever used your words to purposely hurt someone that you love? It can be difficult to mend those broken relationships but it is possible. Even if that mending is one sided. If you can, forgive yourself and...

There's a little irony in me posting this today. Mainly the one of me contemplating how exactly I will use my time this day. This isn't about Bible study, it's about time with God in general. But any Bible study can be a small part of that. Here are three magic steps I've discovered to make time: 1. You have to look at what you gain and not what you're giving up. The worst part about this particular aspect of the magic is that you really have no clue as to what you're going to gain. Especially if you've never had a consistent time reading scripture. I can tell you from my experience that some of the things that you will see an increase of are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That last one is the best. 2. You have to be consistent in where you try to create it. If you go about trying to make time whenever you can find it, you'll never find it. You have to look at your schedule and decide w...

Week 4 and we're looking at the idea of faith without works. Study Questions for week 4: What is faith?  Is there a difference between belief and faith?  Ergon is the Greek word for work/deeds. You can check out the definition for it through this link .  http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/ergon.html What is your daily work?  Does your work express your faith? Colossians 3:17 says "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Do you feel like your work is for God's glory? If not, what can you do to change that? James says in verse 17 that faith without works is dead.  Do you believe that your work can lead to either life or death?  Is wisdom the key to knowing which path is which?  Abraham and Rahab were given as examples of faith that also had works that lead to life. What other people in the Bible or in your personal life...

I'm thankful for a lot of stuff this week, so I'll just share a few. I'm thankful for my amazing husband that is a faithful worker, getting things done at his job and then coming home and taking care of life here, too. I'm thankful for homeschooling and the time that it gives me to be with my daughter and allows us to talk. I'm super thankful for Hannah and all her teenage angst. I'm thankful for my sweet, beautiful mama and the last couple of days I have left to scare her as if I were work calling. I'm thankful for short walks with the dog, who's really just interested in leaving the yard for awhile more than the exercise. I'm thankful for all of you, that make this blog such a fun place! What are you thankful for?

I know that this is a kid's Bible, but seriously, I think I'm keeping it for me. I have reviewed several children's Bibles over the years and most of them have been some form of a current fad or really geared towards younger readers with a very small age group that it will work for. Meaning that kids will easily outgrow them. This particular Bible I think can last a bit longer than the average kid's Bible because the thing that makes it different is the thing that also bridges the gap. It's the standard NIV version of the Bible with various study notes throughout. The colors and images are visually appealing, but beyond that the images also make some of the things happening in scripture much easier to understand. For instance, this passage from Second Kings does a great job of explaining the difference between how the divided kingdoms played out for the people. If you have a young person or if you yourself are a visual learner, this Bible is worth picking...

Week 3: Favoritism, judgment, and mercy are on the agenda! Study questions for week 3: What does favoritism mean to you?  Do you find yourself judging people based on the outside? What other ways do you see favoritism in your life? What is the opposite of favoritism? How would that look in your daily life? Do you consider yourself a law breaker? Is there a difference between willingly breaking the law and breaking it because you aren't aware of the law?  Not being aware of the fact that the speed limit doesn't prevent you from getting a ticket. Since we're now aware of the law to love our neighbor, even the ones we hate, what is our responsibility to that law?  In the story of the good Samaritan, we see that the person who was in need of help had to accept it from someone that he hated. Think back in your own life to a time when someone that you didn't like surprised you by being kind or helping you out.  How did your relationship with that ...

The question for this week comes from Karen in our Facebook community . She asked, "How do we know when to persevere and when God is telling us the door is closed so move on?" I was super excited about this question and immediately sat down and pounded out over a thousand words on my computer. Got to the crux of answering the question at that point and decided to sleep on it. The next morning, I woke up with a passage from Psalm 37 on my mind. Check out the video below to hear how I answered it with that Psalm in mind. If you get this blog post via email, you can access the video online at  https://youtu.be/3FvHdIVdej0 Leave your questions in the comments!

I read the introduction. I don't normally do that, but I'm glad I did because I went and got a fresh journal and fun pen before I started diving into the chapters. There are nineteen chapters that cover all the basics that anyone would need in order to build their confidence level by a little or a lot. I enjoyed Williford's voice throughout the book. It really did feel like we were sitting down together having a warm cuppa across the table from each other. There were several times that I was surprised to read someone so clearly speaking my language. And I don't mean that she spoke to me, I mean she literally used my language, words, and phrases, it felt like finding one of my people! I loved journaling through the different chapters, really taking the time to explore the ideas that Williford was presenting and allowing them to either take root or float away as needed. Mostly, this book was like one of those encouragement cards that you see in the store. The problem w...

Week Two! We're talking about anger and being a doer of the word. I may have made that word up, but I like it. Study Questions for Week 2: Are you quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry? What would life be like if you listened twice as long and talked half as much? Anger can take over our lives because it's sticky like pine sap.  Have you allowed anger to determine how you treat someone? Is there something you can do this week to start working towards forgiveness?  Are you angry with God because of something that didn't turn out the way you expected? Don't just let this one slide on by, take a moment to really examine your life and to think about the things that you wish had turned out differently. Are you holding God accountable and withholding your love because of it? What are some instances in scripture that involve God being slow to anger ? Are you thankful that God doesn't have a short fuse?  Are you quick to anger? D...

Today, I'm super thankful that it's Thursday because that means that I've made it through another week! I'm thankful for my hard working husband and the fact that he actually took Monday off! I know, minor miracle! I'm thankful that even though our daughter has been a little under the weather, she is still pleasant to be around and doing all her chores. I'm thankful for all the ladies that are taking part in the James Bible study this summer! It's been amazing to see who God has brought together. And this is something just a little silly but true. I'm thankful for my Norwex mop. Seriously! I used to dust mop every week and then wet mop on occasion, a rare occasion actually because it was a process. I had to find the spray bottle, make sure everything was clean and then mop. The fact that the Norwex wet mop just has to be rinsed with clean water and I can throw it in with my other microfiber load means that I'm wet mopping practically every ...