ARE YOU A LOSER IF YOU ARE A GOOD LOSER?

This is how Cam Newton responded to the media when he was touted as being a sore loser. Interestingly, this was a quote by another football player, Vince Lomabardi, over 50 years ago. 

Cam Newton says that he doesn't like to lose. Who does?

I remember when I was little, I lost a lot. Playing board games with my family; playing card games with my sister; playing baseball games with my friends. I remember I hated losing. I always cried. (Okay, not in front of my friends) But, with my family? Oh, yes. I cried. My dad would always take me aside and give me a fine lecture about being a good loser vs a poor loser...being a good sport, etc. Uh, that wasn't what I wanted to hear. I wanted everything to be fair and I wanted to win! At least sometimes...!

Time after time, dad would take me aside and give me that fine lecture. I loved playing games and was so competitive, but very many times I lost...and cried. My brother nicknamed me, "Cry baby boing-boing" and "Ball-baby blue eyes".

You know what? Those fine lectures (the name-calling was a driving force as well, truth be told) eventually spoke to my heart and I decided that it was, indeed, a good thing to be a good loser. I had to work on it, but began to learn the art of good sportsmanship.

Definition of sportsmanship

1. :  fair play, respect for opponents, and gracious behavior in winning or losing
2. 
   
3. I still love to play games. I still love to win. If I lose, it's not that big of deal. I know that I will win a different time. I congratulate the other players. It's all good.

Am I a loser by doing/showing all of this? I don't feel like a loser. I actually feel pretty good. I'm not all stressed. I'm at peace. Losing does not define who I am. Losing does not make me a LOSER. 

Why am I even writing about this? I guess because the quote really bothered me. I don't believe that you are a LOSER if you are a good loser.You can enjoy yourself more when your opponents, relationships and reputation is more important that your selfish desire to win. 

Maybe, Cam Newton didn't have anyone take him aside and explain the importance of good sportsmanship. Maybe he will learn it as he matures and experiences more loss in his career. Humility is a virtue learned and practiced over and over. 

Humility comes with recognition that things happen outside of our control and with acknowledgement that God is in control. Yes, even in the winning and losing of games...big and small. 

I hope that I will continue to demonstrate gracious behavior when I win or lose at anything in this life, because then God is glorified. People notice the difference. 

GOD IS IN CONTROL

I am in the season of life where my children are preparing to leave the home and many adults that I knew growing up, are leaving this world. Friends are leaving. Many youth and adults are leaving the faith.



Goodbyes. Change. Hurt. Sorrow.

                                             

As the goodbyes bring change, our stress increases. We fight harder for control. We try to steady ourselves with more control. But, the harder we hold on, the less hold we have. Eventually, we turn to Jesus. We cling to Him. As we cling, we often fall prey to false thinking. We think that in our strength and power and control to hold on to Jesus, it will bring about the changes that WE want...that WE think should happen. We forget that it is Jesus who is holding onto us...His power...His control.

We need to keep reminding ourselves of our purpose here on earth. What did God make us for? What did He make me for? To always be comfortable and surrounded by family and friends who love me and serve me and give me what I want? If I had that all the time...what would I need Jesus for? What would be the purpose of heaven? Why would I want to be closer to Jesus? Not, that I want to get closer to Jesus to get what I want, but the hole in my heart that longs for unconditional love and acceptance only comes from Him. People will disappoint us and yes, leave us. 



A mom dies and leaves behind a legacy of love. A baby dies and leaves behind empty hands and hearts. A daughter leaves her family to begin a new life with her new husband and leaves behind memories and hopes fulfilled. A son leaves his family to live his own life, his own way and leaves behind shattered dreams. A dad leaves his family for selfish pursuits and leaves behind buried hurts. Friends come and go like the tide. A new job brings hope and answered prayer. This world has always been and is destined for change. The people living in this world are affected by that change. There is no such thing as status quo any more. 

Fear not, for I have redeemed you,

 I have summoned you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned; 

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 43:2-7

We long for the good to stay and the bad to go. Both good and bad come from these changes. Outward change brings inward change. We need to give and serve others. That's what Jesus did...what He wants us to do. The goodbyes, the hurts, the sorrows, the joys, the hopes...they all play a part in God's plan and purpose to mold us more like Him. As each passing change and each passing year occurs, we begin to look more and more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. And, we become a living sacrifice, a living witness, a living testimony to who Christ is. 

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you:

my soul thirsts for you, 

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life, 

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the

richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Psalm 63:1-5

Psalmliving,

Tamie

LIVING ANSWERED PRAYER

People ask me, "How are you doing?" I answer with a smile on my face, "I'm living answered prayers."

In retrospect, I think we are always living answered prayers: Dad comes home safe from work, cat comes back home, Mom gets organized, car repairs aren't as much as estimate. We live these answered prayers...we thank God...or not...we just move on to the next request. Some prayers are on a different level, though: Salvation, life vs death, spiraling life of rebellion, kidnapping, accident, war, etc.

When these prayers are answered in a way that brings restoration here on earth, these answered prayers are not forgotten or dismissed lightly. These prayers bring such joy and relief to the heart and an overwhelming gratefulness/thankfulness to the Lord that defies words.

I am living answered prayers. It wasn't answered quite like I thought it would be, but are they ever? (For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah  55: 8-9) And, there is still hope for the full answer to the prayer. :0)

What do answered prayers do for us?

•  Answered prayers always give us hope for the future. 
• We learn to trust the Lord on a whole new level. 
• That trust brings peace for the future. The Proverbs 31 woman is quoted as one who laughs at the things to come. (She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25) 
• We show grace and mercy towards others out of our thankfulness to the Lord for His grace and mercy towards us.
• Our love increases and overflows to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. 

My family, together. Husband and wife, through sickness and health, poverty and wealth for (almost) 26 years! And, five beautiful, uniquely-specially- created daughters just for us...well, just for awhile. ;)

"You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings." PSALMliving 23:5

FAMILY

Satan is on the prowl…for my family.

He has been VERY hard at work this past month. He especially worked OVERTIME this week.

Living through the conflict and resolution was exhausting…and took time. We had to STOP and make time to restore, forgive, pray, and eventually laugh together again.

I remember as a young mom hearing that if you train your children to be respectful and submissive to authority, to develop a good relationship with your children, in addition to homeschooling, that you will bypass the hard, rebellious teen years.

Maybe it’s just my family, but we have done all the above and yet, those hard years are pressed upon us. Maybe we did it wrong. Maybe are children are more evil than others? Maybe other families hide it better? Maybe those families will deal with it later in life? Maybe the world is a more evil, different place? Maybe Satan knows his time is very limited and is working HARDER to destroy families on the path of righteousness.

I just recently watched a documentary called, “IndoctriNation.” A film describing how pagan public schools have become and how very few Christian students remain bonded to God through high school. I do see, though, that even homeschoolers have to work to keep their students bonded to God.  We need to find that perfect balance with the use of social media, to keep Satan from forming a stronghold on our children.

Now, in defense of my children, I should say that what I call rebelliousness in our home would not be what others would call it in their home. Our scale of rebelliousness, if you could rate it on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worse, would probably be a 2. But, you see, my expectation was that we wouldn’t have any.

The root of rebelliousness is the condition of the heart…whether it’s a scale of 2 or 10. And, so, we have to make the time to discern that heart, to make a plan, to pray diligently for that heart and soul, to pray with that heart, to hold that heart accountable and to love that hard heart even when it is unlovable.

Because, you know, we as humans are unlovable a lot. God knows this all too well and yet, He provided us with a way to be lovable and love the unlovable…through Jesus Christ. J PTL and AMEN!

We do not have a perfect family. As parents, we are not perfect. Our children aren’t perfect. But we serve a perfect GOD who is mightier than the lion on the prowl. I need to remember that and act accordingly. Satan you’re messing with the wrong children! They belong to GOD, not you! Though God may have my children go through tough times, I am going to do all I can, in obedience to GOD, to help them stay on the path of righteousness!

But let all who take refuge in you be glad: let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

PRINCESS TAMIE

Purity

Our church is preparing for a Beautiful Girlhood for God conference. The basis of this conference is to uphold God's commandment to be honorable and holy in what we do and how we think and how we present ourselves to others and to God.

Today, our pastor spoke about the loss of purity in the church. He spoke to the fathers, but it is throughout the church, mothers, and children! Our children learn it from their parents and their peers and the sinful nature lying within themselves.

In Thessalonians chapter four, we see that God calls us to pursue purity. How do we do this? We need to stay at the feet of the Lord Jesus.

"In thy presence is fulness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasure for evermore." Psalm 16:11

Spend time with Him.

Listen to His voice.

Pour out your heart to Him.

Bask in His presence.

Pursue purity: That means to chase after it. You are running the race of purity. You have to set your heart and mind to it.

"Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe." Proverbs 4:25-26

God set purity as a standard for our safety. Let's stay safe and stick to the path of purity, ladies.

May God give you the strength to keep your mind set on the path of purity. You cannot do it alone, sweet ones. Depend on the Lord for everything!

Princess Tamie

From My Kitchen Window

From my kitchen window, I can watch my children jump on the trampoline. As I go about the kitchen, I periodically look out at them and smile because I know they are having fun. From time to time, they look to wave at me…knowing I’m looking at them. At times, I hear a scream, and I immediately look to see if all is okay. They look to reassure me that all is okay or they start towards me for comfort and care.

When I am away from my children, they don’t like it. My youngest says, “ Mom, I just like knowing you are here, just to see your face.”

We are like that with God, our Father. We don't like it when He is "away" (silent or long in answering a prayer.)

From God’s “window”, he can watch his children as he goes about his business. He can look and smile because he knows they are joyful and at peace. At times, his children acknowledge Him and know that He is watching them. When they are in trouble, He is immediately there to provide comfort and care. We, His children, like it when we know He is present. 

I am so glad that God never has to be "away" from His children. He never has to sleep. He is always on guard and always watching over us, even when He is silent, He is watching...ever aware of us.

It is a comfort to me when I am away (working or carpooling or dating my honey) from my children that He is watching over them.

"¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.'" (Psalm 91:1-2)

"He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." (Psalm 91:4)

I remember decorating a pillow case several years ago. I painted a hen with five little chicks (for my five little chickies) and wrote Psalm 91:4 as a caption. It is such lovely picture of comfort, care, and protection.

From Psalm 91, the four names of God that are used are strong descriptions of who God is:

The Most High (‘elyôn)

The Almighty (shadday)

The LORD or Yahweh

My God (’ĕlōhīm) the strong one.

Psalmliving. There's nothing else like it.

To blog or not to blog...that is the question...

I have read other friend's blogs and have been encouraged and entertained by them. I have often thought how cool it would be to write down my thoughts about this or that. But, several questions come to mind. One: "Who would want to read my jumbled thoughts?" Two: "Do I have time to "blog"?" Three: "What is the purpose of "blogging"?" Four: "To blog or not to blog?" And, so, I have left those questions to themselves for a long time. That is, until this week. I took the plunge!! My answers to the above questions are as follows: One: "I have no idea." Two: "I have no idea." Three: "I have no idea." Four: "To blog." I figured if I blog, maybe the previous three questions will be answered in time. :)

Welcome to my blog of "Psalmliving"! I love the Psalms! I have always loved reading the Psalms, but close to four years ago, they became my constant companion. I was just explaining to another fellow Psalmer* the other day, that any person can read the psalms and have it apply to their circumstance and be encouraged and uplifted in a mighty way. The deep fear, despair, and loneliness that is evident in David's writings resonate with our souls. Each one of us longs for security, hope, and belonging. Once we relate to his words and feelings, David then points us to the answer to all of it...God, the father. I am Pslamliving. I live a real life with real problems and trials and tribulations. If I let them, those feelings of fear, despair, and loneliness could overcome me. BUT, I have Christ in me who has overcome it all. In Christ, I have security, hope, and I belong...I am a child of the KING. 

*Psalmer*: A person who loves the Psalms.

Why BLUE? It is cold outside while I write this, 32 degrees!! Will it snow?