Tag: Bible

Christian, dating, Faith, relationships, Uncategorized

Jesus then Jeff

Tatum Berry

This story begins during my college days. College was an interesting season in my life. I had great friends, lived in one of the most beautiful parts of Texas, spent most weekends floating the river, and I did well in school. On the other end of the spectrum, I had a constant feeling of emptiness that I tried to fill up with partying, attention from guys and an eating disorder. I was desperate to find the guy I would marry and be able to start creating a life with. This desperate search for love and acceptance didn’t go over well. I was looking for love in all the wrong places and didn’t hold very high standards for myself. Because of my past, I felt like I was damaged goods and believed I didn’t deserve the best in a relationship. This quest for love turned into a cycle of rejection and heartache that made me feel less and less worthy.

One day I had an emotional breakdown in my car. I felt so alone, hopeless and empty. I knew I was done living the way I had the past 3 years. I cried out to God for the first time and asked him to take away my pain. He was there immediately. I didn’t hear an audible voice or see an angel, but I felt the presence of God so strongly in my little car. I felt surrounded by His love, and a sudden peace came over me. I promised God in that moment that I would stop trying to pursue relationships with guys and I would start getting to know Him. That very weekend I found a church to go to all by myself. Seeking a relationship with God turned out to be exactly what I needed. My emptiness was filled up by the love of my Savior. God built me up and showed me that I was worthy, I was loved, and to Him I was precious. 

A few months later my mom was going on and on about this guy my parents had met at our family Thanksgiving.  She kept saying that there was something different about this guy and I just had to meet him. At this point I was still swearing off men and really didn’t think letting my mother set me up was the key to happiness. Turns out, my Mom is always right…. We were traveling up to Cheyenne, Wyoming to watch my dad rope at Frontier Days. My mom kept on me that I should meet up with Jeff while we were there. I finally gave in and messaged Jeff (who had been sending me messages since Thanksgiving) to let him know we would be in town. He quickly replied with a rendezvous spot for that very night.  

My sister and I drove over to the Albertson’s parking lot Jeff had requested we meet him at. I was very skeptical as we pulled in. Jeff was already there and stepped out of his truck with a big grin as we parked. I know it sounds weird, but I could tell from the moment we made eye contact that this was the man I was going to marry. It was like God was telling me Jeff was the reason all those other relationships didn’t work. It wasn’t because there was something wrong with me; it was because God had someone so much better in mind. God knew I needed to find Him before I would be ready to find the man he had planned for me. God waited on me through all of my mess. He never gave up on me and He was there with open arms when I came running back to him.

God’s plan is always better than our own. Your story may look very different then mine in the end, but one thing will always be true. God will never give up on me or you.

Spoiler Alert: Jeff and I didn’t ride off into a beautiful sunset of a courtship. We had heck working out our differences and making it through a long distance relationship. The story just begins here, come back next week to see how it all went down. 

Have a blessed week friends,

Uncategorized

Tatum’s Translation

Tatum Berry

Who else loves the footnotes in your bible?  Anytime I stumble over a line that doesn’t make sense or a term I don’t know the definition of, the footnotes are there to give me an explanation of what I just read. I thought it would be a fun idea for me to create my own version of footnotes for the last section of Romans 12. I have notes from different sections of the bible that I have studied in the last five or so years. It is so interesting to go back and look at my summaries and compare the differences in my thoughts from then to now. I thinks it awesome how God grows and matures us as Christians. My discernment of God’s word has grown so much from the baby like understanding I had in the beginning. I think it will be interesting to go back in a few years and read these blogs to see how I’ve grown in wisdom and understanding, and what things still ring true. So here it goes, my first attempt at a “Tatum’s Translation” Bible commentary. (I’ll type my words in blue) . I hope you enjoy.

Romans 12:9-21 NIV

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

You can’t fake it, love for real.  Pray to be more like Jesus- the one who loved perfectly. Hate the Devil and all of his dirty schemes. Cling to good. Cling to God. Hold on for dear life to His promises and to His goodness. Look for His light everywhere and when you find it soak it all in. Devote yourself to loving others. Focus more on the needs of those around you than your own. Be humble and praise others freely.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Don’t half-(you know what) your way through life, be tenacious in your quest to serve the Lord. Hustle! Let the hope of the Lord’s promises be your joy. When times are hard be patient and keep your eyes on the Lord. Draw near to God by staying in constant prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. That means give them your time, your prayers, and your money— don’t just talk about it. Care for others, invite them over, feed them, learn more about them, find out if they know Jesus. If they don’t know God it’s your job to teach them through your words and actions.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.

Be kind to everyone, even the people who aren’t nice to you. Bless the bully’s. This is easier said than done, but be loving even when it’s hard. Your light shines bright for Jesus when you are able to bless and love people in difficult situations. Celebrate with the happy; cry with the brokenhearted. Do everything in your power to get along with everyone around you. Don’t be a problem starter; be a peacekeeper. 

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Don’t be “too good” for anyone. Be friends with everyone around you. Jesus was friends with the outcasts; you should be too. Two wrongs don’t make a right. If someone hurts you do not try to hurt them back. Always find a way to do the right things because you never know who is watching and learning from you. You are a reflection of the God you serve. Go to Him for strength to rise above conflict. Do whatever you can to live at peace with everyone. 

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Revenge is not your job. Leave that part up to God. Love your enemy and care for them. Think of how much it confuses the Devil when you trade love for hate. That is a victory in itself. God will take care of the rest. Fight evil with good. 

That is the end of the breakdown of Romans 12. Did you enjoy my favorite chapter? If I had only one chapter of the bible to use as a manual for how to live my life, Romans 12  is what I would chose. I may not have a future in bible commentary, but I sure enjoyed pretending. I hope you all have a wonderful first week of May. We are buckling down for what I hope is the last snow storm of the season. Check out the adorable picture below of my girls and their cousins Vivian and Max that was taken at the Berry Branding this past weekend.

God Bless you all,

Tatum

Christian, Faith

Studying the Bible….where to begin.

Tatum Berry

It’s the morning after Valentine’s Day as I sit here writing this post. Time is moving so quickly. My babies are growing fast. Life feels like a whirlwind, leaving me scrambling to get from one place to the next. I feel the world’s pull on me to do more, to be more. The weight of all my responsibilities build up, And I feel like I can’t keep up.

Then I walk away for a moment, and I open God’s word. The never ending cycle of life’s obligations come to a stop for a few minutes, while I seek wisdom from the perfect words of my savior.

My time with God has not always felt this way. In my early days of becoming a Christ follower, I would open the Bible and be so confused by the words. The Bible seemed too thick, too complicated, and to be honest, too far fetched for me to understand. That is when I learned about the power of Holy Spirit. I would pray for the spirit to give me wisdom and discernment to understand what I was reading. Once I had the help of the Spirit I started to better understand. Messages started to come out of the pages that were so applicable to my every day life. I believe the gift of discerning and understanding the Bible is available for anyone who asks for it. Once you have it, you will not believe the way the Bible comes to life.

The other thing I had trouble with when I first began studying the Bible, was knowing where to begin. My personality caused me to always want to begin at the beginning, in Genesis, therefor there are numerous times when I would set out to read the Bible cover to cover only to get lost and distracted before I reached Exodus, the second book.

My advice for beginners would be to start in the New Testament. The first four books are accounts of the birth, life and death of Jesus written from four different perspectives. They are easy to read and understand, especially with the help of Holy Spirit. These first four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John contain the actual words of Jesus. His words are written in red. We have the actual words of our Savior to read and learn from, that in itself is an amazing gift.

When shopping for a Bible there is no shame in finding a version that is easy to read. I would still be lost if I was trying to use the King James version. The version I use and love is the NIV Study Bible. There are many different versions out there to choose from. Lots of these contain commentaries and resources on every page to help you better understand what you are reading. I think the next Bible I buy will be “the Message” version which is probably the closest in translation to our present way of speaking.

That reminds me, a must have for new readers is the YouVersion Bible app. This app is so handy. I prefer doing my daily studies in my real bible that I can hold, but anytime I don’t understand what I am reading, I can pull up my App and read that section in different translations until it makes more sense. The You Version app also is full of reading plans based on topic or plans for reading the Bible cover to cover. It is really an awesome resource!

I know this post may seem elementary and may not apply to everyone that reads, but I truly believe there is upmost importance for every single believer to become experts on the book God has written for us. We must learn for ourselves what God wants to teach us, not just hear secondhand somebody else’s interpretation. Paul tells the Philippians they must “work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,”

Philippians 2:12-16

So I urge you to take responsibility. Make it your mission to not only read the Bible, but to know it. Your very salvation, and the salvation of those you love depends on it.

God Bless,

Tatum

Christian, Faith, Uncategorized

I’m a blogger…now what.

Tatum Berry

Today I want to get a little deeper with you guys. Now that you know a little more about me and have heard a small part of my story let me get real with you.

I’m scared….

I’m terrified that now that I have stepped into my calling, I might fail.

There is a chance that I could start this blog in all the excitement of something new and promising, only to lose interest and drop it like I’ve done with so many things before. I could let God and all the people who have reached out to support me down. I might drop the baton or fall flat on my face. Negative thoughts keep creeping into my consciousness. The worst of them being that nagging voice telling me I’ve been here before and I have given up.

The painful truth is: that voice isn’t lying.

I have taken a step out into my calling then promptly taken three steps back when I realized just how uncomfortable it is to be out of my “comfort zone.” I have heard God call and I have chosen not to answer. I have let the enemy’s deceitful, yet well devised attacks derail my progress. Yes, I have started races and chosen to quit in the middle.

But this time is different.

God has been preparing me for this my entire life. I now understand that every set back was actually a set up. God knew I would get knocked down a few times, but he also knew I would get back up. He saw me defeated, but knew victory was in my future. He will use my story for His glory!

I take the responsibility of living out God’s will for my life very seriously. I know that I am traveling down a narrow path, and it will be no surprise when trouble meets me along my journey. So, what is different this time? Now, I know how to fight! I also know who is fighting on my behalf.

I will put on my armor.

I will rest assured that with God, victory is already mine!

Below, I am going to list some powerful scripture that I have used to draw strength from and understand the battles I am facing.

Enemy’s attack’s:

1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefor to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Trouble is inevitable:

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Courage:

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The Armor of God:

Ephesians 6:13-17

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Victory:

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on into completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8: 37-38 “No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I hope you realize that although I am confident in my God, there are times I doubt my qualification for the roles God has called me to fill. However, I take heart in looking back on my journey and on how far God has brought me. In Christ all things are possible. We just have to hold on to His promises and do our best to courageously enjoy the ride!

Peace and blessings,

Tatum

Faith, Uncategorized

Letting me go.

Tatum Berry

C0D41F86-ACFD-4EBF-81CF-F73FC32608E2It’s hard letting go of the old you.

It’s hard letting go of the people that loved the old you and don’t understand the new “Christian” version you are working so hard to become. I’ve lost friendships, I’ve experienced resistance and disappointment from family members. I’ve had to let go of parts of myself that felt so genuine towards who I am at my core, but didn’t line up to God’s expectations of who I am as His daughter. I’ve had to teach myself how to navigate social situations without the “liquid confidence” that I once relied on. I’ve had to learn that being the slurring, stumbling life of the party isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and just because a group of people begged me to to show up for their entertainment didn’t mean they loved or cared for me the next morning when I sobered up. Giving my life to Jesus was the best decision I have ever made, but it has also been the hardest. Heck, there were even a hand full of times growing up that I became a Christian, the easy way. I asked to be saved and professed my love for my savior, and then went back to life the next Monday like nothing had happened. That was easy. It felt good. But it wasn’t real. 

You know it’s real, when it’s hard. 

Matthew 5:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” 

85BA9C4B-A9BB-40CD-BA93-806A68288DB5When you give your heart to Jesus and commit your life 100% to living for him, trouble will come. The enemy hates this more than anything, and he will devise a battle plan to hit you where it hurts the worst. But you must press on! You may lose your best friend, you may lose the support of close family, you might be tested in every area of your life, but guess what? God is going to fight every single battle with you. He will meet you every morning. He DELIGHTS IN YOU when you come to him exactly as you are, no make-up, crazy hair, sleep still in your eyes, guzzling a cup of coffee. He is DELIGHTED to be with you. Pretty soon you start seeing glimpses of the absolute beauty of His plan. His will for your life reveals itself slowly and carefully and the goodness and the peace of it will transform you. 

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve God’s will. His good pleasing and perfect will. 

 So look around sweet sister, it might seem like everything is falling apart, you’ve lost some people who didn’t love the real you in the first place, you’ve got some big battles up ahead you’re going to have to fight, but take heart. 

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 You’ve got a God that wants to walk beside you down the narrow path, and if you look hard enough you realize that there are plenty of people (myself included) looking for a tribe to travel through this crazy life with. Hold on tight to God’s promises and the people who want to be there to cheer the real you on as you travel your unique road. 

God bless you my friend,

Tatum