Knitting Hearts Ministry on Saturday, February 8, 2020
Speaker: Tammy; Buckner
Written by Sue Sanders
The dining hall buzzed with anticipation as ladies and a few men gathered for today’s program. Festive Valentine’s Day décor covered the tables, and ladies enjoyed the brunch prepared and served by the hospitality team. Joyce Sanders welcomed everyone, opened the session in prayer, and followed it with a blessing. Burt Cousar blew the shofar, and the dance team worshiped to a song imploring Adonai to bless us, keep us, cause His face to shine upon us, look upon us, and grant us His peace. Joyce made announcements, and then Taylor Smith led us in the Word of God confession. Joyce shared the words that the Lord gave her concerning KHM for this year: Alignment, Taste and See, Power of Praise, Authority and Gifts. Joyce shared, “As we come into alignment with God’s purposes for our lives we’ll “Taste and See” that the Lord is good!” Praise is God’s weapon of choice in warfare. God desires for us to walk in the authority of Jesus; knowing who we are in Christ and exercising the gifts He’s given us without fear. “May we go forth with the High Praise of God in our mouths and a two-edged sword in our hands” (Psalm 149:6). We’re not fighting for victory; we are fighting from a position of victory.”
Susan White’s praise team led us in an anointed time of praise and worship. A melody of older worship songs filled the atmosphere with praise and exaltation. We joined in singing: “This is the day the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. I will enter into His gates with praise. He has made me glad. He has made me glad… What a mighty God we serve… Victory is mine. In the name of Jesus, we have the victory. . .Satan will have to flee.” Rejoicing continued as we sang “Hero of Heaven.” The song heralded the Lord as our Deliverer who has been faithful in every storm and will free us from every captive and break every chain. Everyone enthusiastically sang “How Great Is our God.”
Tammy Buckner opened her message with a segment of an old song that has been a favorite of hers for years, “Long and Winding Road.” She mentioned a segment from The Beatles’ song:
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don’t keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door.
Her message focused on the long and winding journey that she and her husband have been on for forty years. She said, “You know a relationship can dissolve quickly or gradually on what seems like forever. Our marriage dissolved slowly as we traveled the long and winding journey.” Tammy excitedly told us that she has recently begun a new job as labor and delivery nurse at McCleod Hospital, and she loves it. She continued their story toward healing and restoration declaring that she and Joey just kept going around the same old mountain for forty years. The mountain of anger, arguments, and miscommunication led to Tammy’s decision that she wanted out of their marriage. She had prayed faithfully for years for rescue and had stayed involved with her church, but emotionally she was done. She wanted out.
She interrupted the details of their journey to highlight how we often wear masks covering up the pain and struggles that we are facing. Our pictures on Facebook glamorize our lives giving a false view of them. She stated, “I looked put together, but our marriage was falling apart.” She shared that Jesus is our Rock, and he wants to set us free. We need to submit to God’s Word and pray. We should not be like Pharaoh and the Egyptians who chose to live with the frogs for one more day.
Tammy had a solid group of Godly women who poured into her, a group of ladies who knew her struggles. She shared that the storms of life can crush us. However, God can turn the crushing into power. God has a divine purpose for our sufferings. She knew the truth: “He was bringing beauty out of the ugly. The crushing revealed the real me.” She admonished the group, “Don’t give up. Remember that David said that it was good that he was afflicted.” Tracy lost a daughter early in their marriage, and she had turned to the Lord. Still, their forty-year marriage was a wilderness journey, much like the one the Israelites endured.
A few months ago, Tammy felt that she could not endure any longer. She wanted out of the marriage. She had decided to share this news with Joey. Before talking to Joey, she decided to talk to one of her soulmates, a trusted confidante. Mandy encouraged her to talk to Joyce Sanders first. She met with Joyce on a Wednesday and began sharing her story. Tammy was shocked when in the middle of her unloading, Joyce said, “Poor Joey. He’s got a spirit of unforgiveness. We have to pray for him.” Joyce instructed her to lay hands on Joey’s head and pray for him. She also told her to pray Scripture over him and pray for him because Joey needed to be set free. Of course, Tammy was somewhat skeptical and concerned about Joey’s response. Fortunately, Joey was open to her praying and reading Scripture, and thus began the road to healing and deliverance.
Shortly afterwards, Tammy got a new study book. Day One’s study was on forgiveness. The Holy Spirit used this lesson to open her eyes to the unforgiveness that she had against Joey. She became free that day when she forgave Joey. She realized that Satan had been the enemy all along, not her husband. She started speaking to Satan telling him, “You have to go because I have to grow.” Tammy has been loosed from her chains and set free. Joey was overwhelmed that Tammy forgave him. She kept telling Joey that he needed to forgive those who had hurt him, and he has. She shared, “We are consistent in our prayer and study time, and I am not leaving MY MAN.”
She closed by communicating why she shared their story. She wanted to be truthful about their struggles because others are struggling as well, and they need hope. She did not want to paint a touched-up version of her life; she wanted to expose the truth to help others become free. Yes, their forty years together has been a long and windy road. The crushing is because God has been working, making her soar. She invited us to fly with her and to trust and obey. She said, “The God who stays. . .stands with open arms.”
The prayer team came forward, and individuals brought their offerings to the baskets. Many came forward for prayer as the praise and worship team sang “Waymaker.”
God is a Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness—Tammy realized that even when she couldn’t see Him or feel Him, He was working. He has never stopped working.
It was evident that God was working as individuals eagerly moved forward for prayer and others ministered around the tables. Yes, our God is still working. What a mighty God we serve.
Hearts United Women's Ministry 