Lioness Arising... A rising is coming!

This is for the ladies! I couldn't let this post go. I found it while searching through my main blog, Reflections! I was sharing a blog about a book that I read back in 2013 called Lioness Arising, by Lisa Bevere. https://amzn.to/3ztOaUU  I have a picture of it underneath this post. Let me know what you think! This book was amazing and I learned so much about how beautiful the lioness is, and how they work together to protect their tribes. We as parents have "tribes" to protect and we can't do it alone. We need other mamas in our lives that can help carry the burden and the blessings of this thing called motherhood.

I love this book!! I'm learning so much from it!! This morning, I learned that lionesses raise their young together!! This was really beautiful to me because I've always dreamed of that! I always wanted to raise my children with sisters in Christ!! Lionesses learn to work together and that is so encouraging to me!

In our ministry, God has been moving in all of our hearts like crazy! We find ways all the time to support each other in whatever way we can! Last Thursday night, my husband and I were supposed to go the vision dinner at church. But what God placed on my heart was too real for me not to share it with our ministry family. We changed the plan for the night and hosted Sleepwaker instead!! It still amazes me what God has formed in us! We are really a family going through this journey of life together! In this Family you can be real. You don't have to perform for us to love you; you just be who you are. We laugh, we cry, and we grow together. I miss these gatherings very much and would love to continue opening our home for these ministry experiences! To our Sleepwaker Family, we miss you!! We are so blessed to have been a part of what God is doing in all of our lives with you!! 

Much like my lioness sister, the pride sticks together! Just like our ministry is close, the lionesses are constantly working together to protect the pride cubs. In our ministry, we have lion cubs to protect. As the sole lioness in the ministry, I will protect the cubs, so to speak. There will be more "cubs" in the future of our ministry family, and every single one needs protection! My prayer is God rises up more lioness sisters in this ministry so we can protect each other's "lion cubs." The time to learn from these majestic creatures is now!! I pray that we all have lioness sisters that will help us raise our lion cubs to be mighty lions and lionesses with a loud roar! Join the call!

Also the strategy of the lioness hunt fascinates me. Lionesses hunt together! When they are ready to hunt, they strategically place themselves to be ready for their role in the hunt. One lioness scares the impala, another is nearby, and yet a third is close in range. You see, they feed the same pride, so they all have some significant role in providing for their cubs. No one role is any less significant and they will change from time to time. 

I'm learning not to fear the power God has placed in me! I'm learning that I am needed for the hunt! I play a significant part in the success of the hunt. You do too! 

Dear lioness sister will you take your post? Will you join the force of rising that is coming? The world can not wait! It needs your heart, hands, feet and mind to act in the authority given to you by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Himself! Rise, my beautiful lioness sister and stand full in the power you own inside of you! The future of the lion pride depends on it! Be blessed my sister! 

From our Pride to Yours! 

Tina Martina Putney

40 Day Sugar Fast

I have been starting off the year with a 40 day Sugar fast for 4 years now. Each year I develop more self control around eating sugar, but this year was the most powerful! This was the year I had Wendy Speakes' 40 Day Sugar Fast book! https://amzn.to/2Sr9euD day we have a chapter to read full of scripture and Wendy's heart for women to break free of their various coping methods! This book has helped organize my thoughts and experience through the 40 days. We also have a Facebook group that is full of encouragement and Facebook lives from Wendy and other friends.This year, I focused on my explosive anger. It’s the part of me I try my best to not come out, but parents, I think you know what I mean when I say some days are just harder then others to keep ourselves regulated. 

I have a better handle on it, but I still struggle with criticism and fits of anger. It’s the thorn in my side Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12: "I have been given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My Grace is sufficient, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Did you catch that?

In my last blog post I introduced the concept of being Laced with Grace. It does not matter what you did, what’s been done to you, what you haven’t done; God’s Grace covers you just like wings or a blanket. When He looks at you and Satan taunts Him that you are not to be forgiven, he simply smiles and says, “That one is mine!” I love the picture of God accepting me, despite my angry reactions. He does the same for you. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Nothing at all can separate us from the love of God. Once you’re chosen, that’s it. Once you accept Him, He will never let you go! It’s our choice. He will do whatever he needs to do and extend every bit of Grace possible, and in the end it still comes down to a choice. He’s done the covering, He’s done the work, you get to choose.

How have I changed during this sugar fast? I had a lot more self control over my desire for sugar. Of course, it hasn’t been about sugar for me. I realized that no matter what my response to anxiety, anger an stress was, I was covered. God wasn’t disappointed with me. He was simply and gently leading me to healthier responses. 

Like I’ve said previously, my parenting shifted, what I learned is becoming effective for my family. I am training to be a Certified Parent Coach! I wish to lead other families to heal and grow also. The other night I cried myself to sleep. I so deeply feel the bondage Satan has over families and I can’t stand idle anymore. God is calling me and I am joyfully answering the call!!

It's going to be hard. I may run into opposition and, when I think about my life, I have never had it “easy.”  I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can touch others with my story and offer hope to those in the thick of the parenting journey where parents need the most love and guidance! I’m so excited to begin this journey! 

He has also called me to write more, and revamp my Inspirational Devotions page to Inspirational Devotions/Laced with Grace. The central message I want to deliver is we are ALL covered under His Grace! Hear me dear reader, you can "not believe" all you want, you can be mad at Him, you can even doubt He exists, and yet YOU are STILL covered in Grace! Grace is for everyone! I’ve been encouraged and inspired through this journey and now is the time to share it! 

I believe God gave me the story He did so I could make a difference. I am a living, breathing testimony to God's amazing Grace! I want to hear from you! I am asking you to share your story about your transformation! If you want to encourage others and feel comfortable, please send me an email or message me through Facebook. I encourage you to check out my Facebook page Inspirational Devotions/Laced With Grace! I'm also on Instagram @lacedwithgrace3. 

This fast has been like no other! It’s taught me many things, mainly how to give myself grace when I fail to represent Him well to my people. I am human, after all, and so are you! God does not want you perfect, He wants you to come as you are, and yet he loves you too much for you to stay there! When you give God a fraction of your time, His ears are attentive to hear your prayers! 

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer 1 Peter 3:12 (NIV). I think that is so cool! Starting my mornings with Jesus has been so sweet! Some days, I would have to read later in the day and I still made sure to get my “sugar fast time.” This fast has definitely been the most influential one. How about you? 

Have you ever done a fast? What did you fast from? How long was it? I’m curious to hear! 

May you feel the love and Grace of the Lord always! 

I love you with all my heart! 

Tina Martina Putney

You can find me at: 

Inspirational Devotions/Laced with Grace - Facebook 

Come to the Lighthouse- Facebook 

@lacedwithgrace3- Instagram 

 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation by Wendy Speake 

https://amzn.to/2Sr9euD

Laced with Grace

This has been marinating in my mind for quite some time. This idea that nothing we have even been through, or will be put through, can separate us from His grace. That no matter what, we will be covered. The longer we live, the more grace life is laced with. When I think about my own life, I can see it so clearly. Memories flood me as I ponder this and do my best to articulate my thoughts of this difficult to grasp concept. Here's what has been revealed to me so far. 

When I think of grace, I see it like a covering as if you wrap up in a lace shawl, a warm blanket during a cold winter (like this week). It's as if grace just wraps you up and hides you in its warmth. What is grace? To Christians it's unmerited favor with God for our salvation, quite simply. I think there's more to it; I think it's a covering. If mercy is the action (not getting what we deserve), then grace is the covering of it. 

In the book of Proverbs, we have two examples of grace being a covering. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. Proverbs 1:9 (NIV). Women would wear coverings on their heads during worship services to show honor not just to God but also their husbands. Think of a necklace, usually if you are wearing one it's of sentimental value to you. Whatever it is that you treasure it's always with you. So why would there be a garland of grace for your head? I think it's to protect our thought life. If that's covered in grace then we need to have no fear because we know we're covered. Our thoughts determine our beliefs and later our actions and reactions.

I had to define limiting beliefs in the 9 week coaching program I completed. Finding out what lies underneath is essential to moving forward. In For King and Country’s song “Burn the Ships” they talk about stepping into a new day and leaving the past. Oftentimes our thoughts are still connected to our past. They can hold us hostage and stuck on a ship that is not going the direction we wish to go. 

We are a royal priesthood, a people set apart for God to live the lives He is calling us to live. He put us here to glorify and worship Him with those lives. Our job is to follow and trust that he will bring the work in us to completion. Our testimonies are the most influential thing we have to share with others. In Revelation it says, "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." Revelation 12:11 (NIV). Our lives and testimonies are laced with grace. 

Every time we rise from the ashes of our lives, be it abuse, failed relationships, explosive anger, poverty, strained relationships, trauma, addiction, chronic pain, betrayal, mental health, and so many other human experiences, we have a testimony! We have a story worth sharing. 

Those moments of "coincidences" you just can't explain are just some ways grace covers you. The safe drive home during that heavy storm, the song on the radio you felt was just for you, the kind stranger that pays for your meal, the neighbor that drops off formula, friends and family doing window visits, the sweet cards in the mail for birthdays. These are all reminders that our lives matter to someone and we have something to say! 

Christians always have a Before Christ and After Christ moment or several in their testimonies. Much of the above, I've lived through, and in some ways, still do as a mental health survivor. My deepest struggle to this day continues to be aggressive tendencies. I have felt like it has mastered me all of my life. It’s always there and I am now becoming conscious of its damaging affects on my people. I can see the slumped shoulders, the eyes looking down instead of up. I hear the sighs. I have vowed to myself that I would never let it have a hold over me. Sadly, it has. I feel, even now as I write and confess this, the knot in my stomach. 

I know I am writing to someone out there when I say this, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Ephesians 4:24 encourages us to put on the new self, the one you were created by God to be. Not the self that life is making you to be. My new self is far from perfect! I still have days where I make bad choices, give in to anger, eat sugar during a sugar fast, (I have done a lot better this year!) not always put on the armor of God, and allow attacks of the enemy, get irritated over little things (see I’m human too). 

Each day I am more aware of who I want to be so much that I want to lead others to do the same! I am very excited to be a part of Gods will to change the legacy in my family and many others! At the start of this year, He told me “This year is a year of redemption for your story and many others.” I see this parent coaching program being exactly that!

We can never tackle this old /new self battle in our own strength. We need some help, and Jesus has come for that very purpose! Some may not want to change. They like themselves and that's fine with me. If you are happy, I am happy for you! If you are reading, though, and understand what I'm saying, you can never tackle your battle alone. I would love to share my testimony with you, and through it you will also see how my life has been laced with grace. 

This grace has opened up for me, as quoted in Hebrews, "a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who is promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:20-24 (NIV). 

My life now is different, and even when I operate in my old tendencies, I am still covered in grace, and so are you. That doesn't give me the right to keep acting out in anger, or make bad choices, but nothing and no one can take me away from God's grace, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. Satan, the persistent enemy, may try, but I know who and whose I am! 

Here's what I learned in Psalms that goes back to my original image of grace as a covering. In the book of Psalms, there is a beautiful passage of being covered with God's feathers. "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrows that fly by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday (Coronavirus anyone?) Psalms 91:4- 6 (NIV). He hides us with his feathers, and we don't need to fear! We don't need to fear, but we do need to trust.  Just a few verses earlier it states, "I will say to the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust'" Psalm 91:2 (NIV). 

We get to participate in this grace! We have a vital part in this equation we are called to trust. Trust even when nothing looks like it's going to change, trust when there's no income and rent is due, trust when the doctor gives you a hard set of news, trust when your old self comes up again, trust when the world looks frightening, trust when everything feels to hard, trust when you have heard the fifth tantrum in an hour (parents you know what I'm talking about) and most importantly that He has a good plan for your life and will be faithful to completion and this includes the people in your places and spaces. But this trust comes with one very key ingredient, belief.

There are a lot of different opinions out there about everything, and I will leave you with a choice. You have seen ways we are all laced with grace by God's faithfulness. Now, my dear reader, I ask you, what do you believe? Romans is pretty straightforward when it comes to this: If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) A few verses later: "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:12-13 (NIV). 

Grace is given freely for all, but it's up to you to chose what you believe and what kind of life you want to lead. He covers us, he shields us, He saves us and the question is, do we believe?

May you be Laced with Grace today and all the days of your life.

I love you with all my heart,

Tina Martina Putney 

For King and Country, "Burn the Ships"

https://youtu.be/pOVrOuKVBuY

He doesn't like oppression

I'm going to take you on a journey through the scriptures that proves God does not like oppression. From Genesis to Revelation, this becomes fact. I got this revelation at youth group, which was a direct answer to a prayer by my youth leader team. As we prayed, before the students arrived, a leader asked God to give us a revelation and have a moment with us. This was mine.

There are so many scriptures that address this, so I will share a few. The rest you'll have to find for yourself! In Genesis, we see the first oppression in the Garden of Eden. Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat of the forbidden fruit. Her mind was attacked to doubt that God had her best interests at heart. He made her doubt His love for her and Adam. For the first time they knew shame! Before the first sin in the Bible, Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Afterwards, they had to be banished from the Garden, and worse, be separated from God.

In Genesis 4:10, we see violence enter for the first time. Cain killed his brother Abel, and God states "What have you done?  Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground" Genesis 4:10 (NIV). By Noah, violence was so rampant that God decided he was going to start all over! God was grieved that he made man. He couldn't stand the violence and oppression. So God flooded the world and left only eight people and two of every animal alive. That may be really hard to gulp down, but what we need to understand is that God waited over 600 years! When the flood waters ceased and Noah, his family, and all the animals got off the ark, God put a rainbow in the sky as a covenant to Noah that He would never flood the earth again. This is found in Genesis 9:14-17. Noah became God's first rescue plan to save his creation.

Many years later, He called Moses to bring out Israelites out of slavery. He became God's second rescuer and deliverer of the promise of freedom from Egyptian oppression. The book of Exodus is all about one of my favorite stories in the bible! It oftentimes makes me think of the movie, The Prince of Egypt. In my opinion, it's a really good showcase of the story. What's so amazing to me is that, in this story, God says He heard the cry of his people and saw the oppression. He enacted a plan to end it through Moses, a once son of the Pharaoh. The most amazing scene is the parting of the Red Sea. You can see a little bit of the cartoon in the water, but wow! With the touch of his staff, the waters rose on both sides. I can't even begin to imagine how amazing that must been for Moses and for the oppressed Israelites!

From Moses we go to an oppressed and discarded David, shepherd boy turned king by Samuel, the Lord's prophet. When Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king of Israel, he thought right away that the strongest and biggest was the choice, but God stopped Samuel and revealed his decision. "Do not consider his appearance or his height, I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outer appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"1 Samuel 16:17 (NIV). God chose the one least likely choice. He saw him and raised him to be a powerful king, though his family thought he was worthless. Even his father rejected him, telling Samuel there is one more but he's only a shepherd, basically saying you don't want to choose him. This discarded boy turned out to be in the lineage of the most beautiful and redeeming, Jesus Christ, God's only Son! 

Jesus was prophesied throughout scripture, but I want to give attention to the prophet Isaiah. When Jesus comes, there is an unrest like no other. All of Jerusalem was distressed! He is radical, a visionary, and not afraid to be who He is! One such time was when Jesus read in the temple from Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to declare Good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness the prisoners" (Isaiah 61:1-2 NIV). That was pretty radical, and definitely not well received by the religious leaders! God also addressed release from oppression in Isaiah 58. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people (Isaiah 58:6 NIV). God does not like oppression. Through the person of Jesus He set in motion His plan to set us free!

We can't deny the love that Jesus showed to the oppressed. His message was His lifestyle. These words come from a song from Scott Stapp, the former lead singer of the band Creed. That's so true! He healed the sick, blind, deaf, lame, despised, rejected, shamed. He publicly declared he did not condemn a woman caught in adultery when the Pharisees held the stones ready to throw at her, according to the Law. He showed us by His life, death and resurrection that God's way is a better way. The religious leaders adapted the Law to suit their own interests, to oppress the already taxed and mistreated people. Jesus came to set them free!

A beautiful verse that I just came across during my 40 Day Sugar Fast is Matthew 17:20: "He replied 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you'" (NIV). I always thought he was talking about a literal mountain, and it never made sense to me. Reading through Wendy Speake's Sugar Fast book now it makes sense! The mountains are everything that oppress us! Diseases, relationship struggles, financial stress, housing concerns, parenting, society's expectations, leadership disappointment, faith journeys, mental health, anything that takes our focus off of Christ are our oppressors or idols. We have the authority in the name of Jesus to cast them off!  

I love to speak about how amazing Jesus is! He set me free from my own oppressions and I pray He can do the same for you! Study Jesus's ministry for yourself; it's incredible! When Jesus left Earth to go back to the Father he commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What a commission to fulfill! The disciples continued to spread the Good news and wrote the rest of the New Testament. 

I love how scripture quotes itself! In the book of Acts, Stephen says "I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free" (Acts 7:34 NIV). From Exodus, God has had a rescue plan for the Israelites oppressed in Egypt. From the Garden of Eden, he knew Jesus was going to be the ultimate chain breaker of oppression.

I will share one last scripture that I hope brings you a lot of peace in the future of God's plan. In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, Jesus speaks to John in a vision. "'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:4-5 NIV). And this is where I will leave you. God doesn't like oppression, and since time itself, He has always had a rescue plan to deliver us from ours. Please hear me, those who are oppressed shall be free. It might not be this side of eternity but one day, when the last trumpet sounds and Jesus comes again in Glory, every knee will bow. The oppressed shall finally be free! 

I love you with all my heart, 

Tina Martina Putney 

All scripture is NIV version

Wendy Speake, The 40 Day Sugar Fast "Where physical detox meets spiritual transformation"

Sign up at www.wendyspeake.com! or find us on Facebook @ 40 Day Sugar Fast 

Just thought I would share!

Hello! 

I haven’t written in a while! A little update for you: my job at Mason Companies is going well! I have been a Customer Service Supervisor since September 2019. Zechariah has been working as a Donation/Intake Specialist at Hope Gospel Mission. He is working with CollECtive Choir leading a Podcast called House of God. Please check it out; it’s great! You can find it on Spotify and he usually posts links on Facebook! He is homeschooling the boys during the day. It’s so fun to hear them throughout the day as I am working from home. 

I hope you are all well and not letting this virus and craziness from last year get you down! I hope and pray 2021 has been refreshing to you so far!!

God told me that there are two sides to every person, the emotional side and the functional side! The emotional side is what is sounds like; it’s where we feel all of our emotions! For me, I’m more irritated, short with people, tired and overwhelmed these weeks. Meeting others' needs is a struggle for me (hard to do for a mama). I hear and see things through an emotional lens, sometimes not wanting to see others' perspectives. These are not my favorite seasons.

I also am able to feel many emotions quickly in a matter of minutes. I am a highly sensetive person and empathic. I tend to isolate these weeks because people are too much. I used to call these “collapse weeks.” The ironic thing is, though I isolate, spending time with people is most helpful! I know this but I can’t really apply it. These weeks I will have no music playing or won’t sing, and you can ask anyone, I love to sing! I’m sharing this because this is the struggle living with bipolar. I am not ashamed to share my struggles and victories with mental illness! It needs to not be a taboo thing to talk about! This may sound hard, but I assure you I am in a much better and stable place then when I started!

There is also my functional side! I love this side! I’m more intentional with the boys and hubby. I reach out to friends and family. I dance and sing and get creative! I take the boys on dates! We were at the Children’s Museum in Eau Claire when I wrote this.

Most importantly though, I have a vibrant prayer life and my connection with God is key. He shows me visions and speaks clearly. I can really hear him and listen! I love watching the boys play and I am happy to join in on their games! I’m a more joyful person all around! This week Nathan took all of the cushions from all the coaches and pillows and just piled them on his bed! He took his mattress off his bed and put it up against the table in his room. At first I was trying to stop him. Of course, I didn’t want him to get hurt. Then I started to follow his lead, and we had so much fun!!! He really does have some great ideas!

What I am trying to say is I’m learning to be gentle with myself, especially this past year. I have good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks and it’s ok! I follow after God and try and train my boys to do the same! I’m far from perfect and that is ok too! Because “He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV) It may be hard now, and sometimes I wonder if I will make it, but I can depend on God to pull me through! And in due time! “And do not grow weary doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

So can this apply for you? Absolutely! I don’t know what your “harvest” is but if you do not give up you will reap it. As a parent, I can never give up! I have seen too many kiddos suffer at the hands of parents giving up. They turn into adults that walk through life wounded! That is devastating for me to think about!! God has given me the amazing privilege to be a daughter of my One True King, a spouse, mama, co-worker and colaborer with Christ! “Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings in order to share in his glory.” Romans 8:17 (NIV)

Seriously, how amazing is that?? We don’t like the trials and tests to our faith, the bad days and weeks, but we have a promise right here! If we don’t give up we WILL share in God’s glory! Oh, how beautiful!! I just shared some scriptures with you, but the Bible is FULL of amazing stories and promises that are just waiting to be read!!! Please don’t just take my word for it!!! Dive in to the word yourself! I have been doing a 40 Day Sugar Fast for 4 years now! We crowd out sugar and pull in Jesus it’s incredible. I highly encourage it! You can find it at 40daysugarfast.com.

The more I spend time with God the more he transforms me from the inside out! I become more like him: gentle, forgiving, loving, intentional, creative! I literally transform before my family's eyes!! It is amazing. When I make God my priority, He fulfills everything he promises me and so, so much more!!! 

He wants the same for you too, your families, friends, coworkers, teammates, coaches and neighbors. He wants everyone to come to repentance and have eternal life! We are familiar with this one, “For God so loved the world that anyone who believes in him would not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

What does he ask of us? To believe in him! And if we believe in him, then we believe he will deliver his promises to us, we also get to share in his suffering and his glory! What an amazing destiny we have in Christ! I love sharing about God’s work in my life! 

I want to hear from you!! Tell me what God is doing in your life! My email is putneytina@gmail.com. Please let me know!!

I hope you are enjoying your day with your loved ones. If you are working, work as though you’re working for an audience of one!!! Go be light in the darkness!! Much blessings and love!

I love you,
Tina Martina Putney

My view of myself as a mama

Watching Mom's Night Out is always eye opening, and a comic relief. We see parents just like us who do not have it all together! We laugh at the funny parts, tear up at the emotional scenes, and maybe micromanage the mayhem in our minds when the husbands are in charge of the kids. 😆 In two years time, we have put the boys through many transitions. We moved to Wisconsin from Minnesota when my oldest was three and youngest only one. I was afraid they would have been overwhelmed, but my boys are the most resilient people I know! They can move to a different state, a new daycare, preschool, more time with baba and papa, new home, new friends, less city more country and stay quarantined for months at a time!  

Oftentimes I wonder if the boys know I love them or if they love me. I  always tear up when Bones is talking to Allison telling her that God did not make a mistake giving her kiddos the mom he did. It comforts and silences my questions and doubts of God's choice to be my boys mama. Joshy and I were driving back from CollECtive choir one night and I told him “I love you” and his response was “I love you this tall”(pointing to the ceiling in my truck) then he said “I love you so so much!” So... my questions were answered! 🥰 As parents of our little mini us’s we often evaluate how we are doing. We wonder if our kids are getting their needs met, juggling long to-due lists. We beat ourselves up if we overbook our schedules(at least I do).  This move has taught me a lot! 

It taught me to be gracious to myself and family. Tempers and frustration threatens to sabotage a good move but my husband and I kept holding onto Hope and Unity which was our focus that year. I knew that the boys world would change quickly! So I spent a month with them transitioning to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin! We moved at a slower pace and just took time to be together, much like during Covid. We did a good job letting them discover their new world! With this intentional mindset I can see the boys transitioned a lot faster before mom and dad had to go back to work!

 I have days where fear threatens to take over my peace about the future as we all do, especially after 2020. I have realized I am not afraid anymore! I know both of my boys are in good hands and as a parent that is all I could ever ask for! I know that my marriage will last that we’re side by side and the settles it! We were meant to be world changers!! I prayed daily as much as I could during both pregnancies for both boys to be world changers and always God chooses to start with me!

 I am becoming a legacy changer the generational patterns I saw growing up will not be in my family! Although some days are better then others I am not going to give up. I oftentimes think They’re going to do some damage in this world! "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35(NIV) I want my boys to open doors for people, buy flowers for their special ladies (including mama 😆😍❤️🌹) I would love them to go on weekly date nights, it would be so fun for them to have family fort movie nights with their friends and family. I pray they shine their lights in the darkness. What I desire most though, is that they want God above all else! I want Him to lead them as only He can.

So... it’s time I teach them! I am to model what I want them to display to the world! I am embarking on a very long and exciting journey to be a Certified Parent Coach! I’ll update on the process! I am so looking forward to seeing families lives change through my training and the Holy Spirit leading me! 

 When I pray for transformation He usually starts with me! I know I don’t need to be afraid though some days I still am! (Just being honest here) Joshy’s old daycare center is there because a girl from Madison decided there needed to be quality care in Chippewa Falls! Yet what if she stayed in her comfort zone? What if we did? What if you do? What if Jesus did?

We as Christians are not called to live in our comfort zones we are called to be light in the dark places in the world! "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not understood it." John 1:5(NIV) That’s what I prayed for my family to become! And by God’s good grace I see it happening now! God has some very exciting things he's calling us to I will share when it starts to come together.

I desire you to be the light shining in the darkness! I yearn for it just as strongly as I do my own family! If we all become less afraid to walk out on the water in the midst of our storm, or be lights shining in the darkness we all could be world changers! We would put a death toll on Satan and all of his evil schemes he has planned! 

We have to stop living afraid, comfortable, powerless, anxious, angry, bitter, impatient, unfaithful, disobedient and live the way Jesus has taught us how to live! As Christians we are the image bearers of Jesus Christ himself let’s make sure we are presenting the best image!

I love you with all my heart

Tina Martina Putney

We are the Brave Ones

Listening to a friend's story tonight I shook my head and asked her "Who would think of doing something like that?" She looked at me and said "Someone that is evil." Im all about giving the oppressed a voice and revelation that they are the brave ones.

God called me into the mental health community 6 years ago now as I am reading this again. I had no idea how hard it was going to be. It has been a difficult journey and still is. I have heard all sorts of heart breaking stories where people were treated with such disdain, I was introduced with the court system twice. I participated in psycho therapy, graduated from a in-patient therapy program twice. 

I'm still getting parenting help from a parenting coach. I have been learning new techniques with peaceful parenting that connects with my kids! I love it! Empathy I learned is key! I’ve noticed a shift in my home that I am excited to see! It’s such a relief when you feel at home with the way you are responding to the people in your life! 

We do the work, we take the medications, we take a look at our pasts, and we receive parenting help. We have to hear the stigmas and live in a way where we don't live up to the societal norm. But I think the best thing we can do is, provide a different legacy for ourselves and families.

The cycle of abuse ends with us! We do not have to parent the way we were parented. I couldn't imagine Nathan or Joshy treating a woman harshly or their future children. Nathan opens doors for strangers, asked to marry me, 😂 gives back massages to his girl friends and me! Joshy smiles and giggles and we can’t resist but laugh along with him!

My boys are my legacy! I want them to have a legacy they are fond of passing on their future families! I would love date nights to continue, meals together as a family, and family fort movie nights! I want them to take delight in their kiddos and families God brings before them! It all starts in the home. We are our children’s first and most important teachers! They want so much to learn from us, play, be silly, snuggle, wrestle and talk with us! They are little explorers and they love it when we join them in their adventures!

Let me just be honest about something that’s painful to hear. Abusers and oppressors say things we would never think of repeating to our loved ones. The truth is abusers and oppressors operate under a false pretense of true power. We know the only true source of Power is through Jesus! But for a time they take our power from us.

For a while they can succeed but when we rise up and declare enough, we get out of tragic situations and become stronger not weaker. We begin to see the true power they thought they had over us was really inside of us all along. We find out who we were always meant to be. We think of the lives that are following ours and what their future will look like and we step away, then we start to sprint and soon we are full on jogging!

 Then we pick up the pace and start training for a marathon. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Everyone who goes into the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”1 Corinthians 9:24-25(NIV) What is the prize? Eternity with Jesus and all of those that fought the good fight and have come out the other side! They changed the outcome of the hand they were dealt all the while they get stronger with each step!

We were never born to be oppressed and abused. We were born for greatness. Join me in the race friends! Parents with an abuse story let's rise together into our new lives!! Walk step by step with Jesus and then meet me on the race track!!

We truly are the brave ones, we help our kids choose what they want to be and what they don't. We are on the hook for obedience God is on the hook for results!

If you are being oppressed or abused or have an abuse story in anyway I am so sorry and I am so proud of you for keeping in the fight to a better life for your family! My prayers and love are with you!

Here's to my Heroes!! You are the brave ones! Never let anyone tell you otherwise! Lift your face everyone and gaze into the eyes of our King! He is waiting ever so patiently for you to bring your hurt and fears to Him! He longs to bring you home!

Love you with all my Heart!

Tina Martina Putney


Here’s a song to get your race going!!!

https://youtu.be/HgknAaKNaMM