Tori Gay

I heard something that I really like:  “Faith is confidence, but trust is commitment.”  When we have faith that a person can do something, we believe that they have the available resources that enable them to get the job done.  And I believe a lot of people have faith.  Trust, on the other hand, deals more with relationships.  You can commit to someone when you know them, when you know their character will make sure that they follow through on their word.  Faith and ability hold hands, just as trust and…Read more

As I was listening to Elvis’s “Amazing Grace” album, the title track started playing.  Although I’ve heard this song hundreds of times, the phrase “was blind, but now I see” really stuck out to me.  When we think of God’s grace, we usually associate it with the “typical” things – safety, provision, direction, etc.  Besides that, it’s also by His grace that we have the experiences and enlightenments that open our eyes to something we never realized, before…like the idea for this blog :)

That’s right, folks – right now, I’m one sad little pack-rat.  And, you guessed it, there’s only one way to make a pack-rat sad – take away its “treasures”!  Lol.  I was listening to music at the gym, and one of my favorite songs started playing.  It was then that, from the recesses of my mind, I realized that I no longer have the shirt that bears some of the words of that song.  How did that happen?  Surely, I didn’t intentionally get rid of it!  It’s so silly – since I haven’t even thought of the shirt in…Read more

We’re having an absolutely gorgeous day here in East TN!  And it’s driving me crazy!  Don’t worry, there’s a good reason, lol.  Although the sun is shining in a clear blue sky and the temps are hovering around 60, the wind is making a little too cold to sit outside – something I’d really love to be doing!  As I shut the door and returned to this spot in front of the computer, I thought how the temperature rarely ever deterred me from sitting on my grandmother’s porch…in the rocking chair that she’d…Read more

(We just put the holidays behind us, and this blog has been inspired by the food, lol.)  I’m sometimes very surprised by people at the gym.  It is, of course, full of folks who are in shape and have no problems with their workouts.  On the other hand, there are the ones who hit the treadmill with all they’ve got and nearly pass out because of the shock to their bodies!  (I think men do it more than women, too, lol.)  There’s no shame in knowing you need to start slow and work your way up to more strenuous…Read more

Recently, I heard a preacher refer to God as an “all-consuming fire”.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard this, but I’ve never really thought about it.  When there is a fire, you know there are some things that are gone to never return, again.  When there is an “all-consuming” fire, it’s implied that everything is gone, that nothing is salvageable.  When this is used to describe God, well, let’s see…our sins are consumed, our needs are consumed, our sickness is consumed, our selfishness is consumed…Read more

As every new year approaches, I just can’t grasp that a whole 365 days have passed! When I was a kid, the older people always said that time goes by faster as you get older. Back then, I thought, “Yeah, right!”, but now, I know just how true that is! Most of the time, I end up shaking my head and lamenting about all of the things I wanted to do that I never got around to. While there are still some things I didn’t get to cross of the list this year, I do feel a lot better than I do at the end of most…Read more

I’m a very tangible sort of person.  I like to be surrounded by my stuff.  (I’ve tried to become a fan of minimalist décor, but it’s just not me!)  The past 2 Christmases have just not been complete, because I didn’t have all of my hands-on memories with me.  My move to Tennessee was a multi-part process, one that didn’t get finished until 2 months ago.  So, with all of my belongings here, I finally feel settled, and I can’t believe what an effect it’s having on my Christmas Spirit!  The thing that ties it…Read more

Well, everybody keeps telling me it’s gonna be a “merry, merry Christmas, baby”, but I’m not sure I’m feeling verry merry. You see, I put him on my Christmas list, at the top, the number one spot. But, I don’t think Santa’s gonna come through this year…‘Cause he sent me a letter, said he’d tried so hard – he’d been watching the man like a private eye. He’d come so close to catching him more than once, but he gave him the slip every time! Santa put a tracking device under his car and hooked it up to…Read more

In Exodus 32, we read about Moses and the tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them. Verse 16 said something I’ve never thought about: “And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Has the concept of God writing anything ever crossed your mind? I know it hasn’t mine! I think of God being able to do many things, but writing has never been one of those things, lol. It stands to reason that, if the Creator gave man the ability to do…Read more