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To My Faithful Friends

19 Tuesday Mar 2024

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Hello faithful friends of my blog, Sacred Ramblings. THANK YOU for reading my ramblings! Each one of these articles is very individual and it touches me deeply when they are read.

This all started in late spring 2011, when I began “rambling” immediately after an F4 tornado tore through my hometown, destroying 12% of all structures and killing 53 people, of whom 6 were college students. What I saw unfold in the days. weeks, and even months following the tornado required documentation. During this time, Holy Spirit offered up to me a steady stream of topics on which to write and so I (He) did.

Almost every topic covered in Sacred Ramblings has had a flashlight pointed at it by the Spirit of Jesus. At times, these articles are forced out through a difficult, even painful experience. Other times as a bible teacher, certain topics come to mind in which I feel compelled to expose a mystery, to peel back layers and reveal a truth in a relatable fashion.

All of the ramblings are standalone – meaning, they are complete on their own and even timeless. When people visit Sacred Ramblings, the tendency is to always read the most current post however some of my very favorite ramblings are from several years back. They are good in fact; probably even VERY GOOD but that is up to you to decide.

For this reason, I am providing links to a number of my nearest and dearest and believe many of these older ones are pure gold. The teacher in me hopes as you read through to the end of these posts, that you will mine important truths. Please know that your readership loyalty is quite meaningful to me so thank you again for spending time with my Sacred Ramblings.

Tracy Gatewood
The Sacred Rambler
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The Urgency of Faith – https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2Vy

https://sacredramblings.com/2019/07/07/a-story-of-salvation-a-marketplace-testimony/

https://sacredramblings.com/2018/07/01/what-if/

https://sacredramblings.com/2017/11/24/observations-from-a-soul-dive/

The Spirit of Peace –  http://wp.me/p1zoxs-24p

The City of Heaven – https://sacredramblings.com/2016/09/18/the-city-of-heaven/

Superman, Jesus and the Justice of God – http://wp.me/p1zoxs-lr

The Brilliance of His Glory – http://wp.me/p1zoxs-B5

Keys to Freedom from Fear – http://wp.me/p1zoxs-nok

Equip the Bride – https://sacredramblings.com/2011/05/23/equip-the-bride/

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In God We Trust

04 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by in Bible Study, faith, Fear, God, God the Father, Joseph, Nation, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, United States of America, Wisdom

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Exodus 2:15-21

“Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom one was named Shiprah and the other Puah, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.
But the midwives feared God and did not do as the King of Egypt commanded, but let the male babies live. So the King of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this thing and allowed the male children to live? The midwives answered Pharoah, Because the Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women, they (the babies) are quickly and vigorously delivered, their babies are born before the midwife comes to them.
So God dealt well with the midwives and the people multiplied and became strong. And because the midwives revered and feared God, He made them households of their own.”
When faced with the decision of government or God, this passage of scripture yields insights with modern application –

The end of Genesis tells us that Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt and was held in very high esteem, even favored by Pharoah. When the great famine came, he arranged for his brothers to come to Egypt, not only to acquire food, but also to establish a place to live in peace where they could freely worship God. Joseph’s brothers, direct Israelite descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, settled in Goshen. They moved their wives, children and livestock into this fertile land – away from the main population centers in Egypt which were under the watchful eyes of Pharoah and his men. Over time, in this Goshen, the brother’s descendent families grew into “multitudes”.

Decades later, when the brothers and Joseph had long passed, a new King was installed into office, unaware that Joseph had saved untold numbers from starvation through citizen-funded strategic food and grain reserves. Joseph also simultaneously profoundly increased Pharoah’s bottom line (Certain job security). The new King noticed that the Israelite population was growing at an alarming pace which caused great concern as he considered them a threat to the Egyptians. In response to his own fear, the King reacted by sending a direct order to the midwives to kill every male Israelite baby at the time of birth. The midwives wisely refused and instead, bravely allowed the babies to live.

Rather than be concerned for their own safety, these women revered God and moved forward to perform His will, understanding that His will was to protect life. They knew Him as a loving God that would never normalize nor sanction any murder. Because they feared God, the midwives found favor in God’s sight and were rewarded greatly for choosing life over death. This is a lesson for all of us.

[ Author’s Random Ramble: It is interesting to note that these midwives were Hebrew midwives and not Egyptian. It leaves me to wonder why the King did not install Egyptian midwives into the task to complete the job. Perhaps the Egyptian midwives were unionized and UMW (United Midwife Workers) negotiated a contract not to deliver Israelite babies. These are the type of points I ponder as I pen ramblings …… but clearly, God in His infinite Wisdom found a way to derail this option otherwise we would be reading a very different result.]

God is a Family Man. More accurately a Family Spirit (God is Spirit not of human flesh) – He loves families, children, babies, daughters, sons, moms, dads, grandads and grandmothers – in fact one of His most oft-used names is Father (Abba). If God were not a Family Man, He would have no other reason to create life or even the concept of family; a unit traditionally comprised of one mom, and one dad, who can provide a home and stabilizing environment from which to raise children.

If the Creator of all Things could become callous against life; finding life to be “disposable”; or even an actual choice, why would these midwives have feared going against Him? The midwives understood centuries ago what many today cannot – it is impossible that the will of God is or ever could be, to destroy innocent and conceived human life. Nothing has changed because God never changes.

When ordered to do something that violates the will of God, we are always given free choice: follow Him or follow a nation, an individual, or an organization. No matter how it may seem, we are always free to choose what is pleasing and honoring to Him, or not.

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
In God We Trust
All Rights Reserved 2024

Sacred Ramblings Articles on Prayer and How to Pray
https://sacredramblings.com/2020/04/22/lord-teach-us-to-pray/

https://sacredramblings.com/2020/05/01/the-father-that-answers-prayer/

The Jesus Club

04 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Bible Study, Christianity, Emotions, faith, Fear, God, God the Father, God's Plan and Purpose, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Healing, How to find life purpose, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Leadership, Mercy, Prayer, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Transformational Leadership, Uncategorized, Wisdom

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Canva - ClubhouseI was a late bloomer to Jesus ( My Journey with Jesus Pt 1 https://sacredramblings.com/2013/01/01/my-journey-with-jesus-part-one/  My Journey with Jesus Pt 2  https://sacredramblings.com/2013/02/01/my-journey-with-jesus-part-two/ )   When I finally boarded the Jesus train, I asked The Conductor to punch my ticket to an all-in adventure with the Godhead. This was the spring of 1997 where I was immediately baptized in an elder’s backyard pool then soon following began working fulltime for a fast-growing suburban Atlanta church. This was the Express train – fast moving, and making up for lost time. Choo-choo!

I will never forget my first small group bible teacher, Karon (pronounce KAY-run). Karon was an active member in my new suburban Atlanta church. Her group was working through Beth Moore’s The Tabernacle. I was drinking from a firehose of biblical literacy. Despite most of my life attending church every Sunday, my bible knowledge meter registered somewhere between absolutely nothing and just a smidge. It was in my thirties that I began to understand that the bible was truly relevant to my own life, while allowing it to shine a light into my deep cave of confusion and questions. I had LOTS of questions. It was freeing and fascinating to watch the bats of confusion fly for the opening when the light of truth shone squarely inside the cave.

During the years of my short yet transformative church staff tenure, I began leading a few bible studies. Over the following 25 years, I have taught on a range of topics, the past 4 years devoted exclusively to expository verse by verse bible studies. I believe I have found my sweet spot. Teachers are vortexes of information and thinkers and readers. For entertainment, bible teachers simply live to watch other pastors, teachers, evangelists give their messages, which has been my daily practice since 2005. Teachers love to learn and enjoy being in studies and small groups with other learners, consequently, I have participated in many over the years.

Teachers are by nature noticers even examiners. We will lift up the hood and ask about the why of just about anything – even a bible study. Recently, my examiner instincts were heightened as I noticed a few patterns swirling around my own experiences. I hold the “nothing is perfect” mindset while always embracing the “we can do better” – in fact we can do much better.  Oxford defines the word examine as to inspect in detail, to determine nature or condition, to investigate thoroughly. There is one prevalent model of bible study in particular that I wish to address here –

The Jesus Club

Lobby Roosevelt Hotel
The Jesus Club’s distinguishing feature is that its members are women from the same affluent, socio-economic background. (I may now have all member privileges revoked.).  Educated and accomplished women that come together to hear a solid Spirit-led word, they seek to gather with women they would see across their own fence line. The Club Member departs the meeting distracted by charity fundraisers with no understanding of Spirit led endeavors customized to ignite their God given gifts and desires for which they are uniquely faceted by the Spirit of God.

This pattern is repeated for years:  Feel Good Jesus Club -> United Way – > City Ballet – > Symphony Guild ->Garden Club – > Feel Good Jesus Club. This member is gratefully called upon at family dinners to recite meaningful prayers, or they may venture out and hold a few conversations about Jesus with the grandchildren – but overall, the fruit on their vine remains in the bud stage, never growing into vibrant fruit on FULL display, achieved through authenticity and sacrifice. There is no call to action by the leader, nor any avenue for action since the Club merely serves as a 1-2 hour Feel Good charging station that has no roots.

Early on in my Atlanta years, I was a member of a nationwide Jesus Club that met in the chapel of a prominent Buckhead Presbyterian church. Weekly, I slipped into the chapel among 200 impeccably dressed Worth wearers to listen to a teacher release a testimony or scriptural teaching. I was 37, and this was my first Jesus Club. I was still new to Jesus and had little understanding of the depth of His love.

One week, a woman named Judy Reamer gave her powerful and engaging testimony about being led to Christ by Pat Boone in Las Vegas. (God Wins in Las Vegas). Another week a person gave a testimony involving a tornado – or some type of natural disaster. To this day, I cannot recall what triggered me except I was dealing with a great deal of bottled-up emotional turmoil surrounding my marriage the details of which I had not discussed with anyone. I began to weep, then loudly and uncontrollably sob …. wailing…. among the well-coifed Worth wearers.  It was horrible!  I could not stop. If I had been paid to stop – it would not have been enough. Not one Worth woman knew what to do – they glanced around embarrassed, or looked straight ahead embarrassed, pretending not to notice my big heave-fest. No leader came over to wrap a loving arm around my heaving shoulders or lead me out of the crowded room or even offer a Kleenex. That day I decided to find a group that was authentic, full of grace and mercy – women that looked more like Jesus. I left the Buckhead Jesus Club, never to return and found a solid group of mature women that loved me through the pain – loved me like Jesus.

As an Examiner, it is my hope to prompt awareness among bible study leaders to become careful fruit inspectors. We are hopefully not seeing this:  https://youtu.be/VsfDngFIe_8?si=Vg6FGLVk-DKyImFg  Are your women growing and displaying more than a blossom ?  Are new people in your group embraced and encouraged to participate and easily integrated into your group? Does your group look like Jesus? But more importantly, do you?

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2024

The Jesus Club
Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-33j

In the Meantime

15 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Dunwoody GA
My Dunwoody home that refused to sell.

This past week, I worked with a friend in the process of retiring from a successful business career. He has had a tough year; loss of close friends, health issues – the kind of year that makes a person take a careful inventory of what is truly meaningful in life. With a renewed desire to squeeze the juice from the fruit of many years of a daily work grind plus the impact of raising a large family, he set out to transfer a thriving business to his son through a carefully planned retirement sale.  Quickly, it became apparent that this transfer would turn into several additional months of unanticipated effort. I felt sure it was disappointing. Driving home, I was reminded of a lengthy Holy Spirit Boot Camp session – one for which I never volunteered.

In the swirl of the ominous Y2K year (2000), I lived in a neighborhood in Dunwoody, GA a suburb of Atlanta. I made the gut-wrenching decision to sell my home, a decision I came to only after a devastating previous 18 months filled with the hardest choices involving the most important aspects of life.  After dutifully researching and interviewing a number of local real estate agents, I landed on one that was an area Top Producer. We readied the house for market and I, with great anticipation, gave the OK to release the information into MLS. All we heard back was ……..  well, not much. It was one of the most difficult decisions, even well past a year to even get to this point. By the time I was ready to sell – I wanted it gone….. like in the very same week.  That’s not what happened. 

For no reason any professional could pinpoint, the home sat on the market for weeks, into months I changed real estate agent and still nothing. NOTHING! BRASS HEAVENS LEVEL OF NOTHING. The market was good, the house needed abit of lipstick and a pair of earrings but certainly not surgery!  My disappointment slipped into a depression, and a deep one, as I had truly believed God was going to make a way for me to return home to an adjacent state following a difficult separation, and subsequent divorce.  Had I misheard God? Was the desire to go home not enough for Him to even help me?

By January of the following year, I was inconsolable. The holidays for a newly single person could (and probably has) put many into the nuthouse. Somehow during this, I learned of a one-day seminar at a nearby Dunwoody church that caught my attention, so I decided to sign up. Driving to the church, I wondered if I was wasting my time, but time was what I had plenty of during that season. I nervously walked in and sat down and looked around the small sanctuary, almost embarrassed that I had decided to go – I knew no one.  At some point I turned to the girls to my right and introduced myself. They looked like me and seemed to have been through similar circumstances.  We quickly struck up a conversation and then the speaker started talking.  Pat delivered a powerful message that was straight from the Holy Spirit to my heart.  This had been a God ordained set up and I had walked right into His trap and in His perfect timing.

Following Pat’s anointed presentation, I approached the platform, and tearfully asked if she would help me. Pat was a highly trained counselor, along with her husband Mike that actually specialized in precisely what I needed – like exactly to the “T”.  She consented to see me, and in the beginning, we met twice per week.  She asked if I would consider enrolling into a program that offered deep emotional healing specifically designed for people that had experienced similar damaging circumstances. I agreed to enroll into the program which would take a year. This would mean while attending that I would have to take my home off the market and find part time employment.  This felt extremely counterintuitive as I believed that God had released me from living in Atlanta, but I could not move forward without selling the house. I was stuck – or at least thought that I was stuck, spinning in place and in a place that I was dizzyingly desperate to depart. Nonetheless, I consented.

It would be impossible to enumerate every success that God accomplished for me through this program – there were simply too merciful many. The surgical – level emotional healing prayers of those counselors re-arranged my soul even up from the cellular level. My foggy, toxic mind that was full of torment and unforgiveness became clear as if fresh mountain air had whistled through my traumatized noggin.  A childhood marked by difficulty had thrown me into adulthood seeking performance-based approval. This was finally exposed for what it was as well. Life previously viewed from fractured lenses that had caused me to make poor choices were now becoming more like “Progressives” – clear and in focus both close up and far away. Going from fractured to Progressives proved to be a process, but life felt much lighter after several months of travel down this focused healing journey.  For these and a number of reasons, re-entry back to my hometown could have never been a success, or even possible for any length, had these issues and more not been forced to the surface to be healed by Jesus.

As with all things the program concluded and the final night was one of great love, hearty laughter, renewed hope and a wholeness that I had never believed possible.  This entire transformational experience was only made possible because my house refused to sell. Two days following the conclusion of the program, I grabbed a magic marker, placed my phone number on a red and white Home Depot For Sale sign and drove the sign into the front yard.  The following day, a young couple pulled up in front and wrote down my phone number. They called. They walked thru. They purchased – all in the perfect timing of God.

I praise God for His wisdom, His grace, His mercy and His impeccable timing.  There are seasons when God wants to do deep work in, for and through us.  Always thoroughly pray regarding crucial decisions but yield to His timing then watch carefully what He will begin to do – in the meantime.

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
In the Meantime
All Rights Reserved 2023
Sharing Link:  https://wp.me/p1zoxs-32a

John 14

01 Sunday Jan 2023

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In this remarkable passage of the Book of John, Jesus is addressing His Disciples. He has become fully aware that His time on earth is coming to a close and return to His Father was imminent. As we read this passage, it is understood that Jesus is also speaking to everyone that believes in and relies on Him. 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust and rely also on ME.”  

Jesus saw that the Disciples easily believed in the Father. But even in this late stage, apparently – they were still not seeing Who He Is because He has to reiterate that they must rely on Him also. That His instructions are worthy of trust. The Godhead and Holy Trinity each have separate roles. As we see below, Jesus carries the responsibility of preparing a place for His Saints – the ones given to Him by God as A Gift (see John 17:24 AMP). 

“In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. ” 

The New King James version translates dwelling places to “Mansions”. The Amplified uses the terms dwelling places and homes interchangeably. Most scholars that have studied this out believe that dwelling places is the more accurate translation. 

“To the place where I am going, you know the way. Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life and no one gets to the Father except by Me. If you had known Me (had learned to recognize Me) you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him. “

Once again, Jesus has to plead His case to an unrecognizing disciple. Consider the number of firsthand miracles the disciples witnessed, and hundreds of teachings delivered not only directly to them but to large masses. The veil across the minds of these men that would expose the revelation of Jesus – that their dear friend and spiritual brother was truly the Son of God – had not yet been torn away.

This was the same God that made a covenant with Father Abraham stating that his descendants would number the stars. God never revealed to Abraham that His multitude of descendants would one day worship not only Himself, the Holy God of Israel but also His Son. And that the Covenant God of Israel would one day require His Chosen People to accept His Son and acknowledge that He paid a debt on their behalf for their sins and the sin of their fathers – one that could never be repaid in any other way.

The requirements would not stop there – they would also be expected to embrace Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and adhere to His teachings that would counter their own. God knew when to stop talking. He simply gave Abraham His promise and Abraham launched out in and by faith – to an unknown destination, trusting God to deliver on His Word. God had the right man for the task. 

“ Philip said to Him, ” Lord, show us the Father (cause us to see the Father – that is all we ask) then we shall be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I not been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on my own authority and of My own accord, but the Father Who continually lives in Me does the (His) works (His own miracles, deeds of power). Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the very works themselves. (If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father’s name convince you). 

By now, most mere mortals would be at a boiling point, full of frustration and perhaps even rage however Jesus maintained a calm demeanor and continued to use carefully measured words.  (The Holy Spirit’s fruits of longsuffering, and gentleness impressively ripened and on full display.) This indignity suffered by His own team must have felt heartbreaking. He had handpicked each of these men, pouring out His soul, and loving them beyond what any must have ever experienced. Still, they were undecided about who He was and whether He was the Son of God but  Jesus’ resistence to offense was resolute. He so wisely knew not to accept the bait of offense and so we too, must not.

“ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do (Myself I will grant) whatever you ask in My Name (as presenting all that I AM), so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. Yes, I will grant ( I Myself will do for you) whatever you shall ask in My Name (as presenting all that I AM). If you really love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.”

Tracy Gatewood

All Rights Reserved 2023

My Statement on the Roe Decision

25 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by in God's Plan and Purpose, Grace, Healing, Mercy, peace, Prayer, Pro Life, TracyLGatewood, Unity

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I have great peace in the decision by the Supreme Court regarding Roe, however I cannot help but be reminded of the tens of thousands of women each year that deal with and will continue to experience an unplanned pregnancy.

Many women have little to no frame of reference for what we as Christians understand and how we relate to God as Father, and as the One that intentionally and precisely knits us all for His purposes and for His own enjoyment. They have no understanding of God’s infinite and immutable love and how He moves forward in circumstances over time to work things out and turn things for good. Millions of women have no true understanding of God whatsoever so we must never lose sight of this fact as we move with compassion into these circles to explain the hope that is theirs for the taking. Many young women will view this decision as their lives being destroyed, all they have ever known is their right to have a choice.

As Pro-Life people, we can rejoice for today, but the true work begins immediately to assist the traumatized and suffering who will falsely believe that their lives are forever marked, and their plans and life purposes derailed.

Although I have never had children, nor have ever been pregnant (never had to terminate a pregnancy), I can clearly see how distressing this decision could be for any woman that finds herself in an unplanned pregnancy in this day and time. Most women must work for their own survival, and to provide for another one or more, could feel like a personal death sentence.

This is a critical, even essential time for the Church to move in quickly and establish strong support systems for single pregnant women, as well as to support existing or to establish care centers for newborns who are given up for adoption. Foster parents must also move forward in great numbers over the next few years, and become front and center. There can be ZERO shame out of the Church regarding unplanned pregnancies.

Ladies, lay aside those Beth and Priscilla small group studies. It’s time to put hands to the reapers to assist in this important season of transition and healing of our nation. Not a time to preach or condemn, but to move in love – its harvest time.


Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings 2022
All Rights Reserved