Stories By Tabbi Jo

08/08/2026

I wouldn't be tempted to sin if I were a bird, or a fish, or a deer. I'd eat my food, find shelter, and make babies. Simple.

I often wonder why God didn't make me of feathers, scales, or hide? As a fish, my predator would be a bigger fish; as a bird, my predator would be the stability of my ecosystem. As a deer, my predator would be a human. But as a human, my own predator is my daily wrestle with flesh.

I've seen horrific things happening to fish, and deer, and birds. They have trials too. I understand. Most of their suffering is not of their own choosing. I think I want to be like them. They do no wrong. Think no wrong...They can't sin. They don't play the victim, avoid responsibility, or shirk initiative. They don't blame others for their sin nature, justify their fleshly actions, or easily believe lies whispered to them by the prince of this world.

They. Just. Are

No sin, no consequences, no wrestle, no fuss!

I often want to sweep my sin up under the nearest rug. Or just roll up inside of the rug and hide altogether.

I'm learning that God wants me; AND the crumbs under the rug. Jesus didn't wait to die for me ONCE I got my act together.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Meaning that, while I was caught in the act of hiding my sin, Jesus still chose to die for me. Not as a fish, or a deer or a bird, but as His Daughter made of flesh.

This struggle is not a sign of failure; it's a sign I belong to Jesus. Dead people dont fight. Only those who have His life inside them feel this war. Dead hearts don't fight; they just drift. But a living heart wrestles. *

"For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:19-20 & 24

*(some podcast I recently listened to but forgot the name of)

07/18/2026

I'm clumsy.
A wee bit air-headed...
Spatially not always aware...
Easily distracted by... SQUIRREL... just about anything.
My short-term memory often wanes.
Ditsy, spacy, increasingly forgetful, and often misunderstood. Verbal communication is hard, to say the ABSOLUTE LEAST!

This bread almost didn't happen.

When the Devil reminds me of the shame in my weaknesses... very quickly do I beat the dough... I mean, myself.

This loaf, by the grace of God survived the Spiritual Warfare fought in my kitchen.

I added too much yeast. YOUR'E FORGETFUL!
I caught the parchment on fire. YOU'RE NOT SPATIALLY AWARE!
I put cold water on the glass pan, tragically shattering it. YOU'RE AIR-HEADED!

And yet...

I know my Heavenly Father knit me together in my mother's womb. But very easily do I forget Who was holding the knitting needles.

In my weakness, He is strong. Thank you, Heavenly Father for making me weak. And for bread

07/15/2026

Despite the copious amount of landmine cacti, camera malfunctions, and the quickly fading sun.... There was never a moment this girl's joy didn't have the last word!

07/12/2026

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31: 25 & 30

07/05/2026

06/21/2026

What an absolute privilege to sit down and spend time interviewing this local island gem-of-a-man!

Island Features: Good porch weather makes for good people https://islandfreepress.org/hatteras-island-features/island-features-good-porch-weather-makes-for-good-people/

06/17/2026

06/14/2026

Psalm 93:4 – “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.”

*Pictured, my little sis all grown up

06/07/2026

Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

04/19/2026

A woman. An image bearer of her Heavenly Father. A graceful marriage of flesh and bone beautified. You are made of poetic strength and gentle stamina. You are beautiful. You are loved. You are chosen. The very fibers of your femininity point the World to your Abba. In other words, because of Him... You are the perfect storm. A threat to the Prince of Darkness. He will stop at nothing to attack you with his strategically tailored arsenal of lies. For you; dear sister... This. Means. War. Women who pray together: dangerous! Women who read God's Word together: dangerous! Women who bear one another's burdens and spur one another on: dangerous! The enemy of your soul will stop at nothing. Maybe you were shackled in religion, clothed in shame, or letting the world tell you who you should be? Sister! You have been lied to. Use scripture to combat the fiery arrows from the Devil. Be open. Be honest. Be vulnerable. What you keep to yourself will only isolate you more, until you believe your struggles are yours and yours alone. You are loved. You are beautiful. You are chosen. Never forget. There is NOTHING that can separate you from your Savior. The worst things you have done and the sins you have committed, Jesus watched on. He stood nearby, not with a condemning fist or judgment in His eyes. No. His arms were open wide. "Daughter." He welcomes you. He welcomes me. He welcomes us. Your worship in the waves is a testament to His love. The salty hair, the thrill of the surf, the ability to laugh at yourself when you failed to catch a wave. You are bringing glory to Him. All of this is a love story to the One who chose us, not because of what we did, but because of what Jesus has already done. Your board. Your beauty. Your strength all point to the One who calls YOU by name. Because of Him, we have the water, we have the waves, we have a woman.