Uncover the Gift: Living Unveiled Before the King

By Tammi Crowley

Uncover the Gift is about Tammis life journey and lessons she learned along the way. Her goal in writing this book is to encourage the lives of others as they are on their journey. Isaiah 61: 1-3 says, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. This verse was given to her one morning during one of her times of prayer and Bible study. It was at that moment she felt a specific call from God to minister to people who fit this description. Little did she know, at the time, the life journey she would have to take in order to gain understanding and compassion for those walking in a life of brokenness and bondage. As this book unfolds, the promise of God has come to pass, and she prays that many will be set free and live life in the fullness of what Jesus Christ died to give. Uncover the Gift is about finding the value of who you are in Christ and realizing no matter where your life takes you, you can bring Christ to the forefront and know He truly is walking and living right there with you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456723675

Tammi Crowley

Tammi Crowley has experienced years of abuse by those who should have loved, guarded and protected her. She became a Christian at the age of nine. Even at such a young age, she sensed Gods call on her life. Within a few short years she realized God was calling her into the ministry of teaching the hurting and the wounded. She is compelled to teach others how to walk out of that wounded place of devastation to experiencing a life truly alive. Practically, teaching them how to live rooted and grounded in Gods love. And as a result of having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, established on Gods Word living a life of wholeness and freedom. Tammi enjoys living life with her three children and serving in her church and is excited to see God continue to unfold His creative and perfect plan. In previous churches she has served in a variety of capacities. In areas such as: Director of Deaf Ministries, Youth Ministry, Worship Team, Sunday School Teacher, and is currently a small group leader in the womens ministry at Church of the Harvest.

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© 2011 Tammi Crowley. All rights reserved.

Cover designed by Camilla EuDaly-Barrett Topaz Photography

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 2/2/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2367-5 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2368-2 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2369-9 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011901061

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Foreward

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Weathering the Seasons

Chapter 2 – A Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 3 – Locked Doors and Hidden Places

Chapter 4 – The Beginning

Chapter 5 – A Rocky Foundation

Chapter 6 – Waterless Wells

Chapter 7 – Finding My Way Through the Dark

Chapter 8 – The Ah-Ha Moments

Chapter 9 – Removing the Veil

Chapter 10 – Facing Truth, the Essential Element

Chapter 11 – Ensnared by Offense

Chapter 12 – The Key to Freedom

Chapter 13 – The Hope of Christ Within:

Chapter 14 – Be Courageous!

Chapter 15 – I Must Press On

Chapter 16 – A Restored Life!

Chapter 17 – Kisses of Inspiration

Acknowledgements

Jesus Christ – for being willing to take my place and die on the cross as a sacrifice for my life. Thank You for showing me the depth, the height, the width, and length of the Father’s love. Thank You for being faithful to fulfill the Father’s plan and never taking the easy road. Thank You for finding me in the depth of my brokenness and unlovable state and loving me unconditionally. Thank You for never giving up on me and patiently molding me into the vessel of purpose You designed me to be before I was even in my mother’s womb. I love You! Thank You for being the trustworthy guardian of my heart. YOU ARE MY HERO.

Lyndsey, Brooke, and Jared – You are my inspiration, and outside of my relationship with Jesus Christ, the sole purpose of why I live my life. My prayer is for all three of you to grab ahold of the purpose that Christ has for each of you and that you realize the freedom to be your own unique expression of Christ in your realm of influence. Don’t ever settle for anything less than living in the fullness of life that Jesus died to give you. I love you with every fiber of my being.

Mom and Gene –I want to thank you for always loving me and believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I love you dearly!

Debby, Jim and Jeff – I am so glad growing up we had each other. I shudder to think what we would have become had we not had each other.

Beverly – You have walked with me through most of the events on these pages. You are my dearest friend. You are the answer to my prayer for a Friend. Thank you for going through the refining process of this with me…making sure it was EXCELLENT!!! I loved sitting with you, dialoguing back and forth as we worked through this process. I love to laugh, cry, pray, dream, and experience God with you.

Pastor David and Pastor Tracy – Before starting at COH, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to lead me into truth…shortly after that prayer, I was beckoned by friends to come to COH. I loved everything about it even though I was initially very skeptical. I had never heard the Bible preached in such a practical, applicable way. I found myself wanting to learn more and more. I diligently studied what you spoke on each week until I applied it to my day-to-day life. You two have been specifically placed in my life to point me to God. My once fractured life is continually becoming transformed into a place of wholeness by the Word of God you have spoken and lived out before my eyes. Now I stand on the strong foundation of Jesus Christ, being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. You have been a reflection of the very heart of God. Like a shepherd, you carried me when I was broken, nurtured me and empowered me to put my trust in Christ, so I could soar higher than I ever thought possible. (I still think all the novel length emails were practice for what was to come.)

Michele D – I remember when I first heard your testimony. I came to you somewhat timidly and told you I had the desire to write a book but had no idea what. You encouraged me to start the process. Time passed and then you went into High Accountability Mode. I kept trying to avoid and resist you but you wouldn’t let me stop. THANK YOU! Thank you for celebrating this whole process with me. Thank you for your honesty and insight.

Camilla E – You captured the exact vision and expression I wanted for the cover of this book. God so orchestrated our steps. I was so excited about this process the minute I met you and saw your work. You did the cover with a spirit of excellence. You exceeded my expectations! WOW!

Susan H – Thank you for the countless hours of editing that you poured into the pages of this book. It took a lot of grace on your part because this is such a new experience for me. I had no idea what this process would require. But we did it! It was a divine appointment and I am so thankful that you heard my voice and the desire of my heart. Thank you for capturing the vision God had placed deep within me and transitioning it, making sure it would flow smoothly so others would hear it as well. But most of all, thank you for capturing the vision and riding it out with me.

Marianne H – I want to thank you for being there when I needed to face the truth about where I was in my own personal life and to find the courage to actually go the direction I needed to go for the safety of myself and my kids. You were the bridge for me and I can’t thank you enough. I would not be where I am today if you weren’t placed in my life when you were. I am stronger and more confident and able to face things I never thought I was able to face because of the healing that has taken place in my life. Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but from the bottom of my heart – Thank You!

Jan D – This healing process began with our Divine Appointment. I had no idea what that meant when God whispered that in my ear. Oh, what a journey this has been! So glad you were there to unlock the first door.

Jessica R – You helped me walk back and finally find enough courage to admit to myself where I had been, where I am in the present day and how to obtain where I want to be! I don’t know that I will ever be able to look at sand the same. Thank you for helping me come to the reality that I have what it takes to live 100 percent present in the now, and am valuable enough to give and receive love. Also, you showed me that in order to be safe, I don’t have to clad myself in iron, so to speak; setting up healthy boundaries is a more effective way to live. You taught me that establishing a safe environment, one room at a time, is what gives me the space to breathe deeply.

Gina W – Through you getting behind me and pushing me past my comfort zone, I found my voice and now have the freedom to speak without covering my mouth with my hand. No! is one of the most powerful words I know, and R E S P E C T is something I must demand. I am a strong, confident, heard woman of God, fulfilling my purpose in Christ!

There are so many others who have come alongside and been a source of encouragement to me: Keith M, Tammy P, Mary C, Mary Jo M, Janice T, Val H, Virginia A, Lois W, Tracey A, Robin and Roger L, Karen G… Those not listed, I believe you know who you are and know I value each and every one of you. I would not be where I am today without each of you and the impact each of you have had in my life.

Dedication

In dedication to Beverly Brown

Since my elementary school days, I prayed for a friend. After I prayed I expected that God would send someone that day. But as day after day, week after week, and year after year went by, it seemed my prayer had fallen on deaf ears. Little did I know at the time, God’s plan and timing is perfect. I continued to pray, but in my heart, felt like I wasn’t supposed to have a friend. Oh my, was I wrong. God saw the longings of my heart, heard my prayers before I breathed one word, and placed everything I would ever desire a friend to be into one package – you! I met you when I was seventeen and I desired to know God but had no idea how to get there. He placed me in your loving, nurturing care. It would take me writing another book to describe the depth, the length, and the width our friendship goes. You have, in a sense, grafted me into your family as one of your own. So many people think we are sisters! You have walked alongside me through everything. When I stopped walking and ran and hid, you gave me space for a time, and then you came knocking on my door saying, Hey, where have you been? When I was a kid, and life became more challenging than I thought I had the courage to bear, I would hide in my bedroom closet and wait to see if someone would come find me. No one did. After hours of being in there, I would give up and come out and go on about my day, not saying a word to anyone – but deep inside I felt invisible. As an adult I couldn’t play those games any longer…you wouldn’t let me stay hidden. You challenged me to find LIFE by running to Christ instead of my closet.

There are so many things I value about our friendship. Laughing till we can’t breathe; hearing all the stories of your hubby’s mishaps; sharing our dreams, visions, and hopes; ministering together; praying together and seeing God do the impossible, in our own lives and the lives of others. Out of all of these things, I believe we are connected the most when we see broken people come to a place of understanding just how much they are loved and accepted by God, showing them He knows them intimately, and that He can and wants to empower them to be free to live in the fullness of who He created them to be.

When I found out you had cancer, my heart broke. I have to confess I had a few moments of panic. But once I got past the emotion and the shock, I thought, God, I will do and be as she has done and been in my own life. Together we will walk this thing through and as we walk we will lean on You with everything we have. So walk we did. You had the harder part; I just walked alongside you, trusting and believing with you that God would heal you completely and that He would get all the glory.

There are many characteristics I love about you, such as the wisdom in which you live your daily life. When faced with decisions, you are not afraid to wait on God until you have clearly heard from Him; then you move. I love your compassion for others and your sensitivity and obedience to the Holy Spirit. You love deeply and authentically because you first understand and believe who you are in Christ. You freely give of any resource that God has given you. Your life is truly not your own but it is hidden in Christ Jesus.

Thank you for nurturing me through all the transitions and transformations. You truly have been the keeper of this butterfly and you have poured into me all that God has poured into you. I still remember what you said to me not too long ago: I believe my butterfly has found her wings and now she can fly. So, fly I will, with all that is within me, for the glory of God, our Father. I will live life to the fullest, colorful and vibrant. In my heart, I have the knowledge that I am loved by God, deeply, passionately, and intimately. I have been empowered to pass this on to those I meet – pouring out what has been poured into me.

Psalm 27:13