Tammie: a Love Story

By Vinnie Venturella

I’ve always wanted to write a book for my wife Tammie. I wanted it to be very special and truly capture her essence. She loves God, loves me, loves our daughters, loves her family and loves people. To best capture that essence, I chose to use various Bible verses to articulate real lessons that she espouses. Tammie is not perfect, no one is. However, she has a near perfect heart and tries to be Christ-like in everything she does. These are actual lessons she has taught our daughters or me, or that she has addressed with Meaghan and Sophia in everyday life or while doing devotionals with them. Some of these are how I see Tammie or embody what she stands for or aspires to be. I tried to use the expanse of the Bible for these lessons from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and you’ll see representation from Psalms and from Proverbs. I also tried to use the great women of the Bible to highlight these lessons including Abigail, Deborah, Elizabeth, Esther, Eve, Hannah, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Miriam, Priscilla, Rachel, Ruth, and Sarah. I recommend reading the chapter or surrounding passages around the verse I use to fully appreciate the context of the lesson. This is not a Bible Commentary, and I do not attempt to give the reader the foundation for a Bible Study. These verses have inspired these lessons, even if the lessons seem secular.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665544122

Vinnie Venturella

This is Vinnie’s seventeenth book. Vinnie and his wife Tammie have two daughters, Meaghan and Sophia. They live in Texas. Vinnie was born in Pittsburgh, PA. His Mom Joyce and Dad Frank were a big influence on him, and he has a twin brother, Frank and younger sister, Jill. He graduated Woodsville High School in NH. He has a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Campbell University, NC; and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Vinnie retired as a Chief Master Sergeant from the Air Force after 21+ years as a Combat Controller in Air Force Special Operations. Vinnie works in the Personal Finance industry. He has a passion for reading, writing, and physical fitness.

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© 2021 Vinnie Venturella. All rights reserved.

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.

Published by AuthorHouse  11/10/2021

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4413-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-4412-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021923176

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

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.

CONTENTS

1. Enjoy All That God Made: Genesis 1:31

2. Don’t Doubt God’s Word: Genesis 3:1

3. Focus on the Good Around You: Genesis 3:3

4. Lean on God’s Word: Genesis 3:6

5. Material Things Do Not Bring Wholeness: Genesis 3:7

6. Take Accountability for Your Actions: Genesis 3:13

7. Being a Mother: Genesis 3:20

8. Infertility is Not a Punishment: Genesis 18:12

9. Nothing is Too Hard for God: Genesis 18:14

10. God Keeps His Promises: Genesis 21:1

11. Patience is a Virtue: Genesis 21:5

12. God’s Timing is Perfect: Genesis 21:7

13. No One Wins with Jealousy: Genesis 30:1

14. God is in Control: Genesis 30:2

15. Watch After Your Siblings: Exodus 2:4

16. Display Courage: Exodus 2:7

17. Use Your Gifts to Honor God: Exodus 15:20

18. Honor Your Parents: Exodus 20:12

19. Do Not Talk Bad About Others: Numbers 12:1

20. Attitude, Not Aptitude, Determines your Altitude: Numbers 13:30

21. It Takes Experience: Deuteronomy 4:9

22. Emphasize Your Commands: Deuteronomy 6:7

23. Be Strong and Courageous: Joshua 1:9

24. Get Back Up When You Fall: Judges 3:9

25. Be the Female Leader the World so Desperately Needs: Judges 4:4

26. Be a Good Listener: Judges 4:5

27. Your Presence Should Encourage Others: Judges 4:8

28. Motivate Others: Judges 4:14

29. Your Courage Will Be Emulated by Others: Judges 4:21

30. God Has Plans for All of Us: Judges 6:12

31. Don’t Give in To Greed: Judges 16:5

32. Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future: Ruth 1:8

33. Loyalty: Ruth 1:17

34. Sacrifice May be Needed to Do the Right Thing: Ruth 1:18

35. There is Always Hope: Ruth 1:20

36. Even When No One is Watching: Ruth 2:11

37. Sharing Openly About God, Brings Relationships Closer: Ruth 4:15

38. Unlikely People for God’s Purpose: Ruth 4:17

39. A Problem May Be a Test: 1 Samuel 1:6

40. Perseverance is a Part of your Character: 1 Samuel 1:7

41. Pray Persistently: 1 Samuel 1:10

42. Keep Your Promises to God: 1 Samuel 1:11

43. Praise God for His Blessings: 1 Samuel 2:1

44. Lead Your Family First: 1 Samuel 2:12

45. God Rewards the Faithful: 1 Samuel 2:21

46. Understand the Bigger Picture: 1 Samuel 25:11

47. Be Perceptive: 1 Samuel 25:18

48. Add Calm to Chaos: 1 Samuel 25:24

49. Offer a Better Alternative: 1 Samuel 25:31

50. Use Good Judgment: 1 Samuel 25:33

51. You Reap What You Sow: 1 Samuel 25:40

52. Have the Courage to Confront When Needed: 2 Samuel 12:7

53. Don’t Underestimate the Ripple Effect: 2 Kings 11:2

54. Believe in Your Hidden Abilities: Esther 2:10

55. Let Your Inner Beauty Shine: Esther 2:15

56. Be Honorable: Esther 2:20

57. Embrace Your Destiny: Esther 4:14

58. Stronger Together: Esther 4:16

59. Never Give Up Hope: Esther 7:4

60. Remember Those Who Have Helped You Along the Way: Esther 8:2

61. Lead with Action: Esther 8:11

62. Honesty: Job 27:4

63. Take the High Road: Job 42:10

64. Be Careful Where You Get Your Advice: Psalm 1:1

65. Integrity: Psalm 7:8

66. Make the Most of Your Brief Time: Psalm 39:5

67. Fear Not: Psalm56:3

68. Reliability: Psalm 91:15

69. Happiness is a Choice: Psalm 118:24

70. Legacy: Psalm 127:3

71. Wonderful: Psalm 139:14

72. Never Beyond Repair: Psalm 147:3

73. Continuous Learning: Proverbs 1:5

74. Teach: Proverbs 1:8

75. Don’t Hang with The Wrong Crowd: Proverbs 1:10

76. Kindhearted: Proverbs 11:16

77. Discretion: Proverbs 11:22

78. Quality Work: Proverbs 12:14

79. Always Be Trustworthy, Always: Proverbs 12:22

80. Always Do Your Best at Work: Proverbs 13:4

81. Be a Builder: Proverbs 14:1

82. Smile: Proverbs 15:30

83. Money Can’t Buy What Truly Matters: Proverbs 16:16

84. Grandchildren: Proverbs 17:6

85. Cheerful: Proverbs 17:22

86. Get Your Education: Proverbs 18:15

87. A True Friend: Proverbs 18:24

88. Follow the Rules: Proverbs 19:16

89. Save Your Money: Proverbs 21:20

90. The Fruit of Training: Proverbs 22:6

91. Discipline: Proverbs 23:13

92. Glad: Proverbs 23:25

93. Be of High Character: Proverbs 31:10

94. Strength: Proverbs 31:25

95. Wisdom: Proverbs 31:26

96. Diligent: Proverbs 31:27

97. Blessed: Proverbs 31:28

98. Noble: Proverbs 31:29

99. Reverent: Proverbs 31:30

100. Laughter: Ecclesiastes 3:4

101. Don’t Do It Alone: Ecclesiastes 4:9

102. Invest Over the Long Term for Your Retirement: Ecclesiastes 11:2

103. Can You Be Counted On?: Isaiah 6:8

104. Compassion: Isaiah 49:15a

105. Give Your Worries to God: Isaiah 50:10

106. Comforter: Isaiah 66:13

107. Plans: Jeremiah 29:11

108. Like Mother, Like Daughter: Ezekiel 16:44

109. Be the Example: Matthew 5:16

110. No Hypocrisy: Matthew 7:5

111. Garbage In Garbage Out: Matthew 7:18

112. See the Good in Others: Matthew 9:9

113. Faithful Healing: Matthew 9:22

114. Love Your Students, Reward Performance: Matthew 25:23

115. Failure is not Final: Matthew 26:75

116. God Turns Grief to Joy: Matthew 28:8

117. In the Service of Others: Mark 10:45

118. The Bottom Line: Mark 12:31

119. Expect Greatness from Your Children: Luke 1:17

120. God’s Master Plan Always Works Out: Luke 1:25

121. Trust God’s Timing: Luke 1:31

122. Say Yes to God’s Plan: Luke 1:38

123. Don’t Play the Comparison Game: Luke 1:42

124. God Puts Others in Our Lives at the Right Time: Luke 1:43

125. Give Others the Credit They Deserve: Luke 1:44

126. Bless Others When Given the Opportunity: Luke 1:45

127. Be Humble: Luke 1:48

128. Know God’s Word: Luke 1:55

129. Reason for the Season: Luke 2:11

130. Don’t be Loud or Boastful: Luke 2:19

131. Treasure: Luke 2:51

132. The Main Thing: Luke 10:40

133. Tell the Truth: Luke 12:2

134. The Love of a Dad: Luke 15:20

135. Be Able to Personally Share the Gospel: John 3:16

136. Eternal Life: John 6:40

137. Joy: John 15:11

138. Giving Birth: John 16:21

139. Everyone Has Value: John 20:17

140. Stay Active in Church: Acts 2:42

141. Eat as a Family as Much as Possible: Acts 2:46

142. Facts are Facts Regardless Who Delivers Them: Acts 12:15

143. How are you Defined: Acts 13:52

144. Unexpected Change Can Bring Opportunity: Acts 18:2

145. Be Self-Sufficient: Acts 18:3

146. Confidence Can Come from Preparation: Acts 18:26

147. What is His Purpose for You?: Romans 8:28

148. Know Your Role: Romans 12:7

149. Forward: Romans 12:12

150. Share: Romans 12:13

151. Identify with Others: Romans 12:15

152. Take No Revenge: Romans 12:19

153. Be Comfortable Taking Risks: Romans 16:4

154. Lead from the Front: Romans 16:5a

155. Be Modest in Your Appearance: 1 Corinthians 6:19

156. Competing Requires Training: 1 Corinthians 9:25

157. Create Traditions: 1 Corinthians 11:2

158. Greatest: 1 Corinthians 13:13

159. Choose Your Friends Wisely: 1 Corinthians 15:33

160. Stand by Your Friends – Publicly: 1 Corinthians 16:19

161. Be Generous: 2 Corinthians 8:3

162. What is Your Fruit?: Galatians 5:22-23

163. Be Empathetic: Galatians 6:2

164. Do Good for Others: Galatians 6:10

165. Achieve Your Potential: Ephesians 2:10

166. Don’t Hold on to Anger: Ephesians 4:26

167. Be Forgiving: Ephesians 4:32

168. Expose Bad: Ephesians 5:13

169. Husband’s Love Your Wives: Ephesians 5:25

170. Through Pictures: Philippians 1:3

171. Work Through Disagreements: Philippians 4:2

172. Be at Peace: Philippians 4:7

173. Think on the Good: Philippians 4:8

174. A Mother’s Prayer: Colossians 1:10

175. Real Treasure: Colossians 2:3

176. Do What’s Right: Colossians 3:24

177. Mind Your Own Business: 1 Thessalonians 4:11

178. Encourage Others: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

179. Be a Great Follower First: 1 Thessalonians 5:12

180. Give it to God: 2 Thessalonians 1:5

181. Respect Everyone: 1 Timothy 5:2

182. Do Not Gossip: 1 Timothy 5:13

183. Your Heritage: 2 Timothy 1:5

184. Daily Devotional: 2 Timothy 3:16

185. Leaders Are Readers: 2 Timothy 4:13

186. A Good Teacher: Titus 2:1

187. Pray Confidently: Hebrews 4:16

188. Be Hospitable: Hebrews 13:2

189. Be Content: Hebrews 13:5

190. Be Consistent: Hebrews 13:8

191. Going Through Trials: James 1:2

192. Listen Up: James 1:19

193. Actions Over Words: James 1:22

194. Control your Temper: James 4:1

195. Life is not Fair: 1 Peter 2:23

196. Inner Beauty: 1 Peter 3:4

197. Being a Giver: 1 Peter 4:10

198. Repent of Your Sins: 1 John 1:9

199. Be Healthy: 3 John 2

200. Validation: 3 John 4

DEDICATION PAGE

This book is dedicated to my beloved wife Tammie,

a saint amongst us.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank Katherine for her terrific insights and work on this project. We became friends a few years ago and her maturity, faith and leadership surpass many regardless of age. Her strong Christian foundation, intellect, and vision were instrumental in editing this book and ultimately helping me make it better. Aside from this project, which I am grateful, I am truly impressed and hugely excited about the path God has her on. She will continue to have more and more positive influence upon the environments she is in. May God continue to bless Katherine and we are all privileged to have strong female leaders of devout faith like her in our lives, our work centers, and our communities.

INTRODUCTION

I’ve always wanted to write a book for my wife Tammie. I wanted it to be very special and truly capture her essence. She loves God, loves me, loves our daughters, loves her family and loves people. To best capture that essence, I chose to use various Bible verses to articulate real lessons that she espouses.

Tammie is not perfect, no one is. However, she has a near perfect heart and tries to be Christ-like in everything she does. These are actual lessons she has taught our daughters or me, or that she has addressed with Meaghan and Sophia in everyday life or while doing devotionals with them. Some of these are how I see Tammie or embody what she stands for or aspires to be.

I tried to use the expanse of the Bible for these lessons from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and you’ll see representation from Psalms and from Proverbs. I also tried to use the great women of the Bible to highlight these lessons including Abigail, Deborah, Elizabeth, Esther, Eve, Hannah, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Miriam, Priscilla, Rachel, Ruth, and Sarah.

I recommend reading the chapter or surrounding passages around the verse I use to fully appreciate the context of the lesson. This is not a Bible Commentary, and I do not attempt to give the reader the foundation for a Bible Study. These verses have inspired these lessons, even if the lessons seem secular.

Enjoy All That God Made

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God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there