A Purpose-filled Life | Tyra Garlington

I can’t shut up. Children are our future.

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Imagine: “Tears streaming down, her heart is broken. Because her life is hurting, so am I. He wears a frown, his dreams are troubled. And because he stands alone, his dreams will die. So humbly I come to you and say. As I sound aloud the warfare of today Here me I pray. What about the children? To ignore is so easy, So many innocent children will choose the wrong the way, So what about the children? Remember when we children? Were it not for those who loved us And who cared enough to show us Where would we……
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Did you know that the ugly duckling was always a swan?

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Most people think this children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen is a story of transformation when in fact it is a story of misperception. I know I did. I kept thinking as a little girl that the ugly duckling somehow turned into a beautiful swan. I landed on this thought as I was walking through the grocery store and overheard a lovely young lady say to her companion, “I sent my photo to AmIUgly.net last night.” “What?” My head snapped. I could not believe what I was hearing. As soon as I got home I googled amiugly.net. The AmIUgly subreddit homepage delivered 102,000 results……
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What does it mean to you to go off script?

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Martin Luther King who graduated from Morehouse College after studying medicine and law had not intended to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the ministry. Martin went off script when he changed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential theologian and outspoken advocate for racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his predominantly white senior class. In 1953, Coretta Scott who was studying voice at the New England Conservatory of Music……
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I’m sorry, I forgot to explain.

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

As I turn to face the New Year I am hesitating less about pursuing my passions. In this life season I am passionate about the strength to be vulnerable and the courage to be authentic. Admittedly I am not always successful. And I have learned to look at my imperfections as unique gifts of opportunity. Today when I look around I see a world struggling to breathe. Yet I believe in each of us is the ability to provide life-saving air. Each of us is a potential encouraging game changer even as we live life full out on our own……
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Can you cradle these transitions in 2016?

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Last week I asked you, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” To answer that question you had to empower yourself to believe that impossible is merely a word to describe the degree of difficulty. This week I ask you to consider as you move from the no longer of 2015 and step into the not yet of 2016, how well you are prepared to face the typical transitions that come with the passage of time. Change can come in forcefully like a tidal wave, or creep along incrementally like a glacier. It might have the face of a devastating……
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How do you spell Christmas?

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

What is your favorite Christmas movie? There are about as many Christmas movies out there as there are secret compartments in an Advent calendar. You could watch one a day for months leading up to Christmas! The iconic It’s a Wonderful Life consistently ranks among the top contenders for Best Christmas Movie Ever, and today you are invited to journey to Bedford Falls and discover the faith lessons found in It’s a Wonderful Life. When George Bailey sidles up to Martini’s Bar on Christmas Eve, he’s at the lowest point of his life. In the span of only a few……
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Sometimes cliches are necessary.

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

“Let’s see what happens”, she replied. How many times had she heard and said those words? But this time was different. She was different. She had been divorced ten years. She had been alone ten years. It had taken her that long to learn to love herself again; to see herself as worthy. Now she was ready to dip her toe, perhaps her whole foot into the water. She was tired of being “singular”. Initially she had tried online dating. Perhaps because then she still saw herself as damaged, she attracted unsatisfying companions with her words. Oh, but now she……
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Read this if nobody texted you “good morning”.

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Good morning, exceptional, incredible you. Remember when I asked you how you greet the morning? Today I was writing my son his good morning text of encouragement and love. It makes me feel connected and full of joy. Actually, this morning habit is one of my “pay it forward” activity. Blogger Heidi Priebe agrees with me and wrote some time ago that good morning texts are more than a half-hearted means of communication. They are a sign that we are thought of. Cared for. Adored, by someone who may not be immediately present. They are a reminder – one we……
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Are you defined by who you were?

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

She lived in a place called shame. It was dark there. She wore clothing made from the cloth of “not enough”. She was paralyzed by the guilt of her past behavior. She could not forgive herself. And she didn’t know guilt could positively be used to move her from the darkness into the light. And so she stayed. There are many people in the world that have a problem forgiving themselves for their past mistakes and the enemy of hell tries his best to add condemnation to worsen the feelings that they have. Here is a story I have heard……
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You need to know this!

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Tyra Garlington • 0 Comments

Especially if you are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving … I know, its long, but give it a look anyway. On October 3, 1863, following the civil war with a union victory, President Abraham Lincoln made the following proclamation. “The year that is drawing to its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which……
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