Real People Living out the Real Walk: Interview with Tami Gaupp


(12 minute read )

Ever wonder what it would have been like to have been raised in a faith filled home, where parents were authentically loving, and serving others in humility and grace, involved full time in the thick of CHURCH service?  

Hearing first hand... was my blessing or treat as I interviewed my friend Tami, after being drawn to her because of the wisdom and grace that she exudes.


I think the best way to share this with you is to splash the interview right down in front of you.  If you read it, I know your heart will be blessed, so here it is:

Tami, I shared with my readers in a previous post, that I felt like I had found my people in the circle of Christian women bloggers. (Tami and I met in a group called Christian Women Bloggers United, which we recommend for Christian women bloggers!)  So many times, personal comments from you reflect such wisdom and grace, that I am drawn to you as a friend.  Your light is shining, and I feel blessed to have met you!

Please share with my readers, something about your background.

Tammy, I feel so honored you asked me to do this interview.  Thank you for the opportunity to share!

Hello friends!  My name is Tami Gaupp and I live in Boise, Idaho.  I have been married 32 years, with 2 married sons, 1 grand-daughter and another on the way.  I've loved God as far back as I can remember and have enjoyed a special friendship with Jesus and a continued relationship with the Holy Spirit in my daily life since I was 7 years old.  

During my first two years of grade school my family lived in a very large home with 22 other people, named "The Yellow House of Jesus." 
My Dad shared in the counseling and Mom helped keep the household running.  It was a discipleship ministry that coached people who were not longer addicts, and those leaving dysfunctional lifestyles to learn new life skills.  It was and intense time of spiritual and emotional growth for everyone involved, and the relationships were thriving so much, that a new fellowship was birthed from it.

I have been a pastor's kid since I was 3 years old.  My school years were filled with memories of living in close fellowship with other believers, as our home was always filled with people socializing, eating, playing games, singing, praying, and getting counseling.  This took place during the Charismatic Movement of the 70's, and I witnessed the impact of a loving God meeting people where they were, doing the miraculous and transforming lives.  One thing about that time in history, there was not pretense.  People wanted to be real and authentic and that is how they found God.


After graduation I went to Liberty Bible College in Pensacola, Florida.  I drove my little Datsun 280z 3,000 miles from the great Northwest to the Florida panhandle.  I'm so thankful I obeyed God and had the courage to follow where He led me.  My plan to only attend a year and then go to Portugal to help our missionary friends changed when I met Lee Gaupp.

God had told me to boldly obey Him and He would be a match-maker for me.  Little did I know that it would be so soon.

We met in September and were married in July, just 10 months later!  I saw that Lee had a heart like David, of the Bible, and had the ability to passionately lead others into the presence of the Lord in worship.  I was drawn to Him because he had no pretense and lived out his walk with the Lord in a real authentic way.  We lived in Pensacola 3 more years, before we moved home.  I missed the Idaho mountains, the Boise valley, and the wide-open spaces.
Then: pre-marriage, pre-raising kids

Now: alone again, parents to two grown sons, and grandparents too!

I've been in Church leadership with youth ministry, worship ministry, dance ministry and prayer ministry but my heart is to be an average person living a lifestyle fo full-time attentiveness to God's call and availability to be His hands and feet wherever I go.  In 2003, God gave me an interesting opportunity to learn this when we helped start an all ages concert venue in downtown Boise, with the purpose to show God's love to the young "poets & musical artists" of our day.

I remember saying to my husband, "I just don't like screaming guitars," and he said, "if you want to reach this generation you may want to rethink that."  There has never been a truer statement!

God took me on quite a journey that taught me to relax and just be; be open to people around me and connect with strangers I meet out and about.  He used this time to erase the lines I had in my head between "me and them."

We are all on life's journey, and if I hadn't experienced the reality of a loving God in my life I may have the same view of life "they" do.  No matter what lifestyle people are in, theology they believe or don't believe, or their political views, I sense how much God loves them and I can call them friends.

Can you tell us of your involvements with The Lanyap Life?

In 2016, God nudged me to form a new business.  I went through the process with the IRS and Secretary of State to officially change my former business name to Lanyap Life Services, LLC.  Honestly, I thought everything I was doing was to help my parents publish materials and assist in their ministry with counseling and holding seminars.  But now I see God simply used them to motivate me to start something and has really given me more clarity and purpose for Lanyap.  In addition to serving as an administrative arm for DSM, my  parent's ministry, my purpose is to reflect the reality of living a life that is flooded with God's goodness, peace and joy in the midst of trouble we all face in life. 
I have started publishing through Lanyap Life Publishing and have my first book, Soft Spot in a Stone Wall, available as a eBook through iTunes, with many more projects in the works, including a booklet on worship intercession named The Reflective Overflowing Heart, and another on dance named A Primer on Christian Dance Ministry.  Although I own the business, I have a supportive team and feel like it isn't just me...but we.  My husband is very supportive and will be getting more involved in the podcasts that I am working on adding.  A few weeks ago, I rebranded, changed the name to include the word "The", updated the website and started a second blog to reflect the vision of The Lanyap Life.  You can read a little more about it here: www.lanyapcorner.com/blog/the-lanyap-life

When my mom and I held a women's conference with other women in 2014, God led me to form a DBA for A Great Company of Women.  We started blogging to encourage & strengthen women in their faith, and also have a Facebook page where we post devotionals every Monday.

I spent some time in the blog that represents the ministry of you and your family.  It is a rich collection of speaking HOPE, and wisdom and light into a world of darkness.  I went to the Lanyap Facebook page and enjoyed many photos of smiling, happy "church people."  

Something that occurred to me is that this family has been involved in church-life, with church-people, long enough to experience ruffled feathers, bruised egos, possibly staunch disagreements...but obviously this has not turned them away from their mission.  We "church people" are by no means perfect of near perfect, but generally we are trying and doing the best that we can.  Please speak to this issue of focusing on God and managing the human relationships to stay on course and in fellowship through it all.

That's a great question Tammy!  It doesn't take long before the enemy tries to cause offense and misunderstanding between friends, those ministering together and the leadership functioning within the walls of a church.  I have personally experienced the heartbreak of betrayal, judgement, and accusation from those I had expected to cheer me on in my faith, as most of us have at some point.

The poster child for a typical pastor's kid tends to be those that saw vast inconsistencies functioning within the church environment, got offended, and encountered that religious spirit of judgement and condemnation that caused them to fall away. 

 I have encountered all these things, but I learned early on that it had nothing to do with how God was relating to me.  I am blessed that I never saw any inconsistencies  in how my parents ministered, lived their faith, related to each other or treated me.  I have witnessed how they take every offense to the cross and continually find God's help in the midst of every tough time they've been through.  

So how can I do any different if I want the same result of God's manifest presence in my life?  No matter if people hurt us accidentally or on purpose, our response is to follow God and obey Him only.  I've had times I had to force myself to turn my head and my weeping eyes toward Jesus when I felt the crushing of relational betrayal.  The hardest thing for me is letting go and moving on when the others are not open to reconciliation and resolution.  

But He always redeems, heals, and renews my heart as I choose to give Him all my hurts.  This is not a vague concept.  This is where the rubber meets the road, and I experience the reality of God's compassion as I am laying in the street all bloodied up with skinned knees.  Because of this, I trust Him completely.

But I will say just one more thing about conflict in church.  I am grateful for boldly following God's lead even when people were closing doors to me in settings I expected them to be open.  Learning to recognize God speaking to me has been my anchor.  In my situation, God confirmed to me that I had heard Him, but His plans for me were different that I expected.  

Now, I recognize I wouldn't have ventured outside the church walls if I hadn't experienced a certain level of discomfort.  Looking back, I see they were merely growing pains as I was stepping out in faith to follow the Lord into new areas.  Here are a few pictures of experiences  that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't recognized the tactics of the enemy, or if I had been easily talked out of the vision God had given. 
I allowed God to lead me out of shyness to demonstrate bold expressions of His love and develop areas in my character He wanted to work on.




Tami's parents: married more than 50 years, and still actively serving where the Lord leads



You have shared something with me about your father's ministry and experience.  I saw that he may have a course in book form, sometime this year.  Honestly, it sounds like something of interest to me.  Please tell us more about it.


My Dad is a gifted counselor, with a M.A. in Psychology and Theology, and I have witnessed the healing and restorative power of God flow through Him as He meets with people.  Whether it be individual counseling appointments, group counseling, workshops,   seminars, or just meeting people for coffee, he is able to be used as an instrument for emotional and spiritual health.  He has a Christian counseling service for 15 years, and was a resource in out area for Pastors to send their people who hadn't found help anywhere else.  

The Journey to Wholeness course is the material he developed to identify and remove the obstacles keeping people trapped in cycles of crisis, hurt, anger, depression and rejection.  Removing these obstacles enables people to experience the value, peace and joy that is available through Jesus.

A few years ago, I told God I no longer wanted to be so consumed with my own struggles that I wasn't any help to those who were hurting around me.  I just wasn't content to keep the miraculous work of God in my life to myself, so I asked Him to make me useful to the health and well-being of others.  

I know making the content available digitally with an online course, as well as printed material is once aspect for God answering my prayer to be useful to others.  My Dad is still available for speaking engagements, and travels to edify and train the body of Christ...but I'm working to have the same resources available online and in printed form.

So you are very involved in being wife, mother to grown men, a grandmother, and supportive daughter.  That right there is a lot to juggle (thinking time and emotional implications, as well as practical).  What are your passions, pursuits, and dreams going forward?

I finally feel acclimated to this newer season in my life, called Empty Nest.  It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be... until I got my own life!  I'm looking ahead to increase my knowledge and skill in writing, blogging, creating web content, publishing, running a business, taking people through Journey to Wholeness and coaching others in these areas.

I have been dreaming about a new set of drums for myself as soon as I find space for them.  Playing the drums feeds my soul!  I love spending time with my husband as he sings and plays his keyboard, it feeds my spirit and I often break into a dance of praise.  I am looking forward to teaching my granddaughters to dance unto the God with skill and joyful abandon. 
I want to show value to everyone I meet, and to be useful to those hurting around me.  I want to pursue hospitality, meet new people God sets in my path, and press on to life in the Extra of God, as I invite others to join me in living The Lanyap Life.

I feel really blessed to have the honor and pleasure to think of you as my friend Tami.  Thank you for sharing with us!  Are there any last words that you would like to share?  Any social media links that you would like to share?

Thank you Tammy!  I am so glad we've been able to meet and get to know one another online.  May God's blessings overflow in you as you continue to bless others in person and through your blog and online through the FB groups you've started.

I want to leave you all with this prayer from Ephesians 3:17-21.  I've written it out in the first person to make it easier to pray.  It is such a good prayer to pray out loud, over and over and over!  May God answer as you pray this, open the eyes of your heart to know the hope of your calling and His incredible great love toward you.  He's done it for me...He can do it for you!

"I ask YOU, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give me as spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of You.  I pray that the eyes of my heart would be enlightened, so that I will know what is the hope of my calling, what are the riches of the glory of my inheritance as one of the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of Your power toward me.  In accordance with the working of the strength of your might which You brought about in Christ, when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."

Here are a few ways to find me online:







Thank you sister!  I look forward to hugging you in Idaho, Texas, or Heaven someday. 
Blessings in Christ,
Tammy
To my dear readers, I hope you enjoyed reading this, as much as I enjoyed producing it!  Tami and I would be glad to connect with you, this side of Heaven, or there!  We would delight to answer a comment or question, or honored to pray for you.
Love in Christ,  May we live to honor Him.




Comments

  1. I love this idea Tammy! I've been toying with the idea of using my journalism background on my blog...and this just increases my intrigue in doing that!

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    1. Thank you for saying, Malinda! I have had such fun, telling wonderful stories through interviews!!

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  2. What a faithful family! I love the work Tamara is doing with women.

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  3. Wow! What an awesome testimony! So much to process and apply too! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Nice Information thanks for sharing Individual Counseling is an opportunity to examine issues within the privacy of a psychotherapeutic session. During the Individual Counseling sessions, one can discuss identity issues, concerns about their intimate relationship, or feelings of depression or anxiety. Lots of people have reaped immense benefit out of it, and the next one could be you.

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  5. I started my journey to positive mental health through Individual Counseling at Anna Chandy Clinic. Now, I actually have times when my brain is quiet and that is absolutely amazing. I thank you from the corner of my heart for helping me through my difficult times, for your patience, your understanding too.


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