My Thank-You to Jesus

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              FROM:  Taylor

                            Daughter and servant of the Most High God

                           

TO: Jesus Christ

              My Savior and Redeemer

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Dear Lord,

King of kings, Counselor, Comforter, Keeper, Shepherd, Great High Priest, Jehovah-Jireh, Lord of lords, Almighty God, Prince of peace, the Author & Perfecter, Beginning & End, Alpha & Omega, Lamb of God, Yeshua Ha Mashiech,

Thank you...

For all that you are, and all that you do. 

I love you!

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Last week I went through a somewhat scary situation that caused my adrenaline to rush like never before, and had me literally crying out to Jesus for help.  Never before had I needed to call on His name like that--but never before had I experienced the sweetness of His swift answer either.  As I prayed, I verbally pleaded, "JESUS!  In the name of JESUS!"  And immediately He was there.  The next words I spoke flowed so naturally from my mouth... "Thank you."  I had never said those two words before and meant them as sincerely as I did in that moment. 

Looking back now, I wouldn't trade the experience for the world--no matter how scary--because it taught me the meaning of true thankfulness.  I now understand (on some scale!) the overwhelming feeling of desperation and the even more overwhelming comfort of God's supernatural intervention.  And I'm so thankful to Him for that!  Praise the Lord!

I hope you all have been enjoying a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving!  Remember to thank God in EVERYTHING, and for EVERYTHING...  He is certainly worthy. :) 

"Give thanks in all circumstances

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Lessons from a Fly?

Right now a little fly is buzzing around on my computer screen.

I was sitting here wondering what to write for my next post, but the little guy kept winning my attention.  It's like he was saying, "Me! Me! Me!  Post about me!"  I thought,

Well...

Why not?

*embarassed chuckle*

I mean, have you ever wondered why God made flies? Considering the fact that they were included in His creation of the world, I can only assume they're meant to serve some kind of purpose. (However big or small a purpose that may be!)  Still, I can't help but wonder why God created such pesky little creatures.  It's true that He involved them in some accounts told throughout the Bible.  The biggest and most obvious example being the ten plagues in Exodus:

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them. “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies." Exodus 8:20-24

Here's another passage I found that refers to 'flies' as well:

"As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." 

Ecclesiastes 10:1
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So... not only does God use these insects to fulfill His purposes, but to demonstrate important truths as well! I never realized He used them as a way to compare things good and wholesome to things which are negative and hindersome--when it comes to living out our faith!  Who'd a thunk it? :)

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Well,

I can honestly say that I never would've thought I

could (or rather, should) write a post about flies! 

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But the truth is, this post isn't meant to be about flies.  It's about the Creator of the flies, who chooses to use seemingly small things (such as flies) to serve an even greater purpose (such as the deliverance of God's people from Egypt!)

It's about a God whose salvation lasts forever, and whose righteousness...

will never fail. :)

 

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

look at the earth beneath;

the heavens will vanish like smoke,

the earth will wear out like a garment

and its inhabitants die like flies.

{mental picture -- tee hee!}
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But my salvation will last forever,

my righteousness will never fail."

Isaiah 51:6

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH.  :)

Home, Sweet Home

As for me and my house,

we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15

Our parents are back from the hospital!  Yay!

Dad is doing well now.  He was able to get his final plasma exchange yesterday morning, and they removed his port sometime soon after.  He was discharged only a few hours later, and got home sometime last night.  As far as his symptoms go, they appear to be mostly resolved--praise the Lord!  

Thank you all so much for praying. I'd like to ask that you please keep Emily in your prayers too.  She's recently been moved to ICU because of liver failure, and I know her family would covet your prayers as well. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Q and A

Moriah at Uniquely Fashioned for His Glory

tagged me a few days ago with the five questions below. 

Thank you, Moriah! 

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1) Why did you start a blog, and how long have you been blogging?  I started blogging because I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to share my life and study of God's word, while being a witness to others for Christ!  I've been at it for a year and nine months now.

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2) Who is your favorite singer or song?  I think my answer to this question is probably different everytime!  I have soo many favorites... but this time I'm going to choose Rebecca St. James.  She was my absolute favorite artist for many years.  And I even got the chance to meet her at a Girls of Grace conference 5 years ago!

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*big cheesy grin*

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3) How many siblings do you have?  I have three sisters: 

Shelly (16), Eliza (13), and Samantha (11)

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4) What do you want to accomplish most in life?  That would be

the Lord's will. ☺

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5) How tall are you?. I am 5' 1.

Ironically, when I was born my parents were told I would be tall!

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Well, that's it!

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Thanks again for tagging me Moriah!  Now I'm just going to

pass this along to anyone that sees it and wants to give it a try. ;-)

Have a blessed evening, everybody!

Read All About It!

In this post you will find a conglomeration of random topics including:

• My feelings on the first of November.
• A hospital update.
• Mustard.
• Femininity.
• Laughter. 
• And Scripture.

...All rolled into one...

...tee hee!

#1

It's officially November.

Yay!

#2

Update on Dad.
When I talked to my mom this evening she said my dad was feeling pretty good, which is a praise!  He is scheduled to have his last plasma exchange on Thursday, so we're hoping he'll get to come home sometime this weekend. :)

Also, everything is finally approved for Dad to begin his MS treatments. Once he's out of the hospital he will be able to start monthly infusions for a drug called Tysabri. We're praying that it helps to relieve him of all his exacerbations, but most of all that the Lord be glorified through it!


#3
Did You Know?
Mustard works nicely as a quick pain reliever for most burns.

Emphasis on the word "most" in that last sentence.  In a bit more severe case (such as the one pictured below) I've learned it really is quite pointless. lol!
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(The above incident happened a few months ago. 

As I lifted a lid off a pan of boiling soup, the steam shot right out and burned my wrist!)

#4

Feelin' Feminine?

Eden is hosting this month's Feelin' Feminine Challenge, starting November 4th!



{Just click the button to find out more!}



I've loved getting to see past participant's outfits each day during the challenge, but I've never participated myself.  SoOo, I've decided I'm going to join in this Thursday!  Since I already wear skirts and dresses most of the time, this should be an easy challenge... But it will be a fun excuse to show a glimpse inside my wardrobe! ;-)

#5

Laughing Out Loud.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter..."  Psalm 126:2

Since Mom and Dad have been in the hospital, my sisters and I have slept in their bedroom together for the last few nights.  Well, before we went to sleep yesterday we all took turns praying, and then turned out the lights and lay down.  After a few minutes of complete darkness and silence... Shelly busted out laughing!  I looked over at her and said, "What are you laughing about?!"  She responded by mimicking a funny noise I had made earlier that day.  You see, Eliza and Samantha were watching a movie while Shelly and I tried to take a nap that afternoon.  As the two of us were lying in the bed, I had noticed something on my blanket that looked like a spider.  I sat up quickly and realized it was only some black string.  The room was completely quiet as I dropped back down on my pillow with an accidentally strange, high-pitched sigh of relief. 

Needless to say, that's what got her rolling with laughter at 10:00 last night.  And once she started laughing, I started laughing.  We ended up sharing the story with Eliza and Samantha.  Then all four of us were laughing and mimicking the same "funny noise" over and over. 

Okay, I guess you had to be there. ;-)

 
#6
Random Bible Verse to Close

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 126


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Praise the Lord all the earth!
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