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

How Great is Our God!!!

Praise the Lord! Mom and Dad are home! Daddy ended up spending one week at the rehabilitation center after he was released from the hospital. Mom said she saw more and more improvement each day he was there. He's still not communicating at 100% yet, but we are so thankful he's doing so much better. When he left in an ambulance almost 3 weeks ago, he was completely rigid and stiff. His body would not bend and he was completely non-responsive. But now, he's walking with very little assistance and his understanding has improved tremendously! Thank you, God!

Of course, we're really glad to have them home once more. Hopefully this will never happen again! Please pray that his symptoms will not progress, but that they will be completely resolved--and soon!! But most importantly, pray for the Lord's will to be done in our lives, because His will is best.

Now onto another note...

Would you like to see a picture of Dad's "battle scars" from the brain biopsy?!? Well first I have to tell you something.

After Dad was first diagnosed with "an inoperable brain tumor" in May of 2009, someone shared an amazing YouTube video with us. It was about laminin. Laminin is a protein molecule responsible for literally holding our bodies together. (There are a lot of other fancy, technical terms I could use, but let's just stick with that short explanation for now. ;) To understand how amazing this really is you have to see a picture of it for yourself! Here is a scientific diagram of laminin:




Isn't that amazing?! God designed the stuff that holds our bodies together in the perfect shape of a cross. (Also notice the three separate chains that intertwine, representing the three ways God manifests Himself to us as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.) Wow! What makes this even more amazing is that God Himself confirms this to be true in Colossians chapter 1, where it says: "In Him all things hold together." ... He means it literally! Dad went on to preach a sermon highlighting this subject at three different churches last year. He was invited to speak at others but never had the opportunity to do so.
So now, would you like to see the picture his scar?
First...
You have to see an actual microscopic image of laminin:

And now...

Here is a picture of the scar that's left on Daddy's head:

Laminin!
Do you see the resemblance? (You can click to enlarge the picture if you want.) Maybe it's not so noticeable to everyone, but when we first saw it we felt like this was God's way of giving our family a permanent, outward, physical sign and reminder of His omnipresence in every situation! Thank you, Lord!

.....

Anyway... I know this made for a pretty lengthy post, but I just had to share! If you'd like to see the amazing 9-minute video I mentioned, click HERE. You won't regret taking the time to watch it! ;) ~Have a blessed week, everyone!

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"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

Colossians 1:16-20

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH. :)

Top 2 Photos: courtesy of Google Images

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

Hi everyone!

Yes, today marks the end of our one-month fast from electronics... and I have a lot to share. :)

Unfortunately, my dad ended up in the hospital again. For quite a few weeks he had been having some trouble with high blood pressure and extreme fatigue. Other than that, he seemed to be doing pretty well health-wise. Then, last Saturday (June 5) I woke up at 7:00am to my alarm going off. I quickly silenced it and rolled back over to catch some more sleep. Surprisingly, Sister #1 woke up soon after that and left to help Mom with breakfast and making orange juice for everyone. (She's usually the one who sleeps in late!) Next thing I know, it's 8:00am and she comes running in the room saying, "Tay wake up! We need to pray for Daddy; I think something's wrong." I shot right up and asked what was going on. She said, "I don't know. But Mom went in her bedroom to get Daddy up and she never came back. So I went in their room and saw her sitting next to Dad who was lying on the bed. His eyes were just wandering around the room. I sat down next to them and she told me that I needed to leave. I left and shut the door, but stayed close by listening. She was repeating his name over and over but he never would respond. Then she called "___" (who is a nurse) and asked if she needed to call 9-1-1." So, we both prayed and then ran to the kitchen. I won't go into all the details of what took place after that. But Mom did call 9-1-1 and the ambulance eventually arrived. The paramedics came inside, placed Dad on the stretcher, and then my sisters and I watched as they wheeled him out the door and down the ramp with our Mom following closely behind. As she went out the door we were all in tears and as her own tears began rolling down her face she said, "Just pray, okay? Just pray. I love you."

Long story short, after six long days passed... I am happy to report that Mom and Dad are now back home! They got here this afternoon and we are so happy to have them with us again. Our Nana took my sisters and I to see them in the hospital the day after they left, but it wasn't an easy visit. Daddy was lying in the hospital bed confused and unable to communicate with words that made sense. He didn't really acknowledge us or know who we were, and he was suffering from a bad headache. After a couple of hours we left. Needless to say, he still has not completely recovered but he is much, much better! Yesterday Mom called to tell us that Dad was asking about "the girls" and that he wanted to come home. He isn't as confused anymore and he usually makes sense when he talks. :)

As far as the results found on the MRI's go, he now has one very large lesion covering a lot of the left hemisphere of his brain and some other smaller lesions scattered in different places. The doctors are all pushing to do a biopsy on that larger lesion so they can hopefully finally determine a firm diagnosis for him, because they've never been able to give us one. Some of them say they're 100% sure he has MS, but others still aren't willing to rule out lymphoma. We're praying and seeking God's will on what to do about that. We know we still want to follow the diet therapy that we're on, but we're specifically praying for the Lord to show us what to do as far as a decision about the biopsy goes. We know it's all in His hands and we're trusting Him to lead, guide, and direct us--as we know He has been and will continue to do.

~

Now, I'd also like to tell you all how glad I am to be back in Bloggerland. :) I have to admit that I enjoyed the break quite a bit. It was nice to be able to take my focus away from so many electronics for so long. But I also enjoy hearing from each of you and getting to keep up with your posts as well. =) I do want to keep my time on the computer limited, though. (Just to warn you! :D) A lot of times I find myself feeling "obligated" to post something, but I'd really like to make blogging more of a special thing I get to do every now and then--instead of having it be a regular part of my life! I hope you all understand. Right now especially, though, I feel like it is important for me to concentrate my time on my family. (Don't worry I'm not saying that I'm leaving. Just that I'll be blogging in moderation. ;)

SoOoOo...

Anyway, I hope and pray that all of you are doing well (and that I didn't overwhelm you with too many details about my dad! I'm a very detail-oriented kind of person and it's hard for me to leave stuff out. Lol!).

Thank you for all your prayers. God is faithful and we know He continues to watch over our family. ...Have a very blessed weekend, everyone!

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"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."

Nehemiah 9:5b-6

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PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!

Why My Lamp Doesn't Go Out at Night ;)

I spend a lot of my late evenings reading in bed with my lamp on. It just seems like the perfect time for that because all of my responsibilities for the day are complete and I can focus my mind better on what I'm reading.

I've always loved to read! My favorite kind of books are the ones I can learn from and/or be encouraged by spiritually. I really love true stories... especially ones that involve missionary experiences, because I find it exciting to read about situations where God has worked miraculously in people's lives! Here are few of my top favorites:


Bruchko by Bruce Olsen; Faith Like Potatoes by Angus Buchan; The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson; Peace Child by Don Richardson; God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew; & Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

I have to say, though, that my most favorite book of all is definitely the Bible. It contains some of the greatest missionary stories, and I certainly do benefit from it the more than any other book! :)I'm so glad that God allows us to learn from and be encouraged by stories of prayer and faith in Jesus Christ. The six previous books I mentioned may have been written by human hands, but we all know who the real Author is. :) God is the one responsible for those stories--and that's what makes them so worth reading to me!
It's also amazing to think that God's story and plan for our lives is being carried out with each and every moment that passes. As the Bible says in Hebrews, He is the author and perfecter of our faith. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2) It's comforting to know that He has our story all planned out and nothing that happens (good or bad) comes as a surprise to Him. I know my life story has been filled with all kinds of action so far, and the neat thing about it is that I know what happens in the end. :) I may not know what's going to happen in between but I do know that one day, after my life here on earth is done, I will be with my Lord and Savior--forever praising His name!

I'm so glad that Jesus is the author of my life.

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!!

Picture credit: Google Images, unless otherwise noted. :)

A Beautiful Testimony

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

Last Thursday we went and had a bunch of family pictures taken by a lady from church. They all turned out to be ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! This is just one of the many, and it inspired me to share how blessed us four girls are to have the amazing parents God gave us.

They have been married now for almost 19 years! When they were married neither one of them were Christians, but God was working on each of them separately (without the other knowing.) Without going into all of that... they soon began going to church (the same church I grew up in and attended all my life before we moved here) and were both baptized on October 23, 1991. Therefore, God was gracious enough to have my sisters and I raised in a true Christian home! I praise His name for that! We are all very fortunate, and we know it. His continual provision for our family has never failed, and it never will!

Anyway, all that being said, our Mom and Dad are two of the most special people in our lives, and we appreciate them so much! The two most important things they have taught us are that we must love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, to obey his commandments, and secondly, to love one another.

They are both wonderful testimonies of showing and sharing that love, and I'm so thankful that the Lord has bestowed such a grace upon our family.

Thank you, Mom and Dad! We love you!

PRAISE THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!

36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:36-40

Be Thou My Vision

Quite a few weeks ago I sang this song for the first time at our church's women's conference. That night one of the ladies asked me if I would mind singing it for the church the next morning during service. I told her I'd be happy to, but unfortunately I woke up the next morning with a very sore throat and a sinus infection. So, obviously, I stayed home sick. Then a couple of weeks later she asked me a week ahead of time if I would mind singing it that next Sunday. Again, I of course told her I would. That happened to be the weekend my Dad went into the hospital. Therefore, us girls did not go to church and instead visited my parents at the hospital that morning. I felt bad about missing and not being able to sing it, but I knew that even though that might have been Satan's way of keeping that from happening, it was God's way of making it happen at just the right time! (I've been learning a lot about that lately!) So... this morning at church the same lady asked me "Can I put you on the spot?" . . .I knew what was coming! :)

Yes! I finally sang it! Haha! And what a blessing it turned out to be! That morning in class we discussed Hebrews 12:12-13 in great depth, which says, "Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." We spent a lot of time discussing the fact that we are called, as children of God, to fix our gaze straight ahead and walk on the narrow path, not turning to the right or to the left. In many ways, this song applies! I was also astonished at how well the sermon fit with the song as well. I don't know why. God ALWAYS works things out that way, to where you know at the end that He had it all perfectly planned! Yet, I continue to stand amazed!

Another thing Dad mentioned in class was Job 4:1-4 which quotes, "Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 'If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking? Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.'" It is obvious that Job's friends recognized that in him. They realized that God used him to encourage and uplift many others during their times of distress and trouble. The question that arises for myself from that is "Can people say the same thing of me? Do I do that for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well?" I pray with all my heart it's true!

Therefore, I just want to encourage you today to trust completely in God's promises. He does work all things toward the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose. And He is forever faithful. I praise the Lord that His faithfulness does not depend upon my own! (Then we'd all be in trouble... LOL!)

And now, after having mentioned ALL of that, I will post these meaninful lyrics:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night

Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise

Thou mine inheritance--now and always

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart

High King of heaven, my Treasure, Thou art

High King of heaven, my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son!

Heart of my own heart whatever befall

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all

Unfortunately, Satan tries so hard to distract us from keeping our eyes fixed straight ahead. He is very crafty and tries to replace our true Vision with other temporal and fleshly things of this world. We must be careful NOT to let him deceive us! Sometimes, he may have us feeling so downhearted and unhappy through the trials we may be facing, that we lose sight of our one true Vision, Jesus Christ our Lord. We may begin to seek out other material things and forsake our desire to live each day for God. I pray we never allow the evil one to prevail and triumph over Christ as number one in our lives. Christ is first! May God pour out his blessings upon us, and give us peace in the midst of such a chaotic world. Each day may we wake up with a hearfelt submission to our Lord, to make a concious note that we are alive to serve and glorify Him. May we be a pleasing aroma to God our Savior!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all!

God's Sovereignty

My God is sovereign in all things. It took me awhile to be able to fully grasp what that means, and even now I know that I will never be capable of comprehending that message to its fullest extent. It's one of those things that you can't just hear and completely accept without actually experiencing it. It feels like I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions, feelings, and situations over the past couple of years. Sometimes I feel very spiritually uplifted and joyful, and next I'm the lowest of the low. But one thing I do know is that my faith in Christ and my relationship with him has grown tremendously through it all. I've found that when I'm in deepest sorrow or I feel this sense of desperation, that's when I feel the closest to God. It's not something that can be explained, you just have to live it. Come near to God, and he will come near to you! (James 4:8)

God's Providence

Do we really understand what all that includes? In our class at church on Wednesday evenings we've been studying the entirety (or trying to!) of God's everlasting providence. It's an amazing thing to study up on and if you haven't I encourage you to do so. We've discussed his providence over things such as our salvation, nature, animals, man's heart, timing, leadership, nations, people, places, things, and evil. Yes, God's providence over evil. That's been a tough one to understand... but it's true! He is sovereign and he is in control of all things including evil. And as strange as it sounds, it's comforting to know that he is the one who creates and causes all of it! "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" -Lamentations 3:38 "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." -Isaiah 45:7 You see! But the thing I have to say gets me the most is his perfect timing. It truly is perfect! Just looking back on any day, you can see where one delay or one moment sooner and everything would have been a disaster! It's mind boggling to me! He is so intricate and cares so deeply about each detail of our lives. I do believe that everything that happens in my life has a purpose and all works towards his glory. I'm so thankful to have a God so caring and so close as a friend. I cannot describe to you the love I have for my Savior when thinking about such things! My love continues to grow!

And We for the Sake of Christ All Things Bear

This is an amazing testimony that really touched my heart when I read it. It just really brings to light how desperately our prayers are needed for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering. I hope it blesses and encourages you as much as it did me.

In August 2008, Fatima Al-Mutairi, the 26-year-old daughter of a Muslim cleric, was brutally killed by her brother in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, after she proclaimed her faith to her family. The Voice of the Martyrs contacts report Fatima’s fellowship with other believers was mainly limited to Internet forums and phone correspondence. "As part of her testimony to the family, she proclaimed that the way of Christ is the most pure and most holy way of all. After sharing with her family, she found her brother in her room with her laptop open before him," VOM contacts said. "Her laptop contained notes about her spiritual journey, which he was searching in order to find more evidence against her. Her brother locked her in the room for four hours, during which time she wrote a final letter on the Internet. Fatima was killed soon thereafter," VOM contacts added.Prior to her martyrdom Fatima wrote a poem that shows her love for Christ and her desire to share His love with her family. Here it is:

And We For the Sake of Christ All Things Bear--A poem written by Fatima Al-Mutairi before her martyrdom

May the Lord Jesus guide you, Oh MuslimsAnd enlighten your hearts that you might love othersThe forum does not revile the Master of the prophets It is for the display of truth, and for you it was revealedThis is the truth which you do not knowWhat we profess are the words of the Master of the prophetsWe do not worship the cross, and we are not possessedWe worship the Lord Jesus, the Light of the worldsWe left Mohammed, and we do not follow in his pathWe followed Jesus Christ, the Clear Truth Truly, we love our homeland, and we are not traitorsWe take pride that we are Saudi citizensHow could we betray our homeland, our dear people?How could we, when for death - for Saudi Arabia - we stand ready?The homeland of my grandfathers, their glories, and odes - for it I am writingAnd we say, "We are proud, proud, proud to be Saudis"We chose our way, the way of the rightly guidedAnd every man is free to choose any religionBe content to leave us to ourselves to be believers in JesusLet us live in grace before our time comesThere are tears on my cheek, and Oh! the heart is sadTo those who become Christians, how you are so cruel!And the Messiah says, "Blessed are the Persecuted"And we for the sake of Christ all things bearWhat is it to you that we are infidels?You do not enter our graves, as if with us buriedEnough - your swords do not concern me, not evil nor disgraceYour threats do not trouble me, and we are not afraid And by God, I am unto death a Christian - VerilyI cry for what passed by, of a sad lifeI was far from the Lord Jesus for many yearsOh History record! and bear witness, Oh Witnesses!We are Christians - in the path of Christ we treadTake from me this word, and note it wellYou see, Jesus is my Lord, and He is the Best of protectorsI advise you to pity yourself, to clap your hands in mourningSee your look of ugly hatredMan is brother to man, Oh learned onesWhere is the humanity, the love, and where are you?As to my last words, I pray to the Lord of the worlds Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear GuidanceThat He change notions, and set the scales of justice arightAnd that He spread Love among you, Oh Muslims