Friday Photos

I had such a wonderful 18th birthday yesterday! I ate a TON of food, played on the playground with my best friend, watched Tangled, walked around downtown and got to spend time with my amazing best friends. Today, I get to go to lunch with 2/3 of  my family to celebrate mine and my brother's birthday. Here are some more picnik edits I've done recently!
-taye

P.S. If you want a picture done, you can contact me via facebook or email { taylor_ellen13@hotmail.com } and send me a picture and words you want on it!

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days."

Psalm 90:14



Word Wednesday

So. . . tomorrow is my birthday, and I am beyond excited : )
Here's some of the Word for the end of your Wednesday!
-taye

Jude is a small, but awesome, God-inspired book of the Bible . . . here you go:


Jude (ESV)

"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying,'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.' These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.' It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Good Saturday?

So there is Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, what's Saturday? I'm going with it's good too. So happy Good Saturday! Oh goodness, last night I went to my church's simulcast of David Platt's Secret Church . . . wow. It was like nothing I've ever done before. Thanks to two cups of choffee, my friends and I made it through the night, and I learned so so so much. I was telling a lady last night around 11:45pm how it was so much being thrown at me and God was just spilling over through David Platt, it is going to take a while to finally be able to begin absorbing it all. He was correct in saying that Secret Church is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Ha. It'll be a bit before I can get my thoughts together to share a little of what I learned throughout the six hours in the Word from last night, so today I'm going to leave you with a verse, that is so good on this "Good Saturday".
-taye

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed."

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus at all times, but especially this weekend and tomorrow. But also, know that the Cross is not meant to be thought of only on Easter Sunday once a year, it should be at the front of our lives every single day that we are alive. Jesus is the only way that we are alive right now, but if you have not trusted in Him and surrendered your entire life to Him, you are far from alive, you are still dead in darkness, unable to force yourself to come to life, and only through His death on the cross for us, but more so for the Father, is life and salvation from eternal darkness found.



Friday Photos

Friday, Good Friday. The day that our Savior took the wrath of God upon Himself, bore our sin and death, so that we might have eternal life. Think about that as you go about your day, and take time to sit a thank Him for all He did for us, when we were SO underserving of His grace, mercy, and love. Here's a video to get you started:

 Also, here are some more of my picnik edits : )

P.S. If you want a picture done, you can contact me via facebook or email { taylor_ellen13@hotmail.com } and send me a picture and words you want on it!



Word Wednesday

Easter is coming up this Sunday, and though I do take joy in Easter egg dying and the Easter bunny, I hate that those things are what people had to come up with to take Christ out of the holiday. Easter is all about what life is all about: God. How He sent His Son to come to earth, living a holy life, to be given as a sacrifice for all the world's sin, taking the wrath of God upon Himself and being separated from Him during that time, all so that we might gain eternal life with Him in heaven, and recognize the glory of His name. This week, I've been making my way through the Matthew account of the crucifixion and the events leading up to it. Here's what I read on Monday and Tuesday.
-taye

Matthew 26 (ESV)

"When Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples, 'You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.'


Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they said, 'Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.'

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,a woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, 'Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.' But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, 'Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me. In pouring this ointment on My body, she has done it to prepare Me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.'

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?' And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray Him.

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Where will You have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?' He said, 'Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, "The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples." ' And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, He reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, 'Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.' And they were very sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, 'Is it I, Lord?' He answered, 'He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.' Judas, who would betray him, answered, 'Is it I, Rabbi?' He said to him,  'You have said so.'

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.'

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, 'You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.' Peter answered Him, 'Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.' Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' Peter said to him, 'Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you'" And all the disciples said the same.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, 'Sit here, while I go over there and pray.' And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them,  'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with Me.' And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said to Peter, 'So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' Again, for the second time, He went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.' And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, 'Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, My betrayer is at hand.'

While He was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, 'The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.' And he came up to Jesus at once and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' And he kissed Him. Jesus said to him,  'Friend, do what you came to do.' Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?' At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, 'Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture Me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

Then those who had seized Jesus led Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, 'This man said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days." ' And the high priest stood up and said, 'Have You no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against You?' But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, 'I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.' Jesus said to him,  'You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.' Then the high priest tore his robes and said, 'He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard His blasphemy. What is your judgment?' They answered, 'He deserves death.' Then they spit in His face and struck Him. And some slapped Him, saying, 'Prophesy to us, You Christ! Who is it that struck You?'

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, 'You also were with Jesus the Galilean.' But he denied it before them all, saying, 'I do not know what you mean.' And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, 'This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.' And again he denied it with an oath: 'I do not know the man.' After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, 'Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.' Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, 'I do not know the man.' And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus,  'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly."

Monday Music

I just love Mondays like this (in a sarcastic tone). My alarm clock never went off this morning, so I had the joy of waking up after 8 with only ten minutes to make coffee and get dressed (please note the order of my priorities). But thankfully, my Peter Pan presentation went well and I ended up with a 98 for my final grade, plus there are only three more weeks left for math and then I GRADUATE!!! Plus it's only ten days until my birthday. . . I guess for me, being a pessimist is just too hard. Here's some music for your Monday.
-taye

Because of my British Lit final, this entire week my mind has been filled with thoughts of Neverland, fairies, and pirates. This is one of my favorite songs from the Peter Pan movie with real people in it.

This past week I had seen myself becoming just so indifferent really, to the cross, and it was really frustrating me, yet I could not make myself feel a desire for God or for worship really. Thursday, Gungor came to do a concert at my church and as I was just sitting there simply listening rather than actively worshipping, I just asked God to break me for Him. I love when God answers our prayers so suddenly, a few moments later, the band played this song call "Prodigal" and God simply broke my heart for the lack of anything I had been giving Him, and he "awakened" my soul in desire for Himself.

And here it is... Prodigal by Gungor :)

Friday Photos

Hello there, Friday. Yesterday was the 99th anniversary of Titanic and so today a couple of friends and I are going to watch the movie and have coffee and crumpets. Today, I also made crumpets for the first time, and they are delicious! Here are some picniks I've done.
-taye

quote by G.K. Chesterton

I'm doing my British Lit final project on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan . . . it has made me really wish that Neverland was a real place.

quote from Titanic . . . in honor of yesterday

Only two months and twenty-seven days until the Taylor Swift concert!

inspired by the song "To Build a Home" by the Cinematic Orchestra . . .  it's beautiful, go listen to it.

P.S. If you want a picture done, you can contact me via facebook or email { taylor_ellen13@hotmail.com } and send me a picture and words you want on it!

Also, here's the recipe I found for the crumpets I made earlier today! I added a little cinnamon/sugar on the tops while cooking them to add a little more flavor. They taste best when toasted.

Crumpets

Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups Flour, Enriched All-purpose

• 1 1/2 cups Milk

• 1 tsp Salt

• 2 tsp Sugar

• 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast

• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Directions
In a large bowl, stir the sugar or honey into the warm water. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the top and let it sit until it bubbles, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and let it sit for about half an hour in a warm place.

Grease a griddle or frying pan and the crumpet rings or cookie cutters. Place the rings on the cooking surface and preheat all.

Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into each 3" ring and cook over medium low heat until set, about 10 minutes. (Avoid cooking them too quickly.) The top should be full of holes when they are ready to turn.

Remove the crumpets from the rings, turn, and brown the other side, if desired, for a minute or so.

Repeat until all the batter is used.
Serve warm with butter and jam or peanut butter.

Makes 16 crumpets



Word Wednesday

Hello there . . . today is Wednesday, and it is now exactly two weeks and one day until my eighteenth birthday, not that I'm counting or anything. Here's some straight Word for your Wednesday. I just finished up reading through 1 and 2 Peter, take this chapter as a challenge, a decision to purposefully give up and let go of your former way of living without Christ, and a choice to actively start living in order to bring glory to His name in everything you say and do (verses 13-19). Here's 1 Peter chapter 1 (ESV).
-taye

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.' 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.' "

Friday Photos

It's been a while since I posted some of my picnik edits on here. I've done a good bit of them the past couple days, so I'll post some of my favorites from then.
-taye

P.S. If you want a picture done, you can contact me via facebook or email { taylor_ellen13@hotmail.com } and send me a picture and words you want on it.

Moment of happiness

I love spring break. Today, I slept until 11:33, watched Gilmore Girls while drinking coffee, made super chocolaty chip scones and thoroughly cleaned mine and my mom's cars. It's times like this when I have nothing pressing that needs to get done that I get a lot of thinking done. Here are some thoughts.
-taye

Moment of Happiness

Sometimes, there are those sudden moments of complete happiness that spring upon me from out of no where. Right now is one of those moments. Nothing extremely significant or exciting has occurred today, it has been mostly a day of laziness: sleeping late and doing nothing productive. In these random happy moments there are a few things I want to do and yet I do not know which I want to do most:
 
   Shout to God in joy with a giant smile stretched across my mouth
   Stare up at the stars in awe and in wonder, with no particular thoughts to fill my mind
   Make coffee (after all, that is always an excellent solution to any feeling)
   Write a song. Or write a million songs that will all turn out to be the best ever (although most songs I ever write turn out horribly with no music to accompany them, so I typically do not go this route)
   Just dance (no, not the Lady Gaga song) whether to music or not, I just want to let it all go and dance what I feel for once

And yet none of those actions seem to express the immenseness of this feeling of joy. The best part about it, however, is that it has no apparent cause. It is a feeling of utter freedom and yet one of a sense that I belong to something perfectly. One that I am loved; one that I am making a difference; one that I am fulfilling my purpose, even if I do not always know clearly everything that purpose includes. It is a feeling that I am exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I need to be doing, and heading to exactly where I need to go. This moment of happiness is one of the best feelings in the entire world.

My God is so BIG...

I just got home last night from New York, where I had been since Friday. My parents and I went as my graduation trip/ spring break. But because we came back yesterday, that leaves me with the rest of the week to sleep late and get some stuff done like cleaning out my room and closet and washing my dirty, pollen-covered car. I can't wait. Here are some thoughts on what God's been teaching me lately.


-taye


. . . So strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do



Throughout this entire year so far, I can see that God has been continually showing me the same few things over and over and over again. Since January 1st, I have grown so much closer to God and taken my relationship with Him to such a different place than it has ever been before. Although that closeness with Him has not given me a free pass from sin. I see my sinfulness so much more clearly now that my mind is more in tune with His will for me. The more I see Christ's love for me and the depth of His affections for me, the more I am saddened by my rebellious nature. I have a tendency to run away from the things I fear. For some reason I have been afraid to let God love me. That sounds absurd, I know. I suppose that I feel like people I love tend to let me down so often, and so I fear that I will just be let down again if I trust to let God love me, or if I trust myself to love God wholeheartedly. But God is not a person, He is so unfathomably more. So, He has been showing me recently that I can trust Him, and I need to trust Him, because that is sometimes the only thing I can do.



Another thing God has been showing me throughout that past four months, is my insignificance. Compared to Him, I am so incredibly small. When I was in New York, I went to the American Museum of Natural History (The museum that inspired the movie Night at the Museum), and while there I saw the IMAX movie of "Journey to the Stars" narrated by Whoopie Goldberg. Although I did not agree with everything in the film (the mention of evolutionistic theories), the movie was amazing. The visualization of all of those beautiful stars! And to think that God created every one of them and knows each one by name . . . it bewilders me! However, I got to thinking: all of those stars are like people. There are so many of them and one huge, powerful God. Compared to God, we -I- am so immeasurably small and puny and completely incapable of doing anything significant . . . on my own. I realize my weakness and my inadequacy.



Though this is not nearly the final thing God has been showing me, it is the final for this post (because it's 12:06am and I am tired). For the past month or so, I have been reading off and on in David Platt's book "Radical" . . . WOW. My full thoughts on the book are so numerous that they are for an entirely other post (and I am only half way finished with it!), but two major things have struck me from the book.
First, that as a follower of Christ, it is my job -my duty- to proclaim Christ to the world . . . and that does not mean just to LaGrange, Georgia, or Jackson, Mississippi, or even just the United States, but it means to the whole world. That really hit me because I have always been one of those Christians who say that not everyone is "called" to be a missionary. But guess what: everyone is called to be a missionary, check out the great commission.
The second major thing that God has shown me through the book is that we are to live our lives serving others. Now at this you may be thinking, "well hold on, I thought we were to serve Christ, not people." And you're right, but, in order to be a servant of God, we serve others. Serving others is serving God. Putting others before ourselves is putting God before ourselves. This thought has changed me perspective of my life completely.