{thankful}

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

{Psalm 136:1}

   Today is Thanksgiving. A day which a lot of people see as the start of America, or simply just a day to eat a lot of food and not feel bad about it. Thanksgiving, today, is also so often just skimmed over; seen as just a small stepping stone between Halloween and Christmas. But Thanksgiving should be so much more than that, it should be a day that we actually give thanks, not just spend all day in the kitchen or watching football.

   Thanks. What does that word mean, anyway? Webster's 1828 dictionary defines the word as an "expression of gratitude." but what does the Bible say about thanks?

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!"

{1 Chronicles 16:8}

"And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, 'For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.' And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord had been laid."

{Ezra 3:11}

"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High."

{Psalm 7:17}

"In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to Your name forever."

{Psalm 44:8}

 "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing."

{2 Thessalonians 1:3}

So there is a little bit of what God's Word says about thankfulness...that we are to give thanks to God, specifically because of all He has done for us and because His steadfast love endures forever. Today, in the festivities of Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about all that has changed and all the blessings God has placed in my life this semester, and so many things began filling my mind. 

What am I thankful for?...

Life. I have come to realize that the only reason I stand breathing today is because of Christ. Lately, I have been reading through Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. I'm still in Philippians right now, but Paul hits the nail on the head a lot for me in this book. He really understood that the meaning and purpose of his life was not to pursue and satisfy the desires of his flesh, but to be transformed and seek out the desires of the Spirit.

  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..." {Philippians 1:21-27}

I long so much to live like Paul, or at least to grasp the gravity of my life as he did.

Grace & Patience. Lately, especially being at home for Thanksgiving break, I see my failures oh so clearly. The past few days, I have had the riddle of Romans resounding in my brains. "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." {Romans 7:15-25} Sometimes I am not quite sure how, or why, God deals with me. His unending patience and overflow of extended grace bewilders me, and my mind cannot even begin to comprehend the magnitude of His love for me, His child, yet a sinner. That always brings to mind a line from my favorite hymn (How Deep the Father's Love for Us), "How deep the Father's love for us/how vast beyond all measure/that He would give His only Son/to make a wretch His treasure"

Family. I understand why God does not allow us to choose for ourselves who our family will be. We would probably choose some semi-normal people, who would provide for us, but ultimately be boring. My family is not, by any means, boring. I love my family...every member. I have a slightly different love and appreciation for each one of them.

   For my dad, I appreciate the sacrifices I know he has had to make in his life to provide for his family. I appreciate the things he has taught me. How he has taught me how to check my car's oil; to spend my money wisely; and every bit of sarcasm that comes out of my mouth, I learned from him.

   For my mom, I appreciate the things she has taught me, and her overwhelming care for me and my siblings. The recipes she has taught me to cook, the clothes she has taught me to wash, and the manners and respect she has taught me to hold.

   For my sister, I appreciate (now) the room we shared for so many years, and the times she yelled at me to clean my room (although I guess it did not stick too much). Also, the lessons and things she taught me about boys and clothes, the chick-flicks we've watched together, and the craziness that she has brought to my life through many nights of dancing and singing in our once-shared room.

   For my brother, he has taught me a lot. A lot of patience, and a lot of fighting, and a lot of love. He will probably never know how much I truly do love him. There have been some trying struggles, and some arguing over pointless things, but he has taught me many life lessons and a lot of things to do (and not to do) in the future.

People. Specific (or Atlantic) people in my life actually. Old ones, as well as new(er) ones. First, the old ones. Three girls who are completely irriplacable in my life. We have shared way too many memories and ridiculous times for even us to remember, but the ones we do remember are pretty amazing memories. These three girls have been with me through ups and downs, and even some sideways moments. They know me better than I know myself; they know when something is wrong, even if I can't admit it, and they know how to make me talk and explain myself, even when I really don't want to do so. I miss them terrible so far away in Jackson, Mississippi, but it will make our times together now so much more sweet.

   New friends. Friends from all over the country (and at least one from another part of the world :) ) each one of them are such blessings to my life and have been little joys in my life all semester long. Some I have gotten closer to than others, some are still merely acquaintences, but each of them means something special to me, and I am beyond thankful that God has placed us all in the Belhaven bubble with each other where we can go through four years of life together.

   One new friend in particular. I still am not completely sure why God brough him to me so quickly in the semester, or what He's doing through our lives, but one thing I do know is all he has taught me, and all that God has shown me through him. Struggles, new experiences, friendship, and a lot of laughter and happiness, lots of joy and growth and maturity.

Little things. If you know me, you know that I take extreme delight in random little things of life. Things like coffee and rainy days, sunflowers and sparkly things, Hello Kitty and little kids, a bible verse or my favorite songs, socks and headbands, ballet and frolicking. The list could really go on for quite a while if I kept going.







What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving?



I turned to the Lord in prayer and fasting...

Okay, so it's pretty much been ages since I last wrote on here. A ton has happened in my life and God has been teaching me mass amounts. I barely even know where to begin.

The church I attend here at school, North Ridge, has been doing a twenty day fast. I chose to fast from Facebook and coffee. Those of you who know me are probably in shock from the second one. I pretty much live on coffee, or at least I did. I realized that I had a major dependency on that caffeine and that God commands me to be totally dependent on Him alone. I'm not saying that drinking a cup or two of coffee everyday is a sin, starting tomorrow I'm going to drink it again. However I am saying that for me, this twenty day break from it has truly taught me to depend on God alone for my sole source of joy and energy. The break from Facebook has just helped to minimize distractions. Fasting, I've learned, is not giving up things that are bad, it is simply taking a break from good things that can sometimes take your focus off of Christ, and to use the time that you have to spend with God and to ask Him to teach you things during the time of your fast.

The fast was just what I needed right when I needed it. Some things I learned?
These are some things I wrote in my journal during the fast.

I learned a lot about God's love...

• Jesus defines love
• God says to me, "You can't push Me away" that's something I've been doing all my life, pushing God's love away, and running away from it.
• His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 132)

I also began going to a Bible study with some friends every Thursday morning at 7am before my 8am class...some things I've looked in there?

• What does a God-centered relationship look like? The fruits of the Spirit...Purity...
• What does it mean to ABIDE in Christ? Resting completely in Him...Nothing else distracting...
• Gods ways are so much higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8)...I need to stop telling God what I want and listen to Him telling me what He wants for me
• Am I being faithful in what God has set before me? (Matthew 25:14-30)

Some amazing events I went to during the fast:

• 4 RUF large group meetings
• A Worship Night on campus
• Secret Church simulcast
• 2 church services
• Take it to the Streets service project, the Methodist Children's Home

This was my first real experience with fasting, and it's been a really good thing for me. God has taught me a lot and I know that He will continue to do so now that my fast is over for now.

College

So, it's been a long while since I posted last. Life has changed tremendously since then, because I started college. I am now a freshman at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. I moved into my dorm on August 20th, basically two weeks ago. I began classes on the 24th and have now successfully completed a week and a half of classes as a college student. I absolutely love it here. It's incredible to feel like I have been here for months and to feel like I've known my friends forever, when the truth is I've only been here thirteen days and known most of these people less than that. God has been so good. Here's a little bit of what He has been teaching me lately.

"...and when you go, you shall not go empty." {Exodus 3:21 ESV}
Lately, I have been reading through the book of Exodus. I have read it before, and to be completely honest, it was only merely stories to me. But recently, I have begun to look at it with a new perspective, and one huge thing I seen throughout it is how consistent God is to provide. I came to school two weeks ago, knowing only two acquaintances and no one else. Never really having been in a legitimate classroom, never being away from home for more than one month. All throughout Exodus the thing that sticks out the most to me is how often God provides for Moses, Aaron, and the Israelites. When things are uncertain and when Moses was hesitant, God was there, and He provided all that they needed. I am finding the same is true in my life today. Two weeks ago, I didn't really have any friends here; now, God has blessed me with a small group of close, Christian friends, as well as many new acquaintances. I have adjusted to classes just fine, and am loving almost every class I am taking this semester. God doesn't promise that things will always be peachy, but He does promise that we won't have to go through life alone, or empty-handed.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." {2 Peter 1:3 NIV}

"Rejoice in the Lord, for He is good, His steadfast love endures forever." {Psalm 136:1 ESV}
I read this verse at 1:30am this morning in the bathroom hallway, which goes to show that God can teach you things no matter where you are. After waking up for my 9am ballet class, the words of this verse kept resounding through my mind all day today: during pirouettes, taking notes in History & Ideas, discussing the story of Joseph in Literature & Art, taking a walk around campus with a friend, watching choreography in Dance Department meeting, even while I was eating dinner in the cafeteria this evening. Looking at the verse there are three major thing that jump out at me; I see joy, goodness, and love. Being here at Belhaven, I have fallen in love with everything and everyone here. I know there are going to be bad days, and tough days, and days that I am just going to want to forget about altogether, but so far, everyday that I have been here has been beautiful. When I say beautiful, I don't just mean warm and sunny, but also days that I have made new memories, made new friends, made new discoveries, or learned things about myself, God, or both. The middle section of the verse says, "...for He is good..." God is so good, and just in the ways and people and adventures He is brought to me, I have continually been shown His goodness every day. And lastly, His love endures forever. Think about what forever means...it means NEVER ENDING...ever. That is how long God's love lasts; it won't end because of something I think, say, or do. It won't end when the world ends. It won't end EVER...ever. That blows my mind to think of all I have done, said, and thought in my life, and the fact that the Creator, who created me to be holy, who has seen the depths of my sinfulness, and still His love will endure forever.
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!" {Psalm 118:29 ESV}
Those are two major things God has been showing me within the past two weeks that I have been at school. I am eager to see His will for me life continue to unfold during my time here at Belhaven.

Love, Love, Love

Originally, I was going to retype my notes from church this morning and post them. The message today was on loving one another, and it was very good, don't get me wrong, but then tonight, my best friend and I went and saw the movie "Crazy, Stupid Love" and it really got me thinking. So often as Christians, the Bible, and parents, and pastors are constantly telling us that we are supposed to "love one another", but in order to know how to love, one must know love, and something that helps us know love is knowing what love is not.

The way I see it, there are two views on love: there is the world's view and then there is God's view. God's view came first, after all, He came first. He loved Adam when He created him, and there, in the very beginning was the most perfect, true kind of love, the love of God. Now, over time, as the world progressed and culture progressed, love slowly became twisted into this warped, corrupted view of love which society has today.

The world's view on love is everywhere. Turn on the TV and you'll see The Bachelor, where love is just waiting in a long line of women, who are just there as prizes to be won, played with for a short period of time and discarded. A show where the questions asked are shallow, but good enough to keep audiences interested. Go to a bookstore and pick up the Twilight series, where love is immortal, mysterious, and a little bit on the dangerous side. Go see the latest romantic comedy (Crazy, Stupid Love perhaps?) where love is simply complimenting strings of women only in order to get them into bed; where sex is a common activity between strangers, rather than something cherished between husband and wife.

In C.S. Lewis' book "The Four Loves" (which I still haven't read all of, but plan on finishing at some point in my life), Lewis discusses in each section one of four loves: Affection, Agape, Eros, and Friendship. True love in the marital sense includes all four of these loves, and yet the world has watered down love into Eros (or sexual) love only. To the world, the only purpose of relationships is sex, even some Christians who believe sex is only for marriage, have given into the world's view of love and try to see how far they can go without going "too far".

But love is not about sex at all. Yes, I said it; love if far more than the physical. What is love, then? Well I surely do not claim to know all there is to know about that, but I do know what God says in His Word to be true.

"...God is love." {1 John 4:8}

"And this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." {1 John 5:3} 

"Let us love one another, for love is from God..." {1 John 4:7}

"...love covers a multitude of sins." {1 Peter 4:8}

"For God gave us a spirit...of love." {2 Timothy 1 :7}

God is love, and God's love is full of goodness and purity. God's kind of love is unending, undeserving, and unconditional. God loves like no man or woman could ever love, and yet, He calls us to love like Him, because His love is perfect. God calls women to love their husbands, and husbands to love their wives. He calls parents to love their children, and children to love and respect their parents. He calls the rich to love the poor, and the poor to love the rich. He calls us not only to love each and every person, but to look on and love each and every person as He sees them and as He loves them.

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." {1 John 3:18}

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." {John 13:34}

Earlier, I mentioned learning what love is by learning what love is not. The best place I have found to see this is in the chapter of love: 1 Corinthians 13.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
{1 Corinthians 13:4-7}

Now re-read those few verses. Instead of saying "love" say your own name. Do you feel like a liar? Convicting, isn't it?

Friday Photos

This time next week, I will be on my way to Jackson, Mississippi, heading to college. I can't believe it's almost here. It seems like I have been talking about it forever and to know it's almost here is exciting...and a little terrifying. But I truly am eagerly looking forward to see God's plan for my life unfold before my eyes.
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!



{Goodbyes}

Peter Pan once said, "Never say goodbye. Because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting." But sometimes in life, goodbyes are necessary. For me, right now is one of those times.

I had to say my first goodbye today. Grace, who has been one of my best friends since birth, is leaving early Thursday morning for Asbury University; and her, and another one of our best friends, Ashlee, all had dinner together for one last hurrah before the first of us leaves. It doesn't really feel real yet, that I won't be talking to her nearly everyday, and that we won't see each other again until Thanksgiving break.

I suppose I'm realizing now, that I am growing up, and that Peter Pan can't possibly truly exist. Growing up is an inevitable fact of life, and everyone must go through it eventually. Something that I am so thankful for; something that makes growing up a little easier, and life a little more fun, is having friends with whom to share these events and this growing up.

God has been so good in blessing me with not one, but three of these incredible people I call best friends. There is something very comforting about having these people whom I know so well, and who often times, know me better than I know myself. They are people who have the best shoulders to cry on, if you feel like crying. They give the best advice when you ask for it, or even when you don't want to hear it. They let you know when you're starting to go the wrong way or do the wrong thing. They show you love when others you love don't seem to love you back. They have the best laughs, because, most of the time, they laugh with you.

Though frienships may change throughout the years, they are the relationships that endure change. No matter how far away, no matter how busy individuals are; no matter what you fight about or laugh about, friendships are the things that always provide you with good memories and laughter, or even comfort and security. Though I am eagerly looking forward to the opportunity of making new friends at college in just 11 short days, the friendships I have with these three girls now are some that I know will always be there for me, no matter where God leads us.

So although it may be goodbye for now, it will never be goodbye for good. Goobyes may mean going away, but for me, they will never mean forgetting.    



{Monday Music}

Happy Monday!
This morning I got to babysit two precious little boys, one was three and the other was four, and they were so cute and funny. I love little kids so much, probably because I still am one. They are such a beautiful picture of God's love for us and how He looks upon us as His children. This afternoon I get to go to ballet class, two ballet classes actually, and I could not be looking forward to it more, especially since it has been two weeks since I've danced. I'm continuing to take ballet and contemporary classes at my studio here in LaGrange for the next two weeks until I leave for Belhaven on the 19th. It will definitely be nice to have these last two weeks with the beautiful girls I've danced with all these years. Here's some music for your Monday, just a few songs I've been listening to a lot lately. Enjoy!

Song starts at 3:12