On the Wings of the Wind

In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes

On this Memorial Day, we remember our fallen heroes and honor their sacrifices. We recall an experience in Germany where James was asked to represent the chaplaincy as soldiers who had lost their lives started the final leg of their journey home. Pat described the scene in On the Wings of the Wind.

Standing beside my husband, in the cold, but bright and sunny, morning, I looked at the nearly vacant airstrip. Only the honor guard, a bugler, and another chaplain waited to meet this flight. We watched a tiny speck in the distance grow larger and larger, then a camouflaged military jet landed and taxied to a stop in front of us.

The tailgate ramp was lowered, and the military honor guard and the chaplain walked into the back of the huge transport. The honor guard followed the chaplain out, carrying our dead soldiers wrapped in what looked to me like black leather bags.

A lump formed in my throat and tears filled my eyes as the haunting notes of “Taps” filled the air. Our fallen soldiers were then loaded onto a carrier and taken to a hearse to await the next plane and their final trip home. Later there would be military honors at their hometowns and military cemeteries, but for now there was only the stark view of death.

Tears flowed down my face as I realized I was seeing the results of the beginning of this new war on terrorism. The war would continue long after we left Europe. How many more of our brave military men and women would make the trip these soldiers were making in coffins? 

Yes, sometimes we wonder where God is, but He knows all, sees all, and hears all.
 

Are You a Spirit-Filled Christian?

Have you ever been asked, “Are you a Spirit-filled Christian?”

I believe there is only one kind of Christian, and that is “Spirit-filled.” To give ourselves to Christ is to have the Spirit come and dwell within us. Imagine Christ knocking at the door of our heart - maybe picture him beating it down with a cross as a battering ram.

He wants to come in. We have the freedom of choice to open the door. Then one day we do open the door - we trust Christ and invite him into our lives. You can picture this as an invitation into our homes. Christ comes into the living room and sits on the sofa, but He wants to take a tour of our whole house.

Of course, we don’t want that. We want to keep Him in the living room, but Christ is not satisfied until we give Him a tour of our whole house. He wants to go into the dining room, the kitchen, the bedroom … even the bathroom. He wants to see all the secret hiding places in our house. He insisting on seeing everything, until we finally give up. The Spirit of Christ comes into every corner of our lives and dwells with us.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
… those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. - Romans 8:9, 16, NIV

The Spirit wants total control of us and keeps pressing for it. Life for us as Christians becomes a continuous process of letting the Spirit have more and more of us as we grow more Christ-like - the experience of becoming more holy and drawing closer to him.

If we give ourselves sincerely to Christ, the Spirit is there to give us life, hope, love, and in the end, death will be defeated. Each day we need to remind ourselves and others that our bodies are the holy temple of the Spirit of God.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? - 1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV

May you be filled with the Holy Spirit, Patricia Eytcheson Taylor

Immersion in the Spirit

Recently James and I watched a TV program about the French composer Claude Debussy. The narrator said Debussy envisioned the waves dancing across the ocean, and this vision became the theme for his classic composition La Mer (The Sea).

I thought about this music when I wrote about the sea in Chapter 1 of On the Wings of the Wind. Debussy said, “The sea completely surrounds you and you become the sea itself.” The further you walk into the sea the more you become completely immersed in the water. You and the sea become one.The same thing happens to us in our Christian walk as we are surrounded by the Love of the Holy Spirit. We are immersed in the Holy Spirit. In On the Wings of the Wind, we share how we can become filled by the Spirit until we and the Holy Spirit are like one. Our relationship with Christ comes alive as we are completely immersed in His Love.

May you be immersed in the Holy Spirit, Patricia Eytcheson Taylor

Continuing the Day with the Lord

Last time, we talked about starting the day with the Lord. Have you been starting each day with “Thank you, Lord”?

Now on the second day of a new week, let’s talk about continuing the day with the Lord.

On Sunday, the first day of the week, I went to church and left all my troubles at the door. There’s no better way to begin the week than to worship the Lord in His house. I listened to my pastor/chaplain husband preach. What an inspiration he is! That’s one of the reasons I married him seven years ago.

Listen to his sermon - The Power of the Holy Spirit - and be inspired. You can also listen to a song from More Than a Voice. The selection changes periodically but all are magnificent songs about the Holy Spirit. The words and music will bring you the peace and tranquility you feel in God’s house.

I felt that peace and tranquility this morning as I continued my conversation with God while I took a walk and watched the deer along the side of the road. They are such beautiful animals staring off into the distance with their big brown eyes framed by their long eyelashes.

They remind me that God created a world of beauty for us to enjoy. His creation is such a blessing to us, but being able to communicate directly and personally with Him is an even greater blessing. Life is not a bed of roses - it’s filled with hills and dales. However, life is so much simpler when we have God with us. He is the only one who understands our problems and brings us through our grief and pain.

After my walk, I returned home refreshed and at peace, ready to face the duties of the day with the Lord beside and within me.

Blessings to you, Patricia Eytcheson Taylor

Starting the Day with the Lord

Hi, I’m Patricia Eytcheson Taylor, author with my husband of On the Wings of the Wind. How about starting a new day with me?

Before I crawl or jump out of bed every morning, even if I’m running late, I say to myself, “Thank you, Lord, for this day.” Whether I expect the day to be a hectic day or not, this is the first step.

This can be your first step too. Maybe you don’t realize it when you say, “Thank you, Lord,” but you are opening your heart to God. He has been with you throughout your life, maybe not in a way you recognize, but He’s there and always will be. Our body - young or old - is His temple.

On the Wings of The Wind is my personal story, and it can be yours, too. We all need God in this hectic world today. My daughter-in-law says, “Mom, the world is on a merry go round, and we can’t get off. God is the only one we can count on.”

I want you to know God and count on Him, too. That is why this book is so personal, so simple to read and understand. You can come to know God like we really should. Your fears and your stress will vanish. Mine did as soon as I opened my heart to the Lord.

God fed me spiritually as I wrote this story, and I pray that He feeds you spiritually through the words.