On the Wings of the Wind

Contents

ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND

TABLE OF CONTENTS

with comments from author Pat Taylor

Read an excerpt from On the Wings of the Wind

CHAPTER ONE — CALIFORNIA BEACH GIRL: As a young girl, I find love on the beaches of southern California, a love that  is part of God’s plan for my life. God gives the Holy Spirit to all, young and old alike.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 98: 4,5,7

CHAPTER TWO — LIVING WITH THE AMISH: My new husband and I return to my ancestral home, where I learn about the Amish and come to respect their faith.

 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

CHAPTER THREE — DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS:  As a young couple, we struggle to make a living as we raise a family and build a successful business, depending on God for protection from danger.

 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

Psalm 91:2-5

CHAPTER FOUR — ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND: Following my premonitions of death, God takes my beloved husband in the midst of a terrible storm.

[God] soared on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 18:10

CHAPTER FIVE — BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD: As I struggle to find peace as a widow, I look back at my life and sees the hand of God in our lives even when we didn’t recognize it. I make notes of my deepest thoughts and find my notes match Scripture.

 … land of deepest night, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.

Job 10:22

CHAPTER SIX — LONELINESS OF THE HEART: When I surrender all my possessions to God and pleads for three things, I find the peace of God that passes all human understanding.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

1 Corinthians 13:4, 7-8

CHAPTER SEVEN — AN ANGELS WARNING: A heavenly visitor delivers a message and reinforces my belief in guardian angels.

 The LORD watches over … the widow.

 Psalm 146:9

CHAPTER EIGHT — THE WHISPER WITHIN: In my grief, I learn to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in the depth of my soul. I share how to learn to listen as He talks to us and how anyone can establish a personal relationship with Jesus.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

1 Corinthians 6:19

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8

CHAPTER NINE — IT WAS MEANT TO BE: God guides me through a journey of faith with the Holy Spirit and prepares me for a new life in Christian ministry. 

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20

CHAPTER TEN — MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD: A photo from the past - a gift from my mother - assured me that God exists and wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:7

CHAPTER ELEVEN — HAPPINESS FILLS THE HEART: A marriage proposal that surprised everyone but God leads to my third career as a military chaplain’s spouse.

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.

John 17:20-23

CHAPTER TWELVE — PROUDLY WE SERVE: Amidst the trauma of leaving family and friends behind to fly to Europe, I strive to serve God and assist my chaplain husband by helping military families — new mothers and wives with children in a strange land.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:14

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Ruth 1:16

CHAPTER THIRTEEN — MINISTRY OF THE SPIRIT: My new husband and I find marital bliss in romantic Europe as we minister to soldiers and families dealing with the challenges of military life in a time of war.

Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:11

CHAPTER FOURTEEN — SACRIFICES OF A BROKEN SPIRIT: Living among military families, we share the comfort and love of God with the spouses and children making sacrifices so military members can serve their country.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 51:10-11

CHAPTER FIFTEEN — THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY: I wonder if God, ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND, will turn the pages one by one as we continue our lives today. For are we not on a mission for God? I learned through the voice of the Holy Sprit that we all have a mission to complete before we leave this world and God welcomes us to be with Him forever.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

John 14:1

Read an excerpt from On the Wings of the Wind