Category: Bible

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Bondage…Part 2

Have you ever pondered why we stay? Stay where things are simply ‘satisfactory’. Stay in our failure, pride, arrogance, fear and unrest.

Does it bring us comfort?

Does it bring peace?

Does it bring satisfaction?

In the following 3 verses of the hymn ‘Out of My Bondage’, George Stebbins, in each verse, makes 3 statements of recognition and 3 affirmations of what he knows would happen if those recognition’s were overcome. Throughout the song, he transforms in his understanding that bondage to worldly things, only causes stumbling and strife.

It is something that the devil is wonderful at using against us. He uses the contentment we find in ‘satisfactory’. He uses our failures, pride, arrogance and fear to keep us EXACTLY where we are and THAT is what does it. That is what holds us hostage, or, in bondage. WE are the ones keeping ourselves enamored with temporary pleasures that will never satisfy nor soothe the enduring emptiness that we feel when the initial satisfaction wares off. How do we alleviate our desire for a satisfaction that we cannot seem to fill? It’s a simple answer, and one not many will choose to pursue. GOD.  In the beginning, Gen. 1:1, He was there. He’s seen it all and He’s given us a way to Him (John 3:16) and the ETERNAL satisfaction we desire and that is through His son. Through Him, we find protection and peace (2 Tim. 2:10; Phil. 4:7).

What holds you in bondage? Let go of it and run to the one who listens, gives protection, provides peace and can alleviate pain and sorrow. Lean on Him and He will bring you an everlasting joy that will fill your heart. Be brave enough to reach out of the comforts of your sin, whatever it may be, and find the eternal comforts of Christ as He stands waiting to welcome you Out of Your Bondage.

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God Bless You, Go With God

“Better than I deserve…”, grew to be the expected response after a greeting to and from Dr. Stan Mitchell. It didn’t matter where you were or what you were doing, you were always greeted with an ear-to-ear smile from, in my opinion, the schools’ most ‘social butterfly’. He seemed to be just about everywhere you looked. Sometimes sitting with a group of students just talking and laughing in the library or student center, getting some coffee, walking to class with students, getting more coffee, in his office talking with his students, or walking alone to class…with a cup of coffee in hand. He was never without a compliment to give or a wise word to impart.

Upon hearing of his sudden hospitalization earlier this past weekend and of his passing early this morning, I could not help but think back on many of my “Stan” interactions. There were many times I would pass him in the student center while checking my mail or grabbing a quick lunch, and he’d be on his way through to a class or to check his faculty mail, and without fail, I was ALWAYS greeted with a, “Miss Emili!” and a HUGE smile. I remember specifically one time going to his office (unfortunately, one of the things I didn’t do as often as I wished I had) a short time before my, now, husband and I began dating. Stan had told me a few weeks before I went to see him, that I was welcome to his office, and his chocolate, anytime I liked. I confided in him about being lonely and how I just wasn’t feeling like I was good enough (in the regard of having never been dated or even asked out) and that I didn’t know what was wrong. I do not think I have ever been cut off so quickly and I don’t ever recall him being as stern, and as serious, with me as he was. I’ll never forget what he told me, “Miss Emili, you are wise beyond your years. There is nothing about you that is wrong or messed up (he did air quotes around “messed up”). You’re just further on than any man that’s had the pleasure of meeting you so far. Give him time, he’ll catch up to you.” He said a prayer with me after that and sent me off with a piece of his Ghirardelli chocolate. A few weeks after Thanksgiving he found out that I was dating and, in his words, said, “He must be a nice young fellow,” and told me he was happy that I had found a man who could “keep up with me.”!

Dr. Mitchell has played such an incredible role in the lives of all the students, past and present, and I honestly could not imagine my FHU experience without him in it. Several of my classes at FHU I had taken with Brother Mitchell. I was visiting with a friend of mine this morning, and we got to reminiscing about taking one of his classes that we took together our freshman or sophomore year. He always started out his classes with a song and he always remarked on the rather strong alto voices he could pick out (meaning my friend and me). Without fail, we could always count on him picking a song with a strong alto lead or supporting part.

He provided us with a TON of wonderful memories, as well as advice. I believe I can speak for most Freed-Hardeman students/alumni when I say that in some way shape or form, Dr. Stan Mitchell had an impact on us. If you never had the opportunity to meet Dr. Mitchell, I am so sorry for what you missed out on. He was a ‘modern day’ Barnabas. The kind of encourager that, as Christians, we aspire to be; but not just that, he was a spiritual GIANT with a heart so big there’s no possible way to measure it.

One of the last things he would say in his classes was, “God bless you, go with God,” and I don’t believe his departure from this world could be more fitly summed up.

Stan, I believe with all my heart that today you rest in paradise. I believe that all the people you had met and all those students who you blessed with your smile will carry on with the sweet, simple thought of being blessed more than they deserve just for simply having known you. I will thank the Lord every day for allowing me to be able to sit at your feet and learn from your wisdom and experience. You will be missed but not forgotten. For your family and those who are left to carry on in your absence, this is my daily prayer…God bless you, go with God.

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The Sweetest Hour

There is something about sweets around this time of year that make them hard to resist (and maybe not just ‘this time of year.’) They have a way of pulling you back for, ‘just one more bite…’. Perhaps that mindset should even permeate our lives when it comes to what God has instructed regarding our most precious avenue to Him, prayer.

A blind English preacher, William Walford, in the 19th century wrote a song that well encompasses the precious gift of prayer. “Sweet Hour of Prayer” was written and published over 170 years ago, and very poetically encapsulates the pure sincerity of how beautiful our relationship to God can be. Three verses are well-known within the Lord’s church, (Sweet Hour of Prayer) but this fourth was new to me. Perhaps you’ll find it, as I did, a beautiful comparison to the end of our lives on this earth. But notice the reference to Moses and the end of his life as recorded in Deuteronomy 34.

Read the words from this ‘forgotten’ fourth verse:

“Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! May I thy consolation share, till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home and take my flight: This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize; And shout, while passing through the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!””

If you compare the words of this verse and what we know of the area around Mt. Pisgah, on the East side of the Dead Sea, the surrounding area and landscape matches up the description in Mr. Walford’s hymn. Pair this fourth verse up with the 1st-6th verse of Deuteronomy 34 and you will notice that the poetry aligns well with these verses. God has taken Moses to show him the land that was promised to him and his fathers before him, yet does not allow him to enter the land. (Num. 20:9-11 & Deut. 34:1-12) As these parallel well, we ought not to forget or overlook the meanings behind and within these words. At the end of our lives, we can look back on all the experiences. We can see in our children and grandchildren the legacy that we have left and potentially see glimpses of how it will be when we are gone. Knowing we have an end point in our life, what should be the most meaningful and cherished thing to us? Would it be that we made time (spent time) in the sweet hour of prayer.

But if we’re honest, at times our prayers can seem not so sweet. They may feel sorrowful, bitter, painful, and anything but sweet, but read Psalm 141:2 as King David compares prayer to that of the fragrant smell of incense to the Lord. Regardless, of how we feel when and while we pray, it’s the sheer act of sincerely humbling ourselves and taking our concerns to the Almighty that bring us closer to the sweetness we find in Him.

The sweet treats in life are good in the moment, but they will always leave you craving more. Having a personal relationship with our Savior in prayer, will never leave you empty. As a matter of fact, it should leave us wanting more! But it is a relationship that requires active obedience, holy reverence, sincere humility, and genuine faith. All of which will leave us wanting, ‘just one more bite.’

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Even the Stars…

The title of this article leaves a question…what about the stars? “Even the stars…” leaves me to think that they are included with something else, but what? First of all, we know that as God’s people we are called to praise Him. But in reality, all creation is called to praise Jehovah God. But in our limited thinking, do we draw a line as to who can praise the Creator of this world? With no limits to the vastness of the universe we only need to read and know that there is no limit as to who and what can (and will) give Him praises!
Pick up your Bible and turn to Psalm, chapter 148.  This scripture has been turned into one our favorite songs in the brotherhood. And, if the truth be known, when we sing this song, we’re singing a ‘psalm’ that is almost a word-for-word account from the chapter.  From the hills and mountains to the beast and cattle, we sing this song of praise.  So whether you see yourself as a young man, a maiden or an aged man; whether you’re a child or a king we must all be praising God.  As a matter of fact, take a closer look at who/WHAT the Psalmist says will praise God. All His angels, the sun and moon, sea creatures or monsters or dragons depending on your translation, fire, snow, vapors and hail, beast, birds and cattle; all created things will praise the Creator! And the reason why is found in the 13th verse, “…for His name alone is exalted.” Do you praise God or, in your life, do you have other things that are exalted?
Read the words to this ‘psalm’ and then compare the song we sing on Sunday to the words written in the 148th Psalm…
“Hallelujah, praise Jehovah, from the heavens praise His name;
Praise Jehovah in the highest, all His angels praise proclaim.
All His hosts together praise Him, sun, and moon, and stars on high;
Praise Him, O ye heav’n of heavens, and ye floods above the sky.
Let them praises give Jehovah, they were made at His command,
Them forever He established; His decree shall ever stand.
From the earth, oh, praise Jehovah, all ye floods, ye dragons all;
Fire, and hail, and snow, and vapors, stormy winds that hear His call.
All ye fruitful trees and cedars, all ye hills and mountains high,
Creeping things, and beasts, and cattle, birds that in the heavens fly.
Kings of earth, and all ye people, Princes great, earth’s judges all,
Praise His name, young men and maidens, aged men and children small.
Refrain:
Let them praises give Jehovah,
For His name alone is high,
And His glory is exalted,
And His glory is exalted,
And His glory is exalted,
Far above the earth and sky.”

It is a clear that all created things will praise God.  So let me encourage you to sing and to give your praise to God. The stars are praising Him, so be careful that you don’t let the creation in heaven, or on earth for that matter, out sing your praise to Jehovah!

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Psalm 51…You’re the Man!

When was the last time you read 2nd Samuel, chapter 11? You may remember this is the account from the time when King David found Bathsheba. Read these first few verses again; “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.”

Though typically, this was the time when kings go out to war, King David sends his soldiers to war while he stays home. That was his first mistake. Then, perhaps because he couldn’t sleep, he goes for a walk. Though insomnia isn’t a sin what ensued for David was, he saw a women who was bathing and he lusted after her. That was followed by adultery that eventually lead to murder. You may recall how this situation played out as you read the rest of the chapter.

But as we turn the page to chapter 12, a new character steps into the palace. The prophet Nathan comes and shares with David a tragic story about a man who was selfish and sinful in his behavior. Outraged, the king is ready to exact discipline. The text of 2 Samuel 12:5 records that, “David burned with anger against the man and said, ‘…the man who did this must die!'” However, as you may recall, Nathan’s four-word reply exposes the truth of the matter. David was the man.

How do we react when we are shown to be in the wrong? What is our response when someone shows us our sin? Often times we squirm and try to rationalize our actions. Sometimes we try to place the blame on someone else. David could have said, “Bathsheba shouldn’t have been bathing on her roof where I could see her.” But he didn’t…he accepted his sin and we read his response in the 51st chapter of Psalm as he wrote:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Thanks to the pen and musical abilities of Steve & Annie Chapman and Brandon & Sheryl Thomas we can take these words of David and sing them as a prayer to our God. When we accept that we “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Consider Psalm 51: 1, 2 as we, like King David, call on our God to have mercy on us.

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The Best Bedtime Story

Have you ever read a bedtime story to your child? You know the routine; before we can read a story, you need to get ready for bed, brush your teeth, get another drink of water, and then crawl in bed for a ‘bedtime story.’ Sometimes those stories are made up from our imaginations, but many times we read from a favorite book. But wherever the story comes from, we must always remember to followed up with a prayer and a good night kiss. Certainly this sound vaguely familiar?

But how do many of those bedtime stories begin? Whether fantasy or factual, many of these stories begin with these four short words… ‘Once upon a time.’ Or maybe you’ve read the story that starts like this, ‘One day…’  We set the stage back in time to establish the story line. But maybe tonight as you tuck your little one in bed let me encourage you to read them a familiar old story that’s not a fantasy, but one you’ve read (sung) before…

“One day when heaven was filled with His (God’s) praises, One day when sin (life on earth) was a black as could be…Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin (remember, this isn’t a fantasy,) and he dwelt among men…and He’s my example!’

When you read (sing) this bedtime story, be sure you have your Bible handy. For some support I’ve listed a few scriptures. Enjoy the time with your children and practice Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Mark 11:18, “The chief priest and the scribes heard this (“…you have made the temple a robber’s den.” ) and began seeking how to destroy Him…” and John 20:18, “…I lay down My life so that I my take it again. No one has taken it from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative…”

After Christ’s death on the cross…

Mark 15:45-47, “Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph (of Arimathea). Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.“

Luke 24:1-9, “…on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles...”

I Thessalonians 4:13-18, “…if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Romans 6:3-11, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

The version of this song is different from the traditional one…but the words are the same. And remember, it’s the words are the bring us the message!

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Come Share the Lord

Reflecting on and remembering the death of the Lord Jesus is perhaps the best and most humbling thing one can do with their time. There are many ways we can reflect upon His death; however, there is one way we are commanded to. Each week the faithful children of God meet and reflect on the sacrifice and purpose of Christ’s death. We call this The Lord’s Supper or The Communion. To outsiders, it might seem strange that we take part in what we do. To Christians, we should fully understand the act of worship. The Lord’s Supper is not just a time where we reflect on the death and sacrifice of Christ, but a time where we think about the opportunity of a new life that we have been given through His resurrection, because “The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead.”!

In First Corinthians 11, we read of Paul reflecting on the Lord’s death. In the context, Paul has to remind the Corinthian church of why it is important to do so. “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (I Cor.‬ ‭11:23-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

One of my favorite songs about the Lord’s Supper is Come Share the Lord. Not only is it a beautifully written song with each verse seamlessly leading into a chorus that evokes great emotion and expresses the great love that we have burning within our hearts “like living flame(s)”; it is a song that causes one to emotionally think of the death of our Savior and the holy communion with Christ that all Christians should continue to remember and praise God for.

“We gather…” as a family and “He joins us…”, and soon we’ll all be together where “…angels sing.”. He desires us all to be together when we “come take the bread…”. The next time you sing this song, don’t just sing it as an encouragement to those around you, reflect inwardly.

Will YOU come and share the Lord?

 

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I Believe…I Believe!

Leading up to this time of year, world-wide, children and adults alike express a belief in Santa Claus. ‘If you’re good enough, then he’ll leave something for you under the tree’, is what we’re told from a young age. We

have put so much trust and devotion into ‘being good’, so that we won’t be disappointed come Christmas morning. However, as we grow older, we lose that desire to trust and believe in Jolly ‘ole St. Nick. In the 2004 movie, The Polar Express, a boy is whisked away on a magical train all the way up to the North Pole. All throughout the movie, he is skeptical of the fact that Santa even exists and at the end {SPOILER ALERT} he meets the Santa and is even given a silver bell that comes off of the Santa’s sleigh. Before meeting Santa, the boy repeats these words several times out loud, “I believe…I believe…I BELIEVE!”. After so much skepticism, this boy comes away with so much faith, or belief, in someone he had only heard stories about. There’s a song we sang this morning in worship called Bethlehem, Galilee, Gethsemane, and the lyrics go as such.

“Bethlehem, He was born there, I believe, I believe.

Galilee, Jesus walked there, I believe, I believe.

Gethsemane, my Savior prayed there, on Calvary, He died alone
But the tomb, He left there, I believe, I believe…”

As much as we believe in the physical things in this life, no matter what they are, they will not take us or give us as much fulfillment as our belief in Christ. Belief in Christ, means that we believe in truth (which He is…2nd Thessalonians 2:13).

Belief in Christ is not something you can proclaim only when it suits you, when it’s most convenient or when everyone else is doing it. Belief has to be genuine, from the heart and intentional. He was born, walked His earth and died for us to allow everyone of us access to the greatest gift we could ever have. I believe that He gave up everything for me, and I try everyday to live and show that to those around me.

-Do we believe the stories and historical events that we grew up hearing about from our parents and grandparents as they read from God’s word?
-Do we believe in the God that we know sent His Son to die for our sins, so that we would be able to be with Him one day?
-Do we proclaim our belief in God as much as we encourage our children to believe in a magical being that rewards kids for being good one time a year?

Who has more of your belief and trust? Christ or the things of this world?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY-G5eHYGSc

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

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Part 2: To Care or Not to Care

Failing is apart of learning, becoming better and growing closer to the example of a Christian that we are called and instructed to be. These encounters that I was able to hear and observe the other day, helped me to better understand something. Care, compassion, and common courtesy do not have to, or need to, be big, huge and flashy. They do not deserve attention and they most certainly do not need to be publicized for people to be able to notice. People will notice the small, quiet, insignificant things. Christ tells us in Matthew 6:3-4,6, that in opposition to what the hypocrites do (the Pharisees), to do things in a quiet nature. Do not do things to where they can be openly seen, “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”. Our world is used to seeing things being done and openly praising them, although there may not be anything wrong with that and the one who is being ‘praised’ may not mind it, our Savior tells us that things done in “secret” will be rewarded! That older man did not make a spectacle of himself by taking the picture for those two ladies, nor did he when he struck up a conversation with the family behind him. He was simply being kind and aware of his surroundings. Kindness is not something often thought of being that life changing, but it is. It can change the attitude of a person, just by one kind act. It can change the life of a person through one kind act of selfless thinking. We are being bombarded with the mentality of ‘It’s all about you’ and ‘You should come first’, and that is quite simply not the doctrine of Christ. It is easy to write words on a page, and to ‘talk the talk’, but I know how difficult it is to physically act out the words of Christ. Saying and doing are two completely different things, and our laziness as humans often gets the best of us. Be different. Be submissive to the words of Christ. Be active in kindness, compassion and selflessness. Rise above the expectations that Satan puts in front of us.

Be Christ-like.

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True Love…Is It Real? Part 2

“The Love of my Life”

That is something that someone would say to express ‘true love.’ Someone you honor and respect receives this title. And if we are the ones that God has chosen as His people, and considering all that He has done for us, we must acknowledge that He is the love of our life. And in return, all that he asks from us is, respect, admiration, gratitude, and submission.

But that’s where the devil makes that hard. He knows our weaknesses and he knows how to manipulate us dragging us further from our heavenly Father. Farther away from the one who is our ‘True Love’.

We read that our God is the epitome of love and that He is faithful love! In Psalm 57:10 and 86:15, we read of the depth and abounding nature of His love. The love that God has demonstrated toward us, along with his compassion and consistent care, its one that we are not physically and humanly capable of possessing or, to be honest, understanding. Having the love of Christ is difficult, and having a faithful, enduring love and striving to remain faithful and true to our ‘True Love’, can be hard in this world in which we live in. However, when we think on a much broader scope, was it ever easy for anyone? Regardless of the time period, regardless of the living conditions, regardless of state of the world?

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church  (1 Corinthians 7), he addresses the struggle that they are having with sexual immorality. He addresses both those who are single and struggling with that sexual desire, as well as those who are single and not tempted in that way. To those who are struggling,  he encourages them to go ahead and marry. Sexual sin is not a ‘new thing’ that has recently been ‘discovered’. Christians then and now struggle with it. Sin has been in this world since Genesis 3. Temptation is ever present, and God’s word even tells us that, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

It is hard to not to be distracted by the things of this world that are constantly put in front of us. However, the blessings and love of God are present here as well. Take a minute and turn your gaze up from the ground and SEE it. It’s there, we (sadly) make the choice to not enjoy and reflect on it.

Every day, we make choices. Some of them, will bring us closer to Christ, and some will take us further away from Him. We always have a choice. One choice could make us stronger, more resilient and draw us closer to the safety and unconditional love of God. The other will keep us stagnant and pull us closer to the place void of His presence. We read of it in scripture, but see a more vividly painted picture in the book of Revelation (read about the ‘lake of fire’ in Rev. 20:14-15).

Everything we do, is driven by something. Passion, desire, and a will to have something that we don’t necessary need. A want for something or a love for someone that doesn’t draw us closer to God. It reminds me of the song “The Greatest Commands” and the soprano’s words as they quote Luke chapter 10, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…“ God IS love and He is the epitome of what ‘True Love’ is. But do we treasure our ‘True Love?’ Do we take Him and what He’s done for us for granted? Will we love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind?


I love my family — my parents and my brothers. I love my boyfriend, my friends and all of my brothers and sisters that I am so blessed to have in Christ. And I love those who are not yet in Christ’s family. However, and I believe this with all my heart, God is the reason I love all of these people. Why? The answer is simple. “Because He first loved me…” Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”