Saturday, March 31, 2012

My Other/Better Half.

Time is passing, which means it is getting closer and closer to one of the BIGGEST days of my life...August 24, 2012 I will be marrying the most incredible man in the world, my best friend, Robert Madu Junior. Growing up, I always knew God was calling me to something extraordinary, something bigger than myself.. therefore I knew the man I would marry would HAVE to be in love with Jesus, have a heart that breaks for the hurting, a heart that longs to see the broken restored..a heart the loves God and loves people. What exactly would this man look like inside and out? Did he even exist? Were my expectations too big? Little did I realize, as amazing as I wanted this man to be, the picture I had painted still wouldnt even come close to the man,God would eventually bring into my life. Oh how sweet and faithful the Lord is. He is good. I am so humbled and happy that God doesnt always give us what we want... His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are high above. PTL!

This man... this man that has chosen me... to say I love him doesnt even do justice to what my heart truly feels for him. After 5 years of dating on and off... the ups and downs.. the in betweens.. we have grown beyond the petty love... beyond the fears and insecurities... beyond ourselves. What a beautiful picture of the pursuit of God over our lives. There have been many times,on both of our parts, that we could have walked away... but that was when grace and unconditional love invaded the deepest parts of our hearts...  as well as us seeking Gods perfect will over our lives.. and now, here we are. This man is not only the hottest thing Ive ever layed my eyes on.. but the safety that I feel when Im with him...Oh my. He makes me laugh..which isnt hard to do, but still.. He makes me laugh and thats great, right? (lol)
He makes me want to love Jesus more.. His heart to bless others, blows me away.. His ability to communicate the word of God to this generation leaves me speechless... the fear of God he carries with him... a man of integrity... a man that loves and honors his family and friends. Wow.. He is my protector, my provider, my lover to be, and my best friend... God has given me more than what I ever thought I would ever have. Take it for what its worth.. Dont ever put expectations on God!! I promise, you want what He has for you, not what you want for yourself. Dont get me wrong, He knows the desire of your heart, and He will give it you, but in His way. All that to say, I love you Robert Madu. Thank you for being so incredible...so patient and understanding... and so willing to love me. You have chosen me.. and I have chosen you. You are my other/better half. Now lets do life together...



Special thanks to my amazing, talented sister, Meshali Mitchell Photography for capturing "US" so beautifully...we obviously love each other... and with your incredible touch and eye for the camera, I am blown away at your work..such a purity and sweetness to your pictures! I adore you Sissybutt, always have, always will. Too bad youre my maid of honor.. or you would be doing my wedding.. DUH ;)

Special thanks to Matthew Moore Photography (and Katie) for taking time to capture us as well... So thankful that I have an incredible photographer to shoot my wedding.. I was worried because my sister couldnt shoot us... but then you both came through and I couldnt ask for any one better!!! Love you guys!





















  

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

My dirt:HIS Redemption

I am Taylor Mitchell. I have a story, just like you do. It may not look identical to yours, but it could possibly have the same ending...REDEMPTION.
I want to share with you my personal journey. This story was not created to belittle any individual... Its just...my story...my ups and downs.. my highs and lows..my life. There are no fingers pointing at anyone except the true source of all of our sin and brokenness.. the one who has come to kill, steal, and destroy.. Satan himself.  I have an incredible family, and by the power and grace of God, we are all very close and have been restored in different ways. I desire to tell the world my personal experience because it sheds light into the amazing, everlasting LOVE of Jesus... His relentless, unchanging love. The bible mentions in Revelation 12:11 "and they OVERCAME him (satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony..." I believe that every time this story is told, I not only find more healing, but others find hope and more than anything, they see that life is not over!! It is not how you start the race, it is how you finish!! I pray today, as you watch and listen, God will invade your heart with His love, His healing, His redemption! You are loved and adored..Dont settle...Keep pressing forward... You have a story to tell!! 
Huge THANK YOU to Jon and Kristin Link for taking time to help produce my story! Love you both!!! 


Taylor Mitchell from Jonathon & Kristin Link on Vimeo.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

You make beautiful things.

Each day that passes, the more I begin to understand the meaning behind what my parents always told me  as a child.. "the older you get, the faster time flies." Today, I am writing from my couch. Sitting here, cuddled up, enjoying this amazing winter weather. Time is truly flying by! December of 2011 is here! Let me not fail to mention, December is my favorite month! Beyond the Christmas lights, the cozy weather, and the gifts, I love this time of year because it creates an atmosphere to reflect on my Savior. He is good. He was, and is, and will forever be...good. I never want to allow the craziness of life to ever hinder me from remembering the goodness of Jesus. Born with a purpose..only to die for you and I. Wow. His death gave us direct access to grace and love, to new opportunity day in and day out... to second, third, and 50th chances...His love has no limitations..its unconditional. Romans 8:38..."Nothing,in all creation, can ever separate us from the love of God." Take a moment and think about His love. How amazing. I write today, for no other purpose than to exalt my Savior. In only 5 days, Trinity Church will be releasing their newest album, "In You." You may question what in the world does that have to do with anything? Well, let me just tell you... 6 years ago there was a girl named Taylor,Me...living in Arkansas, trapped in a dysfunctional relationship... pregnant out of wedlock, and bound for Hell. Inside of her, were dreams and gifts that had died, due to lifes circumstances. Hope? There was none. Purpose to life? She had no purpose. Failure, shame, guilt, and low self-esteem held her bound. Until one day she encountered Redemption. The love of God invaded every part of her being, and broke every chain. Dreams and gifts...the destiny God called her to... all resurrected by the power of Jesus Christ. After being pulled out of the valley of the shadow of death, I was quickly reminded of a Savior, born... only to die, to give Taylor, Me, new life. I say all of this, because if you would have told me 6 years ago that I would have an opportunity to sing on a worship album, I would have called you insane. YEs, insane! Due to my own sin and selfishness, I chose a path that would/ should have stopped every dream that God had birthed inside of me as a little girl. The beauty of grace-- no matter how far I ran.. no matter how hard Hell pursued me...I never fully escaped! These lyrics could not be more relevant to my life, "No power in Hell, no scheme of man, could ever pluck me from His hand..." and there you have it. Christ never gave up on me... and now I am living in the fullness of what He had for me all along the way. This coming Sunday, December 11,2011 "In You" will be released for the world. Who knows who will hear it.. maybe ten people, maybe a couple thousand, maybe only one. To you, it may just be another song, another album.. but for me its a reminder that He makes all things new. He takes broken people, with lost dreams...He breathes His life into them, making it beautiful again. I am happy. I am humbled, healed, whole. I am not worthy to be used by Him...yet He sees me worthy and still chooses to use me... and has united me with a team at Trinity Church to advance the kingdom of God. Through a blog, a song... at the gas station... doing hair... He is constantly speaking. Open your eyes today... He is everywhere, in everything. Get rid of the mindset of lost dreams and hopelessness. Allow Christ to make it beautiful again.


Thank you Jesus for making all things new in my life. In you, I am restored. Nothing missing, nothing broken...