Established by God, Expressed in Nature: 7 Spiritual Laws in Natural Settings

By Fred F. Taylor

We are familiar with the longing for something more in our livessomething to remind us there is more than being driven to pursue goals and accomplish aspirations that seem to be increasingly meaningless. I wrote Established by God, Expressed in Nature: 7 Spiritual Laws in Natural Settings because I had an epiphany. I observed the presence of God and the impact of his power on the simplest forms of life that we see every day and take for granted.

Combining these insights with my own personal transformation through my experience in the air force and with my own spiritual awakening, I conclude that suggestions for a better way of being and of reflecting Gods presence in us need not be expressed in ways that are ponderous and prescriptive. The result is my own journey to greater awarenessone that I have sought to share by writing this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524565862

Fred F. Taylor

Fred Fernandez Taylor is a resident of Miami Gardens, Florida. Along with his beloved wife, Roberta (deceased), he raised and is the father of two adult sons, Fred Fernandez Taylor II and Daniel Darnell Taylor. Fred is a graduate of Klemmer Leadership and Development. He partnered with Klemmer and Associates to help build homes in Tijuana, Mexico. He also partnered with Charity: Water and Water.org to help fund the digging of fresh water wells in third-world countries. Fred enjoys reading, writing, and inspiring others through the printed page and blogging. An admirer of nature, he also enjoys taking long walks in the wilderness. Fred encourages you with this phrase: “Be here, be now!”

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Fred F. Taylor.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016919984

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-6588-6

                Softcover        978-1-5245-6587-9

                eBook             978-1-5245-6586-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified Bible, New Testament copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 12/06/2016

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CONTENTS

Preface

Foreword

Chapter 1 Cooperation: The Wisdom of the Ant

Chapter 2 Faith: The Faith of the Bumblebee

Chapter 3 Change: The Caterpillar and the Butterfly

Chapter 4 Gratitude: Lady, the Ungrateful Dog

Chapter 5 Patience: The Squirrels

Chapter 6 Recovery: The Tiger versus the Crocodiles

Chapter 7 Vigilant: The Wasp versus the Spider

Bibliography

Synopsis

In loving memory of Roberta…

You are always ever present in my heart and mind.

Thank you for sharing your time with me.

PREFACE

W E ARE ALL familiar with a sense of longing for something more in our lives—something to remind us that there is more to us than being driven day after day to pursue goals and accomplish aspirations that seem to be increasingly meaningless. I wrote Established by God, Expressed in Nature: 7 Spiritual Laws in Natural Settings because I had an epiphany when I observed the presence of God and the impact of his power on the simplest forms of life that we see every day and take for granted. Combining these insights with my own personal transformation through my experience in the air force, and with my own spiritual awakening, I arrived at the conclusion that suggestions for a better way of being and of reflecting God’s presence in us need not be expressed in ways that are ponderous and prescriptive. The result is my own journey to greater awareness—one that I have sought to share by writing this book.

FOREWORD

I BELIEVE THAT FOR every spiritual law there exists a natural, analogous manifestation of that law. As the Apostle Paul stated in his epistle to the church at Rome, The invisible things of HIM (GOD) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Romans 1:20, Authorized King James Version). When we look at our world, we can see the many analogies of GOD’s spiritual laws.

CHAPTER 1

Cooperation:

The Wisdom of the Ant

Go to the Ant, thou Sluggard; Consider Her Ways and Be Wise (Proverbs 6:6)

W HEN I WAS a child, I remember spending hours watching ants. They always fascinated me. To this day, I am still impressed with their feats of strength and steadfastness.

As I