About the Book

The Story Behind "Be Strong And Take Courage"

  Before I begin my story,  I would like to mention that throughout my entire Christian walk, even to this day, as I study God’s Word, it’s almost like I can physically feel His Word pouring onto my heart and staying there.

 In 1992 while going through a very difficult time in my life, God began to speak to me in a most unusual way.  He would speak to me in a way that it seemed like the Bible was being replayed to me.  I learned that what I was hearing could always be backed up by scripture and the strange thing is that at that time, I was a fairly young in my faith and often didn’t even know some of the scriptures He was using. As He spoke to me these wonderful words of hope and encouragement would seem to just pour on my spirit and I would feel so uplifted.  I realized that this was something I didn’t want to forget, so I began to write each one down.  I could be at work, or preparing dinner, or maybe going for a walk, and God would begin to speak to me in this amazing way and I would quickly go and write it down. Then He began to speak to me and put it on my heart to share it with a close friend or family member.  When I did this, I would be astounded by the fact that the person would tell me that it was just what they needed to hear that day.  I would have no idea what that person was going through. 

 

 He instructed me to keep recording them and in the early 90’s He gave me a title, Be Strong and Take Courage and told me to keep compiling them and put them aside somewhere safe,  so I did. His words would always be simple and would encompass the basic truths of the Bible and were always easy for anyone to understand. God seemed to be pulling them from all over the Bible. As time went on, often when people would share with me about something they were going through, my heart would just fill with compassion for them, and the Lord would give me a message for that person.  It would always help and comfort them.

 God eventually led me to a new church where I connected with a wonderful Pastor who immediately knew what these messages were and encouraged me to date them and keep recording them.  For several years I would write approximately one a week and would share them with her.  Often she might share them with someone in the church who was struggling or incorporate them into her messages Sunday morning.  She believed that these were to be shared and encouraged me to continue and to seek publishing for them.  By the way, she is still encouraging me to this day.  God has always blessed me with fine Christian people in my life to help me.

 In 2007, one day while I was sitting outside during my lunch hour, taking in some sun., the Lord began to reveal to me, a very detailed vision for my life.  I immediately went back to my office and began to record it.  The first part of this vision was that His messages that were given to me, were to be published in 7 volumes, with the first one being when I was 62 years old.  In July of 2011 just over a week before my 63^rd birthday, Be Strong and Take Courage, Volume One was published.  As I held the proof copy of the book in my hand, I knew that the first part of God’s amazing promise to me had been fulfilled. 

 Praise the Lord
 - R. E. Taylor

About R. E. Taylor

A Short Biography About Ruth

 Ruth grew up for the most part in Toronto where she now lives, but spent five years of her childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This time in the United States during her formative years would account for her love for America and her great compassion for what they are enduring now. 

 As a child she attended a small Brethren Church in Toronto with her family.  It is there that she learned about the Lord and a foundation of faith was laid.  As young people often do, when she reached her teenage years and young adult life, she went her own way and pursued the things of the world.  She had heard the truth, but it was what might be called head knowledge and not heart knowledge.  She achieved much success in her job and in her personal life.  She was married and had a beautiful home and all the things that money could buy.  By the standards of this world she was successful.

 It wasn’t until the late 1980’s that her life fell apart.  Her marriage ended in divorce and she lost her home and went from a very comfortable lifestyle, to one of struggling to survive.  She was alone and she felt like a total failure.  She felt like everything she had put her confidence in, was gone. This is when she began her search for God.  She tried different churches and investigated different beliefs and different theologies.  Then one night while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television, her childhood memories came back to her.  She remembered being taught about a positive faith and a God who accepted us in spite of our sin and who loved us unconditionally.  As she watched this program, she quietly prayed for the Lord to take over her life.  As first nothing seemed to happen, but as the weeks went by, one evening while driving home from work, the most positive thoughts began flowing into her mind.  She was hearing that she was loved and she knew that God was speaking to her and He was replacing all of her negative feelings about herself with positive ones. This is where her walk with the Lord began.  God helped her to rebuild her life.  She did not have any children but had always wanted them. In early 1996 her mother also went to be with the Lord, and even though she knew the Lord, she felt very alone. Later that year, God in His great mercy and compassion brought a wonderful man into her life.  He was a widower with two young children, who would later have two precious grandchildren. Over the years, his family became her family and this family and these two beautiful grandchildren are one of the greatest blessings in her life. God is so good.  She has often said “I had everything, but I had nothing, now I have nothing, but I have everything”.  Money and worldly success can never bring true happiness, only God can do that.

 God eventually led her to a career in healthcare, first as a Medical Secretary and later as an Administrative Assistant. Ruth retired from healthcare in October of last year and is now actively pursuing God’s vision for her life as a Christian writer and encourager.  She continues to write and will eventually publish the next six volumes of Be Strong and Take Courage and currently has an outreach of daily encouragement for the Lord through the social media.

Praise The Lord!

-R. E. Taylor 

Story of the Month - September 2012

Divine Intervention

 When I was a teenager, my father died of  lung cancer.  My sister was 15 years old, I was 16 years old and my brother was 17 years old.  In 1964 we did not have Medicare, so my father died at home after a long 6-7 months of agony.  My mother was about 50 years old. By the time my father died she looked like an 80 year old woman to me.  Before my father died, my mother got on her knees and told the Lord she couldn't take it anymore.  My mother had a lot of faith, was always reading her bible and praying.  When my mother got off her knees she felt as if 100 lbs were lifted off her shoulders.  Within weeks my father passed away.  She knew that the Lord was with her, my brother, sister and myself. 

About 6 months after my father died my mother went to a physician to check on a lump she had under her ear.  She had that lump for years.  A woman my mother knew (a woman who was considerably younger than herself) also had a lump under her ear.  This woman had a much smaller lump and when they operated on that woman she was paralyzed on one side of her body, from her face down to her feet.  When our physician sent my mother to the surgeon he wanted to operate immediately.  My mother was so worn out and exhausted by the time my father died that this next trial seemed impossible to bear. The surgeon told her that she had a 50% chance of being paralyzed on one side of her body, a 48% chance of dying, and a 2% chance of her face being normal.  She asked the Lord that if He was not going to heal her, would He take her home to be with Him.  She knew that the prayer was a selfish one, but at the time she was so discouraged and so tired.   She had the surgery and when she woke up the surgeon informed her that everything was normal, all she had was a crooked smile.  The surgeon  said to my mother "There must be a God or a higher power, because even with all my expertise and experience, the lump was right on the nerve.  Without divine intervention, you would have been paralyzed" The lump was benign.

God is so faithful. 

- Sandra