Oh, come, oh, call me, Matthew.

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My name is Emily Lauren Cardell, but you can call me Al.

I'm 25 years old and live in Shelbyville, Tennessee with my husband Michael.

I'm the founder of Daughter of Delight, an online women's ministry that provides everyday devotionals for the everyday woman.

I'm humbled by the opportunity to share my story with you today, and I pray it blesses and

encourages you in your walk with our good and gracious God. I met God when I was 16 years old.

I was raised in the church from the moment I was born.

But I didn't know the God I thought I knew until a major rescue took place years down the road.

I was a good girl on the surface who engaged in poor decisions beneath surface level.

So much so that I found myself so deep in darkness I truly believed

there was no way out. And I was the only one to blame for it. But God, I cried to him and he

rescued me. To quote Psalm 186, in my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God I cried for help. From his temple

he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. It was like God looked at me, covered

from top to bottom in my selfishness and my mess, yet extended his hand anyway. And it was covered in his great love, joy, and grace.

I was hesitant to take his hand because I couldn't stop asking myself what made me worthy of such

a divine rescue. The answer was nothing. Absolutely nothing made me worthy of it. The beauty of the gospel,

which I finally began to understand, is that God didn't extend his hand to me because he needed me.

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