Month: October 2024

Posted in Family, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

Water, the Gift of Life

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:13-14

Small oases dotted the desert. Well, I think this is what they call Indian Summer, and I think we have been in a thing they call a drought. The farmer weather guy that I watch on Saturday morning gave the warning. He said that this fall, and probably the rest of the year, was going to be above average temperature wise. He also said that a chunk of the country was going to get drier, and drier and drier. Somehow, we managed to get just enough rain to keep things green and happy—that is until we didn’t. While some rain came it was spotty and apparently Harrisburg was in the wrong spot.

In the month of August, 217 W. Poplar, managed to get just about a half inch of rain. Of course you could say that was a good news, bad news situation. First, the bad news. My used-to-be green yard looked like it did in the dead (no pun intended) of winter—and that means dead. I knew, or at least I thought I knew, it was just dormant, waiting patiently for better days. What is the good news? Well, also like winter, my mowing days are probably in the rearview mirror. Let’s be honest—brown grass doesn’t grow much. Now, also at 217, are spots of green and color.

What caused that spot of green in the grass? Well, my friendly neighbors at our local fiber optic company dug up part of my yard to put a cable in for my neighbor. They attempted to save the grass by replanting it. I have been faithfully watering it and it looks like it is going to make it.  In fact, it looks a lot better than my dormant yard. My.Dormant.Yard.

The other spots of green and color can be found in the many flowerpots we have sprinkled around our yard and patio. Is this some sort of miracle? No. Once again, this is because of the power of life-saving water. You see, when I retired and every day became Saturday, I picked up the task of watering the flowers in the pots every morning. So, after my walk, I make sure they get a good drink of water and guess what?  That makes all the difference in the world. In a world of brown, they are a refreshing splash of color—very much in contrast to my dormant yard. My. Dormant.Yard.

You see, in the world of yards, flowers and flowerpots, water makes all the difference in the world. In other words, water is life—without water life ceases to exist. And listen to this. As true as that is in the physical world—it is so much truer in the Spiritual world. Jesus said, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Imagine a life that never grows dormant but is constantly flourishing—even in times of life droughts.

You need to know there is only one source for this water. It is not religion, church, prosperity or other material wealth. It can only come from Jesus for He is living water. So why not come and drink? Nothing gives Him more pleasure than to refresh and relieve the ones He loves—and that includes me and that includes you. He is waiting at the spring to give you a drink. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, spiritual battles, thankful, Trials

Show A Little Kindness

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Colossians 4:32

I needed to go…and she was right. I served as pastor at Cobden First Baptist Church for fourteen years.  For the first couple of years, we had someone to do the bulletin but that was about it.  After the church grew, we decided to hire a secretary and that was when Lydia came on scene.  When we hired her, she told us that she didn’t have a lot of experience but was willing to learn. Well, my twelve years in the Air Force as an Administrative Specialist made me a pretty good teacher. Before long, Lydia was up and running and she became one of the best secretaries I have ever had.

What Lydia initially lacked in practical experience she more than made up for it with her heart to help.  When someone came into the office and needed an encouraging word…Lydia was there.  When someone was struggling with life…she was there.  On any given day you could count on her to bring a little sunlight into the office. There was a time, and I don’t remember why, my wife Judy and I were the ones needing that encouragement.  It was a church thing, perhaps an unhappy member, who knows, but we needed that little ray of sunshine.

I can remember it to this day. Judy and I were sitting on the front porch watching the traffic go by. Whatever was on our hearts and mind wasn’t devastating but apparently it was difficult.  I learned a long time ago something doesn’t have to be the end of the world to feel like it.  Well, it felt like it.  It was about 4:30 or 5:00 pm…right before supper time…when a car pulled into our driveway.  It was Lydia.  She had ordered a pizza, made the trip to a nearby town, and was now delivering it…unannounced and unexpected.  Oh, and it wasn’t just any pizza…it was from our favorite place.  That’s just what she did.

One year for Boss’s Day, she called an Air Force veteran who attended our church.  She knew, of course, that I was an Air Force veteran, and she was looking for a pair of aviation sunglasses to give me as a gift. She was just checking to see if he knew where she might get a pair.  As it turned out, he had a pair, new in the box, stored away.  When it came Boss’s Day, she gave me the glasses.  When I opened them…I just couldn’t believe it!  First, it was the perfect gift.  Secondly, and she didn’t know this, nor did he, but stamped on the box was the date of manufacture which happened to be the month and year I joined the Air Force.  How about that.

There was one more thing that Lydia did that made her special.  She gracefully spoke the truth.  Occasionally I would come into the office and be just a hair grumpy.  I know that is hard to believe (smile) but trust me, it is true.  She knew I needed a little help. Her solution?  Almost without fail she would say, “Bro. Dewayne, you need to go to the nursing home.”  It wasn’t a statement about my age or future, she just knew that going to serve someone was a sure-fire fix.  And it always seemed to work.  I would go, I would come back and simply say, “Thank you.”

Judy and I are thankful for many things throughout the many years we served at Cobden.  But near the top of the list is a friend named Lydia.  She would be the first to tell you of her imperfections, but she loved people, and she loved Jesus and that was always like a fresh wind. Judy and I will never forget her kindness and the example that she set.  Paul, one of the guys who wrote a big chunk of the New Testament said, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”  Lydia got that right.

In today’s culture if you look around you will see signs telling us to be kind.  I think that is spot on and I also believe that Christians should be leading the way…just like a Jesus follower named Lydia.  Be kind when you can and guess what?  You always can.  Need a little help? Just ask God. He would be more than happy to point you in the right direction.  You might say, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in forgiveness, friends, Grace, Integrity, life, love, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Welcome to Wal-Mart

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, you are doing well. If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:8-9

A lesson from Walmart? I must admit I don’t visit Walmart very often.  In fact, besides Sam’s Club, I don’t visit many stores at all. I’m still mad at Sears for closing. Forever that was my only reason to go to a mall but now they are gone.  But back to Walmart. I remember it was after church one Wednesday night and we needed something—you know, like ice cream or iced oatmeal cookies.  Anyway, we went through the self-checkout, more out of habit than necessity, and headed for the exit.

Like many places, at Walmart the exit and entrance are side-by-side. As we were leaving there was a person standing there and since I was in one of my chatty moods, I asked her if she was the Walmart greeter, and she told me she was. I shared that at one time that was one of my post-retirement career goals. I love to chat, and I love to greet people. I was motivated many years ago by a guy who used to work at the Anna Walmart and then later transferred to the new Supercenter in Carbondale. He had a deep voice and had his greeting down pat. He would say, “Hello and welcome to Walmart.” I really appreciate what he did and how he did it so well. I thought that when I grew up and retired, I could be a Walmart greeter.

While my wife Judy and I were standing there chatting, sure enough, someone came in the store and the greeter lady paused talking to us to talk to them. While her voice wasn’t as deep and she wasn’t as passionate, she still made sure the folks coming in the door were welcomed and greeted.  It so happened that some of the folks who came in the store in that brief time were obviously struggling financially in life.  It sure appeared that their life was hard. But here is what I noticed and here is what I knew I had to remember.  The greeter lady treated every person who came in the door the exact same way.  It did not matter how they were dressed or how they smelled for that matter—each one was treated the same.  They were well received and welcomed.

As we walked out the door, I paused to wonder how good of a job do we do at church—our church, your church—any church? Wait—don’t stay there. How about in our daily walk about life? Whether at church or on the sidewalk, do we authentically greet everyone the same? Can we look past the clothes they wear or the number of their tattoos and piercings?  Are we able to see them like God sees them—people—prized creations—somebody deemed to be worthy of dying for? Wow—that really made me pause and think.

I think we need to be encouraged to see people as He does and greet them with all the gusto of my favorite Walmart greeter from days gone by. It may have been a job for him, but you would have never guessed it. He loved what he did and maybe to some degree he might have loved the people he greeted.  So, starting today, let’s all become not Walmart greeters but Kingdom greeters. Let’s make sure people know that we know the One who loves them most. If you feel like you need to go to greeter school, just ask the Master Greeter.  He’ll be glad to help because He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne