Grits with Grace

Family, food, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, wisdom

Food Fix

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

What do you mean food doesn’t fix everything? Well, I don’t know if it is because I am from the South or because I am a Baptist but I just know food makes everything better. There is nothing like a healthy (uh, perhaps unhealthy) dose of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, well seasoned {hog jowl or some other appropriate grease source} green beans, and a large portion of bread) to make everything better. And, of course, don’t forget dessert.

The other evening I came home from a rather difficult meeting. I walked in the door and my wife Judy, who can read me like a book, instantly said, “do you need to self-medicate?” I love her…she knows. Off to the Dairy Barn we went and in just a few minutes I was feeling better thanks to a salted-caramel concrete. Yup, the saying used to be “take two aspirins and call me in the morning.” Now it is, “eat two chocolate cookies with a glass of cold milk and call me in the morning.” Oh the joy.

We have this rose bush in our incredibly beautiful yard—which by the way is also due to Judy and her green thumb. This rose bush is on an arbor by our back door which used to be a great spot. It bloomed and as you walked through the arbor you were immersed in their sweet, lush smell. It was good. But over time the bush has grown not as healthy and doesn’t bloom nearly as much.

Judy and I were sitting in the yard yesterday morning and she made the comment that the rose bush had a single bloom. So I casually mentioned that maybe she should feed it. Remember, that fixes everything. A good shot of rose bush food and bam here come the blooms. But she told me I was wrong. The problem wasn’t that the rose bush was starving for food—it was starving for light. Here’s what has happened.

Just to the east of the rose bush where the morning sun comes in, two trees have grown—a dogwood and a redbud. Both are great trees and they seem to be real happy. But in the process of growing they have shut off a lot of the morning sunshine from the rose bush and it is suffering. Judy said that the rose bush can survive the way it is but without enough sunlight it won’t and can’t bloom. What we end up with is a rose bush that is just getting by and that will never really be what it was intended to be—a source of beauty with the sweet aroma of a new day.

So, somewhere in the future there is a good chance that the rose bush will probably have to be moved to a place where it can thrive and that means more sun. It will be a dramatic change and it might even be difficult but unless we do something the rose will never be and do what it was meant to be and do. Hmmmm.

I wonder if that is the problem with me—with you. I wonder if we are growing in a place where the soil might be right but there just isn’t enough light. I wonder if we need more Sonshine. You see, we might believe that if our lives just had more stuff, more toys, more of this or more of that, we would be happy. But the truth of the matter—we just need more of Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Wow. First, He affirms He is the light we are looking for. It might seem easier, even logical to just put a light bulb out by the rose bush, but that light would be insufficient and could never replace the light of the sun. And trust me, the light we need in our lives can never come from religion, denomination or some other “self medication.” We need the true light that can only come from Him.

But He says something else. He declares that if we walk with Him two things will happen. We won’t have to just survive in the darkness, or starve for light and in fact we will have the light that brings life. Bam…just what we need…just what the doctor ordered. And if that isn’t enough, since we walk with Him there will never be the need for a transplant because we walk with the Light—we move with the Light. Because of that, no circumstances will ever be able to hurt us.

Well, it’s just a matter of time but we will have to move our friend to a sunnier place in our yard. And I will feel sorry for the bush as we dig him up and prune him back but it will be for his good. After the initial pain he will bloom again and that will make it worth while. So, what do you need to do in your life to once again walk with the Son? What things need to be pruned back or what needs to be given up so you will be free to walk with Him again? Yup, it might be painful but just imagine your life as you are blooming once again. Imagine the fragrant smell of life with Him. Make that decision today. Go ahead and rest in Him. He’s got this.

Family, food, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful

Call Me “Precious”

Posted on August 19, 2020August 18, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.” Genesis 3:6

I remember it like it was yesterday…or a couple of weeks ago anyway. I am the youngest of eight children. Some call me the baby of the family…I call it the best. My brothers and sisters nicknamed me “precious”. I used to think it was because they were jealous, but I later learned they were just right. And, because I was so precious, well, I often was the target of pranks and other acts of terrorism.

The two sisters right above me and myself were called the three little ones. That was because everybody else was several years older and therefore bigger. My two youngest sisters were the main terrorists. They loved to hold me down and tickle me mercilessly and then pull my ears till they were blood red. It’s because of them one of my ears sticks out further than the other. They were two tough cookies.

One time they pushed me out the door in my underwear and wouldn’t let me back in. I banged and banged on the door ,all to no avail. They, of course, will deny all of this but trust me, at the Judgement Seat all will be revealed and they will surely be grateful for grace.

I have always had an affection for sweet things and they even used that against me. One day one of them came up and said, “Dewayne, do you want some candy?” Well, my response was, “Well sure.” It was a small box and in my excitement I didn’t take time to read the label. Honestly, since I was only about eight, I probably wouldn’t have known the difference anyway. So, I opened the box and found that it was filled with chocolates. There were only three or four pieces in the box and before long…they were gone.

I did notice that they tasted a little different, but they were sweet, and they were brown so hey, that was close enough for me. I should have been suspicious that the terrorists were being so nice but I always was a trusting soul. Well, several hours passed and before long time wasn’t the only thing that passed. You see, my loving sisters had fed me a whole box of Ex-Lax. They would deny it, you probably can’t believe it, but trust me, I was there. Oh, boy was I there.

Well, I learned a lot of lessons growing up and this is one of them. You see, things are often not what they seem to be. I thought I was a getting a box of chocolates and instead I got a box of trouble. It looked like chocolate, it even tasted like chocolate, but it wasn’t even close. Did you know that the Bible warns us how the devil can disguise himself? It says that he can disguise himself as an angel of light when in fact he is the angel of darkness. Remember that…things are not always as they seem.

I also learned that not everyone who comes bearing gifts can be trusted. I should have known better when they offered me that box, but my desire for chocolate overruled my common sense. That is what how Adam and Eve got in trouble in the garden. The story is found in Genesis and it says, “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.” And just like that…I found myself eating Ex-Lax.

It’s a tricky world out there…terrorists are lurking everywhere and sometimes they might be related, so be careful. Be sure and use your good common sense if someone offers you a little box filled with chocolates. You might be getting more than you bargained for. Like I said, I probably wouldn’t have understood the label even if I had read it. But do you know what? My mama would have. In fact, if I had gone to mama this story would have been totally different. But, well, I didn’t. As we journey through this upside down world, don’t forget to go to your Dearest Daddy with your questions and mysteries. He is always there, and He is always watching out for you. You can trust Him. His box of chocolate is always the real deal. So have a seat, open the box and enjoy. You can rest in Him. He’s got this.

Family, life, priorities, Scripture, wisdom

Out of Alignment

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

What’s next? It’s a question that I find myself asking just about everyday as I prepare to write and share with you a short story with a big truth. As I was sharing yesterday at church, to introduce the message I used an illustration. After I had written Monday’s story, Judy told me, “when you told that story in the sermon I said to myself, that is tomorrow’s story.” Well, my wife is rarely wrong so here we go a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short.

A couple of years ago we bought a “new to us” car. It was a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. I drove all the way up near St. Louis to look at their lot full of Jetta cars. Volkswagen had gotten in trouble about emissions and recalled all their diesel cars. It took them a couple of years to get them fixed and rerelease them to the market. Judy and I decided to dive into the diesel market and get one.

So, off I went to St. Louis. When I arrived, I saw dozens and dozens of VW Jettas. However, the problem was most of them were in pretty rough shape. Apparently as the owners turned them in, they decided to treat them like an unloved dog. Even after they cleaned them up it was pretty apparent they had lived a hard-knock life. So with my trusty salesman by my side, I went from car to car to car—with no luck. I’m pretty particular about cars and these were not making the cut.

Finally, after checking almost every car in my price range, we found one that was not as perfect as I wanted, but it was the best one available. I drove it and liked it and before long it was ours. Driving it home I noticed that the VW emblem on the steering wheel was not pointing straight up. Hmmmm. But trying to control my perfectionism I chose to ignore it—for a while.

So, even though it was “Judy’s car”, it had to go. I asked my super mechanic, Chris, if we could pull the steering wheel and straighten it up. He said, “You don’t have a steering wheel problem, you have a front end problem. You need a front end alignment.” Well, what about that. I had noticed the car was not wanting to stay straight on the highway but I didn’t think too much about it. I should have.

After we got the front end aligned and sure enough there is was—the VW emblem was straight up and down. Yay—I said. Problem solved…and it was. However, the problem was, I had waited too late. Then, I was looking at my front tires and realized that the outside tread was virtually gone…outta there. My choice to ignore and live with a problem ended up costing me nearly $500.00 dollars for new tires. Bummer. Big bummer. Oftentimes procrastination can be very expensive.

Life can be like a car out of alignment. It got me thinking, what in our lives might be a little misaligned, out of balance? What habit, what misplaced priority, what sins are we hiding, ignoring, or choosing to not take care of? I know, it seems easier not to worry about it, but truth be known, the longer we wait the more it costs. The longer we wait the bigger the consequences and the greater the regrets. It has been said that if you aim for the moon and are less than one degree off you will end up somewhere, but it won’t be the moon…it might be Mars.

Solomon, one of the smartest guys in Bible, said it best. He said that we should learn to trust in the Lord with everything we’ve got, and don’t try to figure it out on our own. He goes on to say that in all our ways check with Him and He will make our paths straight. Make. Our. Paths. Straight. In other words, if the steering wheel on our life is crooked, He can give us the realignment that we need. He can make our lives straight.

Well, I don’t know about you but I think I will save the $500.00 next time and head to the alignment place as soon as I notice something’s going wrong. I think I’m gonna do the same thing with life. When my “VW emblem” is a little crooked or I find myself pulling away from the One who loves me most—I’m gonna head to the Master mechanic and let Him check me out. I can trust Him. The Creator always knows the creation best. I’ll rest in the waiting room while He works. I know He’s got this.

Family, food, gratitude, life, Scripture, wisdom

Judy’s “S” Words

Posted on August 17, 2020August 16, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

So it is sin to know to do good and yet not do it.” James 4:17

I said the “S” word. Oh, no—not that one. You see we have some pretty strict standards with language in our house. My wife, Judy, taught our children, and me, that there are certain words we just don’t say. One is “shut-up.” That is just too rude. I remember a couple of years back when she was teaching ReFit. She was using a pop song called, “Shut-up and Dance with Me.” Oh my—I had a fit. I tried to explain to her how that was against our standards. She gently, well, somewhat gently, explained to me that it was a love song and the words were spoken in that context. “Oh.” I said, I was always kind of cut and dried.

But that is not the word that came out of my mouth the other day. It was the other “S” word that is banned from our family. So, I had just finished my morning walk. I went 3.6 miles at an average pace of 13.20 minutes per mile. Most folks would tell you for walking that is a pretty fast pace. I got back to the house and I was drenched with sweat…hot and tired. But there was this kinda feeling of satisfaction at the same time. And then I got to thinking.

You see five or six times a week I do this exercise thing and it is good thing to do. It is the right thing to do. It’s the kinda thing that you tell your doctor you are doing and they pat you on the head and say how well you are doing. I even have a healthy breakfast—lots of protein and very little carbs or fat. I feel another pat on the head coming on. And then it happens. Someone brings donuts to the office and those sweet round things whisper my name. Sometimes it is cookies and they whisper a little louder. Through the day the whispers get louder and louder and by the time evening coming I am eating anything and everything with sugar in it. And that’s when I said it.

Sitting outside, drenched in sweat, proud of exercising, I said it, “Dewayne, you’re stupid (that’s the other “S” word). You work so hard to exercise and then turn around and make a series of unwise and unhealthy decisions. And it occurs to me that those bad decisions totally negate the good ones of the morning. In other words, I am shooting myself in the foot. At best I am breaking even for the day. I think I am learning the good doesn’t outweigh (no pun intended) the bad. I need to cut back, perhaps way back, on the sweet stuff to really gain the benefit of the exercise.

We do the exact same thing with our spiritual disciplines. Do we understand that even if we get up in the morning and have a time with God—even if we read His Word, read a couple of devotional thoughts and even pray, the unwise decisions we make during the rest of the day rob us of our victory? We need to learn to do the good and at the same time stop the bad. We need to carefully weigh each decision we make. Often, I visit our pantry and will find myself trying different things just to satisfy that itch I have. In the process I consume a bunch of empty, non-satisfying calories. I end the day wondering why and how that happened. I then start the next day with a commitment to do better.

I think the secret must be to constantly remember through the day the cost of making unwise decisions—whether they be calories or sins. And then in the case of the pantry, turn out the light and walk out—empty handed. It may be difficult at that moment but the win is about two minutes later when you realize you made a right decision. And that’s another secret—make one wise decision and then wait to make the next one. Before long—you wait—and things will begin to change.

There’s a verse tucked away in the Book that James the half-brother of Jesus wrote in the Bible. It says that when we know to do good and then choose not to do it—well, that becomes a sin. And if we see it though that lens it starts to make sense. Now most of my nighttime grazing for sweets occurs when Judy isn’t around. It’s just easier to make unwise choices when the one who loves me most isn’t there. The idea is to stay out of the kitchen when she isn’t around.

It’s the same with our Dearest Father. If we can get it into our heads that He is always there to help us make wise choices—well, we will make wiser choices. He wants us to sin less because when we do—we bring glory to His name and we are happier. So, the next time you’re tempted to make a bad or unwise decision, look around and He will be there for you. Just turn out the light and walk out empty-handed. Just put your hand in His. Just lay it to rest. He’s got this.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
They seem larger than life. I am from a generation that deeply admires heroes—people who seem larger than life. They do the most amazing things. They lay their lives on the line for their country, the put on a badge and go into dangerous situations for a few dollars a week. They charge into burning buildings when everyone else is trying to get out. Those are just a very few…the list goes on and on. There are also other kinds of giants—-larger in life in the quest for excellence, to change the world or perhaps, to be like Jesus. These are some of the people I admire the most—true spiritual giants. A couple of years ago I met one. I was amazed by her story.

It all started when we were invited over to a friends house for supper. When we arrived we had the opportunity to meet her mother who lives with her. That is when I realized it probably wouldn’t be a normal evening.

When her mom spoke to us you could tell she was struggling with her voice. Before long, she explained and that was the beginning of an incredible story.

She explained in 1950 when she was 19 years old, she was diagnosed with polio. If you know a little about that time period, there was an epidemic of this terrible, dreaded disease. It struck without warning and without rhythm and that was the case here. It left this dear saint partially paralyzed and also affected her vocal cords. I was enthralled with her story as she shared they said she would never walk—but they were wrong.

Then she shared more and more her story. When she was born (and remember this is around 1930) there were twins and she weighed less than two pounds. She was a fighter from the beginning and fight she did. Later, when she was eleven, she basically was put out to fend for herself and she did. She had a strong constitution and work ethic. I was amazed.

She married and had three miscarriages before giving birth to her daughter. She would end up having 21 surgeries for various reasons and also lives with a colostomy. She has been told that she has cancer though they really can’t pinpoint the source. I know there are several things that I am leaving out but that is enough for you to get the picture. She life has been difficult from the get-go but that is not the main story.

The most amazing story is her faith. Receiving Christ at a young age, her journey of faith has been strong and steady. Instead of turning bitter, like Job, her love for God only grew deeper and stronger. She shared that evening how blessed she was that God had entrusted her with this suffering. From her lips poured words of praise for her Savior. Then came stories of incredible generosity to those in need—both physically and spiritually. It really was amazing.

Judy and I both left that night refreshed as if we had drunk deeply from a cool spring. We were blessed, encouraged and challenged by a saint who had given more than she took. She isn’t the only one. Over my almost four decades of pastoring, I have bumped into so many spiritual heroes. You had to bump into them because like most heroes, they don’t brag about their lives and stories.
When I left that night I also left strengthened. It is instances like this that solidify my own faith. When I see and hear stories such as this one, it shouts to me, “God is real.” It also does one more thing. It causes me to examine what kind of story am I writing. When people read my life, what does it say about me…and about the God I serve.

Each one of us are writing a story and during this hot mess called COVID-19, we all have special opportunities to write a saga. The way we live, act and speak will tell a tale. Hopefully it will be one of grace and kindness. Paul wrote in the Bible that we should be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

That is a tall order but God is in the business of filling tall orders. Why not take a moment and ask your Heavenly Father for a little, or maybe a lot, of help. Let Him know you’ve been treading water a lot these days and you could use a little rest. Don’t worry—He is ready and willing to help. He’s got this.

Giants in the Land

Quote• Posted on August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Family, food, gratitude, life, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, travel, wisdom

Change…or Not?

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

It was like I had lost a good friend. When this pandemic thing came up it messed with my life. Needless to say…it is still messing. It’s getting better but its not even close to normal. You see, one of the things that Judy and I enjoy doing together is dining out at a restaurant. We have several favorites that we go to pretty regularly. We have our favorite in the burg, favorites in Marion, favorites in Paducah and even a couple in Evansville. Then we have favorite meals at each place. At one we have a steak, at another grilled shrimp, at another a hamburger–and that is a seafood place…go figure.

But do you know what happens occasionally? We decide to go “rogue.” We decide to go to a new place or try something new at a familiar place. That is how we discovered the “Pork Belly, Pimento Cheese, Fried Green Tomato wonder of wonders”. It still makes me drool. Regardless, the new adventure is always refreshing and usually quite good. Every once in a while it flops—every once in a while we leave saying, “well, that didn’t work.”

A couple of years ago we were in Paducah and on a whim tried a Chinese place. Everything said, “don’t” but we did. Weeds in the parking lot, trash in the parking lot and a front door that looked like a herd of kids with dirty hands had just passed through all said, “get back in the car.” Well, we didn’t and boy was it a bad experience. But even so here’s what we have discovered—the sense of change—the sense of adventure is worth the risk of the occasional failure. Change can be challenging but it is also refreshing.

Someone once said that a rut is a grave with the ends knocked out. By and large, I am a creature of habit. I have the same thing for breakfast almost every day. I drive the same way to work every day. But even if I like sameness, I also like change. Isn’t that weird? There is a reason. We need change to keep life fresh. We need variety to make life interesting. I think that is one of the things the pandemic has forced our hand on. We have to do some things differently—willing or not. While that is true in our personal journey, it is also true in our spiritual journey.

The one thing that gives me a confident assurance is that nothing is new to God. He is never surprised and never caught off guard. He never says, “Boy, I sure didn’t see that one coming!” It is great to belong to a God who is big enough to have everything under control. I love that in this world of constant change, He is a constant. The writer of Hebrews said it best, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” That means no matter where you go in the past—He was there and He was the same. That means no matter where you go today—He is there and He is the same. And that means no matter where the future takes you and no matter what it holds—He will be there and He will be the same. He. Is. The. Same.

Like I said, I enjoy a little variety—a little change adds spice to life. But when it comes to my Dearest Father, well, I like the sameness that He brings. My circumstances, my mess-ups, even my fickleness doesn’t faze Him. He is always the same. And that same—well, it is just the best. A guy named John in the New Testament wrote and said that it is just amazing, this love that God has for us…a love that extends out and allows us to be called His. Yup…you gotta love that.

Let me suggest you occasionally try a new restaurant and or a new item on the menu. And if it has pork belly and pimento cheese on it—well, its got to be a winner. But when it comes to choosing what god you will serve—there’s only one choice and that is Creator God. Bigger than it all—ready and willing to handle our biggest problems and always ready to extend His grace our way—there’s no need to look any further. Oh, and of course, as always, He’s got this.

Family, gratitude, life, Scripture, wisdom

The Treadmill–Friend or Foe?

Posted on August 12, 2020August 11, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans 8:31

They say that outlook is everything. Some people are always asking, “is the glass half full or half empty?” I just want to know what’s in the glass. I remember a great story about two salesmen. One was send to the wilds of Africa to sell shoes. He arrived and pretty quickly sent this message to the company headquarters: “Bring me home immediately. No opportunity. No one here wears shoes. Waste of time.” So they brought the guy home. Not wanting to give up, they sent another salesman. This guy arrived on the scene and also quickly sent a message to the company headquarters. It read, “Please respond as quick as you can. Opportunities abound everywhere. Everyone is barefoot and need shoes. Send all that you have…what a future.” Well I guess they are right. It all depends on your outlook.

Like many folks, Judy and I have a treadmill in our home. It sits downstairs where Judy has her office. The treadmill and I on occasion have been very good friends, however, we just don’t see eye to eye. He wants me to get on and walk ferociously and go absolutely nowhere. I prefer to walk outside and actually move. Now if it is pouring down rain or ten degrees below freezing that is fine—we are buds. But on a normal day, well, we just agree to disagree. He thinks we should get together every day. I’m thinking more like only when absolutely necessary. Frankly, and don’t tell him I said this, our relationship was always kinda painful. He sees himself as a path to being healthy…my new BFF. I see him as someone out of one of those torture movies where some guy named Egor is always tightening the screws.

We have a couple of grandchildren that really like the treadmill. For years and even now, when Hope and Ethan come over to the house one of their inevitable questions is, “Papa, can we get on the treadmill?” I mean, what’s the deal? What I try to avoid they openly embrace. One day I asked Judy, “What’s up with the treadmill–why do Hope and Ethan love it so much?” Well, her thought was the “no” factor. Because the answer was frequently no, they keep asking. It could be that it is the “thrill” factor. You know, maybe the thrill of it all. Maybe, just maybe, it is something totally different.

My theory is that instead of seeing it as a device for torture, they see it like a toy–like something that is fun. They will turn it down real slow and allow it to carry them from the front to the back. They will see how fast they can go and not get ejected. (Now don’t call Family Services—we keep an eye on them.) And sometimes…they just walk. Now honestly, they really don’t use it for its intended purpose (which by the way is torture) but as something that they can jump on or off, that they can ride (howbeit short)—maybe just have fun using.

I’m probably stretching it here, but I just wonder if I changed my attitude about my friend the treadmill, would we better enjoy our times together? What if I saw him as a partner and convenience and not the enemy? It probably doesn’t matter much to him since he is an inanimate object getting walked on, but it would definitely be beneficial to me. I’m pretty consistent in my exercise but on those rainy fall days ahead my friend could be a help in keeping me healthy. He fulfills his purpose (which by the way, is not to hang clothes on) and I make Judy happy by walking even more. How about that?

Perspective can change just about everything. When we start seeing things through the lens of half full instead of half empty it might not only change our attitude but it just might make us a better person. It could even change our relationship with God. Too often we see Him as someone who is out to get us when instead, He is out to save us—to rescue us—to bless us. The Bible says, “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Imagine that…the God of Creation wants to be your new BFF or best friend forever. Like our friend the treadmill, He is just waiting for us to make time for Him. When we do we will discover that He wants to help us be a better version of ourselves. Go ahead, give Him a try. Take a rest from the “going nowhere” rat-race and trust Him. He’s got this.

fear, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, thankful, wisdom

The Thief

Posted on August 11, 2020August 10, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Psalm 90:12

The thief has struck again. Without anyone noticing a thief has been stealing from us all. It happens visually everyday and no one does anything to stop it because they can’t. Slowly and almost without notice the thief takes from us and we usually don’t notice until it is too late. Who is this thief? It is time itself…the calendar.

The day of the year with the most daylight hours is usually around June 21st. It is known as the summer equinox. On that day, the tilt of the earth allows the northern hemisphere to be closest to the sun allowing the maximum amount of daylight hours. On June 21st sunrise occurred at 5:32 am in our town. Fourteen hours and forty-six minutes later it sets at 8:19 pm. From that time forward, slowly and surely the amount of daylight hours slowly begins to recede.

You ask, “How much?” Well, today the sun will rise at 6:07 am and will set at 7:50 pm. If you do the math you will discover that will give us 13 hours and 43 minutes of daylight. Amazingly you will find that the thief has taken an hour and 3 minutes from us. And each passing day he will take another few minutes. Finally, someday in the near future you will get up and wonder why it is still dark or why the sun is setting so early. The answer is the daylight thief.

I find all this pretty fascinating. As the days and weeks march by it reminds us that fall is coming. Before long, the leaves will be changing colors and falling to the ground. Perhaps, before long our thoughts, even for a few hours, will be on a happy place like Thanksgiving and not the corona virus. On December 21 the process will all reverse. We will begin to gain back those precious minutes of daylight and it will remind us of the promise that spring is on its way.

The amazing part of all of this is how subtly it happens. It is true of the calendar and the hours of daylight we experience, and it is true of so many small things in our lives. We take in a few too many calories and before long we wonder why our clothes are tighter. Humidity? I mean they do call it the air you can wear. We miss a few days of exercise and wonder why our energy level suddenly drops. We miss a few days talking with our Dearest Father and wonder why He feels like a stranger. We miss our time with the Book and find ourselves bumbling our way through life. Sigh. It is all too familiar and all too predictable.

The secret, I believe, is to be aware. I have one of those “Joe Cool” Apple watches that tells me more than I need or want to know. One of the things it tells me is the time of the sunrise and sunset. A few days ago the sun was setting at 8:06 pm and I knew that meant before long it would be setting before 8:00 pm. Sure enough, it is. Whether it is exercise or calories or prayer or reading the Book, if we will pay attention we will have fewer surprises and consequences. I like what Moses said. He wrote, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” You know, wisdom to watch what we eat and how much we exercise. Wisdom to stop and talk to God and read His Book. Yup…good, good advice.

Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, put it another way. He said we should make the most of everyday, not living as someone who is foolish but as someone who is wise. He goes on to say we should do this because the days are evil—or full of difficulties and challenges. The fact is we all get 1440 minutes a day—no more, no less. The hours of daylight may change, but the time has been set for eternity. 1440 opportunities to make the most of life, to get it right. And, because we are imperfect humans, we can use some of those minutes to talk to our Dearest Father about our warts and failures. We can snuggle up close as He whispers assurances of love and forgiveness. We can just rest and know…that He’s got this.

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, travel

Mustang Sally

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4

It was a dream come true. Several years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference way up north in Illinois. How far north? Well just about as far as you can go. It seems you could see the Artic circle from where we were going. For some reason, it might have been the car was due an oil change or just because, I decided to rent a car for the trip. I checked the local Enterprise car rental and they had a great rate, so I booked one online. About 4:00 pm I went to the car rental place to pick up my plain Jane little car and that’s when I found that God had sent a love note.

I went into the office and waited just a moment for the agent to help me. She shuffled some papers around and said, “You know I don’t have a compact car to give you. I’m going to have to give you a Mustang convertible instead.” I couldn’t believe it. I had wanted to drive a Mustang since I was 12. While I didn’t get to own it permanently, for three whole days it was mine. I felt like I had just won the lottery!

We finished up the paperwork and she handed me the keys. I walked outside and there she sat. A new Mustang convertible with all the bells and whistles! I felt cool just holding the keys. I mashed the button on the remote and lights came on and the doors unlocked. I opened the door and slid into the seat and was pretty certain I had died and gone to heaven. One of the first things I noticed was the quality of this American made car. Things had certainly changed since the 70’s.

The Mustang had more incredibly cool gadgets than I had ever seen in one car. Gadgets like an incredible audio system, totally cool wheels, auto/manual shift, backup camera, keyless entry and start and on and on. It seemed that everything you could possibly want on a car was there. This thing was “tricked out”. For those who don’t know what that term means, it is something like it was customized–loaded with options and believe me it was! Not only had God given me the car of my dreams for three whole days but He had sent one that was loaded!

Well, we made the trip and I played Mr. Cool the entire time. Sunglasses, my best smile and the coy look that said, “Oh yeah, it’s mine.” I just didn’t share that it was only mine for three days. Just as all good things have to come to an end, on Monday my Cinderella Mustang had to go back to Enterprise. However, I will never forget the time that God sent me a Mustang to drive. It gave new meaning to that place in the Bible where it says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.”

Now imagine my surprise when I went to the Ford website and discovered that my Mustang wasn’t “tricked out” at all. In fact, all those cool features were “standard.” In other words, every Mustang had those features included with no extra charge. How about that–buy the car and get the options–not some plain Jane, “let’s crawl to the next light Mustang”, but one that caused people to look…”a head turner.” Buy the car and get the cool throw in with the deal. I can remember when the base price got you four wheels and engine. Not so anymore. Ford did a great job in the quality and what you got for the money–but not to the point I’m ready to go out and buy one.

Here’s the deal: God trumps Ford hands down–not even in the ball park. I sometimes wonder if we understand all that we get when we receive God’s amazing grace through His Son Jesus: unconditional love, peace beyond understanding, unlimited acceptance, an incredible purpose and reason to live, the opportunity to make a difference–to be a part of something so big that we can’t even understand it all. And that is not just for the Billy Grahams of the world but rather for every believer, every follower of Christ. Amazingly, that’s not even the tip of the iceberg!

Some people love to drop names—you know, they are talking and they will say how they know so and so. Well, check this out. If you know Jesus, you know the creator of it all. And you just don’t know Him…you know Him up front and personal. And His Father is your Father and He is your Dearest Father. He just waits for you to talk with Him every day. And He enjoys blessing you. Be sure and thank Him for the fact that the life He gives us is not barebones but loaded to the max. You know, when God does something, He always does it well and does it big–how about that?

As you journey this week, how about spending some time celebrating and thanking God for His incredible, unbelievable salvation? And if you get just a tad overwhelmed—and honestly who doesn’t—just remember who you know and Who knows you. You can rest in Him. He’s got this.

Family, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, wisdom

The “I Want You to Die” Tick

Posted on August 7, 2020August 6, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” Romans 13:14

You know there are one or two things that are good about a really cold winter. And number one is the fact that it kills all the bugs. As you remember, last winter wasn’t very cold. I’m not sure what you thought about last winter’s weather, but apparently the local tick population thought it was just fine. Even around my house—and I live on the main drag in Harrisburg—we have had to check every once in a while to make sure we didn’t pick up any unwanted hitchhikers.

Several weeks ago Judy and I went hiking in a wooded area. The trail we were on was plenty wide but I guess ticks are good jumpers. Later in the week, I was working at my desk at home and I felt just a little itch on my leg. You know, nothing major—just a “hi—I might need you to scratch me later” itch. I ignored it.

After a bit, it developed into more. It went from a “you might need to scratch me” to more of a “hey, now would be a good time to scratch me” itch. So I did—and when I did, I felt a small bump. At first I thought it was a small bite and whoever had done it had moved on to greener pastures. I was wrong. It was a dirty, rotten, no good, “I want you to die”… tick. Oh, he wasn’t big—in fact he looked quite innocent. He was only the size of a writing pen head. Well, I try to be a friendly guy—just not with ticks and especially not with one having dinner—and I’m the meal. So we departed company and I did my best to make sure he went to the tick afterlife. So long friend…adios. No prayer, no service…just you’re out of here.

So, I thought it was not big deal—but I guess big is relative. You see, by the next day that little bite site had turned red and was about twice as big as before—and it was still itching—only more. Now fortunately it was NOT the kind of dirty rotten, no good, “I want you to die” ticks that give us weird diseases. But even so, the spot where he bit me itched for several weeks. Even a couple of months later while the itch is gone the scar remained. It hard to imagine that one little tick can cause so much trouble. Write that one down: little things can have bigger consequences.

Yep, that’s right. Some small habit, some little action or inaction, a few seconds of a wandering mind, a few misspoken, unkind words—can have large and lasting consequences. And the worse part is that it doesn’t just affect us—it can and does affect those around us. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because it starts small it stays small. It rarely does. It really isn’t practical to totally avoid the outdoors so there has to be another way. A good insect repellent is a good start.

A guy in the Bible named Paul wrote gives us some good advice on how to avoid pesky sins. He said, “but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to it’s lusts.” So Paul said the best way to avoid the aggravation and consequences of sin is to give yourself a good smattering of Jesus and then avoid sin wherever and whenever it is likely to jump on. The truth is the more we read the Bible and apply it and the more we act like Jesus the less likely we will find ourselves infested with pesky, troublesome sin. Trust me…life is just better.

Well, the site where the friendly little tick decided to visit is finally about gone but it was a journey to get here. The bottom line is it would just be better to avoid it in the first place. The old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is so true. That is also true in avoiding ticks and it is true in avoiding sin. One thing is for sure. It is good to know that God is more than willing to help us know when there’s a pesky sin close by. All we have to do is ask, and He will help. Mark it down…we can rest assured with Him close by. He’s got this.