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Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel, Trials

No-See-Um

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

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

I slapped my arm but didn’t see a thing.  About thirty years ago we were visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It was a beautiful area, and it was almost like being in another part of the world.  There were rich woodlands, new foods to enjoy and the crystal-clear water of Lake Michigan. It reminded me of some of the places I have visited in Europe.  With all its wonders there was one thing that I didn’t like…no-see-ums.

Most of us are familiar with the various biting pests we find flying and crawling around.  There is the bomber-size horsefly.  You can usually hear them coming…even before you see them coming and their bite is horrendous. Then there is the yellow fly and that pesky one that hovers around when you are sitting on the patio.  They seem particularly innocent and that’s when they get you.  And the king of biting insects is, of course, the mosquito.  Some people wonder why God created the mosquito.  I think it is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

While not too common around here, the no-see-um that I encountered in Michigan was a flat-out, no doubt about it, pain in the neck—or else wherever those chose it bite you.  They are very small…in fact…smaller than a flea.  Because of that you will feel the bite and go to swat at the culprit but see nothing to hit.  They are a neutral color and manage to just “blend in.”  Their bite is painful and can take hours or even days before a welt shows up on your skin.  Well, since I don’t make too many trips to the Upper Peninsula, it wasn’t too big a deal…until I found out they like South Florida.

When my wife Judy and I checked into the place we were staying in Fort Myers one of the first things we did was go and sit on the balcony that overlooked Estero Bay.  It was beautiful.  From our fourth-floor vantage point, we could see for miles and saw dolphins, manatees, fish, birds and even an alligator.  However, it wasn’t what we saw that soon grabbed our attention…it’s what we didn’t.  Soon, too soon, we were slapping and scratching but not seeing.  We soon realized that no-see-ums love South Florida as much as they loved the Upper Peninsula.

Well, we retreated inside until we could find something that would discourage them from making us lunch.  A day later we were eating at a local restaurant and there on the table was “No-See-Um” spray. It was all natural and Judy tried some and thankfully it worked.  Not all but most of the misery caused by these almost invisible, blood sucking, stinking, pain-in-the-neck (you can tell I’m a little bitter) insects was finally over. And, for the ones who managed to escape the spray, I learned to spot them and eliminate them.  And yes, there was pleasure in revenge.

No-see-um bites are painful and adding to the pain is the fact that you don’t see it coming.  I mean a horsefly is big enough to spot and sounds like a small helicopter coming in for a landing.  Even a pesky mosquito buzzes if it’s close to your ear.  But the no-see-um is a sneaky one at best.  And do you know what?  Some of the most irritating and painful things in life are too.  How many times have you been just having the best day and some circumstance comes along and changes everything?  The truth is it happens too often.  But there is good news.

While we sometimes can’t change our circumstances and sometimes all the wisdom in the world won’t change an outcome, there is hope.  And that hope is found in a relationship with a God who will not leave us or forsake us and is wiser, bigger, and stronger than anything we will face.  I know you hear that from me a lot but there is a reason…I believe it. I’ve been a Jesus follower for several decades and while there have been plenty of pesky and painful things along the way—He has been faithful—even when I wasn’t. I love what the writer of Hebrews said in the Bible, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Period. Big or small, visible or not, there’s just comfort in knowing that no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

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

The Wonder of Music

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!” Psalm 96:5

You might say that I am a music nut.  I love music.  Ok, to be honest there is some music I like better than others, but by and large—most music is great.  I discovered something recently that I find to be quite a mystery.  I have satellite radio in my car and because of that I have access to a large selection of music.  I have several buttons preset so I can easily access my favorites.  Number one is modern or contemporary Christian.  Number two is smooth jazz—oh, I like that one. Then come the decades of my youth—sixties and seventies.  And then comes the mystery—the fifties.  Let me explain.

For some reason I find that I enjoy that station…a lot.  But more surprising, I know almost every song that is played.  I think that kinda odd.  My parents certainly didn’t listen to much of the radio, my older brothers and sisters were mostly grown by the time I came along last and the sisters next to me were sixties gals.  So where did it come from and how?  I don’t have a clue.  All I know for certain is that I like what I hear.

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I must agree and that might explain my love for most music.  When it comes to worship (the music we do that talks about God) I have two favorite instruments and guess what?   They don’t go together either.  First, I love drums.  I can’t play the drums. I have no rhythm—in fact I struggle to clap to the beat but all of that doesn’t change my love to both watch and hear them being played. Now in direct contrast to that is the violin.  There is something sweet, almost precious, about the sound of a violin. Its melodic sound can quickly sweep me away in worship.

So how is it that I can like such a variety of music and two instruments that are such opposites? I think the answer is simply at the center of it all is my love for music.  That seems to top everything else. So, you are just as likely to see me patting my foot to southern gospel as you are to a piece of the classics.  I think this love for the central thing might help us in our God stuff. You see, if we keep the focus on Him, all the stuff on the sidelines doesn’t matter nearly as much. It’s nice to know that no matter where I worship…I can worship because it isn’t the music that owns me…He does.

So, I hope music is a big part of your life.  And more importantly…I hope the God who created it is too.  As you journey in life, learn to appreciate the Creator and the rest will fall into place. The reason is simple.  As His book puts it, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.” There you go.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised no matter what, He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, travel

From Sea to Shining Sea

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Give thanks for everything.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

With the slam of the door and a twist of the key we were off.  Every summer families all across the country take to the roads and skies on vacation.  We live in a country where the destination can be anywhere and everywhere.  As the song, “America the Beautiful” says, “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain.” And that is just the start. The great song, “God Bless America,” says, “From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam.” Truly from sea to shining sea America is worth seeing.

Well, even though the Taylor tribe didn’t make it from one sea to the other, we did get to see a chunk of it.  And, times being what they were, our travels weren’t planned with destinations in mind but rather family in mind.  We would travel to where they lived and stay with them…seeing what there was to see. And trust me…there was always something to see.

My brother Lee and his family lived in New Jersey.  Now to be honest there wasn’t too much to see in New Jersey but next door to his state was New York City and there was plenty to see there.  I was pretty young when we made that journey but I remember being amazed at all the big buildings and the zillions of people.  It seems we saw the grand lady, the Statue of Liberty and marveled to see how she welcomed millions to this new land of opportunity.

My brother Jimmy and his family lived in Texas and I know two things.  Texas was a long way from Florida and it was a whole lot different.  I don’t think I saw a single palm tree but believe it or not, we saw one of the biggest lakes ever…right there in Texas.  We had a cook out, rode in a fast boat, and learned first-hand that everything is big in Texas.

My brother Joe and his tribe lived in the Smoky Mountains and hands down that was one of my favorite places.  I was amazed at the mountains and all the lush greenness that covered them. It is still one of my favorite places to go.  Not long ago I found myself at a lookout overlooking a wide and deep gorge.  I stood and marveled remembering that the last time I had stood there was when I was about ten.  It hadn’t changed a bit.

Of course when my sister Agnes and her husband settled in Daytona Beach for him to go to school I thought we had won the lottery.  It was close enough that we could visit more than once and it was always the grandest of adventures.  She was a good cook and I remember she would buy steaks from Publix with a fat patty of butter right in the middle.  Oh, and when she cooked spaghetti she always put pepperoni in it.  She was and is a great cook.

Yup, there’s a lot to be said for summer, vacations, and family. I was so grateful because honestly without them, our vacations would have been a whole lot shorter but because of their generosity—we had a great time.  It reminds me that the best things are things we don’t buy at the store.  The best things are family and the memories we have of good times, past and present. I am thankful for this great land and for my great family.  Paul, the guy in the Bible, said we should always give thanks and I’m learning why that is so. And when you’re feeling a little underwhelmed with life, just ask the Father to fill in the gaps.  After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Integrity, life, Scripture, thankful, travel, Trials

Shock Factor

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12

I call it the “shock factor” and I am not a fan.  One of the things that I love about deep South Florida and the Keys is the water temperature.  I mean it is perfect.  When you wade into the water there is no gasping or shuddering.  There is no “shock factor.” On the other hand, I have been to the Florida panhandle many times, often in the dead of summer, and it always seemed the water was cold. It probably isn’t but it sure seems that way.

Several years ago, we were down with the family.  We had a place on the beach and soon there was a clamor of “let’s go to the beach.” Well, I am not a fan of the beach, but I am a fan of my family so off we went. We got there and it was time to take the plunge.  So, I put my little toes in the water and was shocked at how cold the water seemed.  Holy moley…I thought this was the Gulf not the North Sea! Well, I inched a little more trying my best not to act like a girl—sorry ladies.  As I waded out, the water got higher and higher until finally it was time to go all in.  Yep, I finally just bent my legs, and the water came up to my neck.  Holy moley, for the second time!

Well, for about four or five minutes it was just cold—I swore I saw penguins walking on the beach.  Hot temperature or not…sun or not—it was cold. Then gradually I realized, it wasn’t cold anymore.  In fact after a bit, it actually felt pretty warm.  Had my body temperature changed?  Nope.  Had the water warmed up?  Nope.  Fact was I just acclimated to the water.  In other words, I just got used to the water and when I did, the shock factor was gone.  I found out you could even get out of the water for a couple of minutes and return without shouting, “Holy moley!”

I find this whole hot/cold water thing kinda interesting.  You have probably heard about how a frog can be put into a pot of water.  As heat is applied to the pot the ole frog just sits there and until the water is boiling and he is cooked.  He doesn’t sense the temperature change because his body temp is controlled by his environment. And then I realized that is exactly how it is with us and sin.  The longer we stay in a certain sin–and the more often we visit there–the lower the shock factor.  In fact, it sounds crazy but it explains what is happening all around us today. It probably explains why so many “Christians” can live in sin and feel quite comfortable there. They have lost the “shock factor.”

When it comes to water temperature, God gives us the shock factor to physically warn our bodies that something is different–perhaps dangerous.  He does the same for us morally and spiritually. When we are walking down a path with big regrets and bigger consequences, He sometimes sends the “shock factor” to wake us up. That “Oh my, what am I doing?” thing is from God, and He is warning us to get out—fast. In the Old Testament part of the Bible, there is a verse in the book of Proverbs that says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  That is so true…just ask the frog.

So unlike Mister Frog, we can physically “feel the heat” but morally and spiritually we aren’t much different. We need to be wise enough to jump out while we can.  Many a good frog has waited to late…and so has many a person.  That uncomfortable feeling is there for a reason…jump while you can. Like a good lifeguard, God is waiting for us to call for help.  You can trust Him…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, food, forgiveness, friends, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Losing Your Word Cookies

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

The sound came from a couple of seats in front of me.  There are two things that me and just about every other elementary school kid knew. First, if you wanted to gather a crowd, all you had to do was holler, “fight!”  Shout that one word and every kid within hearing distance would come running. The second thing is if you want to scatter a group of elementary school kids just let someone, “lose their cookies” and you can empty a room in a matter of seconds.

Now I am assuming that you know that “losing your cookies” has nothing to do with losing your cookies but everything to do with grossness. Losing your cookies is a nice way of saying that someone got sick to their stomach and…well we will stop there. It is never pleasant for anyone…whether it is a classroom, a parking lot, a ball field or a bathroom. I know for me it ranks right up there with losing your left arm in a shark attack.

When it happens at school, the custodian suddenly becomes everyone’s hero.  He shows up like a first responder…running in when everyone else is running out.  I remember so well he would show up with this red sawdust stuff.  He would spread it on the floor and, just like magic, the mess was cleaned up and gone.  I don’t know if we every applauded him but he sure deserved it.

You know, not all messes are so easily cleaned up.  Sometimes when we misspeak, intentionally or otherwise or misuse our words, well, you might say, we lose our word cookies. Trust me…it is never good and the after effects are just about as unpleasant as losing your other cookies. Yuck, yuck and triple yuck. And there is good news and bad news when we lose our word cookies.  First, the bad news.  There is no red sawdust stuff to make it all go away.  Nope, no matter how sorry we might feel, the consequences are still there. Bummer.

Now the good news.  There is forgiveness.  I have done my share of losing my word cookies and I usually have the common courtesy and sense to ask the person to forgive me and thankfully they usually are graceful enough to do so.  And then there is God.  Losing your word cookies is not only unkind—it is a sin and when we sin, if we ask, our Dearest Daddy is more than willing to forgive us.  I like that…a lot…in fact,  I am plumb grateful.

Well, they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and they are right.  Trying to set things straight is honorable but it is better not to put yourself in that position in the first place.  In other words, watch your words and don’t lose your cookies.  Jesus told us that our words are a reflection of what is in our hearts so if our words are sour it means are hearts are too. But remember, He can fix that too…just ask…because, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, Integrity, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

A Thing Called Tripe

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid someone with a big mouth.” Proverbs 20:19

The more I chewed the bigger it got.  I have lots of food memories from growing up.  First you need to remember that I was born in the South and folks from the South have a whole different way of eating.  And trust me…that means it was good…mostly.  I can remember fried chicken Sunday dinners with green beans and mashed potatoes…the kind that didn’t come from a box but from a real potato.  A lot of Sundays we had pot roast with those same yummy potatoes and green beans. And “dinner on the grounds” at church was a potluck straight from heaven.

My Momma was the biscuit queen.  You can’t imagine how good they were hot out of the oven.  While we did occasionally have dessert we really didn’t need it.  We would just take one of mama’s biscuits, slather it with butter and then pour cane syrup all over it.  Shoot-that-thing! You don’t know good if you’ve never had homemade biscuits and cane syrup.  Now with all that said, there were a few things we had that were a bit—different.

I remember I decided to try something new with peanut butter. It could have been that we were out of jelly but anyway I got the mayonnaise out of the refrigerator, smeared it on some bread and then loaded on the peanut butter.  Bam…just like that a new delicacy was born.  That became one of my favorites for years.  One day, though,  I had one and then got the stomach flu and well, we parted ways. No pun intended.

We didn’t have a whole lot of candy growing up and I’ve always had a sweet tooth.  Somewhere along the journey I discovered the sugar bowl.  Did you know you can get a teaspoon full of sugar and put it in your mouth and it tastes like a candy bar?  Well, it probably didn’t taste like a Snickers, but it was plenty sweet.  You know what they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

School lunches were always an adventure.  There were deviled egg sandwiches (awesome), deviled egg sandwiches with potted meat mixed in (not so awesome), potted meat sandwiches without deviled eggs (yuk) and finally Vienna sausages (uh, well, somewhat good).  You just never knew what mom was going to put in the lunch bag.  My all-time favorite was and is pimento cheese.  And then there was—tripe.

Tripe wasn’t a lunch item, it was always for supper.  Some of you may not have discovered the wonder of tripe or even know what it is.  Well, for those of you who don’t know tripe is cow’s stomach.  Yup and let me just tell you it was an experience.  It always smelled great cooking but eating it was a real challenge.  Mama usually cut it up in pretty small pieces but you still had to get a sharp knife to get it down to bite size.  Now tripe was…chewy.  In fact, tripe was very chewy.  Which is why it never made it into the lunch bag—it took two hours to eat one small piece.  You see, the more you chewed it, the bigger it got! 

I’ve heard it said that celery is one of those negative calorie foods…it actually takes more calories to chew it and digest it then are in the food itself.  I think tripe must be one of those also.  In fact, I am sure there is a tripe diet somewhere out there.  You take a bite, chew for two hours and bam…lose two pounds.  Good, ole, tripe.  The supper of champions.

Did you know that tripe and gossip are first cousins?  No really. You mutter a few words about your friend and before you know it, you have yourself a belly full of trouble. Those few hurtful words just get bigger and more hurtful each time they are repeated. Feelings get hurt, relationships are broken and talk about a belly ache…oh yeah.  While the Bible doesn’t say much about tripe it does say a lot about gossip.  One of my favorites is Proverbs 20:19, “The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid someone with a big mouth.”  How’s that for being straight to the point?

One of the best ways to avoid gossip is to remember a couple of things.  If the person you are telling isn’t part of the problem…don’t say it. Also, if you wouldn’t say something to a person’s face you shouldn’t share it behind their back.  Now the problem is, most of us just love a good piece of juicy gossip.  The Bible says, “A gossip’s words are like choice food that goes down to one’s innermost being.” That might be true but I know one more thing about tripe.  If it gets stuck in your throat you are in deep weeds.  That choice piece of gossip can get stuck too, and can cause heart breaking consequences.

Well, I gave up tripe a long time ago.  I guess I had enough when I was a kid.  I wish I could say I have totally given up gossip the same way.  I have found out given half-a-chance I can find myself saying, “Hey, did you hear…” and that tripe-like-sin is right back in my mouth.  We just need to be careful to keep it out of our mouth.  The good news is Jesus is more than willing to help if you ask.  He can handle all kind of things whether it be a tough piece of tripe stuck in the wrong place or a juicy piece of gossip right on your lips.  Just ask Him.  He will help…cause He’s got …even this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Trials

Up and Down

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Do not be conformed to this age but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2a (CSB)

First you don’t…and then you do.  It is funny how different things can cause us to see, well, different things. So, after church one Wednesday night, when I got home my wife Judy and sat down to finish watching some random feel-good movie I had started.  As I sat there, I realized that the room seemed warm.  So, after a few minutes, I got up and checked and sure enough.  It wasn’t my imagination…the room really was warm. Well, in this case it wasn’t a matter of adjusting the thermostat…it meant that our downstairs air conditioning unit was NOT working.

I checked a couple of things but all to no available.  So, I decided I would call the air conditioning fix-it guys in the morning and off we went to bed.  Now for the good news. We have a separate unit for the upstairs and gratefully it was working fine.  Thank you, Lord.  So, we slept well, and I got up the next morning, had a couple of cups of coffee and some Jesus time and then a little later called the fix-it guys.  Turns out they could come first thing in that morning (God wink) and at 8:30 am they were there.  The compressor was bad so that meant a major repair—but maybe more on that later. But it also meant no quick fix.  Parts had to be ordered and work done—but more on that too.

But even though it was a hot day, the house stayed reasonably cool…oh, 83 degrees…warm but tolerable. So, later that night I went upstairs to get ready for bed…again grateful for the upstairs unit working so very well.  After a while, I realized I had to go back downstairs (forgot to take the night meds) and when I got downstairs it seemed almost unbearably warm.  Had it gotten warmer? What was the deal? Well, the answer is simply profound.

You see, when I lived in the warmer climate downstairs, I grew used to the warmer temperature.  But only a few minutes of the cooler upstairs bliss caused me to realize just how warm the warm was and just how cool the cool was. I guess I’m trying to say we seem to get used to what we live in.  Wait…that’s important.  Whatever we allow or tolerate, can quickly become at least somewhat tolerable or acceptable in our lives.

Of course, that can be good…there’s a lot to be said for learning to be content but if that something is something that is not good…that is dangerous.  You know, some habit, some circumstances, some environment is allowed to be a part of our lives and soon, too soon, we become comfortable with what used to make us uncomfortable.  I wonder how much in this changing culture have we become comfortable with—ok with? That is a good question.

The solution to this is the same solution as air conditioning.  Spend some time in the cool and you will always be able to feel and know how warm the room is.  It will rarely become “comfortable.”  We need to spend time with God every day, time in prayer and time in His Book, and that will help us keep our spiritual sensitivity. One of my favorite go-to verses is Romans 12:2 where it warns us not to allow the world to conform us…to allow us to be too comfortable. It goes on to say we should allow the Word from the God Book to transform us…to help us keep our spiritual equilibrium…or spiritual sensitivity.

Well, hopefully the air conditioning will be fixed in a couple of days but until then, well, we will keep being grateful for what is upstairs and for the lesson it is teaching us. I’m grateful God allows these things to teach us His big truths…like the one we know so well…no matter what…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Sleeping When the Wind Blows

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

The Lord is good, The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7

It came up suddenly and without warning.  The other day, I was chatting on the phone with my wife Judy.  She was down house and grand dog sitting in Murray, Kentucky and I was manning the fort at 217.  So, while we were talking, I happened to look out the window and noticed that the wind had gone from nearly nothing to a whole bunch.  I mentioned it to Judy and then I remembered that the patio umbrellas were up, and I knew that they weren’t big fans of the wind.

I quickly gave an “Oh, no” to Judy explaining about the umbrellas in about ten words, said a quick goodbye and ran for the patio.  Sure enough, the large, nine-foot sails were rocking in the wind which by now was surely gale force. I got one of the umbrellas down and then turned around to lower number two.  Just about the time I started cranking, a big gust of wind came and literally tried to lift the table, and umbrella, off the ground.  Surely if I had not been there, it would have been turned over and surely damaged…or destroyed.

Well, it began to rain but I still managed to get it down before heading into the house but here is the ironic part.  As quickly as the wind and storm came, it was over. The rain continued for a little while, but the wind was over, gone, done.  The next time I spoke with Judy, I told her about the storm, the umbrellas and the near miss.  I was grateful to have remembered but there was one thing that would have been even better…to have known ahead.

You see the possibility of storms had been forecast but the threat was so small I chose to ignore it.  Looking back, it would have been better to prepare for the possibility by lowering the umbrellas ahead of time.  Had I lost one or both umbrellas I would have surely regretted my lack of attention.  The motto of the Boy Scouts is that we should always, “Be prepared” and truthfully, I wasn’t. There is surely a big truth to be learned here.

The storms of life can blow in and leave just as quickly as the storm that assailed my patio that afternoon.  The other day a storm blew into my life.  I didn’t see it coming and I learned that I probably wasn’t as well prepared as I should have been or thought I was. My bad.  I read a story about a farmer who hired a young hand to help around the place. When he hired him, the young man said, “I can learn to do anything, and I can sleep when the wind blows.”

The farmer didn’t understand what the young man meant but he hired him anyway.  Sometime later, a storm blew up in the middle of the night.  The farmer tried to waken the young man but to no avail.  He was somewhat put out but headed out to prepare for the storm. When he got to the barn yard, to his surprise, the wagon was covered, the barn secured, and all the animals safely put away. It was then that the farmer realized what the young man meant.

A wise person will do two things in preparation for the storms of life.  First, live in a constant state of trust in the Master of the storms and always be prepared…no matter or regardless of what that means.  The windstorm caught me off guard and so did the storm that blew into my life. I am hoping that I learned a little from both.  Trust God because we can, no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Ordinary Things

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

It was one strange bouquet of emotions.  It was the end of a good Sunday.  We had a great day at church and after a good nap we headed down to Paducah to return a lawn mower.  We had ordered the mower online and when it arrived it was damaged…of course.  Well, that meant borrowing something big enough to haul it back to the store. About that time our Paducah tribe came to the rescue with their SUV.  They hauled it there and we drove down to finish the return and of course see the family.

We headed to the store that we had ordered it from, returned it, and then celebrated with a trip to Cold Stone.  It was awesome and of course, Papa had to taste the flavors the three grandsons had ordered…as well my daughter’s. After all the eating and sampling, we headed on back to Harrisburg.  Judy, my wife, was a little hungry so I told her we would whip in and buy some diesel and then swing into McDonald’s.  It was a plan.  When we got back in town, I pulled into the station and began to fill up the Jetta.  It was just about then that things went…south.

I decided to clean the windshield since we were there and there must have been something in the water because it was a mess.  Usually, they use plain water but there was nothing plain about this stuff.  While I was trying to get that off the windshield, a man at the other side of pump started talking to me.  Well, between his not too clear speech and my not too good hearing, there was a lot of nodding and agreeing to things that I probably didn’t agree with.  Well, honestly after a while, it was time to draw this conversation to a close.  So, with a bit of frustration about the stuff on the windshield and the too long conversation with my friend, I finally said, “See you later.”

I walked back to the driver’s side, opened the door, cranked the engine, and proceeded to drive off.  About 1.5 seconds after the car started moving there was a very discomforting noise from the back of the car.  I can’t describe it, but I knew exactly what had happened.  I had totally forgotten the nozzle was still in the car and as I drove off…it didn’t come with me.  Well, I immediately stopped and then circled back around not knowing what to expect. Had the nozzle ripped part of the car off? Was fuel spilling on the ground? Had the fuel hose been torn from the pump?  It was not a good moment and there were plenty of emotions rolling around in my mind.

The short list included being frustrated that the guy had distracted me, anger at myself for forgetting that the nozzle was still attached to the car, and a big dose of embarrassment. Oh, and there was one more big emotion…gratitude. It was like a bouquet of weeds and a rose. You see, amazingly, while the hose was laying on the ground, it was not spewing fuel nor was it broken.  Also, the car really had no damage to speak of.  There were no dents, no dings, and not even a scratch.  One small part of the filler thing was pulled loose but that really wasn’t important.  Amazing.

First, I know I probably need to turn in my “man card” for having done this.  If I have said it once, I have said it twenty-five times, “I can’t believe I did that.”  And honestly, it is all on me.  My long-winded friend was not to blame, and I had no right to be frustrated about the windshield either.  Nope…it was my fault.  But here is the part I love.  This is the part that forced me to write this story when I would have much more rather kept it off the page.  What forced me to write was my overwhelming sense of gratitude for my Dearest Daddy watching out for His child.  I mean this could have been nasty, but He had it all under control. I can even say “thank-you” for this because I would have missed the blessing of His kindness if it hadn’t had happened.

Well, like the song says, “He is a good, good Father.”  Hans Christian Andersen said, “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”  He is so right.  Our world is filled with love notes from a God that loves His creation dearly.  How incredible is that? Paul wrote in the New Testament part of the Bible, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  So, whatever we do, whatever happens, believe He is in control and be sure and give Him thanks.  I know more than ever that whatever it is, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials

Switches and Sand Spurs

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Hebrews 12:11

Well, I suppose it worked. Overall, I’m pretty sure I turned out ok. I’ve only had one speeding ticket, had one accident, and have never spent a night in jail.  Of course, that may have to do with the fact that I am a pastor. That doesn’t mean I’m too good to go to jail, it only means that church people don’t take too kindly to their preacher being arrested and going there.

Recently, I told my oldest sister that the older I get, the more I appreciate my Momma and Daddy.  I’m pretty sure that so many of the things I get right are because of my upbringing and of course, they were responsible for that.  Momma and Daddy shared the discipline part of child rearing.  Momma was more the “go get a switch from the bamboo bush” and Daddy was the more “wait a minute while I get my belt off” kinda guy. But you know, never was their discipline out of balance and more than once…I got off scot-free.

One time I chucked a rock at a car and Daddy promised me a lesson I wouldn’t soon forget.  When we got home, I ran inside and hid under the dining room table. For whatever reason, he chose to extend a boatload of grace and I know two things.  First, I was plenty grateful and second, I never chucked another rock at another car.  Lesson learned.

Every once in a while, Daddy would get more creative.  While I can’t remember the why or the frequency, he had one special way of helping me learn.  You see, in Florida we had these prickly things called “sand spurs.”  They could and would grow anywhere but they seemed partial to our front yard.  Well, one of Daddy’s ways of dealing with them is also one of the ways he dealt with me.  When I did something that was punishment worthy, he would take me to the front yard and have me pull the sand spurs up and out of the yard.  Like a goat mowing the yard, I would work my way over the right side, it was always the right side of the yard pulling every sand spur I could find.  I really, really didn’t like it and I am sure whatever crime I committed, I learned quickly to not do it again.

The Bible, God’s book, also teaches us about discipline.  It says, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” We don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews but whoever it was seemed to know a lot about switches, belts, and sand spurs.  And do you know what else?  They were certainly right.  Discipline is never, ever pleasant.

So, looking back I am glad that my Momma and Daddy cared enough to try and raise me right.  And I am glad that my Dearest Daddy in heaven does too.  He knows when I’m wrong and He knows when and what is needed to put me back on the straight and narrow.  And even better than my parents, He is never excessive and is always graceful. I like that…a lot.  No matter the crime, His actions toward me have one purpose—redemption. I can trust Him no matter what and when I need some correction, like everything else, I know for sure, “He’s got that.”  Bro. Dewayne