Category: friends

Posted in Family, food, friends, life, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials

Ex-lax

Posted on 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.  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 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 anything close.  Did you know that the Bible warns us how the Devil and 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 learned too that not everyone who comes bearing gifts can be trusted.  I should have known better when they offered that box but my desire for chocolate overruled my common sense.  That is what got Adam and Eve 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. Bro. Dewayne

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

One Saturday Morning

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Psalm 56:3

It was a dark and stormy night.  Well, it really wasn’t but what happened was scarier than any dark and haunted mansion.  It was Saturday morning and after some debate I decided to go and do my walk and exercise thing.  I have several different paths that I walk, and I decided to walk the bike trail.  I drove to the trail head, parked the car, and started out—enjoying the beautiful spring morning and flora that soon engulfed me.  I made it about a quarter of a mile and things went south…very south.

The bike trail runs next to a highway but is still in the woods. After about a quarter mile, there is an area that they cleared to build the entrance to the Middle School.  That is where it happened. As I emerged from the wooded area, I looked across the highway and there were two dogs, one tan, and one black and they were trotting along on the other side of the highway. My first thought, was, “Oh look…there are Bugs and Bugsy…two pups out for a morning stroll. They spotted me, and immediately headed my way across the highway.  I still wasn’t alarmed but I should have been.

After the two had crossed the road, they came…not toward me but at me…and began not just to bark but to stalk.  This was not a case of two dogs barking at a stranger…it was a case of two dogs bent on attacking and biting this stranger.  They were about four or five feet from me, viciously barking, snarling, and lunging at me, and I decided to do the “Hey bear.” They say when you see a bear, you should holler and most likely the bear will run. Well, I hollered, and the two dogs didn’t run—they only got madder.

Walking backward, because when I turned my back their attack got even closer, I tried to sooth them with my best “I like dogs” voice. It didn’t help…the attack continued. At this point I was genuinely afraid.  I believed, no, I know, if somehow I were to stumble, it wouldn’t be pretty. While several cars slowed down, none stopped.  One truck did pause in the middle school entrance but didn’t offer assistance.  I found out later the owner, who was supposedly looking for the dogs, drove a white truck. If it was the owner…he didn’t stick around.

I love to watch all these nature shows, you know, the one where the lions chase and eat the antelope? Well, and I am not kidding, I suddenly had an, “I know how you feel moment.” I continued walking and shooing while they continued their relentless attack.  Finally, out of the corner of my eye I saw a limb laying but the bike trail. I was able to quickly break part of it off and use it against the dogs.  While I didn’t, couldn’t hit them it was enough to get them to back off.  They lunged a couple more times and finally stopped. Shaking and with a heart rate off the scale, it was finally over.

I continued down the trail for the rest of my walk and found a large stick just in case the two attackers were still around.  Apparently, they had moved on.  It turns out I was not the only one to see the dogs and another lady had an encounter in the same area, at just about the same time with the same two dogs.  Fortunately, she had a can of pepper spray that saved her.  You may have wondered if needed could you cause harm to a living thing to protect yourself.  I now can answer that question for myself…yes.

Well, I was grateful that this didn’t have a harsher ending. I did end up cutting the palm of my hand as I tried to break the smaller branch off the bigger one.  It will probably leave a scar to remind me of the events of that morning. It will remind me that sometimes the most random of decisions can have big consequences. Nothing that happened that day was my fault—it was just life and perhaps the responsibility of an irresponsible dog owner. It will remind me that though I was very frightened, and I was, that God was faithful in protecting me. I really didn’t have time in the middle of the fray to pray or say anything, but He was still there. I am grateful.

Finally, I learned that an attack can come from the most unlikely of places. I like dogs…a lot. Nothing warned me that these were bad dogs, but I learned that not all dogs are good dogs so while I will still love dogs…ones that cross a road to attack me are probably not my friends. Smile.  Oh, and one more thing. I learned and experienced another instance when my faithful Dearest Daddy watched over me. What is written in the Book is true, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Amen.  I also learned fresh and anew that no matter what…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Remember

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions.” Psalm 77:11

I remember when. It is a line that is heard a lot in conversation.  A favorite time. A favorite trip. A favorite memory.  It seems the older we get, the more we use those three words. I remember when gas was 18 cents a gallon.  I remember when a Coke was 5 cents.  I remember when a Whopper was 49 cents.  I remember my first new car was $2,795.  I remember my friend bragging that he could boil water in a paper cup, and I was introduced to the microwave.

Now would be a good time to tell you that I am not 102 years old.  In fact, I am, well never mind.  Let’s just say not that old.  The ability to remember is one of the gifts that God gave to us as humans.  I can remember when I met my wife Judy–boy, she was cute.  I can remember when our first daughter was born–boy, she was cute too–took after her mom.  First granddaughter–yup, cute too. I remember when.

We all have those great memories.  Unfortunately, we also all have those “not so great” memories.  Times when we made unwise decisions that resulted in Goliath size consequences in our lives.  They usually involved a split moment in time when “the want” outweighed “the wisdom” and we acted.  The results were scars, broken hearts, financial disasters, and regret.

So, what do you do with this memory thing?  We all can remember back before the COVID thing was a thing…when things were…normal. Want to go out and eat? Sure. Want to go shopping.  Sure.  Want to go on vacation? Sure.  Want to go to church?  Sure.  Then came that long stretch when things were anything but normal.  Gratefully, now, we are beginning to taste, at least, a variation of normal. But the question remains, “What do we do with yesterday? What do we do with the regrets? What do we do with yesterdays that leave us longing or weeping? What do we do with fear of the unknowns?”

Saul (aka Paul) had to deal with that.  He had a long history of regrets.  As a young man climbing up the corporate ladder, he made his living imprisoning people for believing in Jesus.  People who followed Jesus would quake when he walked into town.  It usually meant someone was going to jail.  Or worse.  He once stood by as a mob stoned a young man named Stephen.  He nodded his approval with each sickening thud as stone met flesh.

So, what happened?  He met Jesus and he was instantly and forever changed.  He went from Jesus hater to Jesus follower.  The only problem was people have long memories and he was a people.  Every look in the polished metal mirror reminded him. Every trip to a new town carried the dread that someone would say, “Hey, isn’t that the guy?”  Ever had that happen?  Ever dread that happening?  Well, Paul did too, and he gave us some mountain moving advice in Philippians 3:13a-14.

He wrote “This one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”  There you go.  He says, “I am not going to let my past control my present or my future”.  Paul accepted one amazing deal.  Grace.  God had forgiven him of all his messes in the past and he finally made the decision to live in grace rather than regret.

So, as we continue our journey through these days of a new different, we can long for the old days, or we can live in gratitude and grace.  As memories of mistakes the size of Everest sneak their way into our present, we can sink, or we can swim in His grace.  As we look in the mirror, we can see what might have been or believe what God says is. The author of Psalm 77 said, “I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.”

You need to know and believe that He’s pretty keen on you.  He’s not ashamed or afraid to call you His.  There is never a hint of regret for His decision to let you in the family.  Hey, believe that.  Rest in that. He’s got you. He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Meet Bart

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Rabboni,” the blind man said to Him, “I want to see.” Mark 10:51

The old blues song goes like this, “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, only darkness every day. Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone…and this house just ain’t no home.” Bart would have understood that well.  There wasn’t a bit of sunshine in his world.  Not one bit.

Bartimaeus, or Bart as his friends called him, was blind.  Along with blindness came the usual social stigmas of being an outcast and the usual career choice–begging.  He had landed on a good stretch of the highway to beg.  There was a lot of traffic but as always–a lot of darkness.  But all that was about to change.

One day he heard a crowd passing by and asked what was happening.  The fact that anyone even acknowledged him was a miracle.  Someone said, “Jesus is passing by.” Bart had heard of this young Rabbi, and he had also heard stories, rumors really, that he could heal people like him.  Three words flashed into his mind–now or never.

He began to shout, to beg, to scream “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Over and over, he shouted.  The crowd quickly became annoyed and demanded that he shut it down or they would shut him up.  But desperation and hope wouldn’t allow that.  “Jesus, Son of David, please, have mercy on me.” Right at the point when his ears told him the noise was fading, he heard it.  Jesus was saying something, “Call him.”  Amazingly the same crowd that tried to shut him down now helped pick him up.

“What do you want me to do for you?” the unseen Rabbi asked.  It might seem like a strange question to ask a blind guy, but Jesus wanted to be sure Bart knew his need.  Perhaps a small contribution?  Maybe a walking stick or a seeing eye camel?  Jesus was asking, “Do you want a better life or a new life?” Bart was ready for something new.

Mark 10:51 gives us his reply.  “Rabboni,” the blind man said to him, “I want to see.” His five words are loaded with meaning.  First, the word “Rabboni” was master, and it was a term of surrender.  He was saying, “I haven’t experienced what I need but I will trust you for it anyway.”  That’s faith.  Second, “I want to see.”  He wasn’t asking for a band-aid…he was wanting something new, something life changing.  Faith and the wisdom to ask for the right thing were game changers for Bart.

Wait, Jesus is speaking again and what He says is amazing.  “Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.”  Your.Faith.Has.Saved.You.  And do you know what happened next?  Mark tells us in the rest of verse 52. “Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.” Immediately his world exploded into light and color.  Instantly the darkness was forced to flee as the light of the world flooded in. Amazing.

Well, Jesus told him to go. His new world was at his doorstep and guess where he chose to go? Right with Jesus.  He followed him.  I mean, where else would he go but to follow the One who gave him light, who gave him life.  I can imagine the smile on his lips and chatter from his tongue as he shared what Jesus had done.  “I once was blind, but now I see” he would say.  We added the “amazing grace” part later.

So how about you?  Does your life ever seem dark?  Ever feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed with life? Jesus knows and He understands. Whatever it is, Jesus is passing by, and He has an invitation just for you.  He invites you to come and when you get there don’t ask for a seeing eye camel or walking stick.  He’s got something bigger for you.  He has peace and He has hope. He has a new life of light and color.  You’ ll find a friend who will never leave or abandon you.  Go ahead, get up.  He’s waiting.  You can trust him.  Rest in Him.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, friends, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Bedtime for Bonzo

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.” Romans13:11

It was bedtime for Bonzo. I told someone the other day that I don’t mind dying…I just don’t want to die stupid.  Let me explain.  We are all going to leave this earth at one time or another. The checkout rate is 100%.  And, truthfully, I’m ok with that and the reason why is my friend Jesus.  I bought into what He was selling a long time ago.  I read what the Bible said about Him and what He said, it made total sense, and I just believed.  Like someone said, “When a guy predicts His own death and resurrection…well, you just go with it.” I went with it. But what about the stupid part?

The stupid part is when we live totally recklessly or totally fail to care for our health and we end up either very sick or very dead.  Now I’m not trying to be insensitive but that is simply the truth.  My Daddy and Momma both died at 62…way too early even for the 1970’s. They were both heavy smokers and that just took its toll.  Daddy died of heart trouble and four years later Momma died of cancer. So, as you can imagine, I’m trying to take better care of my health so if God is ok with it, I can stick around a little longer.

Well, one of the things that they recommend you do is check for colon cancer and the way you do that is to have a medical procedure called a colonoscopy.  That requires a morning check-in at the hospital and meeting lots of new friends.  When I got there, and I must admit I liked this, I was the star of the show.  Nurses came and showered me with attention preparing me for the procedure. Some of the attention involved needles but I was even ok with that. Before they took me back, I met a friend named Tom.  Tom is the guy you really want to get to know.  His job is to make sure you don’t remember a thing about the test, and he was great.

I told Tom we had a couple of things in common.  He has been doing his thing at the hospital for 42 years and I have been doing the preacher thing for 41 years.  We also were just about the same age.  Oh, and I told him, his job is to put people to sleep and sometimes it seems that was my job too. Smile.  Anyway, Tom made sure I didn’t remember a thing about the procedure, and I was very grateful. It went something like this.

They rolled me into the room. Then Tom, my new best friend, put some medicine in my arm via the IV and said, “how do you feel?”  I think I remember telling him I felt a little burning sensation. That’s it…game over.  The next thing I remember is I am hearing voices and I wanted to tell them not to start yet because I was still awake.  Uh, what I didn’t know, of course, was that the test was over, and I was in the recovery room. Amazing. Not only did I not know when I went to sleep, or when the test started and finished, I didn’t even know they had moved me to a different room.  How about that? And that, by the way, is exactly what they wanted…and I wanted.

The bottom line is all the unpleasantries of the test took place while I was sleeping and for a medical deal…that is a good deal. But what about life?  I mean, I wonder how many times do we snooze and lose? You know, relationships…snooze. Family relationships…snooze. Big Adventures…snooze. Good sermons…snooze (I had to throw that one in). Great opportunities…snooze. Too often while we are snoring, the Devil is working, and we wake up to find ourselves where we had no intention of being.  Sleeping plays a big and important role in our lives…but not always. Snooze at the wrong time or in the wrong place and it is, “bedtime for Bonzo.”

The Bible, in the Message paraphrase says, “But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God.” Wow…that is some great advice.  And it applies to every area of every life.  So, be careful to know when to sleep and when to be wide awake.  Be sure to set your alarm, you know, the one that says, “I’ve got this, I’ve got this” because…He does. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in friends, Grace, gratitude, life, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Unbearable

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It was almost unbearable. One of the things that I enjoy about my day job is that I get to share good news with people.  Every Sunday, except when I don’t, I have the privilege of sharing truth about God from the Bible.  Now I don’t know if you know, but for most preachers those sermons don’t come in the mail, don’t come from a website, and don’t just magically appear. For me, it all begins with getting God’s opinion about a topic, lesson or idea and then gathering all the necessities such as the right scripture and various stories and quotes. After that, I begin to put it all together to hopefully make it both informational and applicable.

Applicable—now that is a big deal to me.  I want what I prepare and deliver to be something that will help those who hear the message to go home with something that will help them do life.  I know it is important to have a good strong introduction and that is where this story begins.  I was going to talk that day about three things that God gives us from His Word that will help in our day-to-day walk.  Well, somewhere in the process of brainstorming and thinking, the number three and the fact that these three things were there to help make life bearable—in fact more than bearable—made me think of the story of the three bears.  Well, just like that I had the perfect introduction and outline for my message—almost.

So, with the story of the three bears ringing in my head, I began researching, gathering information and writing. After more than a few hours, the message began to take shape and center stage were those three bears.  Like I said, there were three things that God gave us to help make life more than bearable.  Taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, they were rejoicing always, praying always and always being thankful.  Enter the three bears.  I had Papa Bear, who was just a hair grumpy, complaining his porridge was too hot and his bed was too hard.  His answer and ours is to learn to live in joy—rejoice always.  Next please.

Next came Mama Bear and she had a problem with her porridge and bed too except hers was too cold and too soft. Oh, these silly bears—she simply needed to learn to pray more and complain less—in other words, pray always. By now I’m getting excited—the message was almost in the bag.  That can only leave Baby Bear and he got it right.  Of course, being the baby of eight in my family—I wasn’t a bit surprised—we always get it right.  His response was that the porridge and the bed were both just right.  He was contented and therefore He was grateful and thankful. There you go…put on a bow…and out we go just in time to beat the other churches to the restaurants.

Well, Saturday night is always my crunch night and I always go over the sermon making any and all final adjustments.  Well, I decided I should check on this three-bear thing to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, so I Googled it and discovered—I had it ALL wrong.  It seems I left out a young lady named Goldilocks and it was her and not the bears that did almost all the talking and complaining about the porridge and beds. And the humor of it all was the opening line in my introduction was, “Everyone knows the story of the three bears” that is everyone but me! Well, it was too late to rewrite the story so all I could do was tell my unbearable—no pun intended—tale.  Thankfully, I think it may have made for a better introduction anyway, but I must admit I am puzzled on how I managed to get it so wrong—even leaving out the main character.

Who knows, right? But then I realized we do it all the time except it isn’t a fairytale, it isn’t three bears, and it isn’t a little girl with golden hair.  Nope—it is the story of our lives, lived out in real life drama and how often we leave our main character, our Dearest Daddy, out of the story.  Well, if my rewriting of the three bears is crazy—leaving God sitting on the curb is even crazier. And remember, that Goldilocks wasn’t some minor player—she was the star of the show—just like God should be in our story.

Well, we will call this Grits a wrap and put the bears to bed. Just a few things to remember.  One, remember to always check the facts and preferably do it sooner than later!  Two, don’t try and make the story fit your story—I’m sure that helped me be wrong.  It all sounded so right—even though it wasn’t.  And finally, just remember that even when you get it all wrong, we can rest in one thing—that no matter what—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, gratitude, life, priorities, Scripture, thankful

The Treadmill – Friend or Foe

Posted on 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 sent 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 needs shoes.  Send all that you have…what a future.” Well I guess they are right.  It all depends on your outlook.

Like many folks, my wife 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 they 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 they 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 an adventure.

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 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. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, Trials

Big Truths from a Hard Story

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29-31 

Well, not all stories end well…and this one didn’t. Friday morning Judy left for Oklahoma to visit Sarah, Blake and the boys.  Saturday morning, I got up early as usual, had some time with God and then went for my morning exercise.  When I came back, by our backdoor, was a little baby squirrel.  Now I don’t know a thing about baby squirrels, so I can’t tell you how old he was.  I can tell you that something just didn’t seem right. He had all of his fur but you could tell he was not very strong and oddly, his head seemed just too big for his tiny body. 

He was in the grass, but not far from the flower bed which is next to our backdoor.  He seemed to be eating grass but I suspect he was actually getting the water off the dew-soaked grass.  He was moving pretty good but again, strangely, I’m not sure where he came from since there was not a squirrel nest to be seen.  I went on into the house and when I came back out, he scurried into the flower bed. I put out some bird food for him to eat.  I knew he would like that because all of his big brothers do their best to empty our bird feeders. 

Well, he made himself at home.  He was definitely eating some of the bird food and I believe he had some water.  He soon made himself a place to sleep there in the flower bed.  I was hoping, just hoping that my little friend was a big enough fighter to pull this thing off.  I would check on him each day and give him food and water.  I was doing everything I could for him.  But today, when I came home from work, well he had died.  I wasn’t surprised because I really think something was wrong—something more than food or water could fix—something more than ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time.  So, I wasn’t surprised, but I was genuinely sad.  I wanted him to live, and I wanted to be his hero—his savior.  Neither happened. 

Now I’m not sharing this so we can all have a Debbie downer day…not at all.  I’m learning that so many things have a story and can teach us big truths.  I think this is one of those times.  The first thing that came to mind was that sometimes we can do everything right—everything—and still not get the result that we want.  We can be the best husband, the best wife, the best parent, the best employee or the best owner and sometimes the story just doesn’t end well. It doesn’t mean we failed. It doesn’t mean we were somehow to blame. Sometimes, it is just part of this thing called life.  And while the story doesn’t always end well—we never have to face that difficult ending alone.  Our Dearest Daddy is always there.  The Whisperer is always close by and whispers the assurance of His love and His compassion.  No matter what—Jesus will still be there. 

The other big truth from this is that God really does care about the smallest things.  If I told you that God knew today that this little creation died, would you believe me?  If I told you that even the smallest detail of your life never passes Him unnoticed, would you believe it?  If I told you He never grows weary of our worries and fears and unsettled hearts, would you have the courage to believe?  Well, you can, because Jesus said that not even a sparrow can fall to the earth unnoticed by the Father.  He even went on to say that if that is true, how much more do you think He cares about you? How. Much. More? 

I know and you know that these are just puzzling times.  Everything seems so uncertain.  It seems as if we spend our days walking on quicksand—our feet unsteadily walking on shifting ground.  But don’t be shaken.  The God of the universe who cares when a little squirrel dies cares infinitely more about you.  Jesus knows and feels your hurts and pains…and He cares. 

So, all you tendered hearted readers, please forgive me for sharing a hard story.  I hope, though, that the big truths made it worth the read.  Why not take a moment and sit with the One who loves you so? Why not get close enough to hear His whispers of love and assurance?  I hope you will because when our hearts are heavy and a little frightened—we need to know that He’s got this.  And He does.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, Integrity, life, love, loving others, Military memories, prayer, Scripture, Trials

Lifeline

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7

Nahum 1:7. It was in the Bible and it was his verse.  Church has always been a part of my culture.  From the time I was born it seems I always found my way to a building with a steeple on top. That also means I bumped into several pastors and preachers too.  Each one left a fingerprint on my life and because of that each one made a difference.  Speaking of different…each one was.  Different gifts, talents, and personalities but each one made an impact.  I am grateful.

When my wife Judy and I moved to Germany in 1977 for a stint overseas with the Air Force we were fortunate to have a church not too far from where we lived and the base where I worked.  It wasn’t long before we were part of that family.  In fact, it wasn’t long before we were good friends with the pastor and his wife.  He was a young pastor, had an infectious smile and a great personality and we hit it off right from the start.  We were about five or six years different in our ages, so he was kinda like a big brother only he wasn’t very big…but his heart was.

One of the things (literally) that I liked about hanging with Steve (not his real name) was he had a new shiny, red Volkswagen sports car.  It was great on curves and it was plenty fast and since Germany had lots of curves and often no speed limit on the autobahn…well, it was fun.  I guess in some ways we were like a couple of teenagers.

Steve also was a Godly guy.  He really tried to live his faith out. One of the things that he shared with me was his “life verse.”  In case you don’t know what that is, it is a verse from that Bible that jumps off the page at you and gets stuck in your mind and heart. So, Steve’s verse came from one of those books in the Old Testament that no one can find.  It is called the Book of Nahum and his verse came from chapter one, and verse seven.  It goes like this, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”

It is the kind of verse that you gotta love.  It is the kind of verse that can be a lifeline when the sea of life gets rough.  It isn’t that the verse has any magic powers it’s just that it contains a boatload of truth.  God is good and it isn’t that He just does good, He is good.  He is like a place you can run to when things go south, and He remembers my name, your name, our name.  Those are great truths when the sun is shining in life and really, great truths when the storm clouds roll in…just like it did for Steve one day.

Without warning, he learned that his marriage was over, there was another guy.  It was just one of those crazy things that happen, and it broke his heart and our hearts.  The bottom line, he decided it was best to head back to the states and in a short while…he was gone.  I never saw him again but if by chance he reads this someday, I hope he knows there were some things that stuck with me…like his life verse.  No, his verse didn’t become mine, but it stuck.  God is good, God is a refuge, God knows my name.

How about you?  Do you have a verse that jumped off the page one day and into your heart and life?  Mine for a real long time has been Proverbs 3:5-6 but for the last several years it has had some real competition with Psalm 37:23-24.  Check them out…they are both awesome scriptures.  That is one thing about the Bible.  Even if you’ve never taken the leap of faith to believe, and I hope you will, you will find it an incredible Book of wisdom and knowledge and who knows, if you try it, it might just leap right into your life.  God is good, God is a refuge, God knows my name.  It was good back in 1977, it is good today and when I launch from here to there, it will still be good. And no matter the circumstance, no matter the deal, it reminds me that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

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

Inside and Out

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

 There he stood, tall and proud…I thought.  Well, you all probably know I am pretty keen on America.  Even with all her warts and imperfections, she is still the greatest nation on the earth.  I know because I have visited plenty of other places and they all are pretty special but not like Lady Freedom.  I think all of this somehow started in my early years. My Daddy was big on respect and that meant a lot of things.  At the top of the list was God’s Word and right near the top was respect for our country and her flag.

Well, the other night we were down in Vienna, a small town about 45 minutes away where my oldest daughter and her husband and family live.  She teaches high school English there and I’m pretty keen on her and her tribe too.  My next to the oldest granddaughter was being recognized as an eighth grade member of the middle school volleyball team. At the start of the game, they played the national anthem. It was time for a teaching moment.

The whole crowd stood and faced the flag and the men were asked to remove their caps. Check and check.  I was standing next to my youngest grandson who is a whole seven years old and I must admit…pretty good at it.  So, when we stood, he stood also. I bent down and whispered that we should put our hand over our heart as a kind of respect for the flag. I was so pleased when he immediately did so.  The music began and swelled to fill the small town middle school gym.  I guess you could say it was small town America at its finest.

I glanced down to see how my grandson was doing and he was doing just fine…or so I thought. He saw me glancing down and his eye caught my eye. And, there, smack dab in the middle of The Star Spangled Banner, we had a short conversation.  It went something like this.  “Papa, do we have to do this?”  I told him no, we didn’t have to do it, but we should because we are showing respect to the flag.  He asked again, “But do we have to do it?”  I told the honest truth, “No, we don’t have to but we should want to.” I thought that was the end and I guess in a way it was because he said, “Good” and promptly sat right down.

Ok, let’s be honest here.  I was more than just a little disappointed.  When the anthem was over, if my memory serves me right, we had a short talk that went no where.  The bottom line was, he just didn’t understand if we didn’t have to, why we should. Well, he is only seven and I’m sure this topic will come up again and one day, I am hoping that he will get it and do it.  But until then I’m going to do my part to set the example and try to mold him to do what is right…even when he doesn’t want to.

Several things crossed my mind that night and even as I am pressing keys tonight. Several things prompted this story—things like showing respect and honor, things like passing on something to the next generation, things like standing up and for things that are worthy. But there is something more.  It made me question how often, how many times do we do something just because we have to?  You see, it made me think that while it is important to do the right thing…we should always check and evaluate the why—why we tell the truth, why we don’t steal or lie, or why we stay faithful to our marriage vows.

Check the why and do the right thing—that makes sense to me.  Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  In other words—the heart is what matters. It is more important than doing something just for others to see.  So, remember, check the why and yes, do the right thing.  Sometimes that is easy and sometimes hard but don’t lose heart. Remember, there is always Someone waiting to help—and always, without fail, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne