Category: friends

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

My Friend Francis

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

Johnny Cash sang it. “My name is Sue…now you’re going to die.” Well, his name wasn’t Sue but it was Francis.  Like Sue…it was a somewhat unusual name for a man and Francis was an unusual guy. I met Francis when I went to pastor at the LaMonte Baptist Church.  The church had three deacons and they were named Leo, Francis, and Floyd.  All three of them were special guys and I grew to love each one of them for who they were.  I was a very young, inexperienced pastor and new at the pastoring thing.  So new, in fact, that when I mowed my grass at the parsonage, across the street from the church, I would wear dress pants.  I wasn’t sure if pastors were allowed to wear jeans so close to the church.  They can.

So, even back in 1984, Judy loved flowers and the parsonage was woefully short in that department.  In fact, I’m not sure there were any flowers in the entire yard.  Well, one day Judy declared that she wanted a flower bed.  She began to actually plan the where’s and how’s of the flower bed.  If it would have been me, I would have grabbed some flowers, dug a hole, stuffed them in, and applied dirt.  Good luck.  Not Judy.  She decided that the flower bed should go along the front of the house and that it needed to be raised.  That means we needed to find some timbers to build up the height of the bed.  Again, after a little thought, she decided that railroad ties would do the job.

Somehow, I casually mentioned to Francis that Judy wanted a flower bed. Now Francis was the go-to guy when it came to things like the parsonage.  He had already led the charge in installing a brick flue so we could have a wood burner, so he was the natural choice for the flower bed.  I said, “Francis, Judy would like to have some railroad ties for her new flower bed.  Francis didn’t miss a beat.  He said, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at five.”

Well, sure as shooting, the next day at five, Francis pulled up in his big ole dually, white Dodge pickup truck.  You know there are pickup trucks too pretty to get dirty and then there are real pickup trucks.  Francis had a real pickup truck.   I climbed inside and we headed toward Sedalia, the largest town nearby.  I figured we were heading to the hardware store there to purchase some ties.  I was wrong.  You see, there was a railroad that ran parallel to the main highway.  We went down the road a bit and then…Francis turned.

Yup, he turned on a small road and then immediately took a right.  We had arrived at the railroad tie store, only it wasn’t a store…it was the factory.  I found myself in railroad tie heaven.  You see, the railroad company had recently replaced their ties and the old ones were strewn all down the rails.  As far as you could see there were railroad ties. I was just amazed.  I should have been afraid.

Francis said, “Preacher, how many ties do you think you will need?”  Well, I told him I thought ten or twelve would be enough.”  So, we started going along the tracks and selecting the best ones for the flower bed.  Just like a carpenter would choose the best 2×4’s at the lumber yard, we picked the best ties.  This was just awesome.  And then it happened.  I heard the sound of a distant train whistle.

Now I didn’t think a thing about it. I always was a bit gullible and way too trusting so I had just assumed that Francis had called the local railroad office, told them the church needed a few of their old ties and got permission to get some.  I was wrong.  I heard the train whistle the second time and it was decidedly closer. I noticed that Francis had picked up the pace…he was definitely moving a little faster.  I still didn’t think a thing about it.  I just assumed he didn’t want to be that close to the tracks when the train went by.  Well, that was kind of true.

The whistle blew again and this time it must have been about a mile down the tracks and Francis said it, “Preacher, we got to go.”  I did sense a bit of urgency in his voice but I kind of thought it was a safety thing.  It turned out it was a bit more than that.  As we got back in his truck I said, “Francis, what’s the hurry?” I was thinking we could just move the truck further away from the tracks and we could even wave at the crew as they went by.  “Preacher, you don’t think they are giving us these ties, do you?”  Wait.  What?

Yup…I just discovered that we were stealing ties from the railroad.  It wasn’t a matter of safety it was a matter of not going to jail. So, Francis cranked the engine and mashed the gas and off we went just before the train came by. In the back of the truck were a bunch of railroad ties and in the front were two guys.  One was a preacher, one was a deacon, and both of them were guilty as sin. One knew all about it and the other was just learning but both were tie stealing criminals. Francis was smiling and I was wondering if I was going to jail.  But somehow it all seemed like a great adventure.

Well, we got back to the parsonage, and we built the flower bed. Francis helped with that too.  Years later when I would return to the church to preach, or perform a funeral, or maybe just drive through town, I would look and see the ties.  I didn’t remember the sin (After all, I’m sure I confessed it. God had forgotten it and I figure I should too.) No, I remembered a crusty old deacon, but more than that, a friend who wanted to help.  His way wasn’t ethical but all these years later, his willingness, his own brand of love is still lodged in my heart.  The Book says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

You know there are fancy friends, and rich friends and maybe even friends in positions of power.  And then there are the Francis kind of friends and that ain’t bad. Of course, if you’re gonna steal railroad ties, you definitely need the Jesus kind of friend.  His specialty is forgiving when you mess up and He’s the best friend of all. He’s the kind of friend that wouldn’t have frowned or pretend He didn’t know you when He saw you in Walmart.  No, He’s the “stay by your side” friend.  Through thick or thin, jail or not, He would say, “Don’t worry…just rest in Me.  I’ve got this.” Now that’s my kind of friend. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, life, loving others, priorities, Scripture, spring, Trials

Tragedy, Triumph and Toughness

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

They were a feather covered “band of brothers.”  A while back when I was walking in the park, I once again realized what a “band of brothers” the geese and ducks are in the park.  As I made my laps around the park pond, I couldn’t help but notice what was happening.  No, they were not a few like the Marines, and I have no clue if they were proud of anything besides the huge mess they make on the walking path, but they were quite the band.  Their slogan might be, “The Tragic, the Triumph, and the Tough.” Hmmm…that sounded better when I thought it up but hey, let’s see how it goes.

Monday of that week, I noticed in the geese and duck community there were signs of tragedy brought on by a duck couple’s poor choices.  Monday, they had decided to lay some eggs and they chose the worse place ever—just three feet off the walking path.  It was simply a hole in the ground with no protection, no anything.  It was an invitation to disaster.  Tuesday she was on the nest, and he was doing his daddy duck thing—waddling, strutting, and quacking.  By Wednesday, it was game over.  Lap one, they were gone, and one lone egg lay on the grass outside the nest.  Lap two, they were back, and the egg was gone.  Lap three they were walking around sadly quacking.  I don’t speak fluent duck, but it seemed they were asking, “What happened?” I told them…out loud… “Bad choice guys, bad choice.”  It was a tragedy.

But with the occasional tragedy comes moments of triumph.  About ten or eleven days after the tragedy, I found a bunch of feathers by the walking path…bummer…and it looked like another sad tale…and it was.  But then something happened.  A little further down the path, there were two small ducklings that had somehow survived the onslaught.  They were survivors…they were beating the odds.  When I walked a few days later, they were still there…sticking together…a small “band of brothers.”  They were hanging around a couple of big ducks, but it was clear that they were on their own.  Way to go little ducks…keep on keeping on!  It was a moment of triumph.

And then there were the tough guys. They had survived being goslings and now they were big, they were bad, and they were tough.  The geese love to stand around on the walking path and, uh, well, you know.  It’s really quite messy.  That day, I was speeding along, and I soon realized the geese and I were on a collision path…either them or me were going to have to hit the grass and it wasn’t going to be me. So, I “parted the waters” and they all puffed their chest out and started hissing at me.  They hissed, I kept walking and they finally moved. We had played chicken (no pun intended) and I had won, but I had to admire their toughness. Like I said, “gutsy.”

Tragedy…Triumph…and Toughness. It seems life is life no matter what. We all know about tragedy…live long enough and it is going to mess with your life.  The difference is ducks and geese rarely see it coming and we often do. The difference is they have to face it alone, but we have a Someone who will walk with us through the hard times. That someone is Creator God.  He is always there and always willing to help. He can turn tragedy into triumph.  While there are plenty of epic failures in our paths, we can also know the joy of winning…of triumph. I remember when ABC Sports tag line was “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and that is the way of life.  Sometimes we win and sometimes…well, we don’t.

I know it is natural for us, like our goose friends, to puff our chest out, and hiss and strut around trying to prove how tough we are. But truthfully, often we are not tough enough and that is when we need to lean on the One who is.  Our Dearest Daddy loves us so much that He sent His Son to take on our greatest enemy…death…and soundly thrash it.  No wonder Paul, one of the guys God used to pen a lot of the New Testament, said, “Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?”  You gotta love Jesus’ toughness when it came to taking on sin and the grave.

Well, if you live in Harrisburg, Illinois or if your town has a park with a goose and duck “band of brothers” stop by and see what you can see…what you can learn.  And if you’ve never met the God who took on death and won…why not check Him out today.  You will discover a God who is strong enough to say, with confidence, “I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, friends, life, Scripture, thankful

I Saw the Light

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.” Hebrews 4:13

I saw the light…I really did.  You know there are some songs that stay forever young in church.  I know in our church, you crank up, “I’ll Fly Away” and just about everyone gets fired up and joins in.  Well, the other day we sang another one of those “forever young” songs. I was teaching about Jesus being the light of the world and our worship guy led us in a rousing rendition of “I Saw the Light.” This gospel and country classic was written by Hank Williams Sr. way back in 1948 and has been recorded by many artists.  It is just a good one.

Well, the other day, you might say that I saw the light.  I was speaking at Priority, a statewide event for ladies from the Illinois Baptist State Association and it happened there. As I walked up on stage, the house lights were already dimmed down and there were four very, very bright stage lights letting their light shine.  At the time I was teaching somewhere every week and never have I seen brighter lights.  What was so amazing is that I couldn’t see one face in the crowd.  I knew they were out there—they were an enthusiastic bunch—but all I could see was the lights.  It really was kinda funny.  I felt like I was speaking to a totally dark room—but that wasn’t the case.

During the next general session, it was my turn to be a participant in the audience.  So, I joined my wife and a several ladies from our church and we worshipped and sang.  Finally, it was time for the featured speaker to speak.  She came out on the stage and there she was for everyone to see.  Then, I looked around at the audience and realized that the room wasn’t totally dark, it was just the lights shining on the stage were so bright.  The bottom line is they could see me, and they could see each other—but the speaker—nada, none, zero. I was amazed and I knew somewhere in all of that there had to be lesson, there had to be a truth. And then it came to me.

I realized that sometimes we can be blinded by life and yet all around us everyone else sees clearly.  Sometimes we are blinded by our own sin, or circumstances, or desires. When that happens, we will find it is very difficult to make a good decision because of our blindness.  And sometimes we assume that because we can’t see—others can’t see us.  Surprise, surprise, surprise.  Guess what? They can.  And wait—there’s more.  Even if we can hide from others we cannot hide from God.  Listen to this truth found in Hebrews 4:13. It says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.”

Wait. What? Does that mean He saw, He heard, He witnessed that thing you thought no one saw, no one heard, no one witnessed.  Does that mean that what we thought was secret…wasn’t…isn’t?  That is exactly what it means.  Honestly, that is just a hair frightening. What this means is that we really need to be careful with all our actions, words and even thoughts.  Trust me on this one…blinded it or not…we are fully exposed.

I really was surprised to experience this brilliant blindness…caused not by darkness but by light.  I was also surprised to find out that though I was blind…no one else was.  Talk about a wakeup call!  I have learned over the past three years as we have shared together through Grits that there is one thing that no longer surprises me.  Can you guess what it is?  Yup, you are right, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, marriage, Southern born, sovereignty of God

Freefall

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25

It seemed like a really, bad idea.  Right after high school graduation I jumped into the Air Force, and it turned out to be a really good idea.  Back in those days, or so it seemed, college wasn’t pushed for everyone, and I was pretty uncertain about what I wanted to do.  So, through a strange set of circumstances, I found myself in the military.  I loved it.  Raised as a good southern boy, the discipline required for a life in the service came naturally.  I was taught to respect others and especially those appointed over me.  “Yes sir” and “Yes ma’am” were part of my vocabulary long before the Air Force taught me to say it.

By 1980, I had been stationed in Minot, North Dakota, Valdosta, Georgia (where I met and married the best wife a guy could ask for), spent three years in Germany and finally landed in Knob Noster, Missouri.  Like I said, I liked the Air Force, and it seemed the Air Force liked me.  I was picked for several key assignments and was on track promotion wise.  With a young family, the security the Air Force provided was an added benefit and while I wasn’t going to get rich in the Air Force, the pay provided a good life.  Yup…life was good.

Then God spoke.  No, it wasn’t an audible voice, but it was one clear enough that I knew He had a change of plans in mind.  I felt, I knew that He was calling me to become a pastor but that wasn’t all.  I also knew for me that meant leaving the Air Force.  I think that was probably for a couple of reasons.  First, I knew that as long as I was in the Air Force, I would be tempted to lean on that for security and not God.  Second, I also knew that the Air Force would be calling the shots about my future.  Well, that led up to me making one of the biggest changes in my life…after 12 years…leaving the lifestyle and security of the Air Force and jumping into the secure arms of faith and the life of a pastor.

When I went public with this it seemed that everyone had an opinion and a lot of those opinions followed one school thought—you are nuts.  Certainly, the military thought it was a bad idea. After all, they liked me, and I liked them.  I was on track for a good career and great retirement.  You see, with the military, you can retire with 20 years and draw a pension equal to half of your base pay.  You also get other benefits for the rest of your life.  All that led to the “you are nuts” thing and this is really not good idea. But then…there was God.

You see, I was, oh, somewhere beyond probably and just shy of absolutely certain that God was asking me, telling me to do this.  And somehow, some way, Judy and I with two toddlers under three were able to believe and jump.  And now, looking back on a forty-two year career, I am able to say that God took that “really not a good idea” and turned it into a really good idea.  He faithfully and completely cared for us over those four decades. I’m sure if I had stayed in the Air Force, I would have had a nice, secure life. I’m sure things would have turned out just fine.  But God’s idea went somewhere beyond nice and secure and somewhere beyond just fine.

If I’ve learned anything from all of this, it is that God’s ideas are always, and I do mean always, better than mine.  I have learned and I am learning that faith beats fine every time.  The adventure, the challenges, the “mysterious ways of God” that we have experienced together trumps a nice retirement and manmade security.  There’s a verse, and I’m really not sure all that it means, but it sure seems to ring true with me.  The author says that he had never seen the righteous forsaken or his family begging for bread.  Like I said, I’m not sure what that means entirely but looking back from where I sit, it says, “God is good, God is faithful, and God can be trusted.”

God is good, God is faithful, and God can be trusted. Period.  Your story is probably a lot different than mine but if you are a God follower let’s all agree on that part.  He really is good, He really is faithful, and yes, He can be trusted.  So, in these days of uncertainty and in these days when up is down and down is up—listen carefully for the still small voice of your Dearest Daddy.  Let Him whisper His better idea…and then trust. Don’t worry, you are not nuts—you’re a man, a woman and child of faith.  And that is always best because, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in friends, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful, travel

Chief Wounded Cheek

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“For all have sinned.” Romans 3:23a

Turns out this falling thing isn’t new.  If you are a regular reader of Grits, you might remember that about once a year I decide to see if my body will still bounce. A couple of years ago it was Indian Point Trail.  I tripped over a root and before you could say, “shoot that thang”  I was stretched out flat on my face.  It was painful.  Then a year later I hung my toe on the edge of my patio and did it all over again.  And yes, I fell hard and yes, it hurt.  In fact, my hand still be bears the scars from that one. And then, last summer, in the mother of all falls, a mule named Daisy and I parted company. Ouch.

So, the other day, I was thinking (I sometimes do that) and remembered another time and another fall and this one garnered me a new name.  When I pastored another church in another town, we had a great guy named Bob who would take a bunch of us to the Smoky Mountains and hike to the top of Mount Le Conte. We did this for several years and I am pretty sure I made the trip each time.  We would leave early and get to the mountains around mid-afternoon.

Bob was a pro at this hiking stuff, and he knew the importance of warming up.  So that afternoon, the day before the big hike, we would take a warmup hike.  I remember one time the warmup hike was the Chimneys and if you have ever done that one you know it isn’t that long but it is a killer.  As I remember, the warmups made the real deal almost anti-climactic.  And then, there was another time that I remember…well.

So, we got to the mountains and prepared for the warmup.  This one, as I remember, wasn’t straight up…in fact it was kinda level but it did involve crossing a couple of boulder strewn creeks.  And crossing one of those creeks gave me a new name.  As we crossed, we carefully picked our way over and around the rocks…leaning on our hiking sticks and trying to stay dry.  We did pretty good…I did pretty good…until I didn’t. Yup…you guessed it…down I went.

Gratefully, back then I bounced even better than I do now.  That time I didn’t fall flat on my face, I didn’t fall on my side, I fell on my, uh, well, my bottom.  It all happened in a split second, and I am sure if my pants hadn’t been double stitched, I would have split something else.  Well, once everyone determined that I wasn’t mortally wounded, the laughter started.  The sight of their fearless pastor laying, sitting catawampus—half in and half out the water—was too much to contain.

And then someone, who knows who, said it.  “It” was my new name.  They said, “Look there is “Chief Wounded Cheek.”  Well, then everyone, and I mean everyone, started laughing again.  Well, they helped me out and up and we continued our warmup hike but for the rest of the trip and several months later, I was “Chief Wounded Cheek.” Even to this day the memories make me smile because we had shared life together and laughed together.

There is one more thing that I so appreciated about that special group of friends, and friends like them through the years—they allowed me to be human.  You see sometimes people like to put leaders on some sort of pedestal.  The problem is that is a place they should never be because if and when they fall, well, sometimes it is unrecoverable. One of the best things you can do for a leader is love them, respect them, but allow them to be human.  And what is true of leaders and pastors is true of husbands, wives, and yes, parents. Remember, we all walk on clay feet.

Well, I’m glad to report that Chief Wounded Cheek is still bouncing along and gratefully most of the time, most of the people allow me to be human. Paul, the guy who wrote a large portion of the New Testament, reminded us that everyone of us are sinners—you know, broken people.  At one time or another, we have all messed up. The good news is that failure doesn’t have to be final.  The other good news is if we are wise, we will learn when we fail.  Someone said, “If you aren’t failing, you aren’t learning.” I like that. Oh, and the final good news is that when we fail, there is someone standing by who says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in friends, Grace, loving others, priorities, Scripture

Coon Hunting

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.” Romans 9:2-3

You know, whatever it takes.  I loved being a pastor and I loved it when people started coming to church.  I’ve always tried to encourage the folks who attended our church to make sure that everyone…and I mean everyone, felt welcome.  Church is not a country club where you pay your dues to be served.  Church is more like a hospital where people come because they know they need help. Those that are already there are not there to be served but to serve. So when a guest comes to church it should be treated like a big deal…because it is.

Now being friendly isn’t costly—in fact, often it blesses us more than the one on the receiving end of our friendliness.  I figure it might just give them a good reason to come back.  Of course there are those times when you need to go just a little further.  And this time…was one of those times.  When I pastored in another town, a family began attending our church  and I did my best to make them feel welcome.  Mom and the kids seemed very open and before long they were regular attenders.  Dad, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as open.  This one, I thought to myself, needs a little extra effort and that is how it happened.

It turned out that Brad was a coon hunter.  He happened to mention it one day at church and I told him I had never been coon hunting and he began to describe this late night adventure.  Now honestly, running around in the woods in the dark in the middle of the night wasn’t something on my bucket list but seeing Brad get closer to God was…so I went coon hunting.

Brad told me to show up at his house about dark and we would leave from there.  He had a coon dog and a flashlight…oh, and a gun.  We began walking out towards the woods behind his house and before long the old coon dog began to get pretty excited.  So Brad let the dog go, waited just a minute, and then said to me, “Let’s go.” Well, I soon found out that coon hunting isn’t like following a trail in the woods.  Coon hunting is like walking, and running, through the Amazon Rainforest, at night trying to follow a bellowing dog who doesn’t necessarily want to be followed.  We were slapped in the face by branches, tripped over big roots, and crossed a couple of creeks. Can someone say, “Wet feet?”  Yup, just like that old song about going over the river and through the woods…that is what we did…but there wasn’t a grandmother or a house anywhere in the picture.

So eventually, the coon dog gave up and so did we.  We tramped back through the woods and after an hour or so, found ourselves back at my car and his house.  We were wet, tired and coonless. I told Brad thanks for taking me on such an adventure and I hoped to see him Sunday at church.  I drove home and slipped in between the sheets somewhere around two in the morning.  I was somewhere beyond tired but also sure it was the right thing.

Best I remember Brad  did start coming to church a little more regularly but I don’t believe he made a Jesus commitment…at least not then.  Occasionally we would talk about the great adventure and we would laugh about me tramping through the woods in the middle of the night. Fortunately, there wasn’t a second invitation to go coon hunting.  Brad didn’t know Jesus yet but he did know about mercy. Smile.

So as we journey along this Jesus road we need to ask ourselves, “What are we willing to do to be Jesus to the ones we bump into?”  They say the best sermons are the ones not preached from the pulpit.  Amen to that. Someone also said, “People don’t care now much you know until they know how much you care.”  Amen to that too. Paul, the guy in the Bible who wrote most of the New Testament said that he was willing to lose his relationship with Jesus if it meant his friends could be saved.  Wow…that is commitment.  That is amazing.

When you are trying to decide what to do to reach people…or what not to do…just listen for the voice of the Whisperer.  Most likely you will hear His gentle voice and when you do just do what He says.  Trust Him.  Believe Him. Share Him.  Oh, and should it involve chasing a coon dog through the woods in the middle of the night, don’t worry.  He’s got that.  Bro. Dewayne

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

A Change in Plans

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

In a moment…everything changed. A long time ago, one of the young ladies in our church family asked me if, when the time came, I would perform her marriage ceremony. Her mom told me she had long dreamed of her wedding and part of that dream was for me to conduct the ceremony. Well, when I retired last year from the pastorate, she immediately came up and reminded me that retirement or not, I still had to be there for her on her special day. Well, not long after, sure enough, she was engaged and I was invited to be a part of the ceremony. The days, weeks and months until the day came and went and finally it was time.

She is one of those well organized people and she had planned everything down to the smallest detail. She found a beautiful wedding venue overlooking a lake. It was going to be a beautiful outdoor wedding and the weather for the wedding day was going to be perfect.  However, the evening of the rehearsal was another tale indeed. When the rehearsal time came it was raining those big, heavy drops but soon it passed and the sun at least made a cursory appearance. Rain or not, we were having a grand time. I’ve known this family a long time and was enjoying the time of fellowship and celebration.  

Soon, the rehearsal was over and we left to drive into the nearby town of Marion for the rehearsal dinner. Can someone say yay? As I was walking to my car to drive to the restaurant I noticed a very large and ominous cloud heading our way. We all got into our vehicles and drove the short distance for dinner. Just as we were nearing the restaurant, the tornado sirens started blaring and the tornado emergency signal sounded on my phone. It was ominous indeed. Arriving at the restaurant, we headed inside trying to ignore the increasing rain and blaring sirens. 

Soon we were seated at the dinner table feeling at least somewhat secure in the sturdy building. Well, as it turned out, we were safe but there was indeed a tornado and it struck the venue site head-on, completely destroying the main building along with everything that had been setup for the wedding. It had all the makings of a disaster. Just about then it was pretty hard to see the handiwork of God. After the initial shock the family began trying to piece the celebration scheduled for the next day back together. As it turned out there were several “blessings.” 

First, we were all safe. Had our departure been delayed by eight or ten minutes, we would have been right in the middle of the destruction but our Dearest Daddy made sure we were not there. Thank you Father. Second, one of the essential parts of the ceremony, the wedding dress, was in a small building very close to the larger one that was destroyed. The little building and the wedding dress survived. Thank you Father. Last, on this short list of blessings, as the family scrambled to find a new location, a new venue, which just happened (smile) to be available, was located not too far from the original site–and with no damage. Thank you Father.

Despite all the difficulties, I believe most of the wedding party soon began to see how our Dearest Daddy was working even when it was hard to see. And that is just what He does–always working. I am writing this the morning of the wedding ceremony. I’ve got some editing to do to the ceremony because this is a story that needs to be told and certainly won’t be forgotten. It reminds me that no matter what it looks like, God really is good…we just need to be sure to look and see it…and find it.  This is a wonderful example of how God causes everything to work for our good and His glory. It is also a wonderful example of how, no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, Family, friends, life, loving others, Scripture

God’s Symphony

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:4-5

What if we could all just get along? Having zipped through four decades of pastoring, you can well imagine I’ve seen and met a whole bunch of people. Some went to church and some didn’t. Some had met Jesus and some were still looking.  Some were kind and some, well, weren’t.  But one thing I learned is that all of them were people that God created and all of them were precious in His sight.  Oh, and I learned this, when the ones who had met Jesus came together in unity and harmony, they were a force to be reckoned with.

A while back, my wife Judy and I attended a jazz concert out at our local college. The band was called, “Courtney Cox and the Little Big Band.” They weren’t a big band, only ten members” but they were so good. Their unity and the harmony that brought made them a musical force–yup–to be reckoned with! Check this out. 

A few days ago I received a devotion that talked about how a couple of really smart psychologists surveyed different members of eleven major orchestras. They asked how each section of instrumentalists perceived one another…what they thought of one another.  Here’s what they found out. The percussionists were viewed as unintelligent but fun-loving, while the string players were seen as arrogant and stuffy. The brass players were described as loud by many, and woodwinds were viewed as quiet, meticulous, and a bit egotistical.

So here’s the big question. With such different perceptions of one another, how were these orchestras able to make such wonderful music? Well, quite simply, they were able to put their biases aside and look to the leadership of the conductor. And when they all did that, they could make beautiful music together as one orchestra. Wow is that powerful or what? No matter how different–each person and each instrument–were necessary to make music.

So husbands and wives, how much stronger could our marriages be if we followed that example? Hey, how much better could our families be if we did the same thing? Not a church person? Ok, how much more profitable could your business be, your sports team be, your community be–if we followed their example? But let’s bring it home to us Jesus followers. How effective could the body of Christ be if we were to follow that model? Instead of infighting about personalities and methods in our churches, what if we put those differences aside and looked together at the great Conductor? The answer is obvious isn’t it?

Here’s an idea. Remember the church is not designed to be a thing where every person is a clone of the other. No, you see the church is a multifaceted diamond. We don’t need carbon copies of you or anybody. Rather, we need to learn to appreciate the beauty in the diversity of the body of Christ and follow Christ together. We need to let everybody be who God created them to be. Like the orchestras above where violins remain violins and trumpets remain trumpets, we too can create beautiful music. But remember this…it doesn’t come from cloning but from Christ and then together we can create something no member could achieve alone. Need a little help? No problem, just keep your eyes on the conductor and remember this…”He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, life, school days, Scripture, spiritual battles, thankful

Playing Army!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10

It is an 8mm movie memory.  Like so many families we had a home movie camera growing up.  It is so much fun to go back and watch some of the ones that I have.  One that I remember so well from my childhood days was a clip of my nephew Little Joe.  As you can imagine, since there was a Little Joe, there must have been a Big Joe…and there was.  He was one of my older brothers who is no longer with us, and he had a son we called Little Joe.  Anyway, in one of the movies, it shows Little Joe, and he is wearing a full, miniature Army fatigue uniform.  My big brother Joe had been in the Army, so it was only fitting to see Little Joe dressed like his dad.

In the film clip, Little Joe is marching like a soldier.  Rigid…almost at attention as he marched, with his little face sternly looking at the camera…he looked the part.  He was probably five which means all of this was a zillion years ago.  Thinking of those days, I remembered, once again, how things have changed.  When I was growing up, playing Army was a regular thing…and we took it seriously.  We didn’t have uniforms, but we were armed to the teeth.  

Our arsenal included two different kinds of bullets.  First, there were those from the chinaberry tree. This tree produced hundreds, if not thousands, of green berries the size of small marbles.  The other bullet came from an evergreen that grew in our yard.  They were about the same size but had little pointy things.  Both were plentiful and effective. We would fill our pockets and then head for the woods…hurling them at one another.  But there was more.

We also had dirt clods.  In those days, it seemed there was always construction going on around us and of course that meant digging and digging meant dirt clods.  We would gather at a selected building site, divide into small teams, get behind a dirt pile and lob dirt “grenades” at one another.  We would hurl and duck or duck and hurl and we had a blast except for when a clod hit us in head.  Then, well, it wasn’t fun anymore.

Those building sites also provided a ready selection of pretend weapons…usually surveyor sticks.  Some were long and made great swords and some were wedge shaped and made great machine guns.  The effectiveness of the weapon depended on how good the sound effects were. We would play long, play hard and then come home dirty. Baths were essential and not optional.

Those days of playing army were some of the best memories of my childhood.  Gratefully I was also privileged to serve twelve years in the real Air Force and those days, too, hold so many of my life’s special memories.  But what I thought we should learn today is the fact that while playing army was fun when I was a boy, there is still a war going on today…and it’s not play.  I am learning that there is a battle being waged for so many of the things that we value most in life.  Not the least of these are our faith and families.

Whether you believe in the spirit realm or not, whether you believe in a God or a devil or not, you had better believe that there are things that want nothing more than to wage war against you and what you hold dear.  Sometimes it is a spirit of mediocrity, sometimes it might be a busy lifestyle or perhaps it is a drive to own the things we drive, or live in, or wear.  Perhaps it is a deluge of small things that when added up will cost us…and cost us dearly. 

In the Christian New Testament, a young Jewish Rabbi and Messiah named Jesus spoke about a thief and what he does.  Why not think for a few minutes what identities you might assign to this thief.  Look at the things I wrote about above.  Now listen to the rest of what Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.”  There you go…boom.

Thieves steal but they can do more, much more, so we must be on guard.  The good news is this is one battle we don’t have to face by ourselves. That same Messiah who defeated death and rose from the dead is real, willing and able to help.  All we have to is ask.  One more thing.  Don’t confuse Jesus with religion or even church. They might be related but the answer lies with the Man and nothing else. All we have to do is ask. He wants to help you guard what really matters and fight those life battles that are just too big for us on our own. No matter what we face, no matter the fight we can be sure that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, friends, life, missions, Scripture, travel

It Was Hard!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”  Romans 8:18

And then I remembered…it was hard.  I was looking for a picture to use in one of my Grit’s stories and that caused me to go back…to reminisce…to remember.  It was 2007 and I was part of a vision trip to Niger, West Africa to check out the possibilities of our church ministering in that West African country.  It involved an incredibly long flight which included a 12-hour layover in Casablanca, Morocco.  This was new territory for all four team members and trust me it was an adventure.  Perhaps my favorite, and most eye-opening part, was when I asked a coffee shop owner if he took dollars.  His only response was a shrug of the shoulders that seemed to say, “What is a dollar?”  Apparently, I had found a place that didn’t think America was the center of the universe.

Later that day, we continued our journey to Niger and arrived near midnight and I was sure we had somehow been diverted and landed on the moon.  The landscape, the sounds, the sights, the smells and the culture were so different…and that was just the beginning. Though I had spent three years in Europe and made a journey to the Eastern European country of Bulgaria, nothing prepared me for this.  Even though we were in the capital city of Niamey there was still extreme poverty and many dirt roads.  Amazing.  But that was nothing compared to “the bush.”

We were more than just on the edge of the vast, almost endless Sahara desert where the scrub bushes and sand seemed to go on forever.  With the exception of our own faces, everyone there bore the signs of desert life.  Faces were weathered and worn by the desert winds and feet were toughened by the grinding of the sand.  And yet, the people were amazingly content.  Things such as family and friendship seemed to matter more than anything western culture provided.  It was eye opening.

We were in the bush for several days and every day was an adventure and every day we learned more and more about this harsh, yet beautiful place at the edge of the Sahara with all its challenges and opportunities.  We slept out in the desert air, we took bucket baths because there was no running water, we lived by flashlights because there was no electricity, and we ate new and strange foods…very strange.  I learned that millet was not on my favorite food list and I also learned that this southern boy could, with difficulty, go without bread.

Well, we more than survived and would return a half dozen times or so to this different part of the world before the political climate closed that door and we had to move on to another part of West Africa. That was another adventure and another story. But as I looked at those pictures and went back…reminisced…remembered, I realized, at least for me, that was a difficult trip.  For one who was used to so many creature comforts, it was hard. I also looked at some pictures from another trip to the bush a couple of years later and looked into the eyes of weary westerners—tired from a long day’s ministry, loving and helping people and remembered…it was hard.

But here’s the deal.  It was worth it…in fact, it was more than worth it.  Those trips, those days, were some of the most memorable days we have spent on the African continent. During those days I made friendships with people and learned from them.  They left their fingerprints on my life and heart and I am different today.  I hope that I too left good fingerprints on their lives—good impressions of Someone much greater than me.  We told Bible stories during those days and for many that was something new—something they had never heard, Someone, they had never known.  I still remember how some were bewildered and some intrigued.  Yes, it was worth all the hard and only eternity will tell the final impact.

Worth.The.Hard.  That is not only true for trips to West Africa or other difficult places, it is true of life.  You see, everyone’s journey is different, and everyone’s journey will include easy and it will include hard—and both are beneficial.  The easy refreshes us like a desert oasis and the hard teaches us like a strenuous workout at the gym.  If and when, we learn we need both, life takes on a different and better meaning.  We stop holding on only to the easy and learn to embrace the hard and we are better.

Paul, a guy in the Bible who knew a lot about easy and hard said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”  Paul learned to appreciate both sides of the coin—the refreshment of easier days and the challenge of difficult ones.  How about you?  Can you imagine a better outcome when the harshness of life brings profit instead of loss?  I know it is a challenge and a lesson that I am still learning.  But there is one lesson that is at the top of my to-do list—to remember and believe, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne