Category: life

Posted in communication, heaven, life, Scripture, thankful

Full Moon Full of Praise

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

This won’t take long. Tonight was concert night in the heavens. You see, tonight was another of God’s glorious creations–a full moon full of color. I knew it was coming. They ran a short story on the morning news just letting people know that the full moon was coming that night–at 8:24 pm to be exact. I put it on our calendar so we would be sure to remember to go outside and see it. We went and we were not disappointed.

We checked at 8:24 pm and while I’m sure the moon had risen, from where we were we couldn’t see it yet. Then, at about 8:50 pm, I went outside and there just above the horizon was a beautifully round and beautifully orange full moon. My God, my Dearest Daddy, had done it again. It really was simply beautiful. Whenever I write about full moons and God, I am reminded of Psalm 19:1-4. There we read, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

I am sure that if we could hear with heavenly ears the heaven’s would be bursting out in song. It might be “Holy, Holy, Holy” or perhaps the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Regardless it could still only pass a marginal attempt to fully and adequately praise our magnificent God. So, while this is a small serving of Grits, I hope you will realize the big truth about our big God is big…really big. I thank Him that no matter when or where, the heavens and all creation will always be singing of His greatness and how no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Scripture, Grace, life, thankful, money

A Tale of Two Cards

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Two cards–as different as night and day. In my wallet I carry lots of stuff but there are two cards that tell very different tales. Let me explain. Stuffed in among the stuff are two cards that I can used to buy stuff. The first is a credit card. After proving to the company that I was worthy to have their card, they allow me to buy stuff with the clear understanding that when I do I have to pay them back. And, if I don’t pay them back in full every month, I have to pay some interest–lots of interest. For the record, we do in fact pay ours back every month. And interestedly enough, we use this card only to buy the gas for our cars and when I do they pay me 5% on every dollar I spend. But buyers beware–they are just waiting for me to mess up and not pay the balance and if I do–the penalty is way more than that 5%.

Now card two is totally different. Though it is very similar in size and color the very nature of this card is totally different. You see, it is a gift card. Here is how it works. Someone paid the price in full and gave it to me as a gift. When I go to the store I simply walk up to the cash register with my purchase and give the person my card. They process it and then–I simply walk away. There is never a bill at the end of the month, there is never a penalty and in most cases–it never expires. Wow…how about that?

Like I said, even though they look alike, they are totally different. A credit card is a debt and the gift card is a prepaid gift. And that dear friends is the difference between grace and works–religion and Jesus. Works and religion make you work to keep the rules with the hopeless hope of making you right with God. Problem is–it won’t work. Never has and never will. It leaves you with a debt that can only end in eternity separated from God. Bad deal. Grace and Jesus are a free gift from God.  Our only responsibility is to believe in Jesus and in the process receive the gift. Debt–paid in full. No bill ever, no penalty ever–you are free.

That big truth from the Bible can be summed up in Romans 6:23. There we read, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Boom! Reject Jesus and you are responsible for the debt of your sin and you will spend eternity separated from God in a place you don’t even want to think about. But receive Jesus and He takes responsibility for your sin by dying in your place. He paid the price so you don’t have to.

So question? Are you counting on bad credit or God’s grace? Are you hoping that somehow you can pay the debt or will you let Jesus pay it for you? The choice is yours…debt and bondage or grace and freedom. Worried that your debt is just too big? Forget about! He is more than able to handle whatever your sin load is.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Scripture, life, Family, gratitude, Christmas, Easter

Daddy and the Television

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

It was a special moment in time. Home movies…movies of everyday life in an everyday family. That is true today but back in the days before smartphones it was especially true. It was almost magical when someone went to the closet and got out the family camera and started shooting. It could have been a special occasion like someone’s birthday or a holiday like Christmas or Easter. All of them were special but sometimes the really special ones were just of everyday life.

As I was recently watching this treasure trove of movies from the mid sixties, I was enjoying once again seeing some of my loved ones who are no longer with us. Grandmother and Granddaddy were there as were my Momma and Daddy. Of all the different scenes of everyday life with the Taylor tribe, one stuck out and that is what I want to tell you about. It appeared to be a regular evening…one of those times when someone grabbed the camera and mashed the button. And then–there it was.

The scene showed my Daddy sitting on the floor. Our small black and white television was pulled away from the wall. Daddy had the back pulled off and was working on the innards of the set. He was studying it pretty intently. Apparently the television had gone on the fritz and he was doing his best to get it going again. Now my Daddy was a wiz when it came to working on jet engines and he could work on car engines and lawn mowers too. But it never occurred to me that he could or would work on a television. Back in those days things like televisions and radios were filled with tubes and the best I could tell he was plugging and unplugging those tubes just in case one of the had lost its connection.

Now I honestly have no idea if he got the thing working or not. What struck a cord with me was that he wasn’t afraid to try. I guess there were television servicemen in those days but we sure couldn’t afford one so he jumped in and did his best. Did.His.Best. That’s one of my favorite recent realizations about Momma and Daddy–they always did their best to take care of us. And do you know what?  They did a great job. Come what may they were willing to jump in–all in.

You know, that’s what God did when it came to saving us.  He jumped all in. Now let this soak in. I know you’ve heard it before but try to hear it like the first time. John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Now that is all in. He loved us enough to give His Son to a Roman cross and He did it because He loved us. Because.He.Loved.Us. You know He wants us to experience that love and share that love with others. Like working on a television when you don’t have a clue–that can be a challenge. But we don’t have to worry because He does have clue–He does know and not only that–He’s got this–every time.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, Grace, life, love, Scripture

Let Love Win

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Suddenly it was the mid sixties. Home movies are incredible and with the advent of the smartphone, the need for home movie cameras are just about gone. All you need to do is to reach in your pocket and there at your fingertips is a high quality camera. While home movies are incredible they can sometimes take you back to a time and remind you of a you you wish you could forget.

The other day when I rediscovered those home movies from the sixties I was reintroduced to a nerdy kid that looked very familiar. It was me. While everyone in every film acted just a little more casual than today, the ten year old Dewayne was, well, just a bit irritating. Let me explain. From what I saw, little Dewayne, tended to be a camera hog. He seemed to race from place to place to stay somewhere near the lens. What’s more, he seemed to enjoy acting, uh, nerdy. The word “prancing” crossed my mind more than once as I watched the film. 

Now to be honest, I was probably acting like most boys my age acted. Times were different then and being ten then isn’t the same as it is now. But I found myself wanting to tell the kid of the screen to tone it down, to notch it down, a bit. And it was just about then some old memories of less than kind criticisms came to my mind. I began to understand why I was given the name “Precious” and I also realized it wasn’t necessarily a compliment but a criticism. I found myself kinda embarrassed and bruised from a 60 year old memory.

Once my wife Judy asked me why I responded a certain way in a certain circumstance and I think I discovered the reason. Names given a long time ago had somehow become tattooed on my heart and have remained there from the years. Now I’m not telling this story for sympathy rather I am telling it to share a lesson learned. Seeing little Dewayne helped me understand that I should be much more graceful to the people I bump into today. I should show the kindness and understanding I wish others had shown me then.

So, who is it in your life that you need to extend just a little more love, a little more grace and a little more understanding? Oh, and by the way, it certainly doesn’t have to be a child–it might be someone who struggles not to act out in childish ways. Remember none of us are perfect, in fact, we have all fallen way short of God’s standard. So when you bump into someone, even if that someone reminds you of you, be sure and extend a dump truck of grace and kindness. Too hard? Not with the help of your Dearest Daddy because, after all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, life, school days, Scripture, travel

Through the Decades–He’s Got This

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25

Always faithful…period.  So several months ago, my sister gave me some copies of some old home movies. She gave me the original films which were silent 8mm reels but she also gave me a usb drive with the same movies but rerecorded in a digital format. Well, I didn’t and don’t have an 8mm projector so those copies sit in my office on a shelf reminding me of days gone by. The thumb drive ended up plugged into my television set. After watching some of it, I forgot it was even there–until a couple of days ago.

I’m not exactly sure how but I think I was going up the stairs at my house and since my television is mounted on the side of our stairs, I was able to glance at the backside of the television–and there was the drive still plugged in. I had rediscovered a treasure. So that night, I sat down and began watching the old home movies. Turns out they were from the mid-sixties and a couple of things became quickly apparent. First, my Daddy apparently loved to take pictures of the landscape. That was obvious from our visit to see brother number two in the Smokey Mountains, brother number three in Texas and finally brother number four in New Jersey. 

Thankfully though, he also took some great pictures of our family. For the first time in a long time I once again saw my Daddy, my Momma, my Granddaddy and my grandmother. And, of course, there were pictures of my brothers and sisters. Most of them–my grandparents and Momma and Daddy plus all my bothers and one of my sisters have changed addresses and moved to heaven. It reminded me that one of the things that will make heaven heaven is seeing my loved ones who knew Jesus again.

The other thing that caught my attention was the passage of time. You see, a much younger Dewayne was in more than a few of those scenes. I was no older, and mostly younger, than eleven in most of the movies and some of those movies were about things that I have written about over the years. There were a couple of Christmases and Easters and trips to see the brothers. It was pretty apparent that this younger Dewayne was definitely a little nerdy and a whole lot irritating most of the times. I think I outgrew most of that but let’s just say there are still signs of the past in my present.

So, the whole point of that is this–a whole lot of water has passed under the bridge since. If my math and calendar are correct a little more than sixty years have come and gone. And while a whole lot of things have changed there is one constant–God. He was God in the mid-sixties when I was struggling to find my way and He is God today as I continue that same struggle–to do life and find my way. While customs change, ways change, and we change–He never does. It is just like the Bible says about Jesus in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Take that one to the bank.

Oh and one more thing. I was reading in my Jesus time this morning and one of the devotions quoted Psalm 37:25. It says, “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.” How about that. Oh the ever consistent and precious love and faithfulness of God. I probably didn’t realize it then but the fact is no matter the decade, no matter the circumstances that always and forever, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in friends, Grace, life, Scripture, travel

I Love You, Man

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.” Luke 10:33

His name was Paul. So this is a great story but in the interest of transparency I probably don’t have all the details right but the heart of the story is pure gold. My daughter Sarah and her husband Blake were out and about in Harrisburg. I believe they weren’t driving but rather taking a walk. Wherever they were Blake saw a younger man sitting on a big brown travel bag near the road. Unlike most times, this guy wasn’t holding a sign–he was just sitting. It was apparent that his life was probably hard and his circumstances were harder still.

At first they walked on by but something began tugging at Blake’s heart so he said to Sarah, “Wait a minute.” With that, he turned back and approached the man. In a casual yet caring tone, he asked the guy,”Hey man, do you need some food or something?” The guy responded with a no and that he was good. So Blake asked him where he was going. The guy explained that he was walking the country. He apparently had started in the northeast and had wandered the highways and byways of the land. He had been down south and over toward Missouri and that is how he found his way to Illinois and Harrisburg.

Blake asked him why he was walking and he said he was dying and wanted to do something before he did. Blake again inquired about what was going on and the guy said he had a large blood clot up and near his lungs and it was eventually going to be fatal. Well, they chatted for a while more. He didn’t ask for anything but appreciated another guy who was willing to take the time to talk and care. After awhile they both stood up and without thinking, Blake gave the guy a man hug and told him that he loved him. Boom–it was so not planned. So spontaneous. So genuine.

Well, Blake, compelled to do something, went into the store and got the guy a bag of trail mix. He gave it to him and said, “Hey, if you’re going to be on the trail you ought to have some trail mix.” So with a shared smile they went their ways. And do you know what? I’m pretty sure neither of them were the same as they were. Blake for caring and daring to share three words that men usually don’t share–I love you. Paul because he experienced the love of not just a man but perhaps, just perhaps, the love of a man called Jesus.

You know, we never know when an opportunity just might show up. I know for Blake this wasn’t the only time. Last time it was a guy with no shoes named Danny and Blake spontaneously gave him his. This time he gave him a piece of his heart. Let me encourage you to do what Blake did. If you see something–do something. Dare to pause, to wait a minute and see if you can help make a difference. It might take you out of your comfort zone–a place that most of us don’t believe we can go. But remember this–our Dearest Daddy lives beyond the comfort zone and he will be there to help you. He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne  

Posted in food, life, Scripture, thankful

Easy Does It!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

I was reading this morning and came across a very interesting list of numbers. It said that the the average American spends three years in business meetings. Now if that average American is a Baptist, that number would certainly be much higher. So the list continues. We spend 13 years–that is years with a “y” watching television. Oh but wait–there’s more. We eat 109,354 pounds of food. Once again the Baptist number would be like a zillion pounds. That same average American would make 1,811 trips to McDonalds and spend almost $7,000 dollars in vending machines. Then for dessert we would eat 35,138 cookies and about 1,483 pounds of candy. After eating all of that we are going to need a long nap so we are going to sleep for 24 for years! That is amazing.

Of course, most of us find all of that unbelievable because it seems so impossible and takes a lifetime. We would probably never do those things to that excess if we really thought about it. Let me pass on to you two or three good pieces of advice. First, remember that time adds up. If God grants us a full day then we will have the gift of 1,440 minutes.  Remember to make everyone of them count. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:16, “Making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” In other words–make every minute count.

Second, remember that we are free in what food we eat and besides the blatant sins, we are free to do most things. But we also need to do everything in moderation. Paul tells in 1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” I think that means we don’t need to eat 35,138 cookies or watch 13 years of television. Just saying.

Finally, we need to remember that we can honor God in so many areas of our lives. When it comes to serving Him, there really isn’t a religious world and a secular world. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Do.It.All.For.The.Glory.Of.God! That means we have multiple opportunities to bring glory to Him–and multiple opportunities to do the opposite! Remember to keep the main thing the main thing–honor Him.

So, remember to have a few cookies, take a few naps and even watch a little television but remember that while everything is permissible for us we should not be mastered by anything–except the Master. Tall order? Perhaps but with God we can do all things. After all–He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful

Rescue–I Just Ran Out

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:24 

I just ran out. You know words can mean more than one thing. Those four words are a prime example. First, if someone says, “I just ran out” they might be talking about sugar. Maybe they were going to make a cake and realized that the day before they had used all their sugar. They would call a friend and say, “Can I borrow some sugar? I was going to make a cake and realized I just ran out.” Then of course there is a guy who found a snake in his bedroom. As he relayed the story to one of his friends, his friend might say, “So what did you do?” The guy might respond, “Well, I just ran out.”

Well, the other day I came face to face with a new meaning for those words. I was visiting my sister in Anniston, Alabama and was doing my morning walk thing. The fact that I was walking was nothing short of the goodness of God. After a long stint of hip and back pain, I was finally back (no pun intended) in business and trust me I was telling God just how grateful I was. So, anyway, is I was booking it pretty good–walking and talking with God.  And then–it happened.

There was a place in the road where the pavement looked like pavement does when someone didn’t do their job. As I walked, all of a sudden, the toe of my shoe hung up on something and I found myself fighting to stay upright. Rather than just fall flat on my face, I was able to start running. It may not have been pretty, in fact, I’m sure it wasn’t but somehow I was about to run enough to regain my balance and keep going. It was an amazing feat for my feet if I do say so myself.

So what do you think I did? Whine and complain? Nope. Grumble and groan? Nope. Pout and shout? Nope. As soon as I got my balance back, my hands shot into the air and I began praising the Lord. I knew this was yet another big intervention by my Dearest Daddy. With nothing on but shorts and a teeshirt, the road rash would have been of biblical proportions and on top of that there was the real possibility of some broken bones. But God was more than faithful. He sustained me, He held me, and He saved me. Plain and simple–He helped me run it out.

I was and am so grateful. I never get tired of telling and writing about the goodness of God. This particular time reminded me of Psalm 37:24. Speaking of the Godly, the author writes,     “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” I can’t number the times that my great Rescuer came to rescue for me. And do you know what? If you think about–neither can you. 

This story could have had a harder and more difficult ending but God in His grace decided on this ending. And had I fallen–well, He would have still been good and still been gracious. Let me encourage you–always be on the outlook for the goodness of God. Trust me–it is everywhere. No matter the circumstances and no matter the outcome, always know and believe that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, gratitude, life, marriage, Scripture

Fifty Years–The Great Adventure

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her. Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.” Proverbs 31:28-30

It’s not always easy. So imagine you are Shakespeare and you are drawn to write a romantic scene for the ages. In your mind you see a beautiful, young maid standing on a balcony and below a charming prince. Both are madly in love with the other but what do you say, what do you write? You settle on, “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Well, it probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but hey, it surely was a crowd favorite. Ok, let’s try again.

This time you are a lawyer and a writer. It is 1814 and you are watching as the British bombard Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. The outcome of battle seems in doubt.  You wonder if the young nation will survive the nigh? As dawn begins to light the sky, He was inspired after seeing the American flag still flying over the fort. His poem describing the battle and the American victory was published within a week with the suggested tune of the popular song “To Anacreon in Heaven”. The song with Key’s lyrics became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and slowly gained in popularity as an unofficial anthem. It finally achieved official status as the national anthem more than a century later in 1931. But finding the right words just couldn’t have been easy.

Now imagine you are celebrating 50 years, five decades, of marriage and you find yourself trying, struggling to find the right words to put to paper. You know and every person in your world knows, that when you met and married Judy Dawn Allen you married up–way up. And honestly, we both know that we did absolutely nothing to deserve the blessings and grace that God has poured on our lives. We were two young kids, she younger than me, and by grace we were able to follow Him down a path that cannot be any less than amazing.

We walked together down the path of twelve years in the military. I can tell you two things. They were lean years and yet they were some of the best years. Then God whispered and we jumped from the security of the Air Force into the arms of our Dearest Daddy. Together we served four churches, I pastored and she ministered and all four opportunities were a pastor and wife’s dream. No we weren’t perfect, neither were our congregations but we all loved Jesus and each other and that was more than enough.

Along the way, God blessed us with three incredible daughters and sons-in-law and eight grandchildren. When we get together we are a little wild and a little crazy but that is what makes our tribe a great tribe. In my middle daughter’s home there is a writing that says, “In this house…we are real, we make mistakes, we say I’m sorry, we are silly, we have fun, we give hugs, we give second chances, we forgive, we laugh a lot, we love each other–we are a family.” The truth is that is true most of the time. But even if we get off course…we always find our way back to true north.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. If you want to stay married for fifty years there are three important things. First, keep breathing. Second, keep God dead center in your marriage universe. Believe what He says, do what He says and love Him like crazy. Finally, be sure and marry an incredible person–like Judy Dawn Allen. Any success I’ve enjoyed in the military and in the pastorate and any success our children have enjoyed so far in life can be directly traced back to my wife and their mother.

Judy–thank you for sharing these decades with me. These words, straight from the depths of my soul, still fall short of describing my deep love for you. Short of God’s grace and mercy and His salvation of my soul, you are His greatest gift to me. And I am sure you are a key partner with Him as you both have assured me over and over again that, “We’ve got this.” I love you. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, Family, life, Military memories, Scripture

Left, Right, Left

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

Keeping in step has been a part of my life since I was in eighth grade. I suppose it all started with the Emerald Buccaneers. They were a drum and bugle corp that my sisters and I belonged to in Jacksonville, Florida. We would toot our horns and bang our drums and do our best to stay in step. In fact, I believe stepping together was just about as important as playing together. Anyway, we learned to march.

My big, and I do mean big, lesson in marching came when I joined the Air Force in 1972. Starting with day one we were drilled and drilled some more on the fine art of keeping in step. I can still hear our drill sergeant as he called the cadence, ” Left, right left.” For some this marching thing came pretty quickly–for others, well, not so. For me, because of my experience with the Buccaneers, it came pretty easily which is pretty amazing since I have exactly zero rhythm.

It was relatively easy for the drill sergeant or the drum major to tell if we were in step or not.  If our heads were bobbling and bouncing around he knew we were out of step. When our heads were steady…well, we were. When we were out of step, he would occasionally count the cadence to help us get back in step–left, left, left, right left. Shortly, and hopefully we were once again marching as one.

The other day I was reading one of my devotions and rediscovered a great verse in the Bible. It was written by Paul, a guy in the Bible, to the church that was located in Galatia. In Galatians 5:25 he wrote two important things in fifteen words. The first was, “If we live by the Spirit.” It might be better translated, “If we want to live by the Spirit.” The Spirit of course is the Holy Spirit and in many ways He is like my drill sergeant in the Air Force or my drum major in the Emerald Buccaneers. One of His jobs is to help us keep in step with the Father, and the Son, and of course, the Holy Spirit. And the bottom line is this. If we want to live in the power, and peace, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we have to learn to walk in step with Him. Walk in step with Him and experience the essence of what the Christian life, or walk, is all about.

When we marched in the Air Force and in the Emerald Buccaneers, we had to learn to listen. Marching wasn’t a time to left your mind wander. Wandering minds always led to bobbling heads and bobbling heads always meant we weren’t in step. There isn’t a great mystery to keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.  It begins and ends with us committing our heart and spiritual ears to Him. We learn to listen when He speaks. His voice may not be audible but it is certainly real. Learn to listen and you may hear two distinct things. First, a spiritual left, right, left. Translated it simple means, “Walk with me, step by step by step. The second thing you will hear, if your listen carefully, will be His calm assurance not to worry because, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne