Category: life

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

Posted in Family, friends, life, love, loving others, marriage, Scripture

The Power of Remembering

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But then I recall all You have done, O LORD; I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works.” Psalm 77:11-12

Remember not to forget. You know, God is big on this remembering thing. When Jesus was just about done with His mission here, He met with His disciples on a Thursday night and did two important things. He washed their feet and served them a special supper. Washing their feet was to remind them that they were supposed to serve one another. And, just in case, one or two or all of them thought they were too important to serve He told them just like He the Master was willing to wash their feet so they should be ready and willing to wash the feet of others. Just a gentle nudge in the right direction. They would need it.

He also served supper that night. It was a simple affair jam packed with meaning. He took a loaf of bread and invited them to have a piece. He explained that the bread represented His body that would soon be broken on a Roman cross. Then, He gave them a sip of wine and explained that the wine represented His blood that would soon be spilt on a Roman cross. He told them as often as they ate the bread or drank the wine, they should remember–remember Him, remember what He did and why He did it. They would need that too.

While there are plenty of things we need to forget–you know, the sticks and stones and broken bones caused by harsh words and actions of friends and enemies, there are plenty of things we need to remember. In other words we need to forget the bad stuff done to us and remember the good things done for us. Let the bad go and hug the good. That is true with God stuff but it is just as true in our daily walk about life. And, it is especially true in love and marriage.

Recently I discovered something that was literally a game changer. When they invented the iPhone and all its cousins, they also invented the portable, go anywhere camera. If you are like most people we now can snap digital pictures all day long. Snap one here and snap one there. They have no development fees so feel free to snap away. Unfortunately we tend to never look at them. They are usually just filed away. Well, this game changer is a feature featured on my iPhone. Let me explain.

You see, I have the ability to search for all the pictures I have on my phone of my sweet wife Judy. Then, I can tell the iPhone to show them when I mash the magic button to turn the screen on. Wait there is more. Then I can tell it to show a different picture every time I do that. So whenever I get ready to use my phone, a different picture of a different adventure with my wife Judy shows up on the screen. Each one reminds me in full and living color of why I love her so much–and why I love our live together. It has been like a fresh breeze of our lives together and it is awesome.

So, if you have a smartphone, be sure and see if it has this feature and turn it on. You can choose your spouse, your kids or both of them, your pet, or your walk about life. But in the process you are going to remember all the things we have to be thankful for–and most likely–it will be a bunch. Oh, and you are also going to be reminded how many times God has whispered in your ear, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this” and that will be a whole bunch too.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Father's Day, gratitude, life, Scripture

My Daddy

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13a

I think you would have liked my Daddy. With yesterday being Father’s Day and all, I just felt like I needed to tell you a little bit about my Daddy. On a Sunday morning in 1974, he up and moved to heaven. As far as I was concerned we both were too young.  He was 62 and I was 20. If I was to try and describe my Daddy I would probably go to the Bible and look at some of the characters there because my Daddy believed the Bible and in a very good way, my Daddy was a character.

My Daddy was like Adam–the very first man in the Bible. While there is a lot to be said for Adam the one think that sticks out to me was that he was a hard worker and so was my Daddy. Everyday, without question, he would get up and go to work at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station where he worked on jet engines. His shop was not air conditioned and since it was Florida it could get kinda hot and humid. It was my Daddy who taught me to value work. He was the one who taught me to take the family push mower and go from house to house knocking on doors and asking, “Sir or Ma’am, would you like your grass mowed for $2.00?” Yup, I made and spent a lot of money mowing grass. He’s also the one who taught me to get a job washing dishes at a local restaurant for seventy-five cents an hours and to bag groceries for a dollar an hour. My Daddy, like Adam, knew the value of hard work.

Oh, and the fella in the Bible who built things like an ark–my Daddy was like him too. No, my Daddy didn’t build an ark but he sure knew how to built a home. He and Momma put their lives together and eight kids later made a home. Neither one of them was perfect but they sure did love us a lot. They sacrificed so much and made sure that the house we had, an old repurposed Army barracks, was not a house but a home. Together they built a marriage and home and taught us to love one another–even when it was hard. My Momma and Daddy both knew the value of love.

My Daddy was also like that guy in the Bible named David who was a giant killer. When one of them, Goliath, decided to challenge God and His people, David took a couple of rocks and took care of him. Giants didn’t bother David and they didn’t bother my Daddy either. Raising eight kids wasn’t easy–in fact you could probably say it was ginormous. Plenty of times, despite all he did, there was more month than money but somehow the lights stayed on and the table was always set. When his heart gave out and he had to retire, he would work all night as a security guard just to make sure we stayed afloat. My Daddy knew the value of keeping his family secure–even when it meant killing giants.

When Jesus was teaching that day on the side of mountain, he looked at the people and all the daddies there and said to them, “You are the salt of the earth.” He was telling them that they were the foundation of all that He was about to do and teach. My Daddy would have fit right in there because he was the foundation of my small part of the world. I remember the time I came in from a late night date and he was praying at the kitchen table. I also remember the time he was leading us in family worship and he was kneeling at his chair talking to God. Those are precious memories. My Daddy was indeed the salt of the earth. He was a good man who loved God, loved Jesus and loved me. And along his life journey, he learned and taught me that no matter what, our Dearest Daddy could be trusted and could and would say, “Don’t worry…I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, forgiveness, life, Scripture

2 Peter 3:9–Freedom from Sin

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

It’s the new kid on the block. The United States has many federal holidays. Some have been around forever while others are relatively new. Juneteenth is one of those. Juneteenth, officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. We celebrate it every year on June 19th to remember the end of slavery in our country. The name “Juneteenth” was first used in the 1890s and is a mix of “June” and “nineteenth,” which refers to June 19, 1865. That’s when Major General Gordon Granger made sure the Emancipation Proclamation was finally enforced in Texas, the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.

Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when the 117th U.S. Congress enacted and President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983. I have to admit that at first I didn’t realize it was a national holiday and I surely didn’t really know what it meant. When I grasped the meaning and understood it marked the end of slavery in the United States, well, it took on a whole new meaning. Slavery, one of the great sins of our nation, was finally outlawed. Though it didn’t solve the racism problem in our country it was a giant step in the right direction. Martin Luther once said that he had a dream and prayerfully one day that dream will come true.

Sometimes dreams come at a great price. When I thought about Juneteenth I also thought about the fact that God sent His Son Jesus to set men free. Since the garden, mankind has been enslaved to sin and there was nothing we could do. There was no escaping it–no defeating it. But when Jesus came, died, and resurrected on that first Easter morning–that changed everything. Listen carefully–Jesus came to set men, women and children free.

In John 14:6, Jesus calls Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life and if we are willing to place our faith and trust in Him we can be genuinely free. Jesus said in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” That is what adds such power to what Jesus said in John 14:6–Jesus is the truth and knowing Him will set you free. How about that? Not being good, not being religious, not keeping the rules–just knowing the Truth–just knowing Jesus.

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” God is holding back His judgment to give each person the opportunity to experience a day of freedom from the bondage of sin. For that to happen, each person has to turn to Him for forgiveness. So why not let God give you your own Juneteenth Independence Day? Why not surrender your life to Him? No matter your sin debt, He can handle it. Rest assured, He’s got that! Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, food, life, missions, Scripture

The Life of the Firefly

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

I’m glad I wasn’t born a firefly. One of the joys of summer occurs either late May or early June. It is about that time that fireflies, or as I was raised to call them lightening bugs, make their appearance. Each evening as the sun sets, these fellows make their appearance and turn the evening from mundane to exciting. But you had better look fast because their act doesn’t act too long. It goes something like this.

Lightening bugs begin their journey as larva in the ground. In fact, they live there for two whole years. During that time they apparently dig around and eat grubs and things. Their whole existence is a time of preparation for what comes next. After about two years, something tells them its time to surface and they transform and emerge from the ground as lightening bugs. Now listen to this. First, they only live for about 20 to 25 days. That’s it. And the object of their whole existence above ground is to find a girl lightening bug and start a family. Once that is done…so are they. But wait…there is more.

Would you believe that when they emerge from the ground in their lightening bug bodies–they don’t eat. In fact, when their metamorphosis is done they don’t have a digestive tract and no way to eat or process food. Remember how I said those two years were all preparation for their next life? Well that apparently includes nutrition. So, no fried chicken or pecan pie for them. All they do is fly around, lighting up, trying to impress the girls. Imagine that…not eating. Ever.

I guess that means a lightening bug would be a really poor Baptist because everyone knows that a Baptist loves to eat. You give a Baptist a potluck dinner and it is party on. But not for Mister Lightening Bug–nope–and that is not only sad but hard to believe. Am I the only one who is trying to figure out why God created them that way? Well, it seems to me that God knew they might get side tracked if there were potlucks and the one thing that mattered wasn’t potlucking but rather starting a family.

Fortunately God didn’t think it necessary to try that trick with us. He has challenged us and trusted us with sharing the good news of the Gospel with the world around us. And truthfully…we do indeed get sidetracked. So how do we keep the main thing the main thing? We learn to listen to the Holy Spirit who lives in every person who believes in Christ. And then we listen to the heart of our Dearest Daddy as we read His word. When we pray, “Father help me to keep the main thing the main thing, His reply will always be, “Don’t worry…I’ve got that.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in forgiveness, Grace, life, Scripture, spiritual battles, Trials

Interest and Consequences

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

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

There’s a couple of things you ought to know. First, the devil is not your friend…ever. No matter what he says, no matter what he promises. Someone once said the only constant in this world is change. Check. And that is true in the physical world but in the spiritual world there are two constants–God is good and Satan is a liar. The second thing you ought to know is that sin is always a bad deal. No matter how good it sounds or how good it feels…it is a bad deal. Let me illustrate that for you.

So imagine you get your credit card bill in the mail. Imagine you had several large purchases that month. Even though you try and pay it off every single month…well this one is a little more than you can handle. Let’s say the bill is for $5,500.00. So as you are pondering what to do, you notice that the nice credit card people have a plan “B.” They say, “Instead of paying the card off (the very smart thing to do) you can make a minimum payment–just $113.00 a month. Wow…that would sure help…right? Wrong. You see, if you make just that minimum payment, it would take you…and get ready…seventeen years to pay the debt and with interest instead of paying $5,500, you would pay $15,515.00. What? Can that be right? Well it not only can be…it is. You see, the nice credit card company is going to charge you a whole lot of interest to use their money.

That nice credit card company isn’t so nice when you have to make payments and trust me they never were your friend to start with. Now Judy and I have two credit cards–we use one for gas (which pays us 5% for every dollar we spend) and the other credits us with travel miles for Delta. Both are paid in full each month and by the way when we can’t pay them off–out come the scissors.

So what is the point of this little financial lesson. It is all about sin. You see, like the debt became bigger and bigger because of interest so sin grows bigger and bigger. The old song says that sin will take you further than you want to go, make you pay more that you want to pay and stay longer than you want to stay. No matter how enticing sin seems–remember there is always a payment due and it can be big…real big.

God made a way through faith in His Son Jesus whereby our sins can be paid in full–forgiven. But the fact is we will still sin in this imperfect world and while God removes the penalty of that sin–the consequences–the interest if you will–remains. Satan will surely lie to you and try to convince you that a little sin never hurt anyone. Really? Well, once again remember that little sin nailed Jesus to the cross.

Be wise friend–both with your finances and with your sin. The bondage of debt and the guilt and shame of sin are two masters you don’t need. Don’t walk–run away–run to your Dearest Daddy who loved you too much to leave you in your sin and loves you too much to face that hot mess alone. He is waiting to help. Gratefully and always, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Grace, gratitude, Scripture, travel

New Every Morning

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:23-24

 ¡Hola! Soy una petunia mexicana. So on one of our recent journeys, my wife Judy made an essential stop at a local nursery to buy some plants for our yard. When we are in the south, whether it is as far south as Georgia or as close as Murray, Kentucky, we need to check out two things–what houses are for sale and what plants can we bring home. In this case, we were in Alabama at a Lowes and she brought home a petunia mexicana. In case you don’t speak Spanish (I don’t) the opening line says, “Hello! I am a Mexican petunia.”

So it turns out that our transplanted friend loves Southern Illinois–probably because it is southern. She carefully planted it in a large pot filled with Miracle Grow potting soil and the rest is history. In the few weeks that she has been in our backyard, she has just flourished. The greenery is green and lush but the best part are the blooms. Here’s how it goes. The day begins with it being covered with petite bluish purple blooms. They last the day and then they are done. By evening all that is left is the lush greenery. But there is a surprise coming.

You see, the next morning as the sunrises, new blooms appear. The whole plant is once again covered. It really is just beautiful. At the end of the day the whole process starts over again. But as sure as sunshine, the blooms are there and beautiful. It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures. You see, in Lamentations 3:23-24 we read, “Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” Did you see it?  Just like the Mexican petunia provides a fresh bouquet of flowers each day, so God in His marvelous grace provides a bouquet of mercy. How about that.

Just as He provided manna each morning for the children of Israel, so He provides His mercy for us each and everyday. He is always faithful and always right on time. The Hebrew even suggests that it isn’t just any old mercy…it is the mercy that we will need for that particular day. I find that so assuring and so amazing.

So if you want to come by 217 and check out our Mexican friend, feel free to. She is at her best in the morning–just like God’s mercies. God bless you today as you journey with Him. And always remember, “Recuerda que, pase lo que pase, ¡él puede con esto!” Oh, in case you are wondering that says, “Remember no matter what, He’s got this!” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, life, patience, prayer, Scripture, Trials

Hot Days, Flat Tires…and Grace

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18

OK, get your tissues out for a really, really sad story.  So, it was a Saturday afternoon and I was coming back from Marion.  It was hot…now I don’t mean unpleasantly warm or the kinda hot that may test your deodorant a little.  It was sweat through your shirt, man you stink hot. I was rounding a curve, tootling a long and minding my own business when I heard a funny “road” noise.  It only took about two seconds to recognize that sound–I had a FLAT tire.  I immediately whipped to the side of the load, stopped and said, “Well what are we going to do now?”  I mean I knew what to do but I also knew I didn’t want to do it.

So, I got out of the car, and yes, it was hot and starting looking at the tires.  Tire #1, good; tire #2, good; Tire #3, good; tire #4, flat–but only on one side.  So I went to the rear of the van, popped the tailgate and found the jack–the one that had never been used and held in place by a nut that had been torqued to the point of no return at the factory.  As I tried to loosen it, it soon wasn’t the only thing that was torqued.   

After much effort, I got the jack out, loosened the lug nuts and jacked the van up enough to locate the spare under the rear of the van.  It appeared to be held in place by a giant wing nut that hadn’t been loosened…ever.  I beat on it for about 15 minutes slowly turning it around and wishing the guy that designed it would have a massive kidney stone.

Finally I came to my senses and said, “Maybe, I should read the directions.”  Well, I did and I discovered the guy didn’t deserve a kidney stone after all.  You see, Ford had put a nut inside the van in the cargo area.  As you turned that nut with the lug wrench, it gently lowered the tire to the ground.  Hmmmm…how about that?

Well, I got the spare out and as I was jacking up the van the rest of way, God sent a young man to help me finish the job.  Thank you, Lord. So, while I still had a very flat tire, while I was drenched in sweat (and even jammed my thumb–this is where the tissues come in), and while I was still very, very hot…if I had just read the directions my experience would have been a whole lot less painful.  If only I had read the directions….

Do you think it is possible that our lives would be a whole lot less painful if we would read and follow the directions for life–God’s Word?  Let me answer my own question with a resounding YES.  There would still be bumps…and flat tires…but we would face them with a wisdom, knowledge and understanding that can only come from God–through His Word.  Now, notice that important word…follow.  It is not enough to just read, you have to do.  Imagine me reading the instruction book and then continuing to beat on that piece of metal under the van.  I thought I was right but guess what?  I was wrong.

So since it is a fact that we are going to have bumps and flats, why not turn to the one who knows all about flats and frustrations. Why not ask Him for some good, Godly advice? The good news is He is willing, He is able and He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in forgiveness, Grace, life, school days, Scripture

You Have Big Ears

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

“You have big ears.” Well, there it is. I was helping with the party trailer at Vacation Bible School the other day. I was in charge of boxing up the popcorn and then handing it to the kids. It’s always hard being the popcorn guy because we are competing against the snow cone people and the cotton candy people. Even a blind guy can see who is going to come in third in that deal. Art Linkletter used to have a television show that featured him interviewing kids. The show was called “Kids Say the Darnedest Things.” It was called that because, well, kids say the darnedest things. I looked up darnedest and found out that it was a colloquial American slang term used to describe something incredibly surprising, odd, or amazing. I guess that’s where my ears come in.

Now, back to being the popcorn guy. I already have rejection issues and this didn’t help. Some kids were kind when I offered them popcorn. And, actually more than a few accepted my offer. More than a few though looked at me like I was offering them a serving of roadkill. Like I said, what is popcorn compared to snow cones and cotton candy. So, we were down to waiting for the last group and that is when it happened.

I was sitting there talking with a couple of my buddies and this kid walked up. Actually, he had been kinda hanging around so I think he must have belonged to someone…I mean like someone on staff. Anyway, he gives me this kinda look and then he said the darnedest thing. He said, “You have big ears.” Well I was kinda taken a back so I said, “Say what?” He said it again, “You have big ears.” Well, I wasn’t sure what to say so I said, “Well, and I called his name, thank you for confirming what I thought I already knew.” Like I said, kids say the darnedest  things.

He was right of course. It all started in my childhood when two of my sisters (bless their hearts) would hold me down, tickle me and pull my ears. The bottom line is they did it enough that my ears got bigger and never retreated. I’ve looked at them in the mirror ever since and thought to myself, “Man I have big ears.” And the little kid just confirmed it for me. I did ask him who he thought gave me these ears and he said my Momma did. I told him he was right but who else? He thought about it but didn’t have another answer so I said, “God did.” I went on to explain that meant that they were exactly the ones that God wanted me to have.  It was a good answer but it didn’t solve the big ear dilemma.

Well, in the end I laughed it all off. After all, kids do say the darnedest things. But remember while that may sometimes excuse kids, it doesn’t excuse adults who also say the darnedest things. We can excuse the kids because maybe they don’t know better but we big people do. And, trust me, as a pastor I had my share of darnedest things said to me…though I’m not sure anyone ever comment on my ears. Weight–sure. Height–sure. Sermons–double sure. How I dressed–sure and double sure. Sometimes those darnedest things bounced off but sometimes they left scars.  So have you ever said a darnedest thing and wish you hadn’t.  Truth is we all have.

The Bible warns us to be careful about darnedest things and we would be wise to heed the call…especially if it involves ears. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a darnedest thing just remember this. Jesus loves you and He doesn’t care how big your ears are or how much you weigh.  After all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, food, life, Scripture, Trials, Uncategorized

Darkness and Flying Hotdogs

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12


It was dark…but I knew the way.  Before I discovered the wonder world of retirement, there was one of those days that I had either skipped lunch or had something light. Regardless, it was about 2:30 in the afternoon and I was hungry. One of the advantages of working at a church is there is usually a kitchen close by. So, I mentioned to the staff that I was heading down to the kitchen to try and find something to eat.  They told me there were some leftover hotdogs and baked beans in the refrigerator. Well, that sounded pretty good to me so off I went.

When I arrived, I opened the refrigerator door and looked. No dogs, no beans. Like the game show, “Let’s Make a Deal,” I decided to try door number two.  No dogs, no beans. My last chance was door number three and unfortunately…no dogs, no beans.  My stomach growled so I decided to try the freezer. I pulled open the door and while there weren’t any beans, there was one lonely, very frozen hotdog. In desperation I grabbed it and tossed it in the microwave for a fast defrost.  Sixty seconds later I had a mostly defrosted hotdog which I then smothered with mustard.  I even found a small bag of chips to round out the feast.

With food in hand, I headed through our dark fellowship hall heading to the door that led outside and then to my office.  The fellowship hall was dark because the lights were off, and I didn’t turn them on because there wasn’t a switch at that door. All of this wasn’t a problem because I had made this journey many times. There were several tables along the wall and like a blind man I ran my hand along the edge of the tables and when they ended, I knew it was a straight shot to the door.  It was a good plan…till it wasn’t.

Walking full speed and without reservation, I ran my hand down the table and sure enough it ended, and I just kept walking straight toward the door. I should have noticed that for some reason I couldn’t see the outline of the exit door. Too bad I didn’t because just about that time I crashed into something. My semi-defrosted hotdog smothered in mustard and chips went flying everywhere and I was left wondering what in the world just happened. Still in the darkness, I turned around and went to the light switch and flipped it on and there was the culprit. Someone had left the closet door that opened out instead of in standing open and I had ran straight into it.

Well, let’s be honest, with a mustard smothered hotdog and chips all over the floor I was one unhappy camper. Who in the world would leave the stinking door standing open? Don’t people know that you can’t see open doors in dark rooms? Well, I snorted and muttered for a couple of minutes, cleaned up the mess and headed to my office.

Floor or not I salvaged the hotdog and as I munched the dog a thought occurred to me. I had asked the wrong question.  It wasn’t who would leave a door open in a dark room rather it was who in the world would walk through a dark room?  The problem wasn’t the open door but the guy who thought he could safely navigate the darkness.  Hmmm.

Well, I do believe I learned a lesson that day. Lights have a switch for a reason—turn on the lights!  And then I had the thought that what is true about carrying mustard smothered hotdogs is also true in life.  It is simply not smart to try and navigate a dark world without the Light of the world.  Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Well, there you go. Walk with Jesus and you will walk in the light. The big truth is this…if you find yourself in a dark room carrying a mustard smothered hotdog, just remember to flip the switch. And, if you find yourself in a dark corner of the world with a heart smothered with burdens, just ask Jesus and He will be your light. Don’t worry…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne