Category: travel

Posted in Scripture, Grace, life, Family, travel, priorities, friends

Sabbatical Cruising

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the LORD your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14a

Sea days were slow days. On our epic journey aboard the Majestic Princess we not only crossed the Atlantic Ocean but we also sailed the entire way around the British Isles. In the process we spent several days in different ports but a lot of days we just sailed…or cruised. Cruising is one of the best things in life. When we are at home, we cruise down country roads and byways in our red Mustang Convertible. Imagine a warm, sunny late afternoon watching the Southern Illinois landscape slip by at, oh, about 25 miles per hour. Imagine the landscape spotted with a couple of dozen deer. That, friends, is good stuff.

Now imagine a day at sea. You can sleep in or get up early–your call. Someone has made your coffee and it is waiting for you. You go and find a seat next to a large window and watch God’s giant swimming pool, the Atlantic, slide by.  Finally you eat breakfast, which someone cooked for you, you go and exercise in the gym and then find a lounge near the railing and just relax. We would have our quiet time, read a book or just nap. Eventually it would time to eat again…and we would…and we did. That, friends, is why sea days were slow days. And, that dear friends is a pretty good picture of something in the Bible called Sabbath rest.

While a large chunk of the world knows how to do this well, we Americans just don’t. It seems that an American that knows how to do Sabbatical rest is as rare as a unicorn. In almost every port we stopped at, street side cafes would be filled with people drinking tea, coffee or something else, chatting and relaxing. You could almost sense their stress pooling at their feet. Why is it that we Americans are so bad at Sabbatical rest? I do believe we somehow pour our value, our self worth, into a mold that requires us to always be doing something.

Well, here’s some big news. God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us a day, a whole day, to rest. He even put it into the big ten.  Remember the one that says, “Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the LORD your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” You can read it for yourself in Deuteronomy 5:12-14a.

It seems that this command is the only one from the Big Ten that was allowed to stand in the New Testament.  Wow…it is that important. God designed us to rest, to occasionally, cruise. We need that pause button because we were designed to enjoy Sabbatical rest. Now it doesn’t have to be a particular day but it does need to happen. Not only do we physically need it, it also teaches us to depend on God.

So there you go…you need to take time to cruise…to rest. I know this sounds crazy and perhaps totally out of date but trust me…no, better…trust God. Find time, make time to enjoy a cup of coffee on the back patio, a ride around enjoying tonight’s sunset or maybe just talking with those you love the most. Oh, and be sure that includes the one who’s always got this.  Bro. Dewayne  

Posted in Scripture, life, Family, travel, thankful, gratitude, heaven

Look Up–Look Around

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Everything on earth will worship You; they will sing Your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs. Selah” Psalm 66:4

As we transversed the Atlantic Ocean on our great 50th wedding anniversary adventure I was once again reminded just how big and awesome our God is. The Bible tells us in Psalm 19:1-2 “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.” I love those verses. Last night my wife Judy and I were sitting out with our neighbors (remember when you used to do that?) and we began to look up and were all amazed as the stars slowly began to show themselves. It was amazing. While I was looking one way, Judy was looking another and she was treated to see a beautiful falling star. Wow.

I spoke out loud to no one in particular that God has placed and named each star. One of the kids spoke up and said, “How can He do that?” Well, the answer is simply that He is God and He can do anything. Now, back to the cruise. We quickly discovered that in the middle of the ocean that stars can and do showoff…each one declaring God’s greatness. But after sailing for several days and not seeing land I realized something else. You don’t have to look up to see the glory of God–really all you have to do is look around. You see the Bible also says in Psalm 66:4, “Everything on earth will worship You; they will sing Your praises, shouting Your name in glorious songs.” 

Imagine with me looking in every direction and seeing the vast ocean. On some days it was relatively calm…on others, quite the opposite. But whether it was calm or rolling, it was big, really big, and it all said that if God created this big ocean, He must be really, really, really big and He is. The last word in Psalm 66:4 is the word, “Selah.” It is a Hebrew word that implies the idea that right there you need to pause. Someone once said it is saying, “There what do you think of that?”

Our first port of call was a group of islands in the middle of nowhere that belonged to God but were claimed by Portugal. At first I thought we were only stopping there to get some gas–nothing more–nothing less. I soon found out that I was wrong. You see, the Azores are called the  “Hawaii of Europe” and the reason was soon evident. While the islands were diverse as a Baptist church, the one we stopped at was simply beautiful. It was massively green and tropical plants were everywhere. We were treated to seeing quaint small towns, a beautiful botanical garden and perhaps best of all, a place where boiling water spewed out of the earth sending steam rushing into the air.

So the Azores was so much more than a gas stop, it was a wonderful testimony of the greatness of God. It was a place where God had once again showed off His power and creativity. It was a spotlight of His love and grace for us. So, tonight be sure and look up and see what God has done up there but today, well today, be sure and look around and see just how great our God is. If you do, you will soon realize that no matter what you are going to bump into, you have the assurance that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne   

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, life, loving others, Scripture, travel

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

People…there were people everywhere. No matter how big the Majestic Princess might have seemed the bottom line is when you put that many people on a boat–well, two things are guaranteed. First, at times it is going to seem a bit crowded. That mainly happened at meal times. While in the evening there were several restaurants to choose from, during the day the main place to eat was the Marketplace. This was grand buffet which not only included a lot of food, it also included food from all over the world. And trust me, it was good.

The second guaranteed thing was the variety of people. You see, the crew of the ship comes from all over the world. In fact, very few of them were from the United States. And even the passengers were an amazing array of humanity. Now that I think about it that is one of the attractive things about taking a cruise. First you go to different parts of the world and different parts of the world come to you. You get to see God physical creation but you also get to see His handwork in people.

To be truthful, this was sometimes challenging. It was just amazing how different people can be. My wife Judy and I loved to sit in the various sitting areas and just “people watch.” And trust me…there was plenty to watch. Of course, keep in mind there was probably someone else doing the same thing and thinking the same about me. I realized that it was too easy to judge someone based on the “cover of their book” rather than what was on the inside. Remember, God’s Word warns us about that.

One example of this happened when I noticed a particular server who worked in the Marketplace. The first thing I happened to notice was, for whatever reason, he wore makeup. I’m not sure what the deal was but his “cover” kept me from reading his story. The bottom line was he was one of the kindest and nicest people we met on the cruise. He always called the ladies, “Mama” and I know he called me “Master.” At any rate, he was joyful and always willing to serve–looking for ways to go beyond what was expected to serve you. I know by the end of the cruise, Judy and I both didn’t see his makeup but rather saw his kindness–his heart.

So, who is it in your life that has a “cover” that keeps you from seeing the real person? In other words, what is keeping you from seeing people for who or what they really are–creations of a very loving God. We need to remember that God has not called us to judge people but to love them. That is what Jesus did…period. I’m still amazed that He called a hated tax collector to be on His team. Imagine how hard that was for Peter and boys to swallow.

Let’s be honest…we live in a pretty weird world and guess what?  We are part of that weirdness. Let’s strive to be like Jesus and His Father. Let’s look beyond the cover of a person’s book and try to read their stories. Let’s try and see what God sees in them. It’s not easy but do you know what? It is sure Jesus like. I’m sure that He would be more than willing to help us, after all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in gratitude, loving others, Scripture, travel

Faithful Steward–Silent Servant

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2 

His name was Jerry but He looked a little bit like Jesus. On our grand journey across the Atlantic Ocean and then around the British Isles, we spent 25 days on the Majestic Princess. Even though it was actually two cruises, ours was combined into one. Because of that my wife Judy and I were able to spend all of our time in the same room…and that is when we met Jerry.

Jerry was our room steward. You might know from the Bible that a steward is someone who is responsible for caring for someone else’s property. And just about now is a great opportunity for us to remember that if we are Jesus people we actually own the grand total of…zero. As it turns out God owns everything…He just allows us to manage it for Him. So for those 25 days that we were sailing, Room B241 was ours and Jerry was assigned to be a steward, to care for us and the room.

We met him on the first day and he assured us that he would do everything he could to make sure our room was like a home away from home. Judy made a couple of special requests. First, could he possibly find us a small fan (when we sleep, we like the breeze and the noise it makes) and some ice for us to use during our excursions. He supplied both of these requests. Everyday he cleaned our room, made our bed (and changed the sheets) tidied up the room and cleaned the bathroom. While we didn’t see him very often, the evidence of his presence was felt everyday. We knew he was there by the way our room looked. He was a very good steward.

Jerry was a silent servant. It seemed He didn’t need our praise  (though we always tried to tell him when we saw him), and I’m not sure he did it just because it was his job. Jerry seemed to really like caring for us. He found purpose and fulfillment in being a good steward and for him that was enough. Like I said…Jerry in his actions looked a little bit like Jesus. You see, the Bible tells us in Matthew 20:28, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Let’s be honest, when we boarded the ship, we had paid the fare and expected to be served. When Jerry boarded he expected to serve others…and that is what he did…serve others.

So, my question is this. How well do we mimic Jesus as we live our walk about life? Can people tell that we belong to Him by the way we love and care and serve others? We like to assign our Christian identity to a few habits like going to church but Jesus said people would know we were Jesus followers by the way we loved others. Let that soak in. Like I’ve often said, going to church is a good thing but even a dog or cat can find their way into church. 

So hats off to Jerry the silent servant–and steward. We thanked him appropriately when we left the ship and I hope he knew how much we appreciated his care and service. Let me challenge us to be more than a little bit like Jesus today. Let’s show kindness and compassion to those we bump in to today. Let’s show them what the real Jesus is like not with just our habits or words but by our actions. If all that seems challenging, just follow Jesus and He will show you how. After all, He is the greatest example of love and service there is. Yup, He’s got that too. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Grace, gratitude, life, pride, Scripture, travel

28% Irish

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John 1:12-13

I always wanted to be Irish. There is one day a year that people who really have very little to do with the celebration celebrate. When is that?  Well Saint Patrick’s Day of course! It seems on that day everybody wants to wear the green and claim their Irish ancestors. It reminds me of when President Reagan was shot and as he lay waiting for surgery he looked up at the surgeon and said, “I hope you are a Republican.” The surgeon gave the perfect response. He said, “We are all Republicans today, Mr. President.” Well I am sure not everyone wants to claim to be Irish…but a whole bunch do.

A while back my wife gave me a DNA thingy to find out where my ancestors came from. I’ve always said I was Scot/Irish but really I had no clue. As it turned out, I was mostly from Middle England…how boring. But, gladly, I was 28% Irish. It probably isn’t enough to change my name to McTaylor but hey 28% is better than none. If you look at the immigration records you will see that especially during the great potato famine from 1845 to 1852, thousands of Irish folk left their homeland and came to America. You see, potatoes made up a large portion of their diet and when a potato fungus nearly wiped out the crop, thousands were starving so it was leave or die and many left. The Irish played a big role in building America. They were a hard working people and many fought and died in America’s wars. To be Irish was a reason to be proud.

That is probably the reason why so many who aren’t Irish celebrate St. Patricks Day. They want to party down and maybe, at least for day, claim a linage even if it really isn’t theirs. And guess what? That isn’t the only time that happens. Believe it or not it happens every Sunday as people flock to church. Many, of course, are Jesus followers but many others go for many other reasons. For some it is the right thing to do. For some it is part of their routine. For some their parents or wives (smile) make them go. And, for some it sure looks good on their resume. I know when I was in the Air Force, one of the things to check off was church attendance. 

Church is always a good thing but it is important we go for the right reason. We should go because we have chosen to follow Jesus or at least are exploring making that decision. You see, the church is not a building, it is the Jesus followers that gather there each week–to worship their God and King and to strengthen and encourage one another. It’s not a club nor is it a place to show up to show off–it is all about Him and never about us. Write that one down!

So, Happy St. Patrick’s Day…especially if you are Irish. The bottom line is you can’t really change your ancestry…you are what you are. But when it comes to your spiritual linage–well, God can and will change that. He want’s more than anything to adopt you into His family. Having Him as your Father is the best linage ever. And it is not for just one day, and you don’t have to wear green…or even your best. All you have to do is believe, trust and follow. You then can confidently say, “I know He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, gratitude, life, patience, Scripture, travel, Trials

Consistently Inconsistent

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

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

That whole COVID thing was one giant learning experience! After the world was shutdown, Judy and I were able to get away and break away from home.   After church one Sunday we loaded up our car and headed on the great adventure.  Soon, the routine of the last several months was in the rearview mirror and we were looking out the windshield at different. The only problem was that different turned out to look a lot like home.

Our journey would take us through three states…Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.  The one thing I quickly discovered is the fact that consistently, and I do mean consistently, everything was inconsistent.  Now I have to admit we didn’t have a lot of interaction with Kentucky.  Going we were just getting started and coming we were almost home.   However, Kentucky had already become our get away place when we wanted to run away from home.

Our first real stop in the journey was in Tennessee.  We stayed in Pigeon Forge for three nights just to catch our breath.  We arrived at our hotel which was a Hilton Tru.  It was a new branding for Hilton and was designed to reach out to millennials.  Ok, if there was a doubt, I discovered I am not one.  The hotel boasted that the rooms were intentionally spartan and smaller.  I am more the bigger and plush kinda guy.  And then there were the corona differences.

So, the first day, no one came to clean our room.  Well, obviously somehow, we were skipped. I stopped by the front desk to let them know of the oversight.  She, politely, told me it was not an oversight but intentional.  What?  “Didn’t you read the little card” she asked? Well, no…we had got in late the night before and I am a guy.  Do I look like I read little cards?  Anyway, the little card said they would not be cleaning our room until we checked out and that if I wanted fresh towels I needed to ask for them at the from desk. What? Excuse me?  Oh, and breakfast was scaled back to a yogurt bread (whatever that is) and a breakfast cereal bar…all courtesy of the corona virus.  Of course all this was ok because they there able to cut the price on the room with all the money they saved from not cleaning our room or serving us breakfast.  Not! No! Nada!  That will be full price, sir, and thanks for staying.

And then there were the restaurants.  One was operating at full capacity, one at 50%, one at 25%.  All the fast food chains were still drive-thru only.  It felt amazingly like home. We went to one restaurant with about seven cars in their large parking lot. “Oh good, no wait” I said.  “Not so” Judy said.  Sorry, there will be a 25 minute wait.  So three days later, I went into the largely empty restaurant and discovered anew the joy of social distancing.  I had to communicate with the closest table with smoke signals.  All of this was from an open state.  Yup…consistently inconsistent.

Well we moved on to North Carolina…a largely closed state.  We checked into our hotel, a Holiday Inn, and I tentatively asked the polite desk person about what restrictions might be in place.  “Will you be cleaning our room?” I asked. She gave me a quizzical look and said, “Why yes, of course.”  “Do we get clean towels by any chance?” I asked.  Her look said “This guy must be from Mars. Of course we will be providing towels.” So the closed state acted like an open state and the open state acted like a closed state and I am slowly going crazy. Our meals were provided at the conference we were attending so we didn’t try any off-campus restaurants.  But Judy did want to go to a couple of boutiques.  In case you are wondering, boutiques are little stores with big prices.  Anyway, most were simply closed and the few she (and notice she) went in required masks to shop in their empty shops. Oh the bliss of being consistently inconsistent.

I am a guy of routine.  I love consistency so you can imagine this was quite a challenge for me.  It amazes me how the rules were always different in this corona world and the enforcement of those rules were also different.  And that is why I like God.  He is the Rock of Gibraltar when it comes to consistency.  The Word says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  The Jesus you have today is the one you will have ten thousand years from now. The love you have from God today will be the love you have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.  As a song says His love is “sure as a steady rain.”  I like that.

If you are just a little tentative about this consistently inconsistent world I have a great recommendation. Try God.  He doesn’t change the rules midstream, He won’t change His mind about you tomorrow and His Book remains the constant of constants.  Rock solid…that is God.

We had a great time on our little trip and I came back realizing that the crazy rules aren’t just in Illinois.  We found a pretty fair sprinkling of them everywhere.  I also came home with a deep appreciation for my island of normalcy…my family and my church family.  Both groups are a bit crazy at times, but they are mine and I feel secure around them both.  I came home and found the God on the road was the same God at 217 W. Poplar Street and I can rest in Him at both places and all places.  I also found that the God on the road was big enough to handle it all. He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

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

Miracle (or not) of the Bag

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

There was no way.  We were once again on our way to West Africa.  This particular trip was a medical trip and they were always the most fulfilling.  The needs in the Sub-Saharan region of West Africa are always mammoth.  Since water is always a problem that means food is too.  But second to that is the need for medical care.  Though health care is very reasonable compared to here in America…the bottom line is the people are just extremely poor and often the care they need is simply not available.  That is particularly true in the fringe desert regions of Niger.

This wasn’t a large team but is was a great one. We were all friends and several of us were Africa mission trip veterans.  For one this was her first trip and she handled it like a real trooper. On the morning we were to fly out, Judy and I went by to pick up newbie  team team member. She attended our church and was a good friend.  She has one of the most merciful and loving hearts of anyone I know.  If she has any capacity to help…she will.  Now we had had a couple of team meetings to go over the general expectations including customs, the number of bags you could carry, and very specifically, the weight allowance for each bag…which is fifty pounds.  Not fifty-two or fifty-one—fifty pounds.

When we arrived at her house, the air was electric with excitement.  Since I was the only guy from Harrisburg, I was quickly assigned the role of “pack horse.”  In other words—I got to carry the luggage to the car and load it.  Well, I went into our novice member’s house and picked up the first bag.  I’ve done this enough that I can tell just about how much a bag weighs.  This one was just about on the money.  I went to the car and chucked it in the trunk.  I went back to get bag number two and as I went to get it—it seemed to be nailed to the floor.  With some effort, however, I was able to lift it off the floor—barely.

It was about that time that the newbie walked into the room.  I asked her, “Did you weigh this bag?  It feels a “little” heavy” (I was being extremely generous.)  She assured me that the bag was ok and so with some grunting and groaning, I kinda lifted and kinda slid the bag out the door, down the sidewalk and to the car.  Again, with considerable effort I managed to hoist the bag into the trunk.  All this while I’m going, “Man, this bag feels heavy…but hey…she said…” So, with the luggage on board and people seat-belted in, off we went to the airport where we met our final team member. When we arrived, we got one of those carts to help with the luggage.  We needed it.

Again, with considerable effort, I soon had the bags on the cart, and we headed inside to get checked in.  Judy and I went first.  We checked our luggage—fifty pounds each thank you—got our boarding passes and we were set.  Our newbie was next.  Her first bag was right at fifty pounds.  Go, girl, Go.  I lifted the suspicious bag on the scale and watch with amazement (I think that is the right word) as the scale zinged up toward the sky and stopped at…sixty-five pounds…fifteen pounds over the limit.  Well, you can probably imagine my expression and question.  I said, “What in the world?  I thought you said the bag was ok?”  “Well, pastor,” she explained, “I was praying for a miracle.”  

I don’t remember if we laughed, cried, or both but two things were sure.  First this was one miracle that God chose not to give us. Second, the clerk wasn’t a fan of grace—at least not fifteen pounds worth, anyway.  We took the bag off the scale and placed it on the floor to lighten it up.  Fortunately, some friends had hung around and they were going to be able to help us with the excess stuff.  And here is the picture of a beautiful, beautiful heart. People had donated and she had gone to Bath and Body and bought those West African ladies… bottles and bottles and tubes and tubes …of all kinds of lotions and creams.  She knew they needed it for their dried-out desert skin and wanted to bless them.

Well, we had to remove fifteen pounds of Bath and Body and leave it with our friends.  But don’t worry—there were still fifty pounds of blessings left.  Almost the entire bag wasn’t for her—it was for her new friends in West Africa.  And do you know what?  The whole trip was just one big blessing.  We were able to provide free medical care to so many people and shared stories from the Bible with many others.  When it was all said and done—we were blessed and humbled and God was made big.  We didn’t get the miracle of the bag with the Bath and Body items, but we did get the miracle of changed hearts—ours.

The Bible tells us that nothing is impossible with God and I believe that to my core.  That doesn’t mean that we always get exactly what we want or the way we want it.  It does mean that in the end—it will all work out for His glory.  As we journey thought life, we have learned, or are learning, that if we will just leave it to Him…He will handle it, in His way and His time. Always, always—He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in birthday, Christmas, communication, Family, gratitude, life, love, Scripture, travel

Care Packages

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!” 

2 Corinthians 9:15

You never knew when they were coming.  When God and the Air Force decided to send us to Germany—well, it was an exciting adventure that we just thoroughly enjoyed.  But there was a downside…we were a long way from home…a real long way.  We were there from 1977 to 1980, we were young, and we were newlyweds.  Back then there were no cell phones and a landline call to the States was hugely expensive, so that just didn’t happen.  There was no internet.  The world moved at the speed of ship or a plane if you were lucky. The only option was snail mail and well, that could take a while.

Sometimes during the year, our parents would send us a box through the mail.  We called them “care packages.”  The reason was that when one came it was clear that someone back in the United States loved us and they cared—about us.  That was important because as much as we loved being there—there wasn’t home—or anywhere close to home.

There were two times a year that you could almost always count on a care package—that was somewhere around your birthday and then Christmas.  I can still feel the excitement as the days clicked by.  We didn’t know when, but we just knew that my Momma or Judy’s Momma would spend the money and equally as important take the time to say, “I love you.”  We would go to the Post Office every day, looking for the yellow slip in our mailbox that said, “You have a package.”  Instantly it was like Christmas Day.

We would open the box that day—that hour if possible.  There would be wrapped presents and those we would save till the special day.  But there would always be just stuff—candy, trinkets, small things that could only be gotten in America.  Sometimes there were home baked goodies and even if they were stale by then—they were still from home and we gladly ate them.

The care packages were an important link to home for us.  Like I said, it told us that someone was thinking of us—that we had not been forgotten.  What we need to realize is that God is the greatest sender of care packages.  His ultimate gift, His Son, made the way so broken people like us could not only come into the presence of Holy God but that we could call Him Father.  The Jewish people could never understand that.  To them God was a far off, unapproachable deity that they worshiped.  But for Jesus followers—well we know Him as Dearest Daddy and that is not a term of disrespect or looseness—it is a term of His love for us and our love for Him.

Even in the midst of these difficult and confusing days, God has continued to send His care packages along the way.  The Bible tells us this day, and every day, is a day that He made.  He makes the air that we breathe. Everything…everything…that we eat, enjoy or own is a care package from Him.  Every sunrise and sunset, every perfectly different snowflake is a care package from Him.  And every single night that I lay my head down on my pillow in the peace He provides—well, that’s a care package too.

Now to be honest, sometimes we would get things in our care packages from home and wonder “what in the world they were thinking”.  I’m sure Judy and I laughed at more than few.  But do you know what?  Those things were notes of love too.  And the things that God allows and sends our way that we don’t understand—well, each one in its own way is a care package.

Well, the days of care packages are gone for us though we occasionally get one via UPS or Amazon Prime.  But they are rarely the same as days gone by.  But the care packages from God never change—He still sends them—every day—sometimes every minute.  He just loves us so much.  I hope regardless of your circumstances that you will make the choice to trust Him and to wait expectantly for His care packages.  Keep looking, keep waiting because each one tells us, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, gratitude, heaven, life, Scripture, travel

Ralph’s Donut Heaven

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

It was donut heaven. Several years ago, Judy and I took a trip to middle Tennessee to do some hiking and be amazed all over again at the wonder of God’s creation.  We stayed in the small city of Cookeville which is about an hour east of Nashville.  We had driven by there many times on our way to Pigeon Forge and points East but never stopped.  And for some reason…this time it was our destination. It was wonderful.

Within a few minutes driving time were some of the most beautiful waterfalls I have seen.  One, Fall Creek Falls, is the tallest falls east of the Rockies—256 feet of free falling water.  Then there was Burgess Falls which had not one, but three separate falls…each one more spectacular than the one before.  Finally we drove over to Rock Island State Park and was amazed by a river that fell and fell and fell—each time creating a beautiful waterfall.  Then, coming out of caves in a huge, high bluff was a massive waterfall falling into the river.  Unbelievable. I would think God would get a 10 for all the beauty that we saw.  And then…there was Ralph’s.

When we stay at an Airbnb, we always check out all the literature that the host leaves to make the visit more enjoyable.  We also check out comments in the guest book for tidbits of information.  That is where we heard about Ralph’s.  Three different previous guests mentioned this mom and pop donut shop in downtown Cookeville.  We had to visit.  To not do so would have been a travesty of donut-ism.  So we were on our way on Monday morning when Judy checked their website.  Oh no…closed on Mondays.  We had to wait another day.

Tuesday morning after planning our hikes for the day, we headed to Ralph’s Donut Shop to ensure we had plenty of calories on hand for our journey.  When we arrived it was indeed an ordinary mom and pop donut shop.  But trust me…it was anything but ordinary.  First thing I noticed was the sign stating that they had been open since 1962.  Do the math and you will find out that they have been making donuts for 63 years—in the donut world that’s like forever.  And then—we opened the door.

It was donut heaven.  I know that to be true because so many things in the case were “holey.” Get it?  Anyway, to my left was a horseshoe shaped counter with almost every stool filled with locals enjoying coffee and pastries.  There was a long glass case and a whole wall filled with pastries and donuts.  And there to greet us was the best donut salesman in the world.  You could tell this guy loved his job. This guy was meant to work at Ralph’s.  The first thing my eye spotted was the royalty of pastries—the fried apple fritter.  It was massive, fried crispy, covered with glaze with the middle stuffed with apple filling.  One please.

Then the sales guy told us the fritter was their best seller until the butter twist came along.  It was a fried donut but the twist was they brushed it with butter before cooking.  He said it was voted the number one donut in the entire state of Tennessee.  I’m sure he was telling the truth.  Two please.  Judy wanted something chocolate.  No problem—a butter twist with chocolate frosting should do the trick.  One please. 

Judy and I had read that they closed at 11:30 so we assumed 11:30 am but we asked anyway.  Oh no…they have three shifts of bakers and are open from 5:00 am till 11:30 pm.  Now who has ever heard of a donut shop staying open that long—and they are doing quite well, thank you.  Oh, and did I mention that they are listed in the top 20 donut bakeries in the entire United States?  Oh, yes…it was donut heaven and it was “holey” ground.

Well, there is one thing that was obvious at Ralph’s—they were all in.  They knew their product, they believed in their product and they wanted to share their product.  Even if you didn’t like donuts, you wanted to buy one by the time you left.  You wanted what they had because it had to be worth having.  I have a feeling that we as Jesus followers should take a lesson from Ralph’s.  We know we have the best thing in all of creation to offer those in our world—the good news of Jesus Christ.  Donuts may be “holey” but Jesus can make us holy—holy enough to call God, Father—holy enough to go to heaven.  And Ralph’s may have been making donuts for 63 years but God has been loving us since before the foundation of the world.  He wants to walk with us through every day of our life…and beyond.  He is a beyond amazing God.

So since He is so incredible—if we love Him, if we believe in Him—we should be all in too.  We should live like we believe and share the Word about Him like we believe it.  I left Ralph’s wanting to tell people about this amazing place.  I think we need to get up every morning wanting to tell everyone the great Good News.  And what is that? It is that God, Creator God, so loved this world that gave His Son to a Roman cross that anyone who believes in Him and what He did—can have everlasting life.  And that is the best news ever.  Oh and then there is more.  No matter what today sends our way, we have the assurance that He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Scripture, life, Family, travel, Holidays, Southern born, food

Southern Cuisine–The Real Deal

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “He says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18b

I discovered the difference between the real deal and everything else.  My wife Judy and I travel south to see family.  Before I retired, she was usually our representative to our southern family.  She would make the circuit, sitting and talking and visiting, all of which is right up her alley.  But that was then and this is now.  Now we make the trips together.  I was soon reminded of the value of family and in the process rediscovered the value of good southern cooking.

First, in Valdosta where she is from and where a bunch of her family lives, there is a family of restaurants that are excellent for two reasons.  First, they are all buffets and second, they all specialize in southern cooking.  The buffet is a spread of everything southern…fried chicken, ribs (both fried and smoked), fish, pork chops, chicken gizzards and livers, pot roast and the list goes on and on.  Then comes the vegetables…field peas, lima beans, baby lima beans, black-eyed peas, collard and turnip greens, cream corn, grits and…well, you get the idea.

Well, that was all good but then came Thursday night.  Her family decided to have a mini family reunion of sorts.  Now just like my family, her family is blessed with many queens of southern cuisine.  I admit I just couldn’t wait to taste what was going to be brought.  About thirty relatives showed up and each family brought several dishes. Now imagine with me.  Take the list above and double it and you will have a fair idea of how much food was there.  Now, take what we had at the restaurant, which was very good, and give it a multiplication factor of at least two and maybe three and you begin to understand the Allen family feast.  It was beyond delicious—and not just a dish here or there but every dish.  I won’t even try to describe the deserts.  Wonderful southern food with a wonderful southern family and well, I sure was glad I didn’t miss it.

I did learn something through my southern food experience.  You see, I was very content with the restaurant version of southern heaven until I tasted the real deal and suddenly, I was reminded of the difference.  The real thing made in someone’s kitchen with loving hands and hearts made the restaurant version somewhat of a cheap imitation. Oh, it was good till I had the real thing and then there was no comparison. The real thing trumps anything else every time.

That truth is worth remembering.  There are a lot of imitations out there in the world and they will try and make you discontent with the real thing.  They will try and steal your heart out of a good marriage or make you discontent and leave relationships that have satisfied for years. Like so many of the commercials today, they wave their plastic happiness and try to convince you that their “something” is better.  Don’t believe it—the real deal is better than a plastic substitution no matter how good it looks.  And by the way, that is definitely true when it comes to religion and God.  Don’t ever be tempted to trade the practice of religion for a God who loves you so much He gave His Son to die for you. Like He said in His Book, “I am the Lord, there is no other.”

I am grateful for my trips south, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn once again about the importance of what is real and what is second place.  Never be satisfied with something else when you can have what is real and never trade what is first for what is second.  It is always a bad deal.

So, if you are blessed to have some southern relatives and you visit with them, make sure to sit-down with them for supper.  Chances are you will discover your own spread of southern delights.  And remember to be content and grateful for the spread that God has set before you.  He is a good, good Father and, unlike religion, He loves you so, so much and no matter what, you know, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne