Category: loving others

Posted in Christmas, Family, friends, gratitude, heaven, life, loving others, Scripture

Memory Trees

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.” Psalm 30:11

Just a heads up. Christmas trees. They all have their own time to be setup. They all have their own design and style.  They all have their time when they are trashed or stowed.  There is a common denominator.  Those three things are determined by the creators, the admirers of the trees.  That is what makes every tree special. At our house, we do something just a bit different.  We have four trees that make a small, enchanted forest of sorts.  The tallest is about six foot and the smallest is about 30 inches.  It was an idea that I came up with several years ago and we love it.  They are decorated with a wide variety of ornaments and keepsakes from over the decades…and we love that too.

On one tree, we have a Styrofoam snowman’s head that was made by my sister when she was in the third grade…and trust me…that was a really, long time ago.  As I hung that snowman’s head this year there was the somber realization that she is in heaven this year. Merry Christmas in heaven, sis.There is a glitter covered cross from when my wife Judy was in the fourth grade.  Of course, there are three “baby’s first Christmas” ornaments—one for each of our daughters.  There is a 3×5 index card with two buttons on it.  Written, by my oldest granddaughter when she was about 5 years old, is her name over one button and Papa written over the other.  It is priceless.  We were buddies…we are buddies. And on and on it goes…families, friends, and special memories all gathered in one place.

So, by now you are wondering, “Why are you writing about Christmas trees after Christmas has passed?”  It’s a bit of a story. When we were in Germany in 1979, we lived in base housing.  They were large, four-story apartment buildings, with three stairwells—all full of military families.  We were on the top floor, and we had one neighbor across the hall, and they had a phone in their home.  One year, near Easter, I needed to use the phone, so I knocked on the door and his wife came to the door.  I asked if I could use their phone and she was kind enough to say yes.

As I entered their apartment, I noticed one thing right away.  Sitting in their living room was their Christmas tree in all its splendor.  Now, keep in mind it was right before Easter.  I made my call and just had to ask the obvious question.  I politely said, “So why do you still have your Christmas tree up?”  And, without missing a beat, she said, “It makes me happy.”  I never forgot that simple answer and the great truth it taught me.  It.Makes.Me.Happy.

I love the fact that this sweet lady decided to keep her tree up…not based on popular opinion, not on what the masses did, or what was “normal.”  She decided based on what was good for her—for her mental health.  I didn’t think her odd at all—rather, I thought her strong and wise.  I wonder how many decisions we make every day that are not based on what may be good for us but based on what the Smith’s or Jones’ might think of us? I wonder how many things we wear, or eat, or watch, or do, that are based on the opinion of others?  I wonder how many of our faith decisions are based on the same.  Church—no church. Kindness—no kindness. Love—no love. Jesus—no Jesus. Hmmmm. I just wonder.

One year we decided to leave our trees up for several weeks after Christmas and it was ok.  They had transformed from Christmas trees to memory trees.  Maybe, perhaps we will do that again this year. So, if you drive by 217 you might see a small, enchanted forest in our front bay window.  It will be four trees starting at about six feet tall and going down to 30 inches.  If you could get close enough, you would see the trees covered with special ornaments—and almost everyone would represent a special memory or event.  And why will they be there?  Well, it might just be a reminder that we have so much to be thankful for.

If we do leave our trees up, or at least until we take them down, we will drink coffee and do our Jesus things like reading the Bible or praying and occasionally we will look up and be happy—happy for all the blessings that God has sent our way.  Someone writing about God in His Book said that God had turned their mourning into joyful dancing. He had taken away their clothes of mourning and clothed them with joy. I couldn’t agree more.  Even in these different days, these different months, and years, we will have happy moments.  We will pause and thank God that in the past He always showed up and today and all the today’s yet to come He will do it again. After all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Christmas, Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, thankful, Thanksgiving

The Brothers

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” John 13:35

I have a big catalog of special blessings. You see, one of the things that blessed me through my years of pastoring were the hundreds of times people blessed us. Sometimes it was a big thing and sometimes it was a small thing. As it turns out, one of my favorites was ginormous to me but not so ginormous to the guys involved.

It was around Thanksgiving and that year on the Saturday after the big day we had our family celebration at my daughter’s house outside of Murray, Kentucky.  My wife and I went down Friday, spent the night and enjoyed some good family time.  The rest of the tribe joined us Saturday for a great meal and more family stuff.  It was a cold day and about mid-afternoon it was time to head home.  We had church the next day and there was a full night of preparation waiting for us. So, we headed north.  When we got home, I turned up the furnace (I had turned it down to save the planet and a few bucks) and started unloading the car.  After about thirty-minutes or so it occurred to me that the house wasn’t getting any warmer. Hmmmm.

I went downstairs and our furnace was stone, cold dead.  It was strange because the breaker had flipped. I called one of the brothers in our church who knew about boilers…in fact, he had helped me before when I had some trouble.  Our boiler is older than our first born so…well, you know.  Since it was Saturday evening I just called for some advice.  He gave some. Since it sounded electrical, he suggested I start with an electrician. That sounded like good advice, so I thanked him.

I called another brother in the church (we have a lot of brothers in the church) who knew about electrical stuff (which appeared to be the problem) and asked if he could maybe come by Sunday afternoon and take a look.  He refused.  He said it couldn’t wait till then and volunteered to come as soon as he finished supper. I thanked him and also thanked God for brothers to call when there is a need.  In just a few minutes the doorbell rang.  I assumed it was the electrical brother but in fact it was the boiler brother.  Before long, the other brother showed up too.  So, on a cold Saturday night, two brothers came to try and make sure Judy and I weren’t cold that night.  

Working together they found a short in the control box and within an hour the furnace was up and running. That night Judy and I slept warm because two brothers were willing to help another brother in a time of need.  I was pretty overwhelmed.  I said to them, “Thank you for loving us.”  The boiler brother said, “How do you know we love you?”  And the answer was simple truth.  I said, “Because of your actions.” I believe God allowed our furnace to fail so He could send two brothers over to say, “I love you.”  Isn’t that just like our Dearest Daddy?  I think it is.

The Bible says people will know we are Christians by our love.  Love is a great noun, but it is an even more powerful verb.  Compassion is love in action.  God demonstrated that by sending His Son to die on a Roman cross.  These two men, on a Saturday night, demonstrated it by coming and doing.  I believe the one quality that must be evident in a church is love.   We need to love God and we need to love each other.  God has made it clear that nothing will come between Him and us.  We must make sure that nothing Satan throws out today comes between brothers and sisters.

This season we talk a lot about how amazing it was that God could ask a young virgin girl to be the mother of Jesus.  She couldn’t understand how that could happen.  An angel simply said, “With God nothing is impossible.” We wonder how we can love when we disagree, when we are hurt, when we are being pulled in opposite directions.  The answer is simple…everything is possible with God.  Judy and I rested good that night with a warm house and a heart warmed by love…both His and theirs.  It reminded me fresh and anew that He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Christmas, communication, food, friends, life, loving others, missions, Scripture, thankful, travel

Scoops Not Spoons

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

 It was sure more than I was expecting. So a week or so ago a group of folks from several local churches loaded up a couple of vans and headed to Atlanta, Georgia to work at one of the Operation Christmas Child processing centers. On our work day our shift was seven hours and I can tell you two things. First, it is a long seven hours. We go to work and we do work. Our station consists of two people checking the boxes for donations (funds can’t go overseas—that’s a big deal for customs). Four people then check the boxes for an inappropriate items—candy, food, war toys, toy guns and the like—once again things customs frown on. Oh and by the way, you might be wondering what happens to all those item. They are donated to local ministries that don’t have to worry about customs! Oh also by the way…those four people are the last people to touch the inside of the boxes before the child opens it in their country…what a privilege. Then two people tape each box and four people (two scanning the packing codes and two placing the boxes in their shipping cartons.) There you go…a lot of great team work makes it all happen.

Well, our shift was over so we took our traditional team photograph in front of the OCC Christmas tree and shortly after we headed to the bus—a little weary but with a deep sense of satisfaction. We were definitely the hands and feet of Jesus. This year right in front of the processing center was a Culver’s and if you know anything about Culver’s you know they serve delicious ice cream. One of our team members loves ice cream—especially chocolate ice cream. When our shift was done, she headed straight to Culver’s. As a little God wink the flavor of the day turned out to be Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch. She was smiling from ear to ear.

When I saw her heading for the door, she said she was going to Culver’s. I said to her, from a short distance, “Be sure and get two spoons.” The implication was I was going to steal a bite or two. So as I approached the bus, here she came and in her hands was not one cup of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch but two! She said, “Here you go mister bus driver.” Now I was smiling from ear to ear. Of course I graciously thanked her and that was when she said, “Well, you said to get you two scoops too. It was then that I had to laugh because what I said and what she heard was two different things and her version was so much better. I didn’t get a couple of bites but a couple of scoops. She had accidentally blessed me more than I could imagine.

At that moment I realized that this is exactly like God. You see, time and again, God gives us more than we could even know to ask for. Is there a verse for that? You bet. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” How about that—more than we might ask or think. I hope this will be a game changer for us. We need to understand that God is anything but stingy—He is an abundant God—just waiting to give not only more than we can imagine but also what is just right for us. I love that—a lot. Imagine that, a “I’ve got this” God who just loves to bless us. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in forgiveness, Grace, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture

Dare to Believe…to Love

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” John 13:35

Do you ever wonder why? You know, one of the most important, and dare I say essentials, in my life is my belief in God. I have written many times how I am a pretty simplistic guy and I guess that is one thing that makes it easy for me to believe in God. It seems that no matter where I look I see evidence for God. On the other side of the coin as hard as I look I just can’t find a good reason not to believe in Him. Which leads to my thought for today. Why is it so hard for so many to believe and trust in God?

Well, get ready for an ouch. I think it might be us. I am fearful that too often we are too inconsistent with the God stuff in our lives. Too often it seems were are saying one thing and living another. A saying from decades ago says, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The saying comes from Walt Kelly, a cartoonist who worked as a Disney animator before launching “Pogo” in 1948. 

True historians may recognize it as a play on a famous quote by U.S. Navy Master Commandant Oliver Perry during the War of 1812, written in a letter to Major General William Henry Harrison: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.”

Both quotes hold powerful truths that we can and should have the courage to face. Yes, in many ways, we can be our own worst enemies—and that true in many ways and areas of lives.  It is definitely true in the church world. Jesus said that the world would know we were Jesus people by our love.  Ask yourself, “How evident is Jesus’ love in your life and in your church?” Jesus didn’t say loving was easy but as Bob Goff said in a devotion, He did say it would work. Nice.

So what do you do with the “not easy” part? Well, the quote from 1812 helps us here.  It says, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” What does that mean. Commandant Perry was saying that the battle had been fought and won. And when we put this battle, the battle to love like Jesus, in the hands of Jesus—we will win.

If you are one of those who are still struggling to buy into the God thing, if you are one of the ones who has simply seen to many inconsistencies to believe, here’s a thought.  Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician, said, “Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

Wow—I like that a lot. Believe—if it all proves false, you lose nothing. Choose not to believe and if it is true (and I totally believe it is) you will lose everything. Please don’t let the inconsistencies of Jesus followers keep you from believing. After all, none of us are perfect.

So whether you are on the verge of believing or whether you are a Jesus follower—remember this. The faith to believe and the strength to love like Jesus loved doesn’t come from us—it comes from Him.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Christmas, gratitude, loving others, missions, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

When Little Is Much

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:42-44

It was such a little fella. For the last ten years, my wife Judy and I have had the privilege of leading a team of folks to Atlanta, Georgia to work at the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) processing center. This ministry, one of the best I know of, encourages people to take a shoebox and fill it with items such as toys, hygiene items and the like. The boxes are then shipped to children all around the world…mostly to third-world countries. The big picture is with each box goes the Gospel of Jesus Christ and where there are churches OCC always works through the local church and pastor. No church…no problem. Many times a local group of Jesus followers come together to share the boxes and establish a church. Amazing!

In the early days of OCC, the shoeboxes were exactly that and of course came in every size and shape imaginable. Through the years, OCC began providing traditional shoebox size boxes. Along with a couple of other things, this really helped with shipping. So today, about ninety percent of the boxes are those provided by OCC and about ten percent are traditional boxes. Regardless…it all comes together, children are blessed and many meet and trust Jesus as their personal Savior.

When we worked our shift this year, one box caught my eye. It was a traditional shoebox but it was unique in a special way. It was the smallest box I have ever seen. The box, cute and attractive, was just about five by seven inches and maybe five inches deep.  Though compact in size, the person had filled it well but all of that couldn’t change the fact that it was small…very small. We all begin to try and find a way to fix this but because of the rules in place…the integrity of the box had to remain. We are allowed to add to boxes that might be a bit scarce but we can’t remove or remake the boxes.

Well, I was a little sad because I could just imagine all those kids and all those boxes and someone getting this tiny box. Somehow it just didn’t seem fair but then it happened. I reminded myself that time and again we had seen God’s hand on these boxes and somehow and someway He always made it work. I decided that what was true then would be true now. He would make it work. How? I’m not sure but I do know this. When something is placed in the hands of God—miracles happen. You see, little is much when God is in it. Remember the boy with a few fish and loaves? Remember the widow woman who gave all she had—a little over a penny? Remember what God did in both cases? Yup…amazing.

So I hope this will be an encouragement to you today. Don’t be disappointed when you have so little and someone else has so much more. Rather, just trust God to even every thing out. If He can multiply fish and loaves or take a widow’s penny and tell the world what a big gift it was—He can take care of you too. Remember…little is much when God is in it.  Oh, and remember, this too, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Christmas, communication, Family, forgiveness, loving others, school days, Scripture

Gifts and Lizards

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“Love keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:5b

 It was a lizard but when you’re eight—it’s a dinosaur.  Growing up in North Florida, which is a somewhat, semi-tropical area, there were always all kinds of insects and reptiles to watch or capture.  One of these was a small lizard…a sort of dinosaur in miniature.  It seemed they were everywhere.  Sometimes they were brown and sometimes they were green but always they stirred my imagination and when that happened, they were always bigger and more vicious than they were in reality. But it is amazing what an eight-year-old mind can come up with when he has too much time on his hands. I know I captured more than a few…usually by grabbing them by their tail.  I was always amazed when their tail broke off and while he managed to scurry away, his tail remained…still wiggling.  I later learned that their tail would slowly grow back and I guess I’m glad they did.

As I grew older, it seems the lizards got smaller and soon became a sense of novelty and nothing more. Gone was the fear of what they could do to me as I realized what I could do to them.  I’ve found out that not only applies to lizards but memories from days gone by. About the time I was a chasing lizards and yet being a little fearful…something happened.  It was Christmas time and as the day approached, I knew I didn’t have anything to give to my Momma. Poking around the house, I discovered a plastic flower arrangement sitting in the corner of the breezeway that connected our house and a garage turned into a bedroom.  Partly out of desperation and party through the eyes of an eight-year-old, I decided I would wrap the well-worn and faded flowers and give them to my Momma for Christmas.  So, I put them in a box, wrapped it all up and put it under the tree.

Christmas morning came and as was tradition, we all gathered in the living room as the presents were handed out and I watched as Momma was handed the box and unwrapped it.  Probably speaking to no one in particular, I heard her say, “Well, these are those flowers from the porch.” I was devastated. I knew it wasn’t much but I was hoping that something ordinary would be magically transformed by Christmas.  Now, let’s be clear.  Momma wasn’t being mean or hurtful.  Her words that day were just a statement of fact, and she might probably was not aware I had heard them…but I had…and a scar was born.

For years and years, I carried those words in my heart…and with them came the rejection that only an insecure eight-year-old can feel.  A few words casually spoken left a wound that for years refused to heal.  Listen, I know my Momma and I know she loved me but sometimes the best of us can utter words that get stuck in our memories and like those lizards…seem to grow into monsters.  Probably all of us have them…probably all of us have said them…probably all of us regret saying them.

I can’t remember if I ever told Momma about that Christmas and those words, but I can tell you it is no longer a deal.  Yes, there is a small scar on my heart, but that scar reminds me of something important.  Scars are wounds that have healed.  As I grew older, I was able to let go of the hurt because I grew to understand that no matter what words she spoke that day, her actions over the years more than proved her love.  If nothing else, those words remind me that she wasn’t perfect…just like me, just like you and just like the last person who wounded us.

Remember this.   Christmas is about love and love is about forgiveness.  My favorite verse in 1 Corinthians 13 reminds me that “love keeps no record of wrongs.”  It turns out that love makes choices possible.  We get to choose what to do with the things that are tossed into our laps.  We get to choose what we do when someone else’s mess gets sloshed on us.  I’ve learned I can’t control others; I can’t always control the circumstances around me; but I can always control my response…and that is important.

So about sixty Christmas’s have come and gone.  Momma is long in heaven, and I am grateful that I can sit and click keys on my keyboard and smile at all the precious memories I treasure in my heart.  And some of those memories that used to be dragons are now simply little lizards.  In case you are wondering how that works…well once you’ve experienced God’s grace and His forgiveness…it is a no brainer.  After all, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, Holidays, life, loving others, priorities, sovereignty of God, thankful, Thanksgiving, Trials

Looking Beyond the Obvious

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100

It should have been obvious. One of the latest additions to my home office is a digital picture frame. It shows pictures, which is pretty obvious, but there is more. You see, I can invite people to share their pictures with me. So, when they want to share, they click a few keys on their phone, and Shazam, they show up on my frame. A quiet ding lets me know that something new has shown up.

I’ve invited my wife Judy, and my three daughters to be a part of my digital frame world. This is a special way that I can be a part of their world even though I might not be there physically.  It is also a great way to remember all the wonderful things that God has brought into our lives. And the best part? That list of things continues to get longer and longer. God is so incredibly generous…sometimes it is super obvious but sometimes we must look a little closer.

One picture on my frame had me a little puzzled…until I looked a little closer. The picture was a nice shot of a tree line. Now I love trees, and I love nature, but I had to wonder why someone shared this picture with me…and then I saw it. Near the top of the photograph, which was taken during the day, was a full moon. At nighttime, it would have been obvious but in daylight, it was barely visible. Someone knew and remembered that I am a big fan of full moons and shared it with me. What was not so obvious became obvious when I looked a little closer. I.Looked.A.Little.Closer.

It is amazing what we can see if we look closer and what we can miss if we don’t. The story is told about a minister who was speaking to a group of men. To make a point about not missing the obvious, he took a big sheet of paper and drew a small black dot in the middle with a marker. He held it up and asked the group, “What do you see?” One guy quickly said, “I see a black dot” and the pastor told him he was exactly right. But he wasn’t done.

He then asked, “Do you see anything else?” With squinted eyes, they finally had to shake their heads answering, no. The minister smiled and said, “Are you sure? You all completely missed the most important thing—the entire sheet of paper.” What is true in the story is true in life.  You see, in life, we often get caught up in the small, dot-like disappointments and struggles we experience. Meanwhile, we forget to focus on the bigger picture—the many blessings we receive from God every day. When we do that, we quickly discover two things. First, our world abounds with blessings and two, the good in our lives far outweighs the bad.

The truth is that it’s easy to get fixated on life’s trials and challenges, isn’t it? The key, though, is to keep your focus on God’s blessings. As we celebrate this Thanksgiving Day, let’s take a moment and thank Him for all the good in our lives and let His joy fill our hearts! After all, one of God’s greatest blessings is the assurance that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, food, friends, gratitude, Holidays, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, sovereignty of God, thankful, Thanksgiving, travel, Trials

Worth Every Mile

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

It was crazy but worth every mile.  For years my side of our Taylor tribe held a family reunion. It all started after the death of both of our parents and just seemed like the right thing to do.  Fortunately for all of us, we had some very committed and caring siblings that made sure it happened.  While the date bounced around, for a while we held it on Thanksgiving weekend.  I know for us that was a good time.  Being a pastor, each year was a more of a maybe than a definite yes or no, so we didn’t make every one…but every one we did make was, well, special.

I remember one year someone in the church family had died and I needed to stay and officiate at their service.  To me honoring life after death is not an obligation but an honor so if I can I try to be there, both for the one who has slipped into eternity and especially for those left behind. That meant on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that year, we had a service and rather than leave town on Tuesday, we stayed and held the service and left as soon as it was over…about noon.

Now everyone knows that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the biggest, the busiest, the craziest travel day of the year and that year—the Taylor tribe from Illinois discovered that truth firsthand.  We had no more gotten on the interstate highway—less than an hour from our home— and we ran into heavy traffic.  That song about “over the river and through the woods” was more than a song.  It seemed that everyone in the world, or at least the Midwest, was going to grandmother’s house and apparently, she lived down by Atlanta.

There was not a time that there wasn’t traffic and a couple of times there was just one of those standstills.  That is when, for no apparent reason, in the middle of nowhere traffic just stops. There was not an intersection, there was not an accident or a broken-down vehicle—it was like people just decided to press pause.  Now if you know anything about me, you know I don’t do traffic well but this time, well, I did better than average.  As the day pressed on, as the traffic got heavier, as day turned to night, as the clock ticked off the minutes and hours, as we got more and more tired…well, average disappeared.

By the time we were outside of Atlanta on Interstate 20 heading west, it was about 1:30 am.  1:30 am…think about that. I can still remember the fact that the interstate, every lane, was packed with traffic…bumper to bumper…at 70 miles per hour.  I didn’t believe it then and as my fingers press the keys…I can’t believe it now.  Where in the world were all these people going at that time of the night…uh, make that morning?  Of course…they were going to grandmother’s house.

Well, we finally arrived at John Tanner State Park at about 2:30 am.  We were tired.  We were exhausted but all that didn’t matter.  We were there.  We opened the car doors and stumbled out of the car and into the lodge. Waiting for us was a was a beautiful moment of clarity.  There in the “living room” of the lodge was a big chunk of the Taylor tribe.  Instead of going to bed, they had waited up to greet us and it was at that moment it was worth it all.  Just then I had an epiphany…this, this was family. While they couldn’t drive the miles for us they could be there and greet us and simply say “we are glad you made the drive.”

Well, we all quickly went to bed and woke up a little later the next day.  The morning was spent preparing the feast and what a feast it was.  We told stories, we laughed, we shared and we ate…a lot.  And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was worth every minute in the car and every mile in traffic.  Well, that was many years ago and the family reunions don’t occur that way anymore.  And, too many—and even one is too many—of our family have changed their address from this world to the next. And while I wish I had more of those memories, I am so grateful for each and every one that I have.

While this Thanksgiving will be different than those and for many, different even from last year, let’s strive to make this one worth remembering too.  Let’s remember the key word in the holiday—thanks.  Paul, the guy in the Bible, said, “Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  As always, he was spot on.  Like Bing Crosby sings in the movie, “Holiday Inn,” let’s remember we have plenty to be thankful for…because we do.  And, if you are struggling in the gratitude department, just take a look around and count your blessings, and then remember that no matter what, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Thanksgiving, travel

How Thoughtful

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Philippians 1:3

It was a memorable Thanksgiving.  My wife Judy and I have a treasure chest full of good memories and stories.  That is one reason I like Grits so much.  It gives me the opportunity to remember and share just some of those treasures.  A lot of the memories and stories were written during our fourteen years at Cobden First Baptist.  During those years, we were slowly wedded into what can only be described as family.  Our children grew up there…and one, baby Sarah, was born there.  We laughed together, we cried together and well, we did life together.

As our tenth anniversary approached, the church planned a big surprise.  They decided to raise the money for Judy and me to visit the Holy Land.  It was about a year later that the funds were in place, the plans were made, and the tickets bought.  We were to see Greece, Israel and Egypt.  We would visit many of the sites of ancient Greece, walk where Jesus walked and see where the Pharaohs lived and died. It was an incredible journey that we can never forget and there was something that happened after the trip that remains one of our most special memories.

You see, the way the trip was planned meant that we would be gone from our girls over Thanksgiving.  It was a hard call for us but once again the church made it easier.  One of the families agreed to move into our house while we were gone and ride herd over the three Taylor girls. While we would miss Thanksgiving with them, they had Thanksgiving there with our good friends.  I can well remember Thanksgiving in Egypt.  Of course, there it was just another day. The only way you would have known it was Thanksgiving was that the American Embassy announced on the English-speaking channel that they would be closed that day.  We found it hard to believe that the rest of the world just went about their way as America celebrated the goodness of God.

Well, a few days after that day, we were back home.  I remember we got back home at about 3:30 am and it was a Sunday.  We set the alarm and later I fumbled through some sort of message.  I am sure it was not one of my better ones but once the church was kind enough to act like it was.  Now for the surprise—now for a very special Thanksgiving memory.  Are you ready?  Well, we drove home after church, ready for a nap and wondering what we were going to eat for lunch.  We walked in the back door and into the kitchen and there, waiting for us, was a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.  As we walked into the dining room, we found the table set with our finest china…just like it would have been had we been there for Thanksgiving Day.

Can you feel it? Can you imagine it?  I know for us it was one of those memories that will burn in our hearts and minds till the last heartbeat.  And, as you can guess, it wasn’t just the meal, it wasn’t just the table—it was the thoughtfulness of it all.  And that is the big truth I want you to remember. While this particular memory was so generous and amazing…it was the thoughtfulness of it all that writes it on our hearts in permanent ink.  You see, we all can make that impact…rich or poor…because thoughtfulness doesn’t have to be expensive…at least not in the sense of dollar bills and coins.  Thoughtfulness is something that the poorest or richest can do.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” It’s special that he wrote that, but it is even more special when we realize this.  Not every memory of his time in Philippi was good…after all, he got beat up and thrown in jail for doing nothing but helping a young girl. No…what caused him to write that was the thoughtfulness of his friends there.  More than once they were friends when no one else would be.  I’ve pastored four churches in my forty-two year pastoring journey and along the way we have met so many wonderful, thoughtful people. From Quarles…my first church, to Dorrisville, my last church, our hearts have been touched with thoughtful people.

This week before Thanksgiving, be sure and do what anyone can do but so many won’t remember to do…be thoughtful toward someone who needs a little lift, a little love, a little kindness. After all, our Dearest Father has been so thoughtful to us.  If you need a little guidance along the way, just remember that your thoughtful Father thought about that too. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, fear, friends, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, spiritual battles, thankful

Guarding the Flame

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Most mornings, I watch that little flame fade. I’m all about creating an atmosphere for my morning routine. First thing I do is I crank up the lights in my home office. I flip the switch on the wall and tell my buddy-ette Alexa to turn on the “office” lights. Boom! Instant brightness. Check.

Next up, I pop a K-cup into my Keurig and in a couple of minutes, I’ve got my coffee ready. Check. Right next to the coffee maker is a table with a three-wick candle. I light that up and settle into my chair, firing up my electric fireplace. At that point, I’m finally ready to check the weather and dive into my Jesus time. Check. Check. Check.

But eventually, I have to wrap things up, and that means turning off the lights and putting out the candle. There are a couple of ways to do it, but I always go for the easy route. I put the metal lid on the jar, and that’s when I watch the flame slowly go out. At first, it flickers, but then it weakens until it’s just gone. It’s a little sad to see it die because I know what’s happening. The lid cuts off the oxygen, and without that, the flame can’t survive.

Every time I see this, it reminds me of life. We all need to keep our hope, love, faith, and purpose alive. These are the things that give us a reason to get up in the morning and keep pushing forward. If we let them starve, it’s only a matter of time before life feels dull, and what once burned brightly is just a smoldering wick.

So, how does that happen? There are tons of reasons, and they vary for each of us, but often it feels like a lid gets clamped down on our lives, and just like that candle, the flame starts to fade. Hope turns into despair, love gets overshadowed by hurt, and fear quietly snuffs out our faith. Before we know it, we’re left wondering why we even bother. Sound familiar? It definitely has for me—too often I’ve put that “lid of limits” on my own flame.

The only way I’ve found to keep the flame alive is by nurturing a close relationship with the One who created me. The hope, love, and purpose I find through my faith in Him create an atmosphere that keeps the fire burning. Even if you’re unsure about the whole God thing, I encourage you to rethink it and spark—or reignite—a relationship with Him. Don’t just go with what society says or what your coworkers think. Check Him out for yourself. Start by diving into the Bible, the most trusted book around. Try chatting with Him; it might feel weird at first, but hey, so did your first conversation with your first love. It’s totally worth it if it means your flame starts to glow again.

Every morning, I take off that lid and light the candle, and each day it bursts back to life, bringing warmth and that satisfying aroma. Why not let this friend I call my Dearest Daddy add some light to your life? Jesus said He’s the light of the world, and anyone who follows Him won’t walk in darkness. It’s like He’s saying, “Trust me… I’ve got this.” — Bro. Dewayne