Category: marriage

Posted in Family, fear, friends, gratitude, heaven, life, marriage, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, spiritual battles, travel

Cruising With the Captain

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.” Psalm 23:1

Her name was Radiance of the Sea. Several years ago, I did something that I didn’t think I would ever do…take a cruise.  The thought of being on a boat, a ship, a vessel with several thousand people that I didn’t even know was anything but enticing. I could only imagine me threading my way through crowds of people with four words continuously coming from my mouth! Excuse me. Pardon me. No, from the safety of the shore it just didn’t sound like something I wanted to do.  And then, somehow, someway, we did it.  And then we did it again and now we did it again.

A while back we drove down to New Orleans and boarded the Radiance of the Sea.  As cruise ships go, she wasn’t the biggest, she wasn’t the newest.  Now that I think about it, though, she might have been like the bed in the story of the three bears…just right. If you have never cruised, let me share with you about our experience.  So, you buy your ticket, and you board the ship.  From the moment you step on, they attempt to make each person feel important, valuable.  They try to make sure your every need is met. It is like a small city that you call home for a few days or so.

The purpose of the ship is to take you and bring you back home.  That involves sailing over some deep waters—like, 8,500 feet deep. But even knowing that, you feel safe…every precaution has been made to keep you safe.  As every cruiser knows, it really is about the food. I mean three meals a day with snacks in-between and while it might not always taste like your momma’s cooking…it is pretty close. And the variety is incredible…allowing you to try new things…different things.  It makes it all interesting.  But there is more.

If you get sick, there is a doctor and several nurses. If you get bored, there is a cruise director who acts like he has had way too much coffee.  There are all kinds of venues, or places, to listen to all kinds of music.  That is one of our favorites.  Oh, and there is someone who comes in to make our bed and clean our room…not once like a hotel but several times each day. There are noisy places if that is your thing and there are quiet places if that is your thing.  And then, there are a couple of stops along the way for you to get off and see a new part of the world.

Now that is just a sampling, but I think you get the picture.  And guess what?  There is a captain up on the bridge (that’s what you call the place where they steer the ship) and he always knows where we are going and when we will get there. I don’t have to worry about a thing. Not.A.Thing. And that is why this whole experience, on a smaller scale, reminds me of my Father in heaven.  Every need met. Ever watching and caring. Ever leading us to…home.

One of the most beautiful songs in the Hebrew hymnbook is what we call the 23rd Psalm and the first verse, the first few words, describe the Great Captain’s care for us as we cruise here…and into eternity.  Are you ready?  Here is it.  “The Lord is my Shepherd…I shall not want.”  Don’t run past that.  When we become part of the family of God by faith in Jesus, God is our Captain and He takes responsibility for us.  Responsibility.For.Us.  We don’t need to worry, we don’t need to fret because He is in control and His storeroom of supplies never, never, runs out.  How about that?

So, why not just think about today, tomorrow and the next and then think about the fact that you don’t have to worry because the Captain of your life has everything under control.  Now to be fair and truthful, we did have one day that was rough due to some high winds.  But never, ever did we feel in danger.  And you will have some rough weather in life too, but you don’t have to worry because the Captain knows the way, knows the storm.  You can have a meal, have a rest and lay your head down on your pillow knowing that “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, marriage, Scripture, thankful

A Good Laugh

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35

It made me laugh. I love a good joke.  But I love bad jokes even more. My grandson James asked me, “Papa, what do you call a cow with no legs?” Well, I had heard this joke before but hey, why not one more time. I asked him “what?” And he said, “ground beef.” Ok, now tell me that isn’t good. Of course, I responded with, “What do you call a pig with no legs?” and he said he didn’t know.  I told him, “A ground hog.” Ok, so you are now armed with two great jokes, but this story is about another one that I read in one of my devotions.

It goes like this, “A barber in a small town was busy cutting hair one day when the local policeman walked in for a haircut. The barber was feeling a bit generous, so he said to him, “Since you do such a good job protecting us, today’s haircut is free.” Well, the next day when the barber showed up at his shop, there were a dozen donuts waiting for him from the grateful policeman.

That same day the local florist came in for a haircut. Again, in a generous mood, the barber said to the florist, “Since you do so much to make this town look beautiful, today’s haircut is free.” The next day when the barber arrived at his shop, he was greeted by a dozen beautiful roses.

Later that day, in walked the local preacher. The barber, once again filled with generosity, said to the minister, “Since you work so hard to care for our souls, today’s haircut is free.” Well, the next day the barber showed up to find a dozen preachers waiting for a free haircut.” That is a great story and maybe partially true. I remember when I first started preaching forty years ago, I was told more than once to be on the outlook for the free perks of pastoring. I am glad to say that didn’t stick with me though I must admit I sure like a free lunch! Smile.

The big truth of this story is no joke—generosity should be a part of every believer’s DNA. Our Dearest Daddy is so, so generous to us. John 3:16 teaches us that He loved us so much He gave His only Son—to a cruel Roman cross. God is the greatest giver there is and we should strive to be just like Him. In Acts 20:35 Paul tells us, “In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” We don’t know when Jesus said these words but what we do know is that His life spoke to them every day. He always gave—every day and in every way.

Let me encourage you to be generous…not just with your physical resources but with your time, abilities, and love. Let me encourage you to be just like Jesus who was so willing to give Himself away. I’ll be honest enough to tell you that sometimes this is easier than others for me, but I can always go to my Dearest Daddy who will help me learn and remember, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, fear, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, marriage, prayer, pride, Scripture, thankful, travel

Food for Bridges

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26

Say that again? Well, if everything goes according to plan, on November 4th I will be getting a set of hearing aids. Truth be known I have probably been needing them for a while, but pride and my bank account weren’t quite willing. Well, I think I am ready to swallow my pride and the Veteran’s Administration is taking care of the cost. I have been going to an ear, nose and throat specialist for several years so none of this was a surprise. I have two ears (no surprise there) and one is pretty good and the other one is pretty bad. My doctor would always say, “Are you ready for hearing aids yet?” I would always respond with no for the two reasons I mentioned above but not anymore.

This became obvious on a recent flight from Seattle to Chicago. We got off the ground and it was time for the flight attendants to start their attending thing. From experience, I knew they would come along with their cart and offer a snack and something to drink. Well, she came to our row and paused. She said something, something I assumed was, “Would you like something to drink?” I responded with, “Coffee, please.” but that wasn’t what she said. So, she repeated it, and I thought I heard her say something about, “Food for bridges.” Well, that certainly didn’t make any sense, so I responded with a questioning, “Ma’am?” to which she responded with her food for bridges line. Wait! What? All of this made no sense because I couldn’t understand what food had to do with bridges. Then my wife Judy helped.

Judy leaned over and gave me the correct interpretation.  Judy said, “She has food for purchase.” Boy did I miss that one. I quickly told her “No thank-you.” After all a free cup of coffee is one thing but a nine-dollar sandwich is another. My misunderstanding and inability to hear what was being said almost set me back nine bucks! Holy moly. I am glad that Judy, my “hearing aid” for the minute was there and trust me—that is not the only time she has saved the day.

Our Heavenly Father knows that all of us sometimes struggle with our hearing. Too often, He is talking and either we aren’t listening, or we aren’t hearing.  His “hearing aid” for us doesn’t fit in our ear, rather He lives in our heart. It is the Holy Spirit. You see, when we become Christ followers, our Dearest Daddy, gives us His Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit helps us to hear and understand the Son and the Father. He helps when we allow the noise of life to interfere when the Father is trying to speak to us. He helps when our busyness keeps us from concentrating and grasp the Word. He helps when the preacher is preaching, and our mind wants to wander to the lunch menu.  Make no mistake, the Holy Spirit is our Helper—our hearing aid.

The hearing doctor has already told me that for these hearing aids to help me I have to wear them—they do little good just sitting in the charger. And do you know what? I think the same is true of the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to allow Him to work in our lives and when we do—life is better and our ability to hear from God is clearer.  How about that? If we are willing, you can believe that He is willing, and we can know that “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, friends, life, marriage, Scripture, thankful, travel

Wrong Kind of Dump

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.” James 5:12

We were just tootling along somewhere in Washington state. Not familiar with the term tootling? Well, you are probably more familiar than you think.  The word means to go or travel in a leisurely way.  For example, remember last week when you were going somewhere and the couple in front of you was driving fifteen miles an hour under the speed limit.  Yup…they were tootling.  Or maybe you were leaving a big event and the person in front of you was walking like they couldn’t? Yup…they were tootling.  Sometimes we call it being “out for a Sunday drive” or “strolling in the park” but the bottom line is, it’s tootling.

Well, we weren’t driving fifteen miles per hour under the speed limit but at the same time we weren’t in a hurry either. I was casually looking around and so was Judy. We would occasionally comment about this thing or that thing but mostly we were just enjoying the day and the drive.  We were tootling.  The area we were in had multiple campsites and RV parks.  It was a beautiful to tootle. As we tootled, we came upon an RV camp on my side of the road. We knew it was an RV park because it had one of those two sided signs—two boards hinged together that made a sorta tent.

Here is what it said, “RV Park. Dump. $5.  Well, I didn’t think too much about it because I knew it was letting people know that it was an RV Park and if it was time to dump your sewage or grey water you could do it there for five dollars. Well, just a few seconds after we drove past the sign, Judy spoke up and said, “That must really be a poor place since they called it a dump and it only cost five dollars. Well, I let it ride for just about a minute and then I explained it wasn’t talking about the condition of the park but rather the fact that you could dump your stuff there for five bucks. And then—best as I tried to avoid it—I laughed at her misinterpretation of the sign, and she laughed too.

I knew right away buried in there somewhere was a Grits story about communication. You see, I knew what they were saying but since Judy didn’t, she got a whole different meaning. To me they were advertising a service and a bargain, and she thought that the owners were so desperate they were willing to let anybody stay for just five bucks. Now stop for a minute and think just how often what we say or what we do is totally misunderstood. If we are honest, it is more than we want to admit. I know during my preaching years it was common for me to be unclear in what I was trying to say. Mostly it was just funny but a couple of times it was painful.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said in the book he wrote in the Bible, “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.” In other words, be careful what you say, when you say it, and even how you say it. If our “misspeaks” end in a laugh that isn’t too bad but when it hurts—well, it hurts. Momma always told me to mind my manners and that included what I said. Well, our Dearest Daddy wants us to mind our mouths. The best part is He is always willing to help us do that.  You might say, “He’s got that” and you would be right. Bro. Dewayne

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

Beautifully Different

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

They were all the same—yet totally different.  When we went to the Northwest corner of these United States, we knew we had to travel to Victoria, British Columbia. It is a province of Canada yet thoroughly British. Some people say that the people who live in Victoria are more British than the British are. And it is amazing that you can take a short ferry ride (less than 90 minutes) and find yourself in a place that is a lot like our home, the United States, but at the same time very European.

We truly love to visit Victoria. One of the places we enjoy seeing is Butchart Gardens. It is a vast garden with acre upon acre of pristinely maintained grounds. Even though we visited in fall, there were still a multitude of varieties of flowers, plants and trees. There was one section, one part of the garden that instantly caught my attention—the dahlia garden. This selection of plants and flowers were an explosion of color in every shape and size. Literally dozens of flowers were planted together—each distinctly different yet each sharing this one fact—they were all dahlias. Some were the size of dinner plates and others the size of a small teacup. Some were large and flat, and others were almost the shape of balls. Some were one particular color, and others were a palate of colors. They were all amazing and they also were teaching a valuable lesson.

You see, the garden was a beautiful illustration of God’s intent for His church. Like the Dahlia garden, we too are a hodgepodge of God’s creation.  We not only look different or speak a different language, but we also all were made distinctively different with an attention to detail that only God could create. I noticed at Butchart Gardens that some flower beds were intentionally planted in one color. Though attractive they simply didn’t have the draw of the eye that the Dahlia garden did. The reason was simple—while the initial impact was strong, it soon diminished—after all once you have seen one purple flower—you have seen them all.

God knew that His people would be stronger and better if we were different. He knows our differences are not a distraction or a weakness—they are a strength. We are stronger in our differences. How about that? You see, I love Pecan Pie, but I promise you even I would grow tired of that day in and day out. It might take a few days but after that…well…you know.

So let me encourage you to marvel in the beauty of God’s garden—His people. Truth be told, we wouldn’t want everyone to be like us—we and the world—need variety.  Remember, the next time someone gets a little under your skin, be sure and thank God for them. Why? It just might be that people like that are exactly what makes the world better. If loving all of God’s “dahlias” are a struggle for you, just ask the Master Gardner. He will know just what to do—He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, marriage, prayer, priorities, thankful, travel, Trials

But the Seat is Empty

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b

Well, that didn’t take long.  A while back I decided to do something that is unusual for me.  I had registered my wife Judy and I for a pastor’s conference.  I was thinking one day and said to myself, “Maybe it would be good for me to just get away by myself.” Well, I talked it over with Judy and she agreed.  Of course, the fact that she was leaving right after the conference for a mission trip to Puerto Rico probably figured in.  With the decision made…I would go, she would stay. Where to go and when to stay and where to eat and when to eat would be my call. It was a good plan.

The day came.  We had great services at church, and I had a sandwich for lunch and a quick nap before I hit the road.  With a hug and a kiss, I was off on the great adventure.  I had satellite radio playing hits from the 60’s, the cruise was set for the speed limit, and I passed the time just enjoying the beautiful day and the slowly changing color of the trees.  And then…it began to happen. It started when I caught myself causally glancing over at the passenger seat. Normally it would have held my favorite person in the whole world.  It sat empty.  No deal…but it was a thought.  I would occasionally put my hand in the seat as if feeling to see if she was there.  She wasn’t.

After several hours, I arrived at my hotel for the night.  I had chosen well.  It was very reasonable and very nice.  I opened the door and marveled at the room.  I wanted to share the moment with her, but she wasn’t there.  I called and let her know I was there safely and then planned supper.  There was no doubt where I was going.  Fazoli’s. They had their pizza baked spaghetti back on the menu and I had been wanting to go…so I did.  This was a place Judy probably wouldn’t have chosen but tonight it was my call and honestly…it was very good. That was followed with a visit to a creamery called, “The Lazy Cow.” I picked the place and the flavor.  “Not bad,” I said to no one as a went back to my room.

The room was still nice, but it was quiet…too quiet.  I called Judy and told her about supper and the ice cream, but it wasn’t the same as experiencing it with her.  After a while we said good night and we both went to bed in different beds, different rooms, and different states.  The next morning, she said she didn’t sleep too well, and I told her the same. I told her some plans I had made, and she shared hers.  After a couple of minutes, we said goodbye.  And that is when it hit me.

It was nice picking what music I wanted to listen to as I drove.  It was nice stopping when I wanted to stop. It was nice choosing to go to Fazoli’s and later getting ice cream. All that was nice, but she wasn’t there and that made it all less nice. Oh, it is still a good plan, and I will enjoy my time away.  I’m sure the teaching is going to be great and all that, but it will be different.  It might, it probably will be less than if she was there.  Think about that.  Think about something else.

Do we ever think or maybe even act on what life would be like without God? We muse how grand it might be without the rules, to make our own choices and decisions and not have to worry about what He might think. I know for some of you that may be everyday but for a chunk of us that is a far stretch and yet too often we live that very same way. We include God when it is convenient and leave Him at home when it isn’t. I’ve already discovered that while this week will be good for me…it is not something I want to do all the time.

The bottom line is Judy is just too much a part of my life…and that is how we need to make it with God.  We need to make Him so much a part of our lives, that when we look around and realize we left Him (He will never leave us) that we are wise enough to go back and join Him.  Lord willing this Thursday, I’ll be back home…and home is a good place.  God said He will never leave us or let us go and there is a lot of comfort in that.  There’s also a lot of comfort in knowing that even when we take a trip and fail to invite Him, He’s still there…He’s still got this. Bro. Dewayne