Category: Scripture

Posted in Family, life, Scripture, travel

Magnificent Niagara Falls

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to Him. For He laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.” Psalm 24:1-2

They were magnificent indeed. My wife Judy and I embarked on another journey recently. We travelled to Buffalo, New York to work with a great Christian organization called, “Eight Days of Hope.” On a moments notice, following disasters, they go wherever they are needed. While they have a staff, most of the workers are volunteers. In addition to their disaster relief efforts, for the last nine years, they have set up in a different part of Buffalo needing some love and invited volunteers, thousands of them, to come and make a difference. What happens during those “Eight Days of Hope” is simply amazing and really requires its own Grits story so more on that later.

So, in case you didn’t know, Buffalo is very close to Niagara Falls. These Falls are truly magnificent. First, there is the Bridal Falls or American Falls that happen to be on the American side of the Niagara River and then there are the Horseshoe Falls that the Canadian’s lay claim too. And guys, I’m afraid this is one time, and probably the only time, that the Canadians take the day. Here is why. 

First, from the American side you can’t really see the action. The way the Falls fall you know the water is falling but you can’t really see it falling. Beautiful?  Absolutely but you want more–you crave more.  That more if on full display as you cross the border into Canada and view the Falls from our northern neighbor’s backyard. From their side of the river you have a full view of both the Bridal Falls and the Horseshoe Falls and what you see if almost beyond words.  Both Judy and I were speechless as we both stared at the beauty of God’s creation–and make no mistake–He gets full credit.  His Words tells us that the whole earth is His and everything in it.  In other words–He owns the falls–lock, stock and barrel.

Amazingly a lot of people go to Niagara Falls and don’t cross the border to get this amazing view of the falls. Do you want to know why? Well, you see, because you have to cross the border you have to have a passport. Generally speaking–no passport–no entry. If you are an American and you have a passport, that document declares you are a citizen of the United States and citizens of the United States are welcomed into Canada. Show your passport at the border crossing and they more or less welcome you to, “come on in.” Now all that is somewhat simplistic but you get the idea.

It would seem a shame to travel all the way to Niagara Falls and not see it all. It simply isn’t enough to get close. As they say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  If you are going to get in–you have to have the necessary documents.  And guess what? What is true going into another country is even more true when it comes to Heaven. If you want to get into Heaven you have to have your spiritual passport and that is faith in Jesus Christ–who He is and what He has done. When we believe, God invites to “come on in.”

What about you? Have you crossed the border from the land separated from God into His Kingdom? Have you placed your faith and trust in Him believing that if you do–God will welcome you into the family?  If not, why not do it today? I told someone that I was glad I saw the falls before I died. More than that, much more than that, I am glad I trusted Jesus before that day arrived. Afraid God won’t let you in? Think you messed up too much? Don’t you worry about that. His grace is bigger than your sin and no matter what–He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Family, life, marriage, prayer, Scripture

Smart Pants

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. John 6:67-68

“I’m sorry.  I’m having trouble understanding you right now.”  Now if you are married that is something you just might hear occasionally.  My wife Judy and I have been married for 49 years and it has been a great adventure.  They say after you have been with someone for so long you start completing each other’s sentences and can almost read their mind.  I think that is true.  But every once in a while…well…I miss it or she misses it and we look at each other like a “calf at a new gate.”  That means like a young calf who has never gone through a particular gate and says, “I’m not sure I like this or understand this.”  Calf.At.A.New.Gate.

Well, the other woman who lives in our house is named Alexa.  Actually, we have several of them and we can tell her what to do and she does it.  We have several items in our home that are wirelessly controlled.  For example, our thermostat can be controlled from anywhere we can get an internet signal.  I can tell Alexa, “Alexa set upstairs thermostat to 80” and she does it.  Boom.  I also have some of the lights in our home that have a “thingy” that will allow me to control them with Alexa.  I just say, “Alexa, turn on the lights” and all the lights in the room come on.  That is especially good at night when you are getting into bed, and you don’t want to catch your toes on the corner of something because you can’t see.

A while back we “cut the cord” and started streaming our TV through the internet.  It is definitely cheaper and cleaner…if you follow my drift.  All this is just great until…wait for it…the internet goes down.  That happened recently.  I woke up and groggily walked into my home office and asked Alexa to turn on the lights.  She said, “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble understanding you right now.” That is code for there is no internet.  That also means that I can’t watch the weather or anything else.  Oh, and I also can’t control the thermostat…I have to actually walk over and turn it up or down.  Then you add to that list that you can’t check or send email, can’t check the news, can’t, can’t, can’t—it almost sounds like 2020 all over again. No. No. And No.

The deal with all this cool smart stuff is if the internet connection goes down…things come to a screeching halt and you quickly find yourself wondering if smart is so smart after all.  I know this is true for me and almost eight billion of my closest friends.  We often think we have it all figured out and that we don’t need God directing our lives or telling us this or that.  What we often discover is that without Him…well, we can make a mess pretty quickly.

What we write off as life being crazy and messy is what life becomes without faith and believing. I’m not sure I can imagine what life would be like if we decide we don’t need God anymore, but I am sure I don’t want to find out. Oh, we can get by without religion…no problem there…but God…I don’t think so.

Well, it turned out the internet was down all that day and the next.  Rumor was someone hit a pole somewhere and knocked out one of the main lines.  I learned that day that all that smart stuff wasn’t worth anything without the thing that made it smart.  And in the process of learning that, I was reminded that when we think we are really smart and that we have it all figured out…well, we are not much without the One who made us.  Take Him out of the equation and things can grind to a halt pretty quickly. As I waited to for the internet to come back online, I think I heard a whisper from the Whisperer.  He seemed to be saying, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, life, priorities, Scripture, thankful, travel

Rocks and Fossils

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” Philippines 2:13

They were everywhere but nowhere to be found.  A couple of years ago, my wife Judy and I went to a pastor’s conference over in North Carolina.  It’s just a little far to travel in one day, so we always choose to stay a night on the road and one of our favorite spots is Cookeville, Tennessee.  It is a little over an hour outside Nashville and has several good places to eat and stay.  We usually stay at an Airbnb since it provides a little more space and sometimes it offers a little bit more.  

This find was Judy’s and that probably explains why we spent more than we normally do.  The place was located on a small scenic river and featured two waterfalls within a hundred yards of the property.  One was bigger and one was smaller—both were awesome. The smaller one had several rock features but only fell about ten feet.  Its big brother, on the other hand, fell about fifty feet and was massive.  It’s funny because they both had the same amount of water to work with but, you know, the farther the water falls the more impressive it seems.

Because of the falls and because the area around the river was rocky, the ground was covered with tons (both literally and figuratively) of small rocks.  There were all shapes, many colors, and sizes.  Most were fist-size or smaller but here is the best part.  Scattered around and in all the rocks were a heavy sprinkling of fossils.  Most were of ancient water plants that had become trapped in the sediment and slowly, over time, became fossilized.  There were all kinds, and since they were so unique—I just had to have some.  So, Judy and I went hunting.

From the get-go, it seemed she was better at it than me and soon she was shouting, “Here’s one, here’s another.” Well, that caused me to look harder than ever.  Well, before long, we both had plenty, and they are now on display in my office at home.  But here’s what is amazing and what prompted this short story with a big truth.  The fact is they were everywhere but there were so many rocks to poke through it was just hard to find them.  They were there but they were well camouflaged…looking a lot like their rock brothers and sisters.  Making it even harder was the fact that one side of a rock might have a cool fossil and the other—nothing.  The only choice was to keep looking and keep turning over as many stones as possible.

Isn’t that just like life? We look for this or that and sometimes we become frustrated and give up and behold—it was right in front of our face the entire time.  That is never truer than with God things.  We think God has turned off the blessing faucet when the truth is we just aren’t looking close enough…hard enough…and we give up.  Well, let me encourage you to keep flipping those rocks over because you never know what might be on the other side.

Sometimes the answer to our prayer or our miracle is just one stone flip away. God loves to bless His children so don’t give up and don’t be surprised if you find yourself staring a blessing in the face. Paul wrote, “For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” In other words, don’t give up…He’s working, and He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, friends, Integrity, life, priorities, Scripture

Nip It in the Bud!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4 

  

Leave it to Barney.  Some of you might remember Barney Fife from the old television show, “The Andy Griffith Show.” He was one of the iconic characters and played the town deputy under Sheriff Andy Taylor.  Barney was a little off-center most of the time.  One of my favorite memories was that they only trusted him with one bullet, and he had to keep it in his pocket. He may have been a bit off-center but every once-on-a-while he would come up with something insightful.  One of those was his saying that we should “nip it, nip it in the bud.”

He knew (at least every once in a while) that an ounce of prevention was better than a pound of cure. Now he didn’t always follow his own good advice but who does? Truth is we would all be better off if we did, “nip it, nip it in the bud.”  A while back I went to the skin doctor for my semi-annual skin check.  Twice a year I have them look and make sure something isn’t growing on my skin that shouldn’t be. Some of that skin stuff can get pretty nasty.  Like I’ve said before I’m ok with dying…I just don’t want to die stupid.

So usually, I am an A+ patient. Besides the usual assortment of old people stuff, she always tells me I have good skin.  Well, that didn’t quite happen this time. As she checked my forehead, she found two spots that were kinda rough and she said, “Dewayne, these might be pre-cancers so it would be best if we burned them off.”  So, she wasn’t sure if they were but, in her opinion, it was better to be safe than sorry—and I agreed with her.  Let’s “nip it, nip it in the bud”. So, she got out her handy burner-off thing and just like that they were frozen.

“Wait,” you say, “I thought you she was burning them off?”  Yup that’s right but she burns them off by hitting them with something so cold it literally burns them off.  Ever heard of, “freezer burn?”  Same sort of idea.  Anyway, it was all over after a little bit of stinging and a few days of everyone asking, “What happened to your forehead?”  And guess what?  Because we nipped it in the bud, I don’t have to worry about it turning into something a little nastier.

This “nip it, nip it in the bud” thing is good advice. Imagine how many regrets a little nipping could save us! And what about when we nip a “pre-sin” in the bud before it becomes a disaster in our lives? Yup, the more I think about it the more I am sure we owe old Barney a debt of gratitude.  So, let me suggest a semi-annual visit to the skin doctor and a daily visit with the Great Physician just to check and see if there needs to be a little nipping on those nasty “pre-sins.” It might sting a little but hey, don’t worry, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, friends, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, spiritual battles, Trials

His World–Their World!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love.” 1 John 4:16

It’s like traveling around the world. I never cease to be amazed at the world that God has created for us. My wife Judy and I love to travel, and I have found a way to kinda, sorta travel while sitting right in my living room chair.  It all happens courtesy of YouTube. I’m not sure why or how but one day, I stumbled upon a video of sorts that would take a part of the world and set pictures of it to relaxing music.  It may be England or Africa or Germany or maybe Utah.  Regardless, it is amazing and marvelous. I truly enjoy it and perhaps you should try it.  And then…it got better.

So, while I was trying to pick a place to visit, I found a feature that showed live webcams from all over the world.  Every few seconds, a different live video of a different part of the world would appear along with the current weather for that location.  Ok…this is way cool.  Imagine all these different places, all being shown live.  People are walking, visiting, or perhaps sleeping.  Cars are driving up and down the streets and trucks are making deliveries. It might be raining or snowing, warm or cold, sunny, or cloudy.  It is a world tour of the…world.

Recently, I was watching, and a video showed up showing early morning Philadelphia.  The sky was blue, and it was a beautiful spring morning.  God was showing off.  And then, just like that, I found myself looking at a place high in the Austrian Alps and even though it was mid-May it was snowing to beat the band.  For all intents and purposes, it was still midwinter. And it was just about then that it hit me.

All those videos were just like snapshots of our lives…each one different and each one unique.  As we look around some folks’ lives are like a beautiful spring morning—things couldn’t be better.  Look over there and there is someone enduring the beating rain of a severe storm and finally, glance over there and someone is locked in the midst of winter.  We sometimes forget that our lives, our experience may not be the experience of the person standing next to us.  While our lives are neat and orderly, theirs might be filled with gale force winds and pounding hail.  For us things couldn’t be better—for them things couldn’t be worse.

Can I encourage us to remember that?  Can I encourage us to be sensitive to the fact that our world may not be someone else’s?  Can I encourage us to be more understanding when someone seems to be rude and huffy when perhaps, just perhaps, they are doing everything they can just to stay afloat.  Jesus was so good at this.  He could read someone and respond and it wasn’t just because He was God in the flesh but also because He was determined to love others.  We can, and should, do the same thing.

So, if you do the computer thing, check out YouTube and search for relaxing music or videos and enjoy and as you are, remember that those places are places where people are living and maybe struggling.  Then, determine to be like Jesus, who managed to love each person no matter what. A song says that Jesus loves the little children, all the little children, and if He does…we should too. 1 John 4:16 says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love.” We have come to know and believe that no matter what…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, friends, life, loving others, Scripture, spiritual battles, Trials

Ignored

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.” John 5:8-9

No matter how hard I tried…he ignored me.  So, I am a   walker…sometimes more consistent than others… but generally I walk several days a week.  The habit person in me likes the consistency of taking the same route over and over.  The adventure person in me likes to vary the routes that I take.  The bottom line…it is a coin toss every time I walk.  Regardless of which route I take; I see him frequently.

Who is he?  He is one of the homeless guys here in our small town.  Actually, I am only assuming he is homeless.  Like I said, frequently and no matter how early, I see him riding his bike, pushing his bike, and sitting somewhere, anywhere holding onto his bike. When I stroll by, I try to be friendly.  I walk by and give him a wave and a smile with a “good morning,” attached. He doesn’t respond.  If you remember the story of Brier Rabbit and Tar Baby, you know when Tar Baby didn’t respond to Brier Rabbit—he got more than a little upset.  Well, I think Brier Rabbit and I might be distant cousins.  My thought was, “What’s up with this?  Why is he ignoring me?”

Well, there were many attempts after that attempt, and it wasn’t just with him.  I would try to wave, be friendly, and give a “Good morning” if we were in voice range.  Almost without exception…there was nothing just a blank stare.  Well, earlier this week it was the same song, same verse but this time something occurred to me…or more accurately maybe Someone spoke to me.  The thought, the inner voice was this, “Dewayne, he is ignoring you because that is all he knows.”  A bell went off in my head and in my heart.

I realized in that moment that to most people, these folks who live in the streets are ignored because they become invisible. Most people don’t even see them much less acknowledge them.  And, I think, that once you have been ignored for so long…when you are invisible to the world around you…you stop seeing and feeling too. It becomes easy to just look, to stare until the world around disappears.  And, you need to know, that it isn’t always homeless people…it can be just everyday walk-around people who have been bruised and hurt one too many times.  They go to work, they function, but in reality, they stare into nothingness just trying to get by.

What are we to do?  Well, first we don’t stop trying to reach out and touch those around us.  Jesus was so good at seeing the invisible and loving the unlovable and do you know what?  He never gave up.  A story is told about a lame man who laid by a pool forever…or, at least, it seemed forever…38 years to be exact.  The rumor was if you could be the first in the pool when the waters stirred, you would be healed.  It wasn’t true and it really didn’t matter because he could never be first.  And then…Jesus showed up.

Jesus saw him, spoke to him and asked this question, “Do you want to be well?”  The man gave Him the story about him and the waters.  Jesus didn’t quit.  He just said, “Pick up your mat and walk.”  Well, the guy took the gamble, obeyed, and…he was healed…just like that.  Amazing.  Thirty-eight years of suffering ended abruptly. I guess we can’t offer the broken around us that kind of deal, but we can see, we can speak, and we can pray and when we do that…who knows what God will do?

Let me encourage you…and me for that matter…to start seeing again, to start loving again, to start making a difference, no matter how small, again.  If you see someone obviously broken and you are a Jesus follower, just remember how broken you were when you met the Healer and He whispered, “I love you…I forgive you.” And as you remember, take that moment to reach out and let that person know how much God loves them and longs to forgive them. Oh, and let them also know that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

Here Comes Niagara Falls

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” Psalm 121:5

I had always wanted to see it—but not here and not then. So a while back we had one of those “Oh no” moments. Part of the Taylor tribe that normally lives somewhere else was staying with us.  They have three boys who are absolutely 100% all boy.  Accordingly, it is important, very important, that they shower every night.  So, my wife Judy, AKA MaMa,  gave them their marching orders, “Hit the shower.”

Slowly and somewhat reluctantly, they did. Well, Judy and I were upstairs and suddenly there came a very loud commotion from downstairs.  Above the din we heard the voice of grandson number 2 hollering, “MaMa, come downstairs NOW!” Well, she scurried down the stairs and I was right behind her.  What was the cause of the commotion?  Niagara Falls had come to Southern Illinois—217 W. Poplar Street to be exact.  When we arrived downstairs, from the light fixture in her home office, water was pouring. Now it wasn’t dripping, it wasn’t sprinkling, it was pouring.

As it turned out it wasn’t a broken pipe—it was grandson number 1 who had forgotten to put the shower curtain inside the shower. So if you forget to put the shower curtain inside the shower, all the water runs down the shower curtain and straight on the floor and from there—right through the ceiling and into MaMa’s office. Holy Moley.  Now to add to this story, this all happened on Saturday night at 9:00 pm.  You know, the night before the Papa preacher was supposed to preach on Sunday morning.  You know, 9:00 pm when people are supposed to be winding down and not winding up.

Well, because of the quick thinking of the father of grandson 1 and 2, we were able to contain the water pretty quickly.  It took several dozen towels (ok, that’s an exaggeration) but is was several and the quick removal of a rug and the moving of a desk.  Well, in a matter of minutes, the worst was over except I had some confessing to do to my Dearest Daddy about patience and not losing “it.”  But wait, there is a pretty bow in this story.

You see, for whatever reason, the water only came through the ceiling where the fan and light were located.  The ceiling was not hurt at all—not a bit.  And, believe it or not, even with all the water flowing in and through it, the light and fan still worked.  Can someone say, “God moment?”  I think it was another of those times when God was just watching over us.  In this case we didn’t avoid the commotion but we did avoid the catastrophe. 

Tucked away in the Psalms is this verse, “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” I believe that absolutely true and it is true even if the commotion grows into a catastrophe!  No matter what, He watches and as always, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, food, friends, life, Scripture, travel, Trials

No See ‘Um

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

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

 I slapped my arm but didn’t see a thing.  About thirty years ago we were visiting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It was a beautiful area, and it was almost like being in another part of the world.  There were rich woodlands, new foods to enjoy and the crystal-clear water of Lake Michigan. It reminded me of some of the places I have visited in Europe.  With all its wonders there was one thing that I didn’t like…no-see-ums.

Most of us are familiar with the various biting pests we find flying and crawling around.  There is the bomber-size horsefly.  You can usually hear them coming…even before you see them coming and their bite is horrendous. Then there is the yellow fly and that pesky one that hovers around when you are sitting on the patio.  They seem particularly innocent and that’s when they get you.  And the king of biting insects is, of course, the mosquito.  Some people wonder why God created the mosquito.  I think it is one of the great mysteries of the universe.

While not too common around here, the no-see-um that I encountered in Michigan was a flat-out, no doubt about it, pain in the neck—or else wherever those chose it bite you.  They are very small…in fact…smaller than a flea.  Because of that you will feel the bite and go to swat at the culprit but see nothing to hit.  They are a neutral color and manage to just “blend in.”  Their bite is painful and can take hours or even days before a welt shows up on your skin.  Well, since I don’t make too many trips to the Upper Peninsula, it wasn’t too big a deal…until I found out they like South Florida.

When my wife Judy and I checked into the place we were staying in Fort Myers one of the first things we did was go and sit on the balcony that overlooked Estero Bay.  It was beautiful.  From our fourth-floor vantage point, we could see for miles and saw dolphins, manatees, fish, birds and even an alligator.  However, it wasn’t what we saw that soon grabbed our attention…it’s what we didn’t.  Soon, too soon, we were slapping and scratching but not seeing.  We soon realized that no-see-ums love South Florida as much as they loved the Upper Peninsula.

Well, we retreated inside until we could find something that would discourage them from making us lunch.  A day later we were eating at a local restaurant and there on the table was “No-See-Um” spray. It was all natural and Judy tried some and thankfully it worked.  Not all but most of the misery caused by these almost invisible, blood sucking, stinking, pain-in-the-neck (you can tell I’m a little bitter) insects was finally over. And, for the ones who managed to escape the spray, I learned to spot them and eliminate them.  And yes, there was pleasure in revenge.

No-see-um bites are painful and adding to the pain is the fact that you don’t see it coming.  I mean a horsefly is big enough to spot and sounds like a small helicopter coming in for a landing.  Even a pesky mosquito buzzes if it’s close to your ear.  But the no-see-um is a sneaky one at best.  And do you know what?  Some of the most irritating and painful things in life are too.  How many times have you been just having the best day and some circumstance comes along and changes everything?  The truth is it happens too often.  But there is good news.

While we sometimes can’t change our circumstances and sometimes all the wisdom in the world won’t change an outcome, there is hope.  And that hope is found in a relationship with a God who will not leave us or forsake us and is wiser, bigger, and stronger than anything we will face.  I know you hear that from me a lot but there is a reason…I believe it. I’ve been a Jesus follower for several decades and while there have been plenty of pesky and painful things along the way—He has been faithful—even when I wasn’t. I love what the writer of Hebrews said in the Bible, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Period. Big or small, visible or not, there’s just comfort in knowing that no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, Integrity, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

God’s VIP!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.”1 Corinthians 12:18-22

It was in March 1981, President Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest presidents of our modern era, was shot as he was walking toward the presidential limousine. It was a very difficult time for our country. At first, they didn’t think the President had even been hit but that quickly changed. In fact, the wound was life threatening. President Reagan spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from the injuries he sustained in the shooting. Gratefully he made a full recovery. Now think about this. Because of the safe guards put into place, the government was able to continue functioning. And although he was the nation’s chief executive, his hospitalization had very little impact on the daily lives of Americans.

Now think about this. Not too long after that tragic event, the garbage collectors in a major city went on a three-week strike. The result was a mess and in fact resulted in a major health hazard for the citizens–bringing the city to a near halt. While most people were grateful when the president was released from the hospital, the entire city celebrated the end of the strike by the garbage collectors.

I find that so interesting. We had weeks without the President and also weeks without garbage collectors. The absence of the president actually had very little impact on that major city. However the absence of the garbage collectors in that city clearly caused more harm. The point is sometimes the absence of those in lessor positions have more impact than the absence of the main leader. This is true in most organizations…a company or a university can function without its CEO or chancellor but neither can function without its staff and workers.

Now what about the church, our church, your church? While a church can and does function without a pastor, it cannot function without the every Sunday, in the trenches, volunteers. In other words, the seemingly insignificant members are often the ones are that are most urgently needed. If you don’t believe me, imagine how your church would function without nursery workers, teachers, greeters, ushers and other volunteers.

Churches needs people who will volunteer for the everyday, seemingly insignificant jobs. We need to remember that these jobs are not insignificant at all. In fact–they are vital for the church and its kingdom work. Looking back on forty-two years of pastoring, I realize we should and could have done a much better job recognizing these incredibly important people. And let me say this. If you are one of those volunteers serving quietly in the trenches, please don’t ever feel like you aren’t needed–because you are. No matter what role you play, you have a crucial part in the Kingdom of God. Your skills and talents are needed.

I have to admit it is different every time I show up at church these days. When I was the pastor people wanted to know where I was. If I wasn’t there they wanted to know why. Now, as an ordinary member, well that has changed. But one thing hasn’t changed. In the eyes of our Dearest Daddy, we all matter, me, you and the person sitting next to you. When you are feeling under appreciated, just remember that the one who matters the most loves you the most. And no matter what–He’s got you!  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, friends, life, school days, Scripture, Trials

Losing Your Word Cookies

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

The sound came from a couple of seats in front of me.  There are two things that me and just about every other elementary school kid knew. First, if you wanted to gather a crowd, all you had to do was holler, “fight!”  Shout that one word and every kid within hearing distance would come running. The second thing is if you want to scatter a group of elementary school kids just let someone, “lose their cookies” and you can empty a room in a matter of seconds.

Now I am assuming that you know that “losing your cookies” has nothing to do with losing your cookies but everything to do with grossness. Losing your cookies is a nice way of saying that someone got sick to their stomach and…well we will stop there. It is never pleasant for anyone…whether is in a classroom, a parking lot, a ball field or a bathroom. I know for me it ranks right up there with losing your left arm in a shark attack.

When it happens at school, the custodian suddenly becomes everyone’s hero.  He shows up like a first responder…running in when everyone else is running out.  I remember so well he would show up with this red sawdust stuff.  He would spread it on the floor and, just like magic, the mess was cleaned up and gone.  I don’t know if we every applauded him but he sure deserved it.

You know, not all messes are so easily cleaned up.  Sometimes when we misspeak, intentionally or otherwise, or misuse our words, well, you might say, we lose our word cookies. Trust me…it is never good and the aftereffects are just about as unpleasant as losing your other cookies. Yuk, yuk and triple yuk. And there is good news and bad news when we lose our word cookies.  First, the bad news.  There is no red sawdust stuff to make it all go away.  Nope, no matter how sorry we might feel, the consequences are still there. Bummer.

Now the good news.  There is forgiveness.  I have done my share of losing my word cookies and I usually have the common courtesy and sense to ask the person to forgive me and thankfully they usually are graceful enough to do so.  And then there is God.  Losing your word cookies is not only unkind—it is a sin and when we sin, if we ask, our Dearest Daddy is more than willing to forgive us.  I like that…a lot…but I am also plumb grateful.

Well, they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and they are right.  Trying to set things straight is honorable but it is better not to put yourself in that position in the first place.  In other words, watch your words and don’t lose your cookies.  Jesus told us that our words are a reflection of what is in our hearts so if our words are sour it means are hearts are too. But remember, He can fix that too…just ask…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne