Category: sovereignty of God

Posted in gratitude, heaven, life, sovereignty of God, thankful

Beyond Words

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.” Psalm 19:1-3

 Though it was several years ago…I can still remember it. It was a wonderful, wonder filled night.  It was a Friday night, and it was beautiful.  After a day of cool temperatures and clear skies the sun bowed out and night moved in.  My wife Judy and I decided to build a fire out on our patio and just enjoy the evening.  Using my incredible fire building skills, which included opening one of those wax logs and lighting it, we soon were enjoying its light and warmth. It was perfect. As the smoke rose into the crystal-clear sky it caused me to pause and be amazed.  I agreed with God. After He was done with creation, He said it was very good.  He was right.

The slowly rising smoke caused me to look to the skies.  As darkness settled in, slowly, ever so slowly, the stars came out for their evening performance.  That was good too.  And then I noticed what we see and rarely stop to ponder.  Streaking across the sky was a jetliner.  By now it was only visible because of its flashing navigation lights.  Here’s what is so amazing.  That cylinder tube with wings was flying at about 30,000 feet…that’s almost six miles up in the sky.  It weighed in at approximately 175,000 pounds and was carrying dozens of people.  Pause.  A man-made object, weighing 87.5 TONS is effortlessly moving through the sky at a speed of right around 500 miles per hour.  That is amazing.

Now you may be one of those folks who believe that we humans showed up from a glob of jelly laying on a beach somewhere but personally, I don’t have that much faith.  I believe that there is a Creator God and He made us…fearfully and wonderfully.  How else do you explain 87.5 tons zipping through the air?  You could cite the law of aerodynamics but even that law was figured out and applied by God’s most wonderful creation.  But it gets better.

A little later I told Judy that it would be very cool if the space station flew over.  Now this modern marvel flies out in space—that’s why it is called the “space” station.  Get ready to be amazed.  It flies 240 miles above the earth at a speed of 17,136 miles an hour.  It weighs in at 925,000 pounds.  On that particular day there were three people on board, an American and two Russians and they had been on board for 165 days.  Can someone say, “amazing?”

Well, my neighbor happened to come home, and we were chatting.  He looks up and says, “Oh, there goes a satellite.” I got up and looked and it wasn’t a satellite…it was the space station, and it was amazing.  Though I have seen it several times each time I am just amazed.  I’m amazed not at what man built as much as the God who created man and gave him the intellect and ability to create and build.  Once again…God and I agreed…it was very good.

The night crept on, and I looked up again and noticed one very bright star in the southern sky accompanied by a little sister just to its left.  I asked Judy, “I wonder what star that is?”  So, we got on our handy iPhones and looked it up.  It turns out that they were not stars at all but two of the planets that circle our sun…Jupiter and Saturn.  Jupiter was the star of the show by far—pun intended.  Here’s what is really amazing.

The light that I saw coming from Jupiter that night had travelled 43 minutes through space to get to earth.  That may not seem too impressive until you consider the speed of light is 186,000 miles per SECOND. How’s that for a wow? You see, as wonderful as jetliners and space stations are…they pale to what God did all by Himself.  I just had to agree with God again…it is very good.

But Jupiter is just one small planet in our small solar system, that is a small part in our relatively small galaxy called the Milky Way.  And beyond our little galaxy there are millions and millions of galaxies.  What we see with our naked eye is just a fraction of all that is out there.  And all of it exists for one reason and one reason only.  The Bible tells us that the heavens are there to declare the glory of God.  All those stars, solar systems, and galaxies are there to sing the praises of our incredible God.  And He is worth every note and a million, zillion more besides.

Tonight, if the skies are clear, go out and take a peek.  You might see a jetliner streaking across the sky and maybe even the space station, but what you certainly will see is God’s choir singing the praises of their Creator.  Maybe you should join them in a chorus or two.  Oh, and be sure and sing what should be your favorite God song.  It goes something like this, “I can rest in the arms of my Dearest Daddy for He holds me secure.  I can go to sleep tonight knowing He has this…because He does.”  Amen.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, gratitude, life, missions, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, travel

We Need Rain

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 

It was drier than two-month-old bread.  So this story is a rerun but it is so appropriate because we are so dry here in Southern Illinois. And besides that…it is one of my absolute favorite stories.  Now back to the story. Word on the street is that we are in a drought. I know this because my grass is brown…very brown. It reminds me of another time and another need for rain. It’s been many years now, but the story is as fresh as today’s bread.  We were on our second trip to Niger, West Africa.  We would fly forever and finally arrive in the capital city of Niamey.  There were two things that were always the same.  It was always very late at night, and we were always totally exhausted.  After a day getting acclimated, we would load up and drive all day on one of the few paved roads in the entire country.

Niger is a sub-Saharan country in West Africa.  It was on the edge of the Saharan Desert—hot, dry, and dusty.  Our journey would take us to a small city in the middle of nowhere.  We would stay with a family there who were kind and filled with hospitality.  As is customary, we would settle in and then go see the “chief” of the village.  We would meet, greet, and thank him for allowing us to come and stay in the village.  On this particular trip we were distributing food to several dozen families in the area.  Because of the extreme dryness, food was always in short supply and because of a few years of drought—it was life-threatening.

As we met with the chief, we told him we were servants of the Creator God and asked him if there was anything that we could pray for.  Without hesitation, he said, “I want you to pray for rain. It hasn’t rained here in a very long time, and we are desperate.  We have prayed but no rain has come.”  We prayed there and then and told him we would pray more—even asking people in America to pray.  And we did, both.

What happened next is the things of legends—except it is not a legend—it is truth.  After immediately contacting some of our folks back in America and praying ourselves…again…we went to sleep.  Sometime in the middle of the night, the wind began to blow, and the temperature began to fall.  Soon, there was the sound of a distant thunder.  Then, as we stood in our doorway and watched, a heavy rain began to fall.  David, one of our team members, was soon out dancing in the rain.  All of us were dancing in our hearts.

We would later learn that our friends in America, watching the radar online, saw a storm develop from nothing and move across our area.  As we danced in Africa—they were dancing in America.  That very night, right at three inches of rain fell in that village on the edge of the desert.  It was unbelievable.  It rained for several hours and fell so hard that several walls, made of mud, straw, and manure, collapsed.  A couple of storage buildings lost walls too.  When light finally came small lakes of water were everywhere.  We would be using the four-wheel drive feature on our trucks for several days.

I can’t remember if the chief came to us or summoned us to go to him, but that day we had another conversation.  He thanked us for praying and said that our God did what their god did not do.  He was grateful for us coming to the village and invited us to stay as long we wanted—and to return as often as we wanted.  Such are the wonders and miracles of the one true God.  This would not be the last or only miracle we would witness in West Africa.  It is amazing what God can and will do if the primary focus is to glorify His name.  I sometimes wonder if the people there still speak of the night of the rain.  I know we do.

There is an intriguing scripture in the Psalms—a collection of Hebrew hymns in the Jewish and Christian Bibles.  It is found in Psalm 37:4. It says that if we are willing to delight ourselves in God, He will give us the desires of our heart.  At first that sounds like a “rub the bottle and a genie pops out” story.  Trust me…it is not.  You see the first part is key—when we delight ourselves in God—then our desires align with His desires and when that happens—miracles do too.

Today, let me encourage you in a couple of areas.  First, if you haven’t thought much about Creator God—Jehovah God—in a while—why not revisit Him?  I believe you will come to the same conclusion I did years ago.  He is amazing.  And then, as we journey through this these challenging days, let’s commit to making His desires, our desires.  Let’s get on the same page with Him and watch, in wonder, what He can and will do.  It may not be exactly what we want but it will be what is exactly right.  He doesn’t make mistakes.  Wrapped up in all of this is that powerful truth we end each story with.  It is good news for this day and every day.  We can have the confidence assurance that, “He’s got this” and He does.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, life, Military memories, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Mysterious Ways

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy.” Psalm 34:5

They say that God works in mysterious ways…and I believe He does.  Throughout my years as an adult believer, God has shown up in different ways and it always leaves me feeling very grateful.  When people ask me can God be trusted, without hesitation, I can give an unqualified yes.  And I can say that not only because the Bible tells me so but because of the times He proved Himself.  Some were big and some were small but each one, every one, was significant and real.

Let me tell you a story.  When my wife Judy and I were married I was a buck sergeant in the Air Force and, well, things were quite lean.  With a lot of help from the Lord (and that’s another story), we were able to travel to Germany together for a three year stint.  We loved it but honestly things were even more financially tight there than here.  With the fluctuation of the German Mark and the fact that things just cost more—there were plenty of times when there was more month than money.  It was during one of those times that God showed off.

Judy and I had gone to the Base Exchange (the store on base) to get a few things that we had to have.  It was one of those times when there was more month than money and we had to carefully choose what was important.  Well, I don’t remember the details, but we had a discussion right there in the store about what to do.  Now when I say discussion, it wasn’t exactly a friendly chat but neither was it a hollering match.  In fact, I’m grateful because I don’t think we’ve ever had one of those.  But anyway, it was a little “heated.”

Well, we made our way to the front of the store and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.  Like I said, I don’t remember the details, but it was all about money—or rather, the lack of it. And, I can probably say with certainty that most of the heat was coming from Sergeant Taylor and not his sweet wife. So, there we were standing in line, me yakking and sweet Judy holding her tongue.  And just about then…it happened. Believe it or not, over the din of the crowd I heard something sliding…being pushed on the tile floor.  I looked down.

As I looked down, there at my feet, was a crumpled up twenty-dollar bill.  I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I think I said, “Judy, look down.”  We both were flabbergasted.  Apparently, and I do believe this to be right, that crumpled up twenty-dollar bill was just what we needed to get past whatever crisis we were going through.  Now, to put your mind at ease, there wasn’t any way to determine who had lost or dropped the money. As far as I am concerned God had acted on our behalf.  He put it there.  He is the One who somehow caused me to hear the slightest of sound of paper on a tile floor.  It was my Father who caused me to look down.

Well, we picked up the gift and went to the cash register and paid for our items with what God had provided.  It was amazing.  What else is amazing is how quick my demeanor changed too. Frowns changed to smiles. Frustration turned to peace. Hopelessness changed to hope. You know, I personally believe that things like this happen all the time—everyday and in various ways.  The reason we don’t usually see them is that we aren’t looking. The reason we don’t recognize them is we tend to explain them away.  Small miracles become mere happenstance and sadly, we miss the blessing, and He misses His glory.

All the events of that day were the orchestration of my Dearest Daddy.  The tight budget that I looked on with distain was the setup for God’s grand provision.  Without the first, the second wouldn’t have happened.  One of the authors of the Psalms wrote and said, “Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy.” And, that Grits family, is the truth.  So, starting now, starting today, let’s look carefully, let’s listen carefully for the Whisperer whispering, “Don’t worry child…I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, gratitude, life, Military memories, priorities, school days, Scripture, sovereignty of God

The Phone Call

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean into your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

It is one of my favorite stories about a phone call that was to change my life.  It was from my brother-in-law’s brother.  We were fringe friends and he had an idea.  We were both seniors in high school and both really didn’t have plans for after graduation.  So he says, “Hey Dewayne.  Why don’t we join the Air Force together?  They have the buddy plan.  We can attend basic training together and go to our first duty station together.  We can be buds.”  Well, I didn’t have any better ideas and I liked the idea of serving my country and I was always kinda adventurous so, “Why not?”  I went down and signed up singing, “Off we go into the wild blue yonder.”  We were set.  Or not.

After I went down to sign up I called my brother-in-law’s brother and said, “Have you signed up yet?”  Silence.  He then told me that he had changed his mind.  We were no longer buds.  Well, regardless, I was going into the Air Force.  That much was decided. What wasn’t decided was what to do in the Air Force.  They have this test they give you to decide what best suits your talents and abilities.  I took the test. When the recruiter gave me the results he was smiling. 

“Well, Dewayne, looks like you are strong in the administrative field.” “What?” I said.  “Administration.” he said.  

He tried to make it sound really important, but he was really saying I was going to be a secretary.  Now this was not cool.  My dad was a jet engine mechanic.  One brother had served in the Army and I’m not sure what he did but it wasn’t typing.  Another brother who joined the Air Force saved the world—or at least that’s what he told me.  My other brother joined the Coast Guard—saving lives and stuff. Me?  Well, I got to be a secretary.

So anyway, I kept my word and joined the Air Force.  I even realized that being a 702X0, (that is the official designation for an administrative specialist), was not too bad.  When guys were standing in the rain guarding planes I was in a nice, warm office.  There were always a few unkind jokes about 702X0 guys but when those guys wanted their leave papers processed, the joke was on them.  Yup, it was totally unexpected but it turned out the Air Force was right.  I was in my groove.

Now for the best part of the story.  Later I met my wife Judy and we decided to make the Air Force a career.  Secretary or not, she thought I was rather dashing even if I did type instead of fly a plane.  The days and years went by and then I heard a whisper—the God kind.  It said something about pastoring and preaching.  I told the Whisperer that I was gonna stay in the Air Force and we could talk later.  Another year passed and the Whisperer kept whispering and finally I said, “Yes.”  So after twelve years I left the Air Force and walked from one office…and right into another.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I had been in school for twelve years.  I suddenly realized that God had been grooming me for the pastorate all along.  Can you imagine if I had done my thing and become a mechanic and then walked into the pastorate where working on jet engines didn’t help you write sermons?  Because of God’s sovereignty and wisdom, I left one office where I typed, wrote, researched, supervised, filed and zillion other things and walked right into another where almost all those skills were needed.  Can someone say, “Amazing?”

So here I am looking back on 42 years as a pastor and still amazed at my amazing Father. It all happened because the Whisperer whispered and for once I had the common sense to figure out He was a lot smarter than I was.  Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a powerful force in my life, all my life.  It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean into your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  I know from personal experience that is true.

I haven’t always gotten it right.  I haven’t always listened to the Whisperer, trusted Him totally or not leaned into my own understanding.  But when I did, I have always had better outcomes and fewer regrets.  And do you know what? Even in this crazy new world, even in today’s circumstances, He’s still got a plan.  This isn’t a world gone mad or to use my favorite word, “crazy.” This is a world under the watchful eye and caring heart of our God.  And He is crazy about us.  So, go ahead and surrender to Him—rest in Him.  He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, life, priorities, sovereignty of God, travel, wisdom

The Harbor Pilot

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.” Psalm 25:4-5

 We waited patiently outside the harbor for him to arrive. One thing my wife Judy and I have observed over and over again during our adventures while cruising is the necessity of a harbor pilot. The bottom line seems to be that no harbor pilot means no entry into the harbor. Now this might seem a little unnecessary or odd because our ship is already captained by a very experienced captain. He or she always has many years, and often decades, of experience navigating their ship around. Surely in all their years of captaining they have encountered every contingency.  But wait there is more.

Not only do they have all this experience, most of them have plotted the same course over and over again. That means that they have sailed into the same harbors over and over again. Surely they know more about the harbor than anyone. I guess you could argue that surely the captain of the ship doesn’t need a harbor pilot but you would be wrong. You see, no one knows the harbor like the harbor pilot. He knows every nook and cranny of the harbor. He knows every current and even how the wind blows and affects the ships inside the harbor. He is the definitive expert.

I suppose that is how it is with us and God. Let’s be honest.  Don’t we often think we know enough…and dare I say more…than God? After all, we would argue, who knows us better than ourselves. Who knows our paths better than us since we sail it–walk it– every day all of our lives. But trust me on this one–the One who created us knows our in’s and out’s better than we ever could. Having Him as our “Harbor Pilot” is not only a great idea–it the absolute best idea.

As much as we think we know it all–we don’t. Like harbors have hidden dangers so our lives, even our walk about daily lives, have dangers we cannot see and therefore are not prepared for. So why not invite God to board your vessel and guide you into the harbors of your life. There is no situation He cannot handle, no harbor He does not know. He is patiently waiting to guide you. Like the captain of the ship has to surrender control of his vessel so we must be willing to surrender our lives. It’s a great thing to know that no matter what, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, Grace, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Time in the Toaster

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and He provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.” Exodus 13:21-22

I felt like a piece of toast in the toaster. Where I live in the Midwest we have been under what the weather people call a heat dome. It is basically a large area of high pressure that settles on top on an area allowing a constant flow of good, ole, hot, Southern gulf air to continually flow in. Now, I am a southern boy and I generally like Southern things but this is one thing I don’t.

I was at the doctor this afternoon about 3:00 pm. As you might know that is generally one of the hottest times of the day. I parked my car and opened the door and was immediately met by a blast of stinkin’ hot air. As I have already said it was already just plain ole hot but the owner of the parking lot had just had the surface of the lot refinished and it was black–very black. Black draws the heat of the sun like white on rice. So that magnified the hotness. As I walked toward the office I went in between two cars and let me tell you, that’s when I felt like a piece of toast. The sun reflecting off both of the vehicles created a super hot spot. 

Now I’m not writing this to whine but I promise you this is one time a little whining is warranted.  Can I have an amen? I am writing this because I love promises–especially ones that promise relief and hope. You see, the weather guys are telling us that Thursday night a cool front is going to sweep through and that ole heat dome is going to move somewhere and instead of that hot Southern air we are going to have some sweet, drier air from the North.  Can I have an Amen?

Now I know the weather guys don’t always get it right but the one who creates the weather always does. You see, the one who made the earth and the atmosphere designed it all. He actually built into the plan changes and seasons because that is just how life is. It shows His wisdom and love for us. This change is a message from our Dearest Daddy that He loves us–enough to allow the hot and enough to send the cool. Have you ever thought about the time the children of Israel were hiking in the desert and God sent them a pillar of fire to provide warmth at night and a pillar of cloud to provide air conditioning during the day. How about that!

So when you read this remember how hot it was and how God sent some relief. He is such a good and caring Father. He not only has His hand on the wheel of our lives He has His fingers on the thermostats of our lives. We don’t need to worry because we know, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, food, gratitude, heaven, life, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

God’s Ad Agency

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1

There it was…like a giant orange egg on a nest of darkness. It had been a really warm day…ok, make that hot. I know we live in Southern Illinois and I know it is July but hot is still hot. We decided we needed some relief so we texted our daughter Becca and asked if we could drive down and take a dip in the pool. She said yes and quicker than you can spell relief, we were on our way. When we got there, she and her husband Jon were already enjoying the pool and we quickly joined them.

We swam with them for a while and then I decided it was time to raid their kitchen–the other reason I wanted to go see them. Before long Jon and I were munching while Judy and Becca enjoyed swimming and chatting. Hint:  munching is even better than swimming. After a while, time slipped away and before too long it was time to make the forty-five minute drive home. It was now dark so we had to be on the watch for all the friendly deer that love to run out in front of you. 

While we were watching for deer, Judy spotted something truly beautiful. On the right side of the car, just peeking over the horizon, was one of the most beautiful moons I have ever seen. It was literally a deep orange much like some of the sunsets we enjoy here in Southern Illinois. Before long it disappeared behind the trees and we were left with a memorable glimpse of God’s handy work. But there was more. About twenty-five minutes later, we rounded a curve and there, in all its glory was that same moon. It wasn’t as red but it still qualified as a bonafide winner. We were simply amazed. We both were aware that we were witnessing some of God’s best handiwork.

It is times like this that makes me question not the existence of God but rather how in the world can anyone deny that existence. I look around at this world that we live in and it is as if everything stands ready to declare His reality. The moon that night was like a giant billboard advertising how big and how great God is. Seriously, look around, look up and you will see that nature and especially the heavens are declaring His greatness. Check this out. Ann Graham Lotz in a recent devotion pointed out that the earth is ninety-three million miles from the sun. Any further and we would be frozen and any closer we would crispy critters. Amazing.  But wait there is more.

The tilt of the earth on its axis is exactly 23 degrees…just enough to give us the four seasons we enjoy. Take away a degree or two and we would be in a forever ice age. How about that? You see the design of this world of ours is one magnificent ad agency for the existence and wonder of God. Unashamedly I both love it and and believe it. Let me challenge you to take a look around and dare to believe. Take a glance at the sun (don’t forget your leftover eclipse glasses), the moon and the stars and then dare to believe again. You will discover that this is not one ginormous accident or coincidence. No, it is by divine design. God is declaring that He did it all and, in the same breath is letting us know, no matter what, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Up and Down

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Do not be conformed to this age but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2a (CSB)

First you don’t…and then you do.  It is funny how different things can cause us to see, well, different things. So, after church one Wednesday night, when I got home my wife Judy and I sat down to finish watching some random feel-good movie I had started.  As I sat there, I realized that the room seemed warm.  So, after a few minutes, I got up and checked and sure enough.  It wasn’t my imagination…the room really was warm. Well, in this case it wasn’t a matter of adjusting the thermostat…it meant that our downstairs air conditioning unit was NOT working.

I checked a couple of things but all to no avail.  So, I decided I would call the air conditioning fix-it guys in the morning and off we went to bed.  Now for the good news. We have a separate unit for the upstairs and gratefully it was working fine.  Thank you, Lord.  So, we slept well, and I got up the next morning, had a couple of cups of coffee and some Jesus time and then a little later called the fix-it guys.  Turns out they could come first thing in that morning (God wink) and at 8:30 am they were here.  The compressor was bad so that meant a major repair—but maybe more on that later. But it also meant no quick fix.  Parts had to be ordered and work done—but more on that too.

But even though it was a hot day, the house stayed reasonably cool…oh, 83 degrees…warm but tolerable. So, later that night I went upstairs to get ready for bed…again grateful for the upstairs unit working so very well.  After a while, I realized I had to go back downstairs (forgot to take the night meds) and when I got downstairs it seemed almost unbearably warm.  Had it gotten warmer? What was the deal? Well, the answer is simply profound.

You see, when I lived in the warmer climate downstairs, I grew used to the warmer temperature.  But only a few minutes of the cooler upstairs bliss caused me to realize just how warm the warm was and just how cool the cool was. I guess I’m trying to say we seem to get used to what we live in.  Wait…that’s important.  Whatever we allow or tolerate, can quickly become at least somewhat tolerable or acceptable in our lives.

Of course, that can be good…there’s a lot to be said for learning to be content but if that something is something that is not good…that is dangerous.  You know, some habit, some circumstance, some environment is allowed to be a part of our lives and soon, too soon, we become comfortable with what used to make us uncomfortable.  I wonder how much in this changing culture have we become comfortable with—ok with? That is a good question.

The solution to this is the same solution as air conditioning.  Spend some time in the cool and you will always be able to feel and know how warm the room is.  It will rarely become “comfortable.”  We need to spend time with God every day, time in prayer and time in His Book, and that will help us keep our spiritual sensitivity. One of my favorite go-to verses is Romans 12:2 where it warns us not to allow the world to pressure us…to be too comfortable with what should be uncomfortable. It goes on to say we should allow the Word from the God Book to transform us…to help us keep our spiritual equilibrium…or spiritual sensitivity.

Well, hopefully the air conditioning will be fixed in a couple of days but until then, well, we will keep being grateful for what is upstairs and for the lesson it is teaching us. I’m grateful God allows these things to teach us His big truths…like the one we know so well…that no matter what…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, life, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, Trials

When the Wind Blows

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The Lord is good, The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7

It came up suddenly and without warning.  One day, I was chatting on the phone with my wife Judy.  She was grand dog sitting in Murray, Kentucky and I was manning the fort at 217.  So, while we were talking, I happened to look out the window and noticed that the wind had gone from nearly nothing to a whole bunch.  I mentioned it to Judy and then I remembered that the patio umbrellas were up, and I knew that they weren’t big fans of the wind.

I quickly gave an “Oh, no” to Judy explaining about the umbrellas in about ten words, said a quick goodbye and ran for the patio.  Sure enough, the large, nine-foot sails were rocking in the wind which by now was surely gale force. I got one of the umbrellas down and then turned around to lower number two.  Just about the time it started cranking, a big gust of wind came and literally tried to lift the table, and umbrella, off the ground.  Surely if I had not been there, it would have been turned over and surely damaged…or destroyed.

Well, it began to rain but I still managed to get it down before heading into the house but here is the ironic part.  As quickly as the wind and storm came, it was over. The rain continued for a little while, but the wind was over, gone, done.  The next time I spoke with Judy, I told her about the storm, the umbrellas and the near miss.  I was grateful to have remembered but there was one thing that would have been even better…to have known ahead.

You see the possibility of storms had been forecast but the threat was so small I chose to ignore it.  Looking back, it would have been better to prepare for the possibility by lowering the umbrellas ahead of time.  Had I lost one or both umbrellas I would have surely regretted my lack of attention.  The motto of the Boy Scouts is that we should always, “Be prepared” and truthfully, I wasn’t. There is surely a big truth to be learned here.

The storms of life can blow in and leave just as quickly as the storm that assailed my patio that afternoon.  The other day a storm blew into my life.  I didn’t see it coming and I learned that I probably wasn’t as well prepared as I should have been or thought I was. My bad.  I read a story about a farmer who hired a young hand to help around the place. When he hired him, the young man said, “I can learn to do anything, and I can sleep when the wind blows.”

The farmer didn’t understand what the young man meant but he hired him anyway.  Sometime later, a storm blew up in the middle of the night.  The farmer tried to waken the young man but to no avail.  He was somewhat put out but headed out to prepare for the storm. When he got to the barn yard, to his surprise, the wagon was covered, the barn secured, and all the animals safely put away. It was then that the farmer realized what the young man meant.

A wise person will do two things in preparation for the storms of life.  First, live in a constant state of trust in the Master of the storms and always be prepared…no matter or regardless of what that means.  The windstorm caught me off guard and so did the storm that blew into my life. I am hoping that I learned a little from both.  Trust God because we can, no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Windshields and Words

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29

Go figure.  It was about seven years ago when it happened.  I was driving back from Evansville, Indiana and there was a school bus coming toward me. Of course, I didn’t think a thing about it…school buses come and go all the time.  Well, this one had a surprise waiting for me. Just about the time we met, in opposite lanes, of course, something came flying out of the bus.  To this day I don’t know what it was but whatever it was…it was big and heavy. It hit my windshield near the bottom and shattered it there.  In fact, it was so heavy, that it almost broke all the way through…glass scattered on my dash.

Well, needless to say, I was shocked.  I really wasn’t sure what had happened but it scared the pants off of me.  But then, I smiled.  You see when I bought the car it was, of course, used and the windshield had a couple of obvious defects.  First, it looked like it had been sandblasted and was covered with a zillion small pits.  Second, the top of the windshield had a medium to dark blue tint all the way across.  The dealer had placed one of those stickers on the outside that told what year it was and it stayed on long enough to leave a permanent oval-shaped shadow.  Being a perfectionist, both of these drove me nuts.

I wanted to replace the windshield but just couldn’t bring myself to do it and then when “it” happened, it was replaced courtesy of the insurance company…and that was why I smiled.  Oh, I guess I wish it hadn’t happened but since it did, I was grateful for the new windshield.  

The company did a great job installing the new glass and asked me to leave a review for their small town company…so I did.  Well, the following week I received an email from my friends at Google congratulating me on the fact that over five hundred people had read my review and found it helpful.  Now who would have thought in a small town that many people would have read and reacted to my review.  It made me realize just how powerful and far reaching our words can be.

The Jesus part of the Bible, the New Testament, talks a lot about our words…mostly encouraging us to be careful what we say.  Long before Google, Jesus and the rest of the guys who wrote the New Testament realized the importance and power of words.  The bottom line was and is…be careful what you say…it carries more impact that you realize.  Someone said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” It is a nice saying but it is simply not true.  Words can hurt a lot…trust me I know.

Paul said when he was writing to the church in Ephesus, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” What great advice.  That review, depending on what I said, had the power to help or hurt and so do our words.  Let’s choose our words carefully.  If you find yourself at a loss of words—it might be a blessing instead of a curse. And when you find yourself with too many words and something comes tumbling out that should stay in…just ask for a little help from the greatest word crafter ever…God…as always, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne