Category: thankful

Posted in Family, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, Uncategorized

When The Old Becomes New

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Just like that it went from blah to beautiful. So for the record I know very little about AI. I am not a member of the AI Fan Club and I really don’t use it very much at all. But I did have a bit of fun with it the other day.  Over the years you have read as I’ve talked a lot about gadgets and technology. Well, the other day, and maybe my wife Judy mentioned it, I decided to ask AI to rework an old photograph that I had. The program I used was Google Gemini. So here’s how it went. I had an old picture of my seven brothers and sisters. It was taken in 1974, at the cemetery, the day my Daddy was buried. It was one of a very few pictures I have of all my siblings–a simple snapshot and the effects of age had left it pretty faded.

I asked the Gemini program to “brighten, sharpen and cleanup” the picture. So, in less than a minute, the retouched photograph showed up on my screen and the results were pretty awesome. Don’t believe it? Well, check it out at the top of the post. Well, that caused me to start looking for some other photographs that were seemingly beyond enjoyment and ask Gemini to fix them up–and time and time again it did. The picture of me in uniform is of a change of command ceremony that I was a part of. Originally it was black and white and again from the 1980’s. Take a look and be amazed at what happened.

I just think all of that is pretty cool…to take something old and make it like new. And, did you know that is exactly what God does with us. In fact, He goes one step further. He doesn’t just make us look better…He makes us new. Paul, the guy in the Bible, wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Wow…how amazing is that.

So do you think it is time for a fresh start…a new beginning? In fact, maybe you think you were born so wrong the first time you need a new one. No problem because Jesus is the Bible told a guy, “You must be born again.” When it comes to fresh beginnings and new births, well, no one can top God. It is cool that Gemini can retouch a photograph and do what it does but that way pales to what God can and is willing to do. So, go ahead and ask and He will give you that new beginning you’ve been longing for.  After all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

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

Cruising with the Captain

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Have you ever taken a cruise? I’m not sure how it all began but a while back, my wife Judy and I decided to take a cruise. If I remember right it began in San Juan, Puerto Rico which was an adventure in itself. We then cruised to several islands in the Caribbean all the while “living” onboard this really big cruise ship. The bottom line?  It was an amazing experience. One of my big hesitations about this cruising thing was being in such a “small” area with 4,000 of my closest friends. As it turned out there was more than enough space for all of us. Through someone cooking our food, making our bed and dozens of other things, well, we joined the cruising fan club.

That was more than a few years ago and we have take more than a few additional cruises. Some of them were five days long and the longest was twenty-five days. And so far it seems we are always up for another one. It just seems to fit our niche especially now that we are retired. I was trying to come up with something to write about when I thought about this. In one aspect the cruise experience, along with the ship and crew, are somewhat like the “Shepherd” experience. Let me explain. Oh, and I’ll go ahead and ask for a little grace.

I know this is a stretch and that’s where the grace comes in. When we board the cruise ship, the cruise line who operates the ship and who hires and trains the crew has a goal…to meet all of our needs and a boat load (pun fully intended) of our whims. The whole cruise experience is designed to make us want to do it all over again. And not just do it all over again but to do it with them. Grace time! So, King David, the one in the Bible and who wrote Psalm 23 said, “The Lord is my Shepherd. I have everything I need.” So here is David writing this great analogy. In one sentence He gets it totally right. When God is our Shepherd…well, we don’t need anything else. He is the great Provider for His Kids. He loves us beyond limit and desires to meet our needs and, yup, a boat load of our desires or sometimes whims.

Ephesians 3:20 puts it like this. “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Well, there you go. He is a God who can’t stop loving and forgiving, who lavishes us with grace and mercy and who will never stop doing that and more. All of that is why my cruise analogy is pretty weak but I hope it makes us pause and think. So today, I hope you will choose to “cruise” through life with the Captain of your soul and if you can’t call Him that yet–why not do so right now? Once you do, you too can experience the joy of cruising with Him and knowing that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

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

Stars and Satellites

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” Psalm 139:14a

It was silently majestic. We were staying at an Airbnb that overlooked the Columbia River Gorge. This gorge is nationally known for its natural beauty. The Oregon side is steep and mountainous and the home of dozens of waterfalls. The Washington side is more of a steep slope that culminates at the top of a ridge hundreds of feet above the Columbia River. A home on top of that ridge was our home for a couple of nights. Our host had done a wonderful job of decorating the patio area with beautiful flowers in full bloom and comfortable furniture that included a full-length couch that begged to be stretched out on and a plush chair just made for slouching in. It was a little piece of heaven on earth.

Both nights we made it a point to spend the end of our day watching as the daylight slowly vanished and night came on. As darkness arrived—so did the stars with all their majesty. It wasn’t hard to feel and almost hear the heavens singing and shouting the glory of God. There was very little light pollution, so the stars seemed almost as bright as those we experienced in the West Africa wilderness. We were simply amazed. On the first night, I saw a falling star streak across the sky. Amazing.

As the last light of day gave way to the first darkness of night, we began to see something else. Mingled among the stars were satellites, dozens of them, streaking across the sky. While not nearly as amazing as the stars, they still managed to amaze us. Those small dots of reflected light were all shot into space on top of a rocket and traveling in space at 17,500 miles per hour. And that, Grits friends, is the point of the story. First, creation itself declares in unabashed boldness that there is a God and He is amazing in every aspect of His existence. Then comes part two.

I watched in silent amazement as those tiny dots zoomed across the sky. It was then I was reminded that they were created by men. That reminded me that we are not products of evolution but are marvelous creations of God. You see, monkeys and apes don’t make satellites or planes or cars or anything else like that. They may be smart, but they never have been, are not now, and never will be smart enough to do anything like that. Nope…it takes a fearfully and wonderfully made creation like us to do something like that–and even then it is way past amazing.

So as a gentle reminder, all creation reminds us of the great God who loves us, and all this amazing mechanical and technological stuff we’ve put together reminds us that we didn’t come from globs of jelly on a beach or a monkey swinging on a tree. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t believe it? Just read His Book, and you will clearly see that from day one and before—He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, travel

And Now You Know!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20

So what in the world do y’all do?  Now that is a good question. Perhaps it all started with our twelve years in the Air Force and especially our three years stationed in Germany. The bottom line is my wife Judy and I have always loved to travel. As you can imagine that was a little difficult during my 42 years as a pastor. When your calendar is defined by Sundays, Wednesdays and holidays…well, it somewhat limited our travel opportunities. With that said, we both were so grateful for the mission trips the church allowed us to lead and for the vacation time the church granted us. I always chuckled when we would escape for vacation and someone would invariably say, “Is that preacher gone again?” And I guess we were.

So when retirement came we immediately embraced and enjoyed the freedom that it granted. And in the last two years, three months and twenty days we have travelled with abandon. Sometimes it was another continent, sometimes another country or state and sometimes, well, just another city. But wherever and whenever, we have enjoyed our journeys. And here is the part that is most important…at least for us. Our travels don’t take us to the biggest and best amusement parks…no it usually takes us to places were we can see and embrace this wonderful creation of God. Nothing thrills us more than to just look and see what God has done. Whether it is a majestic mountain, a cool mountain stream or a thundering waterfall, we see the handiwork of God. And we look, we ooh and awe, we smile and grin and we talk about it. 

This latest trip took us to the Alaskan Inner Passage and several small towns along the coast. It  also took us to and through the Olympic National Park where we saw Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest. We followed the Washington Coast and drove over to the Columba River Gorge where we saw waterfalls that were so tall they seemed to fall straight from heaven. We laid in a backyard and just looked at the stars and the satellites as they raced across the sky.  We even saw the International Space Station doing the same. We spent some time walking the Oregon Coast listening to the mighty Pacific Ocean thunder before driving down to see the mighty Redwoods in Northern California. Yup…it was amazing and I suppose I’ll be writing about some it in the coming days.

Now here is the amazing thing. Right here in Southern Illinois, just next door in the Shawnee National Forest, or maybe just down the road or in your own neighborhood, we…you…can see the handiwork of God. Every sunrise and sunset, every cloud and ever changing leaf all shout the God of creation. So whether you travel like Judy and I or whether you just like to sit in the backyard and have a cup of coffee, be sure and look for God because surely He is there just waiting to sit with you. Take the time to enjoy Him for surely…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, heaven, life, Scripture, thankful

Full Moon Full of Praise

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. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

This won’t take long. Tonight was concert night in the heavens. You see, tonight was another of God’s glorious creations–a full moon full of color. I knew it was coming. They ran a short story on the morning news just letting people know that the full moon was coming that night–at 8:24 pm to be exact. I put it on our calendar so we would be sure to remember to go outside and see it. We went and we were not disappointed.

We checked at 8:24 pm and while I’m sure the moon had risen, from where we were we couldn’t see it yet. Then, at about 8:50 pm, I went outside and there just above the horizon was a beautifully round and beautifully orange full moon. My God, my Dearest Daddy, had done it again. It really was simply beautiful. Whenever I write about full moons and God, I am reminded of Psalm 19:1-4. There we read, “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. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.

I am sure that if we could hear with heavenly ears the heaven’s would be bursting out in song. It might be “Holy, Holy, Holy” or perhaps the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Regardless it could still only pass a marginal attempt to fully and adequately praise our magnificent God. So, while this is a small serving of Grits, I hope you will realize the big truth about our big God is big…really big. I thank Him that no matter when or where, the heavens and all creation will always be singing of His greatness and how no matter what, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Grace, life, money, Scripture, thankful

A Tale of Two Cards

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Two cards–as different as night and day. In my wallet I carry lots of stuff but there are two cards that tell very different tales. Let me explain. Stuffed in among the stuff are two cards that I can used to buy stuff. The first is a credit card. After proving to the company that I was worthy to have their card, they allow me to buy stuff with the clear understanding that when I do I have to pay them back. And, if I don’t pay them back in full every month, I have to pay some interest–lots of interest. For the record, we do in fact pay ours back every month. And interestedly enough, we use this card only to buy the gas for our cars and when I do they pay me 5% on every dollar I spend. But buyers beware–they are just waiting for me to mess up and not pay the balance and if I do–the penalty is way more than that 5%.

Now card two is totally different. Though it is very similar in size and color the very nature of this card is totally different. You see, it is a gift card. Here is how it works. Someone paid the price in full and gave it to me as a gift. When I go to the store I simply walk up to the cash register with my purchase and give the person my card. They process it and then–I simply walk away. There is never a bill at the end of the month, there is never a penalty and in most cases–it never expires. Wow…how about that?

Like I said, even though they look alike, they are totally different. A credit card is a debt and the gift card is a prepaid gift. And that dear friends is the difference between grace and works–religion and Jesus. Works and religion make you work to keep the rules with the hopeless hope of making you right with God. Problem is–it won’t work. Never has and never will. It leaves you with a debt that can only end in eternity separated from God. Bad deal. Grace and Jesus are a free gift from God.  Our only responsibility is to believe in Jesus and in the process receive the gift. Debt–paid in full. No bill ever, no penalty ever–you are free.

That big truth from the Bible can be summed up in Romans 6:23. There we read, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Boom! Reject Jesus and you are responsible for the debt of your sin and you will spend eternity separated from God in a place you don’t even want to think about. But receive Jesus and He takes responsibility for your sin by dying in your place. He paid the price so you don’t have to.

So question? Are you counting on bad credit or God’s grace? Are you hoping that somehow you can pay the debt or will you let Jesus pay it for you? The choice is yours…debt and bondage or grace and freedom. Worried that your debt is just too big? Forget about! He is more than able to handle whatever your sin load is.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, life, Scripture, thankful

Easy Does It!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

I was reading this morning and came across a very interesting list of numbers. It said that the the average American spends three years in business meetings. Now if that average American is a Baptist, that number would certainly be much higher. So the list continues. We spend 13 years–that is years with a “y” watching television. Oh but wait–there’s more. We eat 109,354 pounds of food. Once again the Baptist number would be like a zillion pounds. That same average American would make 1,811 trips to McDonalds and spend almost $7,000 dollars in vending machines. Then for dessert we would eat 35,138 cookies and about 1,483 pounds of candy. After eating all of that we are going to need a long nap so we are going to sleep for 24 for years! That is amazing.

Of course, most of us find all of that unbelievable because it seems so impossible and takes a lifetime. We would probably never do those things to that excess if we really thought about it. Let me pass on to you two or three good pieces of advice. First, remember that time adds up. If God grants us a full day then we will have the gift of 1,440 minutes.  Remember to make everyone of them count. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:16, “Making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” In other words–make every minute count.

Second, remember that we are free in what food we eat and besides the blatant sins, we are free to do most things. But we also need to do everything in moderation. Paul tells in 1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” I think that means we don’t need to eat 35,138 cookies or watch 13 years of television. Just saying.

Finally, we need to remember that we can honor God in so many areas of our lives. When it comes to serving Him, there really isn’t a religious world and a secular world. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Do.It.All.For.The.Glory.Of.God! That means we have multiple opportunities to bring glory to Him–and multiple opportunities to do the opposite! Remember to keep the main thing the main thing–honor Him.

So, remember to have a few cookies, take a few naps and even watch a little television but remember that while everything is permissible for us we should not be mastered by anything–except the Master. Tall order? Perhaps but with God we can do all things. After all–He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in fear, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful

Rescue–I Just Ran Out

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:24 

I just ran out. You know words can mean more than one thing. Those four words are a prime example. First, if someone says, “I just ran out” they might be talking about sugar. Maybe they were going to make a cake and realized that the day before they had used all their sugar. They would call a friend and say, “Can I borrow some sugar? I was going to make a cake and realized I just ran out.” Then of course there is a guy who found a snake in his bedroom. As he relayed the story to one of his friends, his friend might say, “So what did you do?” The guy might respond, “Well, I just ran out.”

Well, the other day I came face to face with a new meaning for those words. I was visiting my sister in Anniston, Alabama and was doing my morning walk thing. The fact that I was walking was nothing short of the goodness of God. After a long stint of hip and back pain, I was finally back (no pun intended) in business and trust me I was telling God just how grateful I was. So, anyway, is I was booking it pretty good–walking and talking with God.  And then–it happened.

There was a place in the road where the pavement looked like pavement does when someone didn’t do their job. As I walked, all of a sudden, the toe of my shoe hung up on something and I found myself fighting to stay upright. Rather than just fall flat on my face, I was able to start running. It may not have been pretty, in fact, I’m sure it wasn’t but somehow I was about to run enough to regain my balance and keep going. It was an amazing feat for my feet if I do say so myself.

So what do you think I did? Whine and complain? Nope. Grumble and groan? Nope. Pout and shout? Nope. As soon as I got my balance back, my hands shot into the air and I began praising the Lord. I knew this was yet another big intervention by my Dearest Daddy. With nothing on but shorts and a teeshirt, the road rash would have been of biblical proportions and on top of that there was the real possibility of some broken bones. But God was more than faithful. He sustained me, He held me, and He saved me. Plain and simple–He helped me run it out.

I was and am so grateful. I never get tired of telling and writing about the goodness of God. This particular time reminded me of Psalm 37:24. Speaking of the Godly, the author writes,     “Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.” I can’t number the times that my great Rescuer came to rescue for me. And do you know what? If you think about–neither can you. 

This story could have had a harder and more difficult ending but God in His grace decided on this ending. And had I fallen–well, He would have still been good and still been gracious. Let me encourage you–always be on the outlook for the goodness of God. Trust me–it is everywhere. No matter the circumstances and no matter the outcome, always know and believe that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, gratitude, heaven, Scripture, thankful

Cuddling Up with God

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1

We were snuggled under a blanket. So this week we are in Vienna (not Italy but Illinois for our bigger world readers) taking care of the grand dogs while the the family is down in Florida on vacation. Zoe and Riley are pretty special pups and we love watching them. Becca and Jon live just outside a quiet Southern Illinois town in an equally quiet neighborhood. Since we live in the center of our small town…we love the quietness.

Last night I was snuggled down on the couch under a blanket. The air conditioning and the ceiling fan were both cool enough to make it feel nice and cozy. In fact, we love to sleep cool. We have four, that is right four, fans in our bedroom and each night we turn the air conditioning down. In the winter, it is not uncommon for us to open a window or two to let the cool and sometimes cold air in. Why do we do it? Because we love to cuddle down under a quilt or blanket to sleep!

So it was kinda natural that I had rounded up a blanket to cuddle with on the couch. So there I was cuddling when suddenly I heard, and the the the pups heard, a knock at the back door. They kicked into guard dog mode and I looked over at the door only to see my wife Judy outside. I went to the door and opened it and asked the obvious question, “What are you doing outside?” Well, it turned out that she had gone outside to see what God was doing that night and the door had locked behind her.

She said, “Dewayne, you need to come out and see the stars.” Well, I really wanted to go back to my cuddling on the couch but I decided I needed to see what she was seeing. I stepped out and there, in the darker darkness of the country side, was a sky full of beautiful and bright stars. I was overwhelmed. It instantly reminded me of the starry skies I would see in Africa. Well, anyway, we sat down and were amazed. The skies were just ablaze with God’s creation and they were all shouting His glory. As we watched, we saw several satellites making their silent but fast journey across the night sky. I was blessed to see a shooting star shoot across the sky. It all was just amazing and I told Judy I was so glad she shared it with me. If I had stayed inside I would have missed all. And then it occurred to me.

Just like I was cuddled under a blanket on the couch, there I sat cuddling under a blanket of stars filled with amazement at the wonderful, great God we served. I quoted Psalm 19:1 that says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of His hands.” And I knew for certain it was so. It was like listening to the finest choir singing the finest hymns of praise–all directed toward Him.

Well, after a while, we went inside–hoping for a repeat performance on another night soon. Cuddling up with God under His blanket of stars was so overwhelming and yet peaceful. Just like cuddling under a warm blanket on a cool night, so cuddling with the creator of the universe is beyond worlds. I felt safe and satisfied knowing that no matter what, I can rest with Him because, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

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

Timeless

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8

The captain of the Majestic Princess carefully guided the massive ship into a slip at the port that served Dublin, Ireland. On that day we had signed up to take a bus tour that would take us through Dublin and the surrounding countryside. My wife Judy and I both agreed that Ireland was everything we were expecting and then some more. The green beauty and the history of the place reminded us of the majestic majesty of our great God.

We went to one of the oldest shops in Ireland where they weaved wool into beautiful garments. They used the same machines that had been used for decades and centuries. It was amazing to watch as the individual strands of wool were woven into beautiful garments with beautiful colors. As I watched and as I touched and felt the finished products I was reminded how God can weave the fabrics of our lives and make a beautiful mosaic of textures and colors. Individually the threads were not that impressive but when woven together they became a work of art.

A little further down the road we stopped at a cemetery that held the ruins of an ancient monastery. The buildings there date back to AD 600. It was amazing to think that these stones and these ruins stood just six centuries after the life and death of Jesus. Here in America if something is a hundred years old, we call it old. In the land where we were walking they would say it was just getting started.

In the cemetery the people had built a small chapel also built in AD 600. Amazingly the building still stood. Yes, Amazing. Near the entrance of the cemetery was a stone leaning against the stone wall. It was large and it was old. It was part of the ancient monastery and it was called the sanctuary stone. They said that if you touched the stone it would make you happy. Well, since I didn’t take the opportunity to go and kiss the Blarney Stone, I decided to take this opportunity to kiss the sanctuary stone. I figured if touching it would make me happy, kissing it should make me plum giddy. Well, as it turns out, kiss or not, I was happy but I did get a special memory of a special day.

One of my big take-aways from my day in the Irish countryside was a deep appreciation for time and Jesus who left heaven which exists outside of time and chose to become one of us. One of the beauties of God’s view of time is that He is not bound by it and when we go to live with Him…we won’t be either. One day, as His children, we will go home to a place where time is no more and we will have what touching or kissing a stone can’t give…true and eternal happiness. I am grateful for my Dearest Daddy who loves me enough to invite me to live with Him forever. I am so grateful to the One who, no matter what, can assuredly say, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne