actions – Grits with Grace

communication, fear, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, spiritual battles, Trials

Mirrors and Band-Aids

Posted on October 25, 2024October 18, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” James 1:24

Well, it just made me laugh. At least for me the internet is a love, hate relationship. There is so much good stuff out there but if you are older than two, you know there is a ton of junk too. So, you learn to tread carefully and get the good stuff and avoid the bad like the black plague. And, if you happen to stumble into something that is poisonous, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit. On the other side of the coin, when you find something good, apply it and share it.

Every day I receive probably five or six devotionals in my email. The good news is they are always safe reading. The better news is that often they are more and this week I got something that was more. It told a story that goes like this. “A drunken husband snuck up the stairs quietly one evening as his wife was sleeping. He looked in the bathroom mirror and discovered he had several bumps and bruises from a fight earlier that night. He doctored himself up and then proceeded to climb into bed smiling at the thought that he had pulled one over on his sleeping wife.”

“When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his obviously unhappy wife. While glaring, she said, “You were drunk last night, weren’t you?” The husband said, “No honey…I wasn’t.” “Well,” she replied, “if you weren’t, then who put all the Band-Aids on the bathroom mirror?” Boom. Gotcha. I hope that made you smile because it sure did me. And as a writer of blogs and a teacher, I realized this story is just stuffed with truths and lessons for us to learn. As an example, I wonder how he expected to explain the Band-Aids that were supposed to be on his face…let alone the ones that ended up on the bathroom mirror. The marks and scars of our misguided steps will always tell a story. There’s a verse in the Old Testament that says we can be sure our sins will find us out. How true.

Another great lesson from our story teaches us that we should pay close attention when we look in the mirror. In this case since the husband was drunk…well, he was also clueless. What is amazing to me are the times when we are stone sober and look in the mirror, see something that isn’t right and still walk away leaving whatever it was intact and in place. There’s a verse for that one too. James, the half-brother of Jesus, says that when we know what to do and don’t do it, we are like a person who looks in a mirror, sees that something is awry and chooses to just walk away. Remember it is better to take care of the problem and yes, it is better to not only read and discover what to do…but then…do it. An ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure.

Oh, and then there is the lesson about self-fixing. The man saw the mess and tried to fix it up himself. How many times have we tried that…and failed miserably. One of the lessons I have learned through the years is that while self-fixing is sometimes admirable, it can never do what only God can do. There are plenty of mishaps and messes in life that we need the help of Someone bigger than us. Enter a God who loves us so much. Enter a God that loves us too much to leave us alone…like we are. He is in more than the fix-it-up business…He is in the rescue; redeem and resurrect business and He can’t wait to be a part of your life.

Well, I reckon we can’t leave this story without stating the obvious. And what is that? The dude shouldn’t have been drunk in the first place! Whether he was seeking an escape or just stopped by the bar and stumbled into a mess… neither matter. Remember, mess with a snake and you will eventually get bit…it is just how it goes. But regardless, accidental, or intentional, God is there not to lecture but to redeem…not to point a finger but to point the way to your rescue. No matter what…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, school days, Scripture, thankful, Trials

It Was an Accident

Posted on July 24, 2024July 20, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7

I’m sure the doctor just rolled his eyes. When I was eleven or twelve, you know about sixth grade, my Daddy and Momma got me one of the coolest Christmas presents ever. Most of you have seen the movie “A Christmas Story” about a kid who wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Well, this story isn’t like that, but it’s about something even better than a Red Ryder BB gun. That year, wait for it, they got me a Daisy double-barrel BB gun. It was designed after a real double-barrel shotgun. It had two barrels (you probably figured that out), two triggers, and even broke in the middle to cock it. It was amazing.

I can remember going outside to shoot that gun…there was not another one like it in the whole neighborhood. I wish I could tell you how well I took care of it…especially since, if you can find one now, they would sell for well over a thousand dollars. But honestly, it was well used, and under cared for, and one day one of the barrels stopped working. Well, I always enjoyed fixing things, so I just started taking things apart to work on it. I figured out that the left barrel wasn’t working. So, I took the “BB thingy” inside the barrel out, cleaned it good, oiled it, and then stuck it back in.

After I put everything back together, I cocked the gun and pulled the trigger, but as far as I could tell it still wasn’t working. I decided that I would put my finger over the bad barrel to see if I could feel any air coming out. Now, I know that sounds like a really, bad idea, and it was. I know it was not smart or safe. I know it was just pure old dumb. But, regardless, I did it. I sure wish I hadn’t.

Well, things wouldn’t have been so bad because as it turns out the barrel wasn’t working. The problem was that I had my finger over the wrong barrel and pulled the wrong trigger and as I squeezed that trigger, the gun fired, and a BB went right into my finger…clear to the bone. Oh, and yes, that was a dumb idea, and yes, it did hurt…boy, did it hurt.

I put the gun down and ran into the house holding my throbbing and bleeding third finger on my right hand. Momma didn’t have time to give me a lecture or even holler at me. We headed straight to the emergency room. After checking in we saw the doctor who when he heard the story gave me that, “what a really a dumb idea” look. After numbing things up, he proceeded to dig around with a medical tweezer until he found the BB, got ahold of it and pulled it out. Shot or no shot—it hurt. I got a nice bandage and the opportunity to make a story up on what happened. I wasn’t about to tell the truth…that was way too embarrassing.

If you look on my right hand and at my ring finger you can still see to this day a nice little dimple where the BB went into my finger. It is there to remind me not to stick my finger over the barrel of a BB gun…or any gun for that matter. It is there to remind me that there are consequences when we choose dumb over smart, or wrong over right. It reminds me of that part of the Bible that says the rules of God are always right…whatever you plant, you harvest. Do dumb and you get dumb consequences…every time.

I hope this Grits will help me and you both to think before we act…you know, to think things through. Fortunately, God is more than ready to help us make the right decisions if we are willing to ask. Uh, I didn’t ask that day and when we just don’t get around to doing that…well, He is still there to help us deal with the consequences too. I’m glad He doesn’t act like the doctor, rolling His eyes at my mistakes. No, He is too loving to do that. In fact, if you listen, you will hear Him say, “Don’t worry, dumb or not, I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

fear, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, Integrity, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Fog Free Living

Posted on January 30, 2024January 28, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10

Well, it was one hot mess. Well, actually, that is not exactly accurate. Last year, right before Christmas, we had this arctic blast come from up north and give us a week or so of bone chilling temperatures. We were all so glad when it moved on. This year it happened again but not before Christmas but several weeks after. Once again, the window up north opened, and the cold air poured south like water in an empty bucket. The temperatures weren’t quite as cold but trust me there isn’t a big difference between three degrees and three degrees below zero. What was different was the cold lingered a few days longer. Slowly, the warm earth succumbed, and it too became cold. Chapter two.

So, when the air did finally move on the ground remained cold…or at least colder than the air and that led to the hot mess…metaphorically speaking. What followed was several days of yucky, icky days. It was still quite cold, upper thirties—low forties, misty and rainy and ok, let’s just say it—miserable. So, with the air warmer than the ground, the inevitable happened. Fog. Now we all know there is fog and then there is FOG. Well, this mess definitely deserved the capital letters. It was the kind of fog that you see in those scary mystery movies—you know, the one filmed in Transylvania or in the backwoods of some remote place where banjos play. Anyway, it really was a mess. Well, after several days, things equalized, and the fog went wherever used fog goes. While it was still misty and still cloudy at least you could see your hand in front of your face.

This was one of those things you could see coming (great play on words) and the reason is simple. When cold ground meets warm moist air with not much wind—you are probably going to get fog—and usually lots of it. And guess what? What is true there is also true in principle. When we get sloppy in faith and allow some sin junk to exist, things are going to get foggy, get a little more difficult…more challenging. It is just inevitable. Remember, when the air and ground are about the same temperature…well, the fog is held at bay. And, when we choose to keep our faith and actions balanced—we usually keep the fog—the mess—at bay too. And when that happens—you guessed it—better circumstances and less regrets and that is always a good thing.

So, we can’t control the weather. That is bigger than even The Weather Channel—that is up to the Master of the Wind and the creator of it all—our Dearest Daddy. But when we control our actions and attitudes, that keeps the “fog monster” at bay. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” That verse isn’t just about keeping rules—it is about showing our love for the One who loves us most AND living and enjoying life here as He intended. Remember He also said, “I have come that you may have life—and have it to the fullest” and that spiritually means fog free living. Need a little help with the weather in your life? Just determine that you are going to leave it to Him. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, friends, gratitude, Holidays, life, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Thanksgiving

Leftovers

Posted on November 24, 2023November 21, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13

One of the best things about Thanksgiving doesn’t happen on Thanksgiving. Well, let’s be honest, for most of us blessed to live here in America it is a day to throw the diet out the window, to loosen the belt a notch, to forget trying to bend over. It is the day after the feast. I know for the Taylor tribe we have perfected the feast to a fine art. Each year there are certain items that just must be on the table. There is the most incredible mac-n-cheese in the world, a sweet potato soufflé, oh, and strawberry pretzel salad. And that is the short list. There is also green bean casserole, rolls, some sort of salad and, well, you get the idea. Even a sampling of the feast will cause your belt to shrink a notch or two. Thanksgiving food…you gotta love it.

But here is the best part. Eventually, perhaps hours, but maybe the next day, there will be a hint of hunger. As full as you feel after the feast, you will get hungry again and that’s when it happens. You can go to the refrigerator and start unloading the leftovers. All that joy from the Thanksgiving feast is reborn right before your eyes. And the amazing part is that some of the dishes taste even better than the first time. A couple of minutes in the microwave will have you smiling just like the day before. And the hits just keep on coming because some, not all mind you, but some will make it for day two.

And then there is the turkey. Mr. Turkey must be related to the cat because it seems to have nine or more lives. After the initial onslaught of Thanksgiving and the day after, there always seems to be more turkey. What should we do? Well, some might be given a quick trip to the freezer, but some will be reborn in a myriad of creative and tasty recipes. Who knows the multitude of ways Mr. Turkey can be reborn in the days following Thanksgiving? You see, in some ways, Thanksgiving is the holiday that just keeps on giving. Just ask your waistline.

I realize that some folks aren’t fans of leftovers. I knew one guy who simply refused to eat them and of course that is every person’s choice. But as for me, I say bring them on. Whether it is a Thanksgiving feast or a leftover burger from some fast-food place, it is all waiting for a second chance to satisfy that hunger pain. Now to be fair, sometimes those leftovers are better left alone. What might have been a crunchy delight one day can be a soggy mess the next, so you must choose your leftovers carefully. Sometimes, it’s better to let that tasty dish go on the first go around.

Do you suppose that is true in life too? You know, our choices and actions can be like those leftovers. Some choices are worth savoring for days, weeks, and months or maybe even a lifetime. Trusting Jesus…now that was a good decision that will last forever. Marrying my wife Judy…check. Forty-seven years later and I’m still humming, “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Having kids? That’s a good one too though there have been times in their teen years when I pondered checking the return policy. The truth is all of us, if we look, will discover there are some great leftovers that spill joy into our lives every day.

Truthfully, and painfully, there are some leftovers that still cause our hearts to hurt. A broken relationship left unattended, a harsh word spoken and left hanging without an apology, poor health decisions…yes, there are painful leftovers in every person’s life. While we can’t just make them disappear like fog burning off in the morning, we can do what we can do and that is to seek and receive forgiveness. First, let it start with God. Let Him know how you regret and repent or turn from whatever it was. Then, if an apology is due, give it. Even if the person is no longer around, you can apologize. Maybe write a letter and then burn it. And lastly, we need to forgive ourselves and that, by the way, might be the most difficult thing to do. And then, take the sad leftovers and take them to the trash…where they belong.

I love what Paul the Bible writer said. He said we should forget the past and look forward. He wasn’t saying we should forget because that probably isn’t possible. He was saying we should not allow a past that is forgiven to own us in the present. Quit giving those thoughts space in your brain. He was saying we need to get rid of those old, rotten leftovers and that is something we can do. So, savor the good and ditch the regretful. Sounds difficult? That’s ok because there is a Dearest Father who will help you. In fact, listen carefully, even now He is whispering, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, friends, Grace, life, love, loving others, Scripture, thankful, Trials

A Tale of Two Mowers

Posted on July 11, 2023July 10, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18

It was time to buy a mower. A while back my son-in-law and daughter moved back from Oklahoma to Paducah. That meant that once again our family circle was close together again. He had been in the Army and had been assigned twice eleven hours away (Savanah, Georgia and Lawton, Oklahoma) and once for a couple of years in Korea. Trust me…that was a lot more than eleven hours. But happily, the tribe can finally get together occasionally. They rented a house in Paducah, Kentucky…a house with a good-sized yard. However, since they lived “on post” at his last assignment, they didn’t have a lawnmower. They thought about buying a goat (smile) but Judy and I offered to give them our mower and I would go and get another one.

My mower was my friend. We had been together for about ten years, and it was still in great shape. It was a solid brand; commercial grade mower and we made a great team. Honestly, I really hated to part with it, but it felt good to be a little generous. So, I began the search for a replacement. I researched and asked around to try and make a good decision. A friend of mine used to own a small engine shop and dealership, so he was my go-to person. His advice was to buy a good one with a dependable engine…like a Briggs and Stratton. So, after a long search I settled on a big name, expensive, brand…a Honda…with the hopes it would take me well into the future.

During my chase for a new mower, I discovered that my semi-local big box store (or just about any store for that matter) didn’t carry much stock. That meant I had to order it and the nice FedEx man would deliver it to my house. After ordering, I waited several days for it to come and finally the day arrived. FedEx usually leaves my packages at the front door and because this was going to be a big one, I left a nice big note on the front door that said, “Please leave package at back door.” He apparently didn’t see the note and deposited the lawn mower on my front porch.

Well, upon examination I discovered that part of the handle had broken through the box and was sticking out. I knew that couldn’t be good. I opened the box and discovered that the handle was bent and one of the front wheels was too. Bummer. Well, to make a long story short that meant I had to haul the mower to the big box store (and it was not going to fit in my car) and reorder another one. I told my grass to stop growing because of the delay and it said, “No.” Well, now I was in a pickle. I went to “Plan B.”

“Plan B” went like this. Another big box store had a lesser brand (but with the required good engine) and it was half the price. Smile. Then I discovered it was an additional ninety dollars off. Big smile. So, the very expensive damaged mower, which by the way was very poorly packaged, went back and the cheaper, lesser brand came to live with me. Imagine my surprise when I opened the lesser brand and discovered the company (here in the USA, by the way) had built a wooden frame around the mower to protect it. Not surprisingly…it was in perfect condition. So, the expensive mower was left to bang around in its cardboard box and the lesser brand (that cost a whole lot less) came in some type of wood reenforced cardboard box. Some things just don’t make sense.

Well, only time will tell the end of this story. I used the new lesser brand the other day and it did very well. Smile. Regardless of its “lesser” name, I expect for the foreseeable future my grass will be shorter and that is what matters. In this case the quality of the packaging and the price trumped the better branded mower. One package said, “We care about you and our product, and one said, “Oops and good luck.”

You see, the packaging, in this case was as important as the product. It is true in lawn mowers, and it is true in life. It matters how people perceive who we are. If we want people to think a certain way about us…we must live that certain way. A guy named John who was a disciple of Jesus wrote and said, “Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” Yup…actions matter more than words…and never is that truer than in our Jesus walk.

It has been said people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. In a world that is way short on love and kindness, we need to put it right out there so there is no question that we care. Our packaging really does matter. So, I’ll let you know how the mower thing plays out. Regardless, I know this. The lesser brand sent me, the consumer, a message—we care about you, and we care about our product. God has a message for us too. It simply says, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Walking Wisely

Posted on May 8, 2023May 7, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23

It’s funny…start something and it just might stick around forever. I make my living helping others do life. I am a teacher/pastor. Each week I prepare a message to share on Sundays. Sometimes, like this week, I will also help someone walk through the “dark valley” as they say goodbye to a loved one. And sometimes, I do special things like speaking on the radio, teaching on Wednesday or at special events. Well, a long time ago, I began using different colors of marking on my notes to help me study.

For no reason in particular it goes something like this. Whenever I use a particular scripture, I highlight that in pink. When I have something that is important, I highlight that in green. An illustration gets highlighted in blue and any notes I hand write merit orange. And then the text in general gets highlighted in yellow. Oh, and then a while back, just to change things up, I added purple to the mix. If nothing else, I can say safely say my notes look something like a rainbow. Amazing, but somehow, it works.

The funny thing is all those years ago when I chose those colors for those parts of my notes, I had no idea that for the rest of teaching life that would be the way it would be. There was no rhyme, no reason to what color I assigned to each part—I just did it. And that made me think. I wonder how many other things are there in my life, that I somehow made a decision to start, to do and now all these years later they are still a part of me. Ring a bell?

For most decisions, it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Hotdog? Ketchup or mustard only? Relish or no relish? By the way, I made the “mustard only” decision about ten years ago and now I can’t imagine eating a hotdog any other way. But then, some decisions we make can lead to hurt and even destruction. Some can damage our character and integrity—robbing us of joy and peace.

Someone said, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” And it can all start with the simplest thing—like a thought. Need a little help figuring it all out? Well, the Book gives a great prayer for us to pray. It says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Now that’s a good prayer and good advice. You can trust Him…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, gratitude, Integrity, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

A Tale of Two Lawn Mowers

Posted on September 27, 2021September 26, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18

It was time to buy a mower. Recently my son-in-law and daughter moved back into the area. That meant that once again our family circle was close together again. He had been in the Army and had been assigned twice eleven hours away (Savanah, Georgia and Lawton, Oklahoma) and once for a couple of years in Korea. Trust me…that was a lot more than eleven hours. But happily, the tribe can finally get together occasionally. They rented a house in Paducah, Kentucky…a house with a pretty good-sized yard. However, since they lived “on post” at his last assignment, they didn’t have a lawnmower. They thought about buying a goat (smile) but Judy and I offered to give them our mower and I would go and get another one.

During my chase for a new mower, I discovered that in these COVID days, the semi-local big box store (or just about any store for that matter) didn’t carry much stock. That meant I had to order it and the nice FedEx man would deliver it to my house. After ordering, I waited several days for it to come and finally the day arrived. FedEx usually leaves my packages at the front door and because this was going to be a big one, I left a nice big note on the front door that said, “Please leave package at back door.” He apparently didn’t see the note and deposited the lawn mower on my front porch.

“Plan B” went like this. Another big box store had a lesser brand (but with the required good engine) and it was half the price. Smile. Then I discovered it was an additional ninety dollars off. Big smile. So, the very expensive damaged mower, which by the way was very poorly packaged, went back and the cheaper, lesser brand came to live with me. Imagine my surprise when I opened the lesser brand and discovered the company (here in the USA, by the way) had built a wooden frame around the mower to protect it. Not surprisingly…it was in perfect condition. So, the expensive mower was left to bang around in its cardboard box and the lesser brand (that cost a whole lot less) came in a wood reenforced cardboard box. Some things just don’t make sense.

It has been said people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. In a world that is way short on love and kindness, we need to put it right out there so there is no question that we care. Our packaging really does matter. So, I’ll let you know how the mower thing plays out. Regardless, I know this. The lesser brand sent me, the consumer, a message—we care about you, and we care about our product. God’s got a message for us too. It simply says, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, gratitude, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, thankful, wisdom

Learning to Speak Love

Posted on April 6, 2021April 5, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35b

It was, well, amazing. I like to receive presents. I love to receive presents. Some guy wrote a book about the five love languages and basically, he said that everyone has at least one love language. If you want to “ring someone’s bell” or “top off their love tank”, you do it by speaking their love language. Well, my two primary love languages are gifts and words of affirmation. Every time one of you leaves a kind comment about Grits, the nozzle goes in my love tank and fills it up. How about that?

Well, my other love language is this gift thing. When someone gives me something, it just rings my bell. Several years ago, a friend visited Gettysburg and brought me back a set of coasters. It was totally unexpected, and it just rang my bell. He probably thought, “What’s the deal, dude? It is only a set of coasters.” But no, it was more. It said, “I thought of you.” And, several years later it still brings a smile to my face. We have a couple of good friends that like to travel and they often bring me a souvenir of their travels and it is always blesses me. Boom—a full love tank.

Well, something happened recently that was pretty awesome. We have a family who is part of our church family and they are just a special group of people. It is hard to put a finger on it but words like authentic and caring come to mind. Well, a couple of weeks ago after our morning service, the mom in this family came up to me and was just beaming—and I mean beaming with joy and excitement. Her entire countenance said, “Something good had happened.” I wasn’t sure what it was, but I couldn’t wait to hear what it was. I was in for a surprise.

Here is what tumbled out of her mouth. “We bought you something and I couldn’t wait to tell you. I know I was supposed to wait but I just couldn’t. I saw this on Facebook and said, “We have to buy this for Bro. Dewayne.” She bubbled and bubbled, and I was in awe. The gift was the “Fingerprint” of God. It was a print in the shape of a fingerprint and the fingerprint was made from a scripture from each book in the Bible. It sounded amazing and when it came in and they gave it to me, it was. It will soon have a home in my church office, and it will have a story…this story.

You see, the gift really was amazing, but the unseen gift was equally so. What was the unseen gift? It was their—her—unbridled, unlimited joy and enthusiasm in not “getting” a gift but “giving” one. Her joy in giving this special print to me, her friend, and her pastor, touched me and taught me. It touched me that this special family made a sacrifice and bought me this gift. It taught me that just like Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I have heard that verse for many, many years and have seen it on display at different levels. But this time…this act of love taught me what it really means.

I have to wonder if this is what it is like when a person comes to follow Jesus for the first time. I mean the Bible says God throws a party. The Bible says that all heaven breaks loose when someone comes home. I can just imagine the smile on Jesus’ face when a person He loves and died for finally gets it and trusts Him. I bet it looks at least something like the face of this family and especially my friend who shared the news with me, “We bought you something.” We want to..wait for it…not get, but give. Amazing.

Though I love to travel and try and go to Africa once a year, I have always struggled with learning a new language. But I wonder if that might need to change? Maybe today, maybe this week, maybe I, maybe you, need to learn a new language. No, I’m not talking Swahili—I’m talking about someone’s love language. Someone in your world, your spouse, your kids, your neighbor ,or maybe someone else. Learn what tops their love tank and do it.

The guy who wrote the book says the love languages are gifts, words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, and quality time. Why not learn and practice someone’s love language today? If you are like me and struggle with learning (I can barely speak English), just ask the Father for a little help. He will be more than glad to help you. He loves it when His kids can speak love. Yup…He’s got that too. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, Grace, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful, wisdom

Turn the Mic Off

Posted on November 23, 2020November 22, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless, and he deceives himself.” James 1:26

It wasn’t what it seemed. The life of a pastor is, well, interesting. In fact, the life of the pastor’s family is interesting. You could say that we live in a glass house and that would be so true. I remember when we lived in a parsonage (that’s a house provided by the church) and we had a wood burning stove. It was difficult to control the heat so often we would leave the front door open to allow some cooler air in. There was a sweet (and she really was) older lady who attended our church and she was very concerned that we had our door open. She would call saying, “Judy, do you know that your front door is open?” Of course we did, but she felt it was her civil and religious duty to make sure we were stewards of our electricity.

When we moved to Cobden, Illinois our girls were very young…five and four. Back in those days during worship, the pastor had a big chair where he was to sit on the stage. I don’t know if we did it that way to make the pastor seem important or so everyone could stare at him. It was just the way we did it. Now here is what was interesting. While I was sitting on the stage looking at everyone and everyone was looking at me, Judy was playing the piano. Many pastors are blessed with musically talented wives and I certainly was one of them. Now don’t miss this. I am on the stage and Judy was at the piano. Who do you suppose was watching the girls? Well, that would be no one. And you know, girls will be girls.

Like so many siblings, the girls loved to pick at one another. It was always nothing serious…just enough to make mom and dad nervous. Well, that Sunday was one of those days. They were being little girls and poking and pinching each other. They were giggling enough to cause a bit of disturbance and to catch their mother’s eye. Judy gave them “the look”. Now every married man knows about “the look”. Personally, I would rather stare down a cobra than face “the look”. The problem was, while Judy was looking…they were not. They were busy poking and pinching. You might wonder what I was doing. I was sitting on the stage trying to ignore the two little girls on the first or second row. I was pretty good at it, too. However, there was no ignoring the lady at the piano.

When they didn’t get the message, Judy made sure I did. I don’t know if it was “the look” or smoke signals coming from behind the piano, but I got the message loud and clear. Handle it. As much as I didn’t like sitting on the stage on the throne, I preferred that to handling the girls in public. I rose from the throne and walked straight to the girls. I took them by the hand and as casually as possible led them out the side door of the sanctuary. Now there is one thing that every pastor has to remember whether he is going to the restroom or taking his kids out to have a come to Jesus meeting. Turn your microphone off. I didn’t.

As the door closes behind us, Becca, our oldest, and in her sweetest five year old voice says, “Daddy, please don’t hit us.” Now, pause, because I know in this world the idea of hitting a child conjures up all kind of bad things. If there was any hitting it was only going to be a gentle swat on the bottom. Period. I knew that and the girls knew that. Thanks to my not turning my microphone off—everyone in the sanctuary knew it too. You can probably imagine that sweet little voice coming over the speakers. There were no tears between the three of us but there were plenty of tears in the sanctuary. No, they weren’t grieving for those precious little girls—they were fine. They were tears from laughing so hard. We walked back into the sanctuary and every person was either rolling on the floor or trying to stay in their seat. It was a Hallmark moment.

Yup…we live in a glass house for sure. Even worse, I still had to stand up and preach later in the service. Amazingly, somehow, we made it through. It is things like that which make our relationship with the families we serve so special. I have deeply appreciated that through the years. Anyone who knows the Taylor tribe knows that we are unapologetically human. If you are looking for a perfect, plastic pastor family…well, you won’t find it with us. I’ve often said that people can handle Christians who make mistakes…they get that. What they can’t handle is when we act like we are perfect and better than they are. Truth is we are neither.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said if anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Well, spoken, James. In fact, we could probably put several actions in place of controlling our tongue and come to the same conclusion. I am always so grateful that God can handle our imperfections. He never regrets inviting us into His family but He does desire for us to be honest and real…and so does everyone else. Go ahead, take off the mask and just be you. You can rest assured that His unconditional love will still be there…even when you leave your microphone on. And, if you do, don’t worry, He’s got this.

Family, food, forgiveness, life, loving others, Scripture, Southern born

Spilt Milk

Posted on November 18, 2020November 17, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

It gets really hot in North Florida. When I write these stories I try and remember things that happened in my youth and sometimes they are just funny. When I was about eight years old, my mom and dad were always looking for ways to save a little money. I didn’t know if we were rich or poor and most of the time, I didn’t care. Sometimes it was obvious but most of the time, it was just normal.

I’m not sure how we started, but we began to buy our milk from a family that lived about a mile from us. It wasn’t really a dairy farm, it was more like they had three or four cows. We would go over twice a week and buy a gallon in big half-gallon glass jugs. And let me tell you…this wasn’t that pasteurized stuff we drink today. It was straight from the cow. And one more thing, it wasn’t 2%, or 1%, or skim milk. No sir, this stuff came fully loaded with milk fat. It was good. We had an old ice cream churn, the kind you had to crank, and this milk made the best ice cream you have ever tasted. It was always a special day when we went and got milk. And then one day it wasn’t.

We were still driving that old 1957 Plymouth and it was time to get milk. I think Mama was driving and one of my sisters was in the front seat and the other in the back with me. Those were the days before seat belts and rules about kids not sitting up front. In fact, in those days dashboards were made out of metal. Anyway, we got to the home where they sold the milk. Mama paid the lady and I was to carry the milk to the car and carefully put it on the floorboard in the backseat. It was a good plan…almost.

The milk jugs had little handles on the top near the neck of the jug. I picked up the jugs, one in each hand and headed to the car. I put the jugs down on the ground and opened the back door. I turned around and picked up one of the jugs and set it on the floorboard. Then I turned around to get the second jug and put it next to the other. You know, next is a nice word. It means close to. Well, I swung that ole jug through the door and well, you might say I got it just a little too close to the other one. There was a sound of glass hitting glass and one of the jugs busted wide open and that nice fresh milk spilled all over the carpeted (remember that) floorboard. Bummer.

Mama came over and of course was upset about the wasted milk. I was too, but you know what they say, “There’s no use crying over spilt milk.” That is true, however, things were going to get worse before they got better. I suppose we bought another half-gallon of milk and headed for the house. Once there I did my best to clean up the spilt milk. The problem was twofold, there was carpet and then, like they did back then, there was also a thick pad underneath that carpet. You could do what you wanted to, but there was no way all that milk was coming out of that carpet and pad.

Remember, I told you that it was really hot in North Florida. Well, by the next morning there was a strange odor in the whole car and it got worse and worse. By the end of the first day the smell of sour milk made it just about impossible to sit in the car. We already had the windows down because there was no air conditioning, but even that didn’t stop the odor. The breeze from the open windows made it better, but when Mama or Daddy hit a stop light, Katie bar the door…it smelled awful. For days and days our 1957 Plymouth smelled horrible. I’m pretty sure I was not winning any family member popularity contests for the next couple of weeks. The smell lasted long after the accident…oh boy did it.

Have you ever broken a jug of milk in your car before? Well, probably not, but let me ask you this. Have you ever done something wrong, something that hurt someone, something that broke someone’s heart? If so, you probably know what this story is about. You see when we get all fired up and make bad choices with big regrets, it doesn’t just go away…oh no…it lingers and lingers and lingers. And you know and I know, sometimes the scar just stays forever. I know we shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, but maybe we should shed a few tears over broken hearts, hearts broken by our hands or voices.

I sure wish I had been more careful that day. I know I was just a kid, but I was old enough to be careful. My careless behavior caused a big stink and it was a stink we all had to endure. Maybe, like me, we should be more careful with our actions and our words each day. If we would, it might save a few hearts and a few big stinks. The Bible says that we will have to give an account for every word and every action that we say or do. Do you know what? If I would have asked, my big sister would have helped me that day…Mama would have too. But, I thought I could handle it. Sometimes, we think that way in life too. Why not ask for a little help from your Heavenly Father before the milk gets spilt? Ask and He will help you the rest of the way. You can count on Him. He’s got this.