doctor – Grits with Grace

Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Z-Pack and the Man Cold

Posted on March 16, 2023March 15, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

They call it a z-pack. It is called that because nobody can pronounce azithromycin. Whatever it is called it–it works. You know the story. You are humming along, life is good and then you throat feels a little scratchy, your nose is a little stuffy and before long you feel awful.

Now let me explain awful. If you are a man that means it is pretty much terminal. It is a matter of minutes before the end comes. Someone call 911. If you are a woman, it means that life just became a little more challenging but hey people are counting on you, so you will push through.

Man or woman–terminal or not–you will probably call and make an appointment to see the doctor. He will determine, much to the man’s surprise, that it is not terminal. It is an upper respiratory infection. Then he may prescribe our friend azithromycin or a z-pack.

A z-pack is a course of five pills, often two are taken the first day and one per day for the next three. If you are a man, you take the first two and go to bed. If you are woman, and in in particular a mother, you take the first two and go on with life. The good news everybody generally survives.

I find too often in life this happens to me on another level. I am humming along, and life is good. The mild speed bumps and occasional potholes of life are navigated with little or no trouble. But then it happens. The smallest of infractions and I find myself going off–losing it. Something doesn’t go just according to plan, and I am seething. I don’t get my way and so everyone better stay out of my way. I’’ve been infected.

No doctor is needed for this one. It is called selfish-itis. Let me say that again…selfish–itis. Yup…for some reason it all becomes about me–or you. While it’s caused by several things it often find’s it’s source in a little virus called “why me.” I mean I understand why the neighbor deserves bad things; he is mean as a snake. And my brother-in-law hasn’t worked for months. Of course, then there is Cousin Eddie, never mind, we won’t even go there.

Well, the good news is there’s a z-pack for it and it is fast and effective. Take three “pills” and before long you will be humming again. The z-pack is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and consists of three powerful truths that will kick the “selfish-itis” bug in no time. Here’s the z-pack. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.” There you go–be joyful, pray always and be thankful.” Bye-bye blues and hello cancel the 911 call. Three simple truths, three simple practices.

A while back I got ahold of a great definition for Biblical joy. It is “a deep sense of inner well-being based on faith in God and trust in His sovereign will.” Now that’s powerful. Boom. It is what we close everyday with, “He’s got this.” It’s true and He does.

Praying always is simply like breathing. It becomes second nature and an essential part of life. You don’t even need your knees to pray. You don’t need to close your eyes–especially if you are driving. It is a whisper to God as needed, when needed. And it works.

The last one is gratitude. It is learning to be thankful for the smallest detail in your life. News flash–God is a God of the details. That little deal you are concerned about is not little to Him. He loves His kids and wants them to know He will be there. Now that doesn’t mean you get every toy in the toy store. It does mean that He will be there whenever, forever.

The last part of verse 18 is huge. It says, “For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” He wants you to do this not for three days but every day. He wants you to be fulfilled and at rest and these simple truths will put you on the right road.

So, men, put on your big boy socks and push on. Ladies–remember we men struggle with the small things, so be sure and show a little mercy when we are terminal–or at least think we are. God does and He does it not only for the men but for all of us. He invites us to crawl up in His lap and rest in Him. And listen close, He’s whispering, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Right Results. Wrong Guy.

Posted on February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

I was driving and the phone rang. A few weeks ago, I signed up for an intense program provided by my insurance company to help manage my sugar problem. I am in the very early stages of the program and one of the first things they did was provide an appointment to get a complete workup on my blood. When the results came back, they were generally pretty good. My own efforts to get my sugar numbers down had worked very well but it came at a price. As I began to eat virtually no sugar and far less carbohydrates, I began to eat more protein…mainly meat and cheese. Well, as the sugar numbers came down, my cholesterol numbers went up…not in the “oh, no” range but in the “You need to watch this” range.

Well, I was driving back from a funeral and the phone in my car rang. You need to know my phone comes through my radio, so this was a hands-free call. Though I didn’t know the number, I decided to answer it anyway. It turned out to be one of the doctors from my new program. She said she needed to discuss some of the results on my labs. I thought she was going to praise me for the relatively good numbers but instead she began a series of questions that clearly indicated she was very concerned. Did I feel ok? Did I have a headache? Was I experiencing any chest pains? Shortness of breath? Did I feel excessively tired or confused? I told her I was feeling very well and asked what was going on.

She explained they had received a second set of numbers from the lab and in a word, they were horrible—in fact, they were life threatening. She told me she wanted to schedule another blood draw immediately and suggested I might need to go to the emergency room. She promised to get back with me very quickly to see what the next step should be. Well, when I got back to the office, I rechecked my results and sure enough they were good. Something didn’t make sense. Well, soon the phone rang again and it was a nurse checking back. Apparently, almost assuredly, the lab had sent another set of results to them in my name—and they were most certainly bad. To be sure, though, they scheduled me for another test and while the results are pending I’m sure I’m good. But someone is not.

Out there somewhere is a person who most certainly does not feel well and who probably is going to get some really upsetting news. They are sick…very sick. While I am very glad that person is not me, I couldn’t help but think about that poor soul who was about to get some yucky news. If it wasn’t so serious it would be funny. Trust me, if I knew who and where, I would be calling or knocking and letting them know they need to get the doctor…fast. I would let them know they were in danger of dying. I wouldn’t let anything stop me. They need to know the truth.

I know that would be the right thing to do. I would do it and most likely you would too. But what about this? Every day we bump into people who are in a greater danger than my unknown friend. Every day we pass people who have no assurance of what is on the other side of their last heartbeat. Every day we see and talk to people who are facing life and eternity without the hope of Jesus and the love of God in their lives. They either haven’t heard or haven’t acted on the greatest news ever—that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

You see, just because my unknown friend doesn’t know, that does not exclude him from the consequences he is about to face. Bad numbers are still bad numbers whether he or she knows them or not. But they deserve the opportunity to act and that is where you and I come in. Oh, I could assume they wouldn’t want to know. I could assume they might be offended but wouldn’t they deserve the chance to know, to act, to decide? Sure, they would.

If you are a Jesus follower, if your “numbers” are good today because of grace, if you can call God “Dearest Daddy,” why not share that news when an opportunity comes knocking? We often let the fear of rejection override our willingness to share hopeful and helpful news. Let’s let that stop today. Let’s let someone know of a God who loves them. Skip the spiel on religion and get to the heart of the matter…God loves them and no matter what they have done He will forgive them. They need to know that He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Bad Blood – Sugar

Posted on January 30, 2023January 26, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.” 1 Peter 1:14

Is there a pill for that? Well, it’s time to write about diabetes, falling off the wagon and trying to climb back on. What’s the old saying, “Same song, second (or third) verse?” So, a while back, I stopped watching what I was eating and justified it with another old adage, “Ignorance is bliss.” I would eat my way through just about anything unhealthy with the comfort of what you don’t know won’t hurt you…wait, is that my third adage? Guess what? Ain’t so. As I rolled through Thanksgiving and right into Jingle Bells, I had the sneaking suspicion that things weren’t well in the blood sugar arena.

Is there a pill for that?
Bro. D

You need to know a couple of things. Judy was cooking healthy, and I faithfully took my diabetes medicines, but the bottom line was I was taking in way too may carbs, and a lot of sugar, for the medicine to work. Adding to my demise was the fact that I stopped walking in early November when the weather changed. Can someone say, “Recipe for disaster?” Well, I finally got my courage up and made a doctor’s appointment and scheduled some tests at the laboratory to determine where I was. Well, where I was …was in deep weeds.

When your doctor, I call him Doc, calls you a couple of days before Christmas, you know it probably isn’t to wish you Merry Christmas. We are friends, and he was his normal, cordial self and then he said, “Well, preacher, I got your lab results back.” At that moment I knew I was busted…and busted good. I was going to give you the numbers, but I chickened out at the last minute. Let’s just say they were not good—just a few miles down the road from disaster. Well, he suggested I watch the sugar and carbs and I told him I would try. Then, I had a cookie.

Like all good sugar addicts, I kept right on munching my treats. But one thing I did do was set a “drop-dead” date. It was Thursday, January 12th. I woke up that morning, dusted off my trusty sugar testing kit and, well, the news was worse than before. Ouch…but it was enough to cause me to start walking “the straight and narrow.” Oh no, another adage.

Well, Sunday morning, I was talking with a friend about blood sugar and stuff—you know typical church talk. Smile. I said something like this, “I want a pill that will allow me to eat all the bad stuff and still manage my sugar.” Yeah, right. That’s what we all want. Live poorly with no consequences. You might as well go hunting unicorns. And then it hit me. That is exactly the kind of god we want. We want a god that winks at our sin, our bad choices and allows us to mosey on our way. Well, there might be a god for that but it sure isn’t the real God.

You see, God loves us way too much to ever, ever leave us where we are. He knows full well the cost and consequences of bad choices and sin and He just won’t, can’t leave us there. No, there isn’t a pill to cover (or at least fully cover) your bad eating habits and there isn’t a god (not a real God) who will let you stay in your mess. And guess what? Doing the right thing is a good thing.

After a couple of weeks of eating right and exercising, my blood sugar is way good. And a path of obedience (His will always leads down the path to fewer regrets and small consequences) is always good…way good. So, let me encourage you to start today to do the right thing…the God thing. His Word says, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires.” That’s good advice. You will find that He will be there to help you make right choices. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, life, love, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials

It Was an Accident

Posted on July 21, 2022July 20, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

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

I am 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 really 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’s not 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

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, Trials

Help!

Posted on March 17, 2022March 16, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

It’s just about to drive me nuts. For as long as I can remember, I have had to deal with allergies. From the days of running the woods in Northeast Florida as a kid to now, stuff in the air drives me bonkers. I can well remember the days in my early twenties when the only weapon I had to fight the battle with was some nose spray. And the crazy part of that is if you use it too often and too long, it actually makes matters worse.

In the earlier days, my main issue was the fall. There is this crazy plant called ragweed and when it starts to bloom, I start to suffer. We are talking itchy eyes, clogged nasal passages, and a sneeze that sounds like a chihuahua chasing their tail wound way too tight. Oh, and I don’t sneeze once—try six to eight times. In this COVID mess this has been a real issue because people think I am coughing instead of sneezing, so they give you the death stare and then run.

About a zillion years ago, I discovered something called Flonase that changed my life. It is a nasal steroid that tricks your nose and eyes into believing that there is nothing in the air. It was a game changer and I have used it probably for 30 years or more. Wow, it sure made fall easier. I might still have some symptoms but at least it was tolerable. Well, about five years ago, something happened. I started having the same symptoms in the spring too. They weren’t as bad, and the Flonase keep everything in balance. All that was true until this year.

As spring began to spring, my allergies started acting up, first in a little way and then in a big way. Today they are acting in a “you’ve got to be kidding me” way. So, when I started sounding like an overactive chihuahua I just start using my medicine. For some reason, this spring, it didn’t work like before. Now for the last couple of days, I have been sneezing and my eyes have been itching like crazy. I tried the over-the-counter stuff, and we made a little progress but so far, well, we are still at war.

All of this is so crazy. Some stuff from some plant is doing something to the lining of my sinuses causing them to go nuts and I end up in misery. I mean, first, I did nothing to the stinking plants and second, what’s up with my hypersensitive sinuses. Something that I can’t even see is making me miserable. I know, I should think positive but when you want to take your eyeballs out so you can scratch them better, it is hard to be positive. And then I know you aren’t supposed to put your fingers in your eyes, but it feels so good to scratch them. Oh, my goodness.

You know, I wonder what if sin (you know the things that God says we shouldn’t do) was as irritating as whatever it is that is driving me nuts? What if it bothered me to the point that I would do anything to stop? I do believe my life would be better…I know my life would be better. But the problem with sin is the fact we like it way too much. For many of us, it’s like the satisfaction I feel when I scratch my eyes or sneeze for the eighth time. It feels better…it feels good. But mark this down. There are consequences.

Sneeze eight times with your eyes closed while driving and you end up running a red light or running into a ditch. Bummer. Scratch your eyes too often and you end up with an eye infection or scratching something like whatever it is that makes your eyes work in the first place. Regardless—you end up in a mess. The best thing to do is what I did today. I went to see my eye doctor friend. Fortunately, she confirmed it wasn’t some weird African eye disease. She prescribed some medicine that will stop this infernal itching. It’s gonna take a few days but eventually with her help, I’m gonna win. I knew if there was anything that could be done, she would know and she would help and she did. She is my doctor, but she is also my friend.

It is the same way with this sin thing. We need to call the sin doctor and that would be Jesus. He knows all about sin—how to beat it—how to subdue it, and how to avoid all those nasty consequences. He died so that sin wouldn’t win, and He is more than willing to help us, if we ask. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin but He also gives us victory over the sneezing and itchy eyes part of sin—the day-to-day messiness of sin. He gives us sin relief and I love that.

Paul, one of the main writers of the New Testament part of the Bible, says that sin (along with all its messy consequences) does not have to rule over us—because we are not under the “thou shalt not’s” but under grace—God’s unlimited and unmerited favor. And because of that, sin doesn’t have free reign, you know, like too many sneezes and itchy eyes. That sounds like good news to me.

Just know that if you hear something that sounds like an overactive chihuahua or see some guy with red eyes, don’t worry it is probably just me going nuts. But remember, and this is the take-away, there is Someone who can handle your sin issues and that Someone is Jesus. He loves you a lot—so much He died for you. And whatever your issue is, you can take this to the bank, He’s got this, too. Bro. Dewayne

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

Stinking Allergies

Posted on March 26, 2021March 25, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

In the earlier days, my main issue was the fall. There is this crazy plant called ragweed and when it starts to bloom, I start to suffer. Itchy eyes, clogged nasal passages, and a sneeze that sounds like a chihuahua chasing their tail and wound way too tight. Oh, and I don’t sneeze once—try six to eight times. In this COVID mess this has been a real issue because people think I am coughing instead of sneezing, so they give you the death stare and then run.

As spring began to spring, my allergies started acting up, first in a little way and then in a big way. Today they are acting in a “you’ve got to be kidding me” way. So, when I started sounding like an overactive chihuahua I just start using my medicine. For some reason, this spring, it didn’t work like before. Now for the last couple of days, I have been sneezing and my eyes have been itching like crazy. I went to the store yesterday and brought some drops but so far, well, we are still at war.

All of this is so crazy. Some stuff from some plant is doing something to the lining of my sinuses causing them to go nuts and I end up in misery. I mean, first, I did nothing to the stinking plants and second, what’s up with my hypersensitive sinuses. Something that I can’t even see is making me pretty miserable. I know, I should think positive but when you want to take your eyeballs out so you can scratch them better, it is hard to be positive. And then I know you aren’t supposed to put your fingers in your eyes, but it feels so good to scratch them. Oh, my goodness.

You know, I wonder what if sin (you know the things that God says we shouldn’t do) was as irritating as whatever it is that is driving me nuts? What if it bothered me to the point that I would do anything to stop? I do believe my life would be better…I know my life would be better. But the problem with sin is the fact we like it way too much. To many of us, it’s like the satisfaction I feel when I scratch my eyes or sneeze for the eighth time. It feels better…it feels good. But mark this down. There are consequences.

Sneeze eight times with your eyes closed while driving and you end up running a red light or running into a ditch. Bummer. Scratch your eyes too often and you end up with an eye inflection or scratching something like whatever it is that makes your eyes work in the first place. Regardless—you end up in a mess. The best thing to do is what I am going to do. I am gonna call my eye doctor friend. I’m gonna ask her if there is anything, she can prescribe for me that will stop this infernal itching. I’m gonna ask for help. If there is anything that can be done, she will know and she will help. She is my doctor, but she is also my friend.

Paul, one of the main writers of the New Testament part of the Bible says that sin (along with all its messy consequences) does not have to rule over us—because we are not under the “thou shalt not’s” but under grace—God’s unlimited and unmerited favor. And because of that, sin doesn’t have free-rein—so long consequences, you know, like too many sneezes and itchy eyes. That sounds like good news to me.