Tag: God

Posted in Uncategorized

Proximity Promise

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

I just needed to know.  This may cost me my man-card, but it is the truth. When I was a kid—I was afraid—a lot. I was afraid of what might happen, I was afraid of what did happen—or at least the consequences. I was afraid sometimes in broad daylight and many times in the dark—especially in the dark. It was not uncommon for me to lie in bed on a hot Florida night (with no air conditioning), covered up to my nose, listening and waiting for the monsters of the night to come and devour me. Every sound outside my window, every creak on the floor was certainly a sign that they—whoever they were—were coming to get me.

I probably knew in my young mind that monsters weren’t real. I probably even knew that there were no chainsaw murderers lurking in my neighborhood. I knew that we had probably remembered to lock our doors and that would probably keep us safe.  Probably. And I guess it was all the probable’s that caused the problem.

Because of all that, and a whole bunch more, sometimes, many times, I would sneak into my parents’ bedroom and quietly lay down on the floor where I would fall asleep. You see, just knowing that Daddy was close by made everything better. I somehow managed to believe that no matter how big the monster, the threat, my Daddy could and would keep me safe. There was never any doubt that he would do his best to protect us—me. Why? Well, in my limited world, that was just what daddies did. Even if I was bad—he was still there for me.

That all seemed so logical because I believed it. Now for the question that really matters. If I believed that, why do I wrestle with trusting my Dearest Daddy with my present—and future? Why is it that somehow I struggle to believe that if I fail Him—He will fail me? Why do I believe that my performance determines His proximity?  Now there is the root of the problem. Too often we believe that God only sticks around because we get it right and should we not get it right—He is gone.

Well, the truth is that is a lie. You see, God loves us with absolute perfection. He is constant and steady in His affection for us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less, and furthermore there is nothing that we can do to cause Him to abandon us. Once again—His proximity to us is not determined by our performance.  It is based solely on His character as a loving Father.

While we probably won’t be totally free from fear this side of heaven, we can find peace in knowing that our Dearest Daddy is close by—very close by—and nothing is going to change that. So, when the unknown rattles your world, when darkness closes in around you, lay down and take a nap knowing that your Father is close by. No matter what the threat—no matter what the fear—He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Scripture, life, travel, heaven

Planes, Trains, A Ship and Automobiles

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

“How did you get there?” So in 1987 there was a movie entitled, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and from what I know, which is very little, it is a comedy about a couple guys on a happenstance road trip to somewhere. And, I suppose, it involved them traveling on planes, trains and automobiles. One thing my wife Judy and I have learned is if you are going somewhere you need a way to get there. In the case of our last journey, we started out by driving to Carbondale to catch a train. We rode the train to the Chicago train station and then caught another train to the Chicago airport. From there we caught an airplane heading to Seattle, Washington.

After arriving in Seattle, we boarded a cruise ship to Alaska. Wait…don’t leave…we are going somewhere…no pun intended. After seven days we returned to Seattle and rented a car and drove all around Washington State, Oregon and Northern California. Nine days later we headed back to Seattle, caught another airplane back to Chicago where we caught another train back to Carbondale where our son-in-law picked us up and dropped us off at home. Whew. What a journey…planes, trains, a ship and automobiles.

Now let’s get where we were going. You see, there are lots of ways (as in modes of transportation) and ways (as in flight paths, train paths and roadways) to get to all those places. The options are many and varied. And in life I suppose that is true too. Each day is filled with decisions that will take us down the various paths of life. But remember this…choose carefully because some our better than others. In fact, some can lead to disasters and some can cause us to get lost. Choose carefully.

But here’s the real point.  When it comes to heaven–there is only one way and one path. It has been said that all roads lead to Rome but trust me–all roads do not lead to heaven. It has also been said that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you believe in something. Wrong again. It is not enough to just believe–you have to believe in the right thing–or in this case the right Person. You see, the Bible makes it crystal clear that the way to Heaven is through believing in Jesus Christ. More specifically it is believing in who He is–the Son of God and what He did–dying for our sins and resurrecting (or coming back to life) after three days. If we are willing to put our faith in Him then God is willing to forgive our sins and allow us to spend eternity in heaven with Him.

Yup–there are lots of ways to lots of places but when it comes to heaven–only One will work. If you want to know more, why not get a Bible and read what God says about you and Jesus and how you can go to heaven when it comes time to leave here. I know one of the things that Judy and I enjoy about our trips is the variety of travel. I also know that the most important thing in making plans for Heaven is getting it right–doing what God says and going the way He says. Just ask Him and He will tell you all about it in His Word. He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Uncategorized

Misunderstandings

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” Colossians 4:6

It was just a little misunderstanding.  The story is told of a pastor who visited a man in the hospital.  As he stood by the bed, the man began to be in deep distress.  Unable to speak he quickly wrote the pastor a note, handed it to him and then just died.  In all the confusion of the moment, the pastor slid the note into his pocket and forgot about it. Several days later the pastor was conducting the memorial service for the man.  The pastor was describing the man…his life, his good heart, and his service for others.  Then it happened.

The pastor suddenly remembered that he had the note in his suit pocket.  He told the audience, “I have just remembered the day Joe died I was visiting him in the hospital, and he slipped me a note right before he passed away. I failed to read it and have just now remembered it is in my pocket. How special it would be if we could share his final thoughts together now.  So, the pastor reached into his pocket, pulled out the note and read, “You’re standing on my oxygen hose.” Smile.

As a pastor you can bet, I’ve got some crazy stories and a lot of them revolve around little misunderstandings and lack of communication.  Recently I told the story of how I was visiting one of our members in the hospital and she was quite ill.  When I make a visit, I naturally slip into my “let me make you feel better mode.”  For me there are two great fix-all’s—humor and food. But sometimes, many times, a person just needs compassion and kindness.  This was one of those times.

I walked into the room, and she was lying in the bed softly moaning.  I moved over by the bed and whispered her name.  She opened her eyes, slightly smiled, and said, “Pastor, thank you for coming by.” We shared for just a few minutes, and it was obvious she was very sick.  And then she said, “I just want to go home.”  I softy said, “I know.” And she said it again and then another time. Each time I responded with some simple words of understanding.  After the third time I upped my game.  I said, “I know you want to go home and when God is ready, He will take you.”

Well, imagine my surprise, and embarrassment, when she said, “NOT that home, pastor, my home.”  Oh…oops. I was ready to ship her off to heaven and she was just wanting to go back to her house.  Like I said, sometimes there is just a lack of understanding and communication. When that happens, we need to admit that we missed it and if necessary, ask for a little grace or perhaps give a little grace.  I quickly apologized for the misunderstanding, she did get better and indeed went to her home. We even had the chance to laugh about it later.

In the world we find ourselves these days there are multiple opportunities for misunderstandings.  When we find ourselves in too close of quarters for too long, when we have differing opinions about everything misunderstandings are bound to happen.  In the regular world the normal response would be to get mad and often get even.  In the regular world the normal response would be more anger and more division.  But for Jesus followers that is just not an option.

The Bible tells us over and again that if we follow Jesus we are to act like Jesus.  We often get that when it comes to moral responses—and rightfully so.  But we too often miss the biggest application—how we respond when we bump into other people…or they bump into us.  Paul, one of the major writers in the Bible says, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”  I like that.  Gracious and attractive.  Momma used to say this, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.  I wonder if Momma knew Paul?

Well, the bottom line is there will always be plenty of opportunities to bump into people.  There will always be plenty of opportunities to respond in a “not so Jesus’ way.”  But what if we hit the pause button right before we speak and ask ourselves, “Is this gracious or attractive?  Is this nice?” I wonder how things would change.  In these dark days the world needs “Jesus lights.” It needs us to shine for Him even when we get a little tired and a little weary.  We need to recognize that is just a setup for regretful words.  Let’s choose option “B.”  Let’s just rest in Him and choose to think before we speak.  After all, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in Family, Father's Day, gratitude, life, Scripture

My Daddy

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13a

I think you would have liked my Daddy. With yesterday being Father’s Day and all, I just felt like I needed to tell you a little bit about my Daddy. On a Sunday morning in 1974, he up and moved to heaven. As far as I was concerned we both were too young.  He was 62 and I was 20. If I was to try and describe my Daddy I would probably go to the Bible and look at some of the characters there because my Daddy believed the Bible and in a very good way, my Daddy was a character.

My Daddy was like Adam–the very first man in the Bible. While there is a lot to be said for Adam the one think that sticks out to me was that he was a hard worker and so was my Daddy. Everyday, without question, he would get up and go to work at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station where he worked on jet engines. His shop was not air conditioned and since it was Florida it could get kinda hot and humid. It was my Daddy who taught me to value work. He was the one who taught me to take the family push mower and go from house to house knocking on doors and asking, “Sir or Ma’am, would you like your grass mowed for $2.00?” Yup, I made and spent a lot of money mowing grass. He’s also the one who taught me to get a job washing dishes at a local restaurant for seventy-five cents an hours and to bag groceries for a dollar an hour. My Daddy, like Adam, knew the value of hard work.

Oh, and the fella in the Bible who built things like an ark–my Daddy was like him too. No, my Daddy didn’t build an ark but he sure knew how to built a home. He and Momma put their lives together and eight kids later made a home. Neither one of them was perfect but they sure did love us a lot. They sacrificed so much and made sure that the house we had, an old repurposed Army barracks, was not a house but a home. Together they built a marriage and home and taught us to love one another–even when it was hard. My Momma and Daddy both knew the value of love.

My Daddy was also like that guy in the Bible named David who was a giant killer. When one of them, Goliath, decided to challenge God and His people, David took a couple of rocks and took care of him. Giants didn’t bother David and they didn’t bother my Daddy either. Raising eight kids wasn’t easy–in fact you could probably say it was ginormous. Plenty of times, despite all he did, there was more month than money but somehow the lights stayed on and the table was always set. When his heart gave out and he had to retire, he would work all night as a security guard just to make sure we stayed afloat. My Daddy knew the value of keeping his family secure–even when it meant killing giants.

When Jesus was teaching that day on the side of mountain, he looked at the people and all the daddies there and said to them, “You are the salt of the earth.” He was telling them that they were the foundation of all that He was about to do and teach. My Daddy would have fit right in there because he was the foundation of my small part of the world. I remember the time I came in from a late night date and he was praying at the kitchen table. I also remember the time he was leading us in family worship and he was kneeling at his chair talking to God. Those are precious memories. My Daddy was indeed the salt of the earth. He was a good man who loved God, loved Jesus and loved me. And along his life journey, he learned and taught me that no matter what, our Dearest Daddy could be trusted and could and would say, “Don’t worry…I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, life, priorities, Scripture, travel

Sabbatical Cruising

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the LORD your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14a

Sea days were slow days. On our epic journey aboard the Majestic Princess we not only crossed the Atlantic Ocean but we also sailed the entire way around the British Isles. In the process we spent several days in different ports but a lot of days we just sailed…or cruised. Cruising is one of the best things in life. When we are at home, we cruise down country roads and byways in our red Mustang Convertible. Imagine a warm, sunny late afternoon watching the Southern Illinois landscape slip by at, oh, about 25 miles per hour. Imagine the landscape spotted with a couple of dozen deer. That, friends, is good stuff.

Now imagine a day at sea. You can sleep in or get up early–your call. Someone has made your coffee and it is waiting for you. You go and find a seat next to a large window and watch God’s giant swimming pool, the Atlantic, slide by.  Finally you eat breakfast, which someone cooked for you, you go and exercise in the gym and then find a lounge near the railing and just relax. We would have our quiet time, read a book or just nap. Eventually it would time to eat again…and we would…and we did. That, friends, is why sea days were slow days. And, that dear friends is a pretty good picture of something in the Bible called Sabbath rest.

While a large chunk of the world knows how to do this well, we Americans just don’t. It seems that an American that knows how to do Sabbatical rest is as rare as a unicorn. In almost every port we stopped at, street side cafes would be filled with people drinking tea, coffee or something else, chatting and relaxing. You could almost sense their stress pooling at their feet. Why is it that we Americans are so bad at Sabbatical rest? I do believe we somehow pour our value, our self worth, into a mold that requires us to always be doing something.

Well, here’s some big news. God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us a day, a whole day, to rest. He even put it into the big ten.  Remember the one that says, “Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the LORD your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.” You can read it for yourself in Deuteronomy 5:12-14a.

It seems that this command is the only one from the Big Ten that was allowed to stand in the New Testament.  Wow…it is that important. God designed us to rest, to occasionally, cruise. We need that pause button because we were designed to enjoy Sabbatical rest. Now it doesn’t have to be a particular day but it does need to happen. Not only do we physically need it, it also teaches us to depend on God.

So there you go…you need to take time to cruise…to rest. I know this sounds crazy and perhaps totally out of date but trust me…no, better…trust God. Find time, make time to enjoy a cup of coffee on the back patio, a ride around enjoying tonight’s sunset or maybe just talking with those you love the most. Oh, and be sure that includes the one who’s always got this.  Bro. Dewayne  

Posted in Family, fear, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God

Worrisome, Ordinary Days

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion.” Luke 7:12-13

It was an ordinary day–like today or yesterday or maybe tomorrow.  Ordinary.  Jesus was on the move traveling from one small village to another doing what He did–making a difference.  As He was approaching Nain, a one horse town in the middle of nowhere, He ran into a funeral procession.  Today we recognize funeral processions by the flashing lights on the hearse followed by cars with headlights on.  He recognized it by the mourning–the funeral wail.  The closer He got, the louder it got.  It was the sound of broken hearts and broken lives.

In Luke 7:12, we get the details.  It says, “Just as He neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was also with her.”  What a tragedy.  And, according to scripture, he was young. The cause isn’t listed nor does it matter.  Death comes in many forms and is no respecter of persons.  But it was her only son and he died too young. It gets worse.

Luke also shares that she is a widow.  She is facing this dark time alone.  There is no husband to share the grief–it is all hers.  And when the grieving is over she faces a very difficult world.  No source of income, no safety net, no unemployment, no social security–nothing. It’s a bad deal from top to bottom.  And then it happens.

Jesus sees the situation and orders the mourning column of brokenness to stop.  Why?  He has compassion on her.  He knows her story before He is told and He tells her, “Don’t weep.”  It could be an unkind statement akin to “hey, get over it” or “it will be better tomorrow.”  Instead it was a statement of power–the kind of power to change everything.

He walks over and touches the coffin–a big no, no in that culture but Jesus didn’t let rules stop Him from loving, from acting.  He says, “Party’s over death…you’re done.”  Ok, He really said, “Young man, I tell you get up.”  And boom–just like that he did.  Now let me tell you when you are at a funeral and the dead person sits up and is alive, the funeral is over and the party begins.  Break out the fried chicken because death is done and Jesus is King.

I love this story…I really do.  I see it played out day, after day, after day.  No…not exactly like this but I, we, see God bringing spiritual dead people to life every day.  And when that happens John 10:25-26 becomes a reality.  There Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. 26. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Wow what power–what assurance. But is all hinges on the last four words, “do you believe this?” To bring it home, “Do we believe this?”

Ok, so these are difficult days–war, uncertainty–is everywhere.  You might feel like the widow of Nain.  It may feel like your world is imploding around you with all the safety nets gone.  Well, there’s One that will never leave you and His name is Jesus.  Oh, and knowing Him is a game changer. The future that matters–the eternal one–is a guaranteed better day.  In a word, it is heaven.

So, as we journey these uncharted waters together remember we never have to be alone–ever.  Jesus wants us to experience His compassion and His salvation.  And listen, when Jesus shows up things change.  He is bigger than anything so rest in Him.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in food, friends, life, Scripture

Fish and Spaghetti

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the Man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6a

No really…it is good. I’m a food mixer.  I know some people love to keep their food separate on their plates and some folks even eat one item at a time.  They will eat all their meat, all their potatoes and so on and so on.  Not me.  I like to to mix it up a little.  In fact the best bite on the plate is always the last bite.  It always has a little bit of everything on the plate. First you scrape it all together in a tidy little pile, scoop it on your fork and let it fly.  Awesome.

I’m not sure how it started but one of my absolute favorite mixings is tartar sauce and Heinz Ketchup.  When I order fish I always squirt a big puddle of ketchup on my plate and then mix in a helping of tartar sauce.  Then you take your fork and stir it together and start dipping your fish in this magic pink sauce.  All I can say is, if you haven’t tried it you need to.  A while back a server at a restaurant noticed my strange concoction.  Without saying anything to me, she went back to the kitchen and stirred up a batch.  She was soon back at my table singing the praises of the power of “pink.”

They say that things go better with Coke and fish goes better with pink.  But…there is one exception.  Fish and spaghetti.  Ever heard of it?  Well, not only have I heard of it, I have had it several times. Now first, you need to understand it is not fish cooked in spaghetti, rather it is fish served with spaghetti.  I learned of this food miracle several years ago.  A couple who attended our church invited my wife Judy and I over for supper.  We were served fish and spaghetti and it was incredible.

To be sure this dynamic combo is not an accident.  First, David is the fish cooker and the man takes frying fish to a new level.  Moist and crisp at the same time…it is “shoot that thang” good.  Second, his wife Lisa makes some of the best spaghetti I have ever eaten. It is seasoned perfectly and has just a slightly different flavor then most spaghettis I have had.  I fell in love that night.  I am a fish and spaghetti man for life.

David is an African American and when we were discussing this duet, he assured me it was a “black thing.”  I had never heard of these two things together before and he told me to ask someone…so I did.  I asked another friend of mine who happens to also be African American, “So what do you eat with spaghetti?”  She quickly replied, “Fish.” There you go.  I have been a comfort food fanatic for over six decades and almost missed this food wonder.  It is almost a food group all of its on.

Things are like that sometimes.  Sometimes certain things just click together.  It is as if they were meant to be together. Peanut butter and jelly.  Chocolate and peanut butter. Cheese and summer sausage. Well, add fish and spaghetti to the list.  And while you are listing—be sure and add Jesus and you.  I have been a Jesus follower since 1967 and I am telling you He took my life to a whole different level.  He makes the good even better and makes the difficult more than tolerable. He is amazing.  And just like fish and spaghetti if you’ve never tried Him you don’t know what you are missing.  He makes life worth living.

Now understand I’m not talking about you and religion, or you and church.  A relationship with Jesus is totally different from church or religion.  I like church and tolerate religion but neither one of them is even close to Jesus.  He is literally One of a kind. The Bible says that there is One go-between who can bring God and us together and it is the man Christ Jesus.  He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.  I hope you will get a copy of His Book—the Bible—and read about Him. You will discover a Man like no other who loves you like no other.  He is a best friend on steroids.

I know these are crazy days we are living in—you know it and I know it.  I’ve found that Jesus adds stability, peace and hope to what can be a pretty difficult existence. With Him we go from surviving to thriving.  All you need to do is believe.  Believe that He is who He claims to be—the God man—believe that He died on a Roman cross to pay the price for your sin, believe He came back to life and believe that if you ask He will forgive you.  I took Him at His word and He is everything He claims to be.  He is the real deal.  And, hey, when God is your best friend you can sleep better at night and rest better in during the day.  When the God who made it all is your best friend—you can believe that He’s got this…and He does.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, priorities, school days, Scripture, thankful

212° Day – Just One More Degree

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35

We pulled into the parking lot…and there it was. So we were staying with Ellie and James, two of our eight grandkids. Dad and Mom were away and that meant we got to stay and watch over things.

Because of their age, we are past babysitting. Anyway, part of our thing was to make sure they got to school every morning and that is when we saw it. As we pulled into the parking lot, it was very obvious something big was going on. I asked the kids and they didn’t have any idea–and that was part of the big idea!

Here’s what we saw. First, there was a huge banner that said 212° flying about thirty feet in the sky from one of those “lifty” things. Wait…there is more. About two dozen teachers and staff were on the sidewalk that lined the parking lot–all of them dressed in crazy costumes and dancing like no one was watching. A couple of people were on the roof also dressed and acting crazy and hold signs that also said, “212°.” Music was blaring. I was impressed…Ellie was not…James was neutral.

I asked Judy what she thought but neither of us could figure it out. Well, after school we found out. Ellie arrived first and the first thing I asked her was about the 212° thing. Well, first, by now, she was way impressed. It turned out that since the date was February 12, or 2-12, the staff declared it 212° day.  Their theme was no matter what you do in life, you should always go to the next level, take the extra step, going or doing anything just “one more degree” than normal. You see, at 211° water is just hot water but when it reaches 212°–it boils. That one degree makes all the difference in the world.

All day, starting with a high energy crazy assembly in the morning and ending with one in the afternoon, the students were challenged with lessons and activities to go “the extra degree. And what made it so special was the fact that everybody, teachers in their classes and staff, were all in. They showed by their actions just what a great idea this was so naturally most if not all the students jumped in (no pun intended) too. What a stunningly great idea. I loved it. My wife Judy loved it. Ellie loved it. James loved it.

So Grits fans…what is it in your life that you could go “just one more degree” and change your world? God has always been a “one more degree” God and He proves it everyday in every way.  He never settled for–and neither should we. There’s a world out there who needs to know the vastness of God’s love and plain ole hot water just ain’t gonna cut it–we need to go “one more degree.” It can be challenging but with His help…anything is possible! You know it–water boils at 212° and He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, spring, Uncategorized

Good Morning!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24 

Good morning, Sunshine! Ok…that might be an overstatement…especially as I get a little older.  But, regardless, I love mornings…especially the early mornings. All my adult life I have been an early riser—like 4:30 or 5:00 am early. With few exceptions, I don’t use an alarm clock and after a wake-up ritual, I am ready to go. 

As you probably know older people tend to lean toward two extremes. One group is sleeping in—they revert back to their teen times. The other group wakes up before the crack of dawn—they revert back to when they were babies. That is me. I normally wake up when the first number is a four or five. I say good morning to the bathroom and head to my favorite room in the house—my man-cave or home office. I usually spend an hour or so with the door closed—it is my domain. You might wonder, “what do you do in there?”

Well, here is a look into the inner sanctum. First, I turn on the lights—all of them.  I found out a long time ago the best way to jumpstart your brain is to flood the room with light.  So, I do. Then, I make a cup of coffee with my Keurig. We are very close friends.  It took me a while to become friends because he had expensive tastes.  But when Sam’s started offering cheaper coffee—we buddied up. Next, I also turn on the electric fireplace, regardless of the season, light a candle and sit back for a few minutes of news and weather.

After those preliminaries, I pull out my iPad and open YouVersion and read several devotionals.  If you are a Jesus follower or a Jesus searcher, you really need to go to your app store and download YouVersion—it for free.  Whether you are growing in Him or searching for Him…it is a go to place. After YouVersion, I read several email devotionals to get some more insight for the day. I also read some scripture—either for study purposes or just to read. Then, either at my desk or back in my chair I usually pray thanking God and asking Him to watch over the one’s I love and the upcoming day. So, there you go.  This best part of waking up is a little coffee and a little more of God.

Mornings are my most productive time. Almost all of these stories are written early in the morning. My most productive study time is early in the morning. Most of my sermons were born then. If exercise is going to happen—it has to happen in the morning. Truth be known, half of my day happens in the first three or four hours of the new day. I often find what didn’t make sense at 4:00 pm makes plenty of sense at 5:30 am. What’s seemed overwhelming at 7:00 pm is no problem at 6:00 am. 

Another of my favorite morning things, if the season is right, is to go out and sit on the patio and watch the sun rise—for the dawn to break and for the day to begin. I have never ceased to be amazed at creation—the birth of another day. As darkness gives way to dawn, as night slips away to day, it is a visual promise from my Dearest Daddy that He is not done yet.  Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” His job is to make them, and our job is to enjoy them.  Even the more difficult days have lessons to learn…He’s not a waster…He is a provider.

Well, out on the patio I finish my last cup of coffee and sit back and take it all in.  A new day, a fresh promise, another opportunity to enjoy my Dearest Father.  So, what is your fresh start like?  It really doesn’t matter if it starts with a four or a nine.  It doesn’t matter if it is coffee or tea (but I can’t imagine that). It doesn’t matter if it is rain or sunshine…just make sure you know and remember that as you stroll with Him today…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in gratitude, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Uncategorized, wisdom

Wrong Turn

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

 They thought I took a wrong turn. If the truth was known, all of us make a lot of wrong turns in life. The other day we returned from a great cruise in the Southern Caribbean. While there were plenty of highlights, the granddaddy of them all had to be when we did a partial transit of the Panama Canal. A partial transit simply means we went through three of the locks, turned around in the largest manmade lake in the world and then returned back through the locks. They say that the Panama Canal is one of man’s greatest building achievements and I would have to agree. It is something that you have to see to believe.

Well, what goes up most come down and all trips like this one had to come to an end. So, after twelve days and a wakeup, we found ourselves back in Fort Lauderdale. My wife Judy and I had largely been disconnected from the world–which spiritually thinking isn’t a bad thing but weather wise it can be quite shocking.  I was dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt so you can imagine my shock and surprise when I stepped off the ship and it was…gasp…forty-one degrees. Trust me that is not what you expect that far south! Yikes.

Well, we headed north but this time we knew what we were facing.  The weather people were calling for a major winter storm just a few days after we returned home and as you can tell–they were entirely right. This morning’s low was near zero and we have eight to ten inches of snow on the ground. More than one person said, “You turned the wrong way…you should have turned south and not north.” Well, the truth is there is a lot of truth in that. But the truth is also this–home was north and we were ready for home–even if it meant freezing.

A turn is not wrong if it is leading to the place you should go–you need to go–and this time that meant home. My heart was telling me it was time to go home–even if the temperature was telling me something different. While we can’t always trust our hearts…the Bible tells us that…we can truth the God who made our heart. He will never lead us astray.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” In our case that path led us straight to home. And, as you know there is no place like home.  Oh and don’t forget there’s nothing better than knowing that no matter what–He’s got this. God bless you and have a blessed day.  Bro. Dewayne