Tag: God

Posted in Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, priorities, Scripture, Trials, wisdom

A Really Bad Idea

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.” Psalm 103:8

It was just a bad idea. Each of us have had times when we do something and from the get-go we know it is just a bad idea.  Remember the story of me at age seven trying to ride a 26-inch bicycle?  And these bad ideas usually bear the fruit of bad endings.

I have a good friend who manages a local restaurant.  For a long time, we would get together once a week and have breakfast at the restaurant.  Well, I was (and am) famous for ordering different things for breakfast.  One was the delicious “preacher stack.”  It consisted of a slice of toast, an over-easy egg, a slice of cheese, a couple of slices of soft bacon, a small serving of hash browns (cooked crispy, of course), a second egg and finally the crowning touch, a smattering of gravy. For variety the hash browns were sometimes replaced with grits. Now, let me tell you, that was “shoot that thing” good. I do believe I might be the Rembrandt of breakfast.  Sometimes.

You see, one time, about midway through the fall season, I got an idea.  Unfortunately, it was a very bad idea.  Now the problem with bad ideas is that sometimes they look good from one angle and horrible from the other.  Well, this time I looked from the wrong angle.  I told my friend, “Jeremy, I have an idea.  I think I want to try chili and eggs for breakfast in the morning.”  Now being the good friend that he was, he tried and tried to get me to change course.  But at that time and from that angle it really sounded good.  The key word there is “sounded.”

The next morning Jeremy cooked up a batch of chili and I was served chili and eggs for breakfast.  The first and second bite wasn’t too bad—weird, but not too bad.  From there it went downhill and by the time I was done—I was done.  I felt like I had swallowed a 12-pound bowling ball and that bowling ball stayed with me all day.  In fact, it was a couple of days before I felt half normal.  It was a very, very bad idea.  He tried to warn me, but no.  Oh boy, just the thought of chili and eggs makes my eyes cross.

Well, a while later I had a nice, innocent bad idea.  I usually walk in the mornings, but Judy and I decided to walk in the afternoon.  That was ok—unusual, but ok.  And that wasn’t a bad idea.  We were going to walk on the bike trail so I thought I would wear an old pair of trail running shoes I had in the closet.  “Why?” Well, I liked the way they looked, and I liked the way they laced up (they had these cool speed laces) but that’s where the love affair ended.  They weren’t very comfortable, and the inside of the heel had long lost its padding. All that was left was a crater where the padding used to be surrounded by rough edges. Everything said, “Don’t wear those shoes.” Well, you know what I did. I wore the shoes anyway and it was indeed a very bad idea.

I had planned on only walking a couple of miles but ended up doing 3.6. Well, at about the 1.8 mile turn around point I noticed that the back of my left heel was starting to burn—to hurt.  Remember the padding that was missing? Well, those rough edges that remained were now slowly eating into my heel.  And with every step it got worse.  I was almost two miles from the car, and it hurt, and it hurt, and it hurt.  I found myself saying over and over again, “This was a really bad idea.”  The problem was I realized it just a little too late.  Well, about 10,000 steps later, I got back to the car and the shoes, and I parted company—forever.  Even sitting there, I said it again, “That was a really bad idea.”

Well, in a while Judy got back to the car from her walk.  As she came over to where I was sitting and noticed I had my shoes off. She made a comment about resting.  I said, “Judy, do you remember the time I ate the chili and eggs?”  She said, “Well, yes, but what has that got to do with today?”  I said, “That was a really, bad idea and wearing these stinking shoes today was a really bad idea.” To make matters worse, when we had started walking, I commented how much I liked the shoes and she remembered that.  “But Dewayne, I thought you said you liked them?”  Well, I liked the way they looked, I liked the way they laced up, but boy, I didn’t like the way they felt after walking.  And trust me—that outweighed all the looks and all the cool laces.

Well, I wanted to tell you this story for a couple of reasons. First, don’t, do not, eat chili and eggs.  What it does to your insides requires the intervention of the EPA. If you eat chili and eggs, be prepared for a period of quarantine. Be prepared to camp in the “valley of the shadow of death.” It. Is. A. Bad. Idea.  And if you are going to walk, remember to pick your shoes based on what is important not what is intriguing or flashy.  At about the two mile point you will thank me. Trust me, I know.

One thing that I really like about the Bible is that it is filled with people just like me.  People who didn’t always listen to God and people who ate chili and eggs and wore the wrong shoes.  Real, live, people who didn’t always make the best choices. The thing I like about God is that He is so loving, patient and kind.  Even when Adam and Eve ate “chili and eggs” in the garden and then wore the “wrong shoes” to cover it all up—He still loved them and still provided a way for them to be forgiven.  They tried to do it their way, but God didn’t throw them under the bus and start over. And guess what?  He doesn’t throw us under the bus either, and I am thankful. When we come to Him with our “chili and eggs,” “wrong shoes,” whining and complaining about how we got the “blisters” in our life, He is patiently waiting.

He is always there for us…bad ideas and all.  You will find the Whisper whispering warnings, “don’t got there,” and encouraging you to “go the right way” and “do the right things”.  That’s just the way He is.  You know He could have carried me back to the car that day, but I think there was a lesson that I needed to learn and a story I needed to tell. I finished the walk limping a little, but also a little wiser.  As I sat there resting in Him, I decided no more chili and eggs and no more worn out, flashy shoes. And the next time I find myself two miles from the car—well, I’ll just remember, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, forgiveness, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials

Wait and See

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Genesis 17:17

I quit just a little too soon.  I think there must have been this line in heaven where all the babies wait to be assigned dads, moms, skills, and bodies in heaven.  I can just imagine me standing there waiting.  I am watching as all the boy babies make it to the front and they are soon on their way with these bodies that are destined to be tall and muscular.  They make the jump to earth and their new homes just waiting to grow up and become the next Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan.  I can also imagine my turn at the front of the line and Saint Peter saying something about sports and I miss understood and thought he said something about ketchup, and I said, “Sure, I’ll take a squirt.” Anyway, I arrived on earth a little shorter than average and not a sports bone in my body.  I should have listened more closely.

All this became pretty apparent when it came to choosing teams.  Whether it was kickball, volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, or baseball, when the teams were chosen, I was near the end of the line. As far as school sports are concerned, well, there were hundreds of kids in the schools I attended and trust me no one ever offered me a contract.  The only place I had a measure of success was, of course, at church.  I managed to make the church softball team though it was the “B” team. We did play tackle football after our Bible study time on Wednesday nights and there I made a name for myself. One of our teachers was named Eddie and he was, well, one large man and no one could tackle him, so they called him “Big Eddie.”  While I wasn’t nearly that large, I was harder to tackle so I gained the name “Little Eddie.”  Hey, when you are nameless in the world of sports, you will take anything.

My only foray into “professional sports” was Little League baseball when I was about 9 or 10.  I don’t remember if I made the team, or if everyone made the team.  Regardless, we were called the Gators and we, or rather they, were pretty good.  Again, I had absolutely no talent in baseball, so I was assigned to right field on the rare occasions that I got to play.  I was the kid who prayed a lot during the games.  It wasn’t that I was particularly spiritual—it was emotional survival.  First, I would pray that they wouldn’t play me and then, if they did, I would pray that no one would hit the ball to right field.  It didn’t work. Invariably someone would and well, it wasn’t good.

Then, of course, there was the batting thing.  Did you know that there are players who say they can see the stitches on the ball as it comes toward them?  Did you know there are players who know when and how to swing?  Can you guess I wasn’t one of those players?  Nope, the pitcher would pitch, and I would wonder where the ball was. That wasn’t pretty either.  So, the sad (you are feeling sorry for me by now, aren’t you) bottom line is that one day I just refused to go to practice.  I made it through about three quarters of the season, and I just gave it up—I quit.

Well, guess what?  It turns out that even without me, the Gators ended up winning the championship.  Yup, they sure did.  I remember, the coach came by my house one evening and he was carrying a trophy.  He said that the team had won it all and even though I hadn’t finished the season, he wanted me to have a trophy.  I probably mumbled something about quitting because I was hit by a semi-truck and thanked him for bringing the trophy by.  The truth was there was no excuse—I just quit. And the other truth is because of that, the trophy meant absolutely, the grand total of—nothing.  I didn’t earn it and I didn’t deserve it.  Not because I wasn’t good, but because I didn’t finish.

I really don’t have a lot of regrets in life but that is a small one I do own.  I’m ok with not being tall and gifted in sports, but I’m not ok with being a quitter.  Not then—not now. If I had waited, I could have been a champion, but I didn’t wait it out.  You know there was a guy in the Bible who had the same issue.  God had promised him a son, an heir.  The only problem was he and his wife were old—really old.  In fact, when God told him he was going to have a son, this guy fell on his face and laughed and said, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Instead of believing God, he decided to do things his way or really Sarah’s way. Since she couldn’t conceive, they opted for a concubine rather than wait on the miracle.  What a bad idea.  He and the concubine did have a son, but it wasn’t the son God had promised.  It really didn’t go well…and sadly it still isn’t going well.  Much of the conflict in that part of the world stems from this one man.  Oh, the consequences.

Oh, and by the way, guess what?  When they were both older than dirt, Sarah, his wife did in fact conceive and the promised son was born.  God came through after all—surprise, surprise.  If only they had finished the season…if only they had waited, how different things would have been.  The good news is that God kept His word and blessed Abraham beyond his wildest dreams. You see even though Abraham quit believing, God never quit believing in him…and He won’t quit believing in you either.  I like that…actually, I love that.  Regardless of what you are waiting on, just hang on…just be patient, just wait and see what God has in mind. He’s never late and He’s never early, He’s right on time because He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Cotton Candy and Sin

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Her name is Maggie, and she likes to serve. Our church has a ministry that involves a Fun Foods trailer filled with all kinds of good things…things like snow cones, popcorn and best of all—cotton candy. And while popcorn and snow cones are relatively safe, those brave enough to make cotton candy are going to get messy.  Very messy. This past Saturday, our church took the trailer to a fall festival and soon we were set up and ready for business.  When my wife Judy and I got there, Maggie was already making cotton candy, so we decided to join her team.

Maggie was the one actually running the machine, I was the one that opened the bags and held them open while she put the cotton candy in the bag and Judy was the one who put on the twist ties.  We were quite the team but let’s be clear—Maggie was the cotton candy queen—clearly this was not her first rodeo. We soon settled into the groove, and we were slinging cotton candy left and right.  I even got to go and be the front man and encourage people to have some.  I kinda stretched the truth and told them it was sugar free, oh, and that their doctor said it was ok.  I confessed later.

Like I said, we were slinging cotton candy left and right and it soon became apparent that so was the machine.  When we started the process Maggie was clean as a whistle but the longer she worked, the pinker she became.  Let me explain. We were making pink cotton candy and I quickly learned that cotton candy attracts cotton candy. If a little is stuck to you then very soon some more will stick to that little bit and that is what happened to Maggie.  Well, before the shift was over Maggie was very pink. In fact, she was almost covered with a layer of sweet, pink hair.  It was pretty amazing, and it taught me a valuable lesson—not about cotton candy but about sin.

You see, just like a little cotton candy stuck on you attracts and grabs more of the same, so it is with sin.  When we allow a little sin to get stuck in our lives, if we are not careful, soon we can become a sin magnet.  Sin attracts sin and while it was obvious with Maggie and the cotton candy—that is not always the case with sin.  We need to learn to be alert—to keep an eye out—and when we spot something—have the wisdom to do something right there and then.

Well, in Maggie’s cotton candy world she didn’t have time to stop and remove the small pieces that stuck to her in the beginning, so she ended up pink.  But when it comes to sin—take the time, make the time to solve the problem by removing the sin from your life. Trust me—that is one thing you won’t regret. It is easier to deal with a little sin than to allow it to stick around (no pun intended) and grow. If you need any help, God is always ready and willing to help us. In fact, He is the sin removing and forgiving expert. Just ask and He will be glad to help.  He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, travel, Trials

Welcome to the Buffet

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

It’s not for everyone…and I didn’t think it was for me.  You see, several years ago Judy and I decided to take the plunge and go on a cruise.  I always wrote cruises off because the thought of being in that small of an area with 4,000 of my closest friends just didn’t sound appealing.  Well, for whatever reason, I finally said yes, and I am so glad that I did.  We had a great time.  If you regularly read Grits, you know we love to travel.  Well, take that, plus good food and entertainment and the fact that somehow it just didn’t seem crowded and well, it was just fun.

I had always heard that the food was plentiful and incredible, and it really was.  All you want and all included.  When you bought your ticket, all the perks were thrown in and I was determined to make sure I took advantage of them all.  They say the average person gains like five pounds on a cruise and I am pretty sure I can testify to that.

Now let me ask you a question.  Wouldn’t it have been crazy if I chose not to take advantage of all that had already been paid for?  Would it be crazy if I had bought cans of sardines and cases of crackers on board to eat.  Well trust me, it would have. The crazy part is that too often we ignore the wonderful blessings that God gives us as His children.

I received an email years ago and it told how Bill Bright, a great teacher and leader, used to tell the story of a man who carefully saved his money until he was finally able to travel on a beautiful cruise ship. It was all he could do just to save enough to buy his ticket. Thinking he wouldn’t have enough money to buy meals in the ship’s fine dining room, he decided to take along some cheese and crackers for food.

For several days he sat in his cabin, watching the stewards go by with carts full of luscious lobster, prime rib, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He reached out and grabbed one of the stewards by the arm and begged him for a plate of food. “Please, help me. I’ll go to work; I’ll scrub the deck. I’ll do anything to get something to eat. My cheese and crackers are turning stale, and I’m starving to death.” “But, sir,” the steward replied, “don’t you know? Your food comes with your ticket.”

Sadly, many Christians live their life the way this man did on the cruise ship. Rather than embracing and receiving all that God has for them they become satisfied with “cheese and crackers,” living off the scarcity of the world when they could be dining on steak and baked potatoes. Either out of stubbornness or just a lack of knowledge, they don’t allow the Holy Spirit to take control of their lives and produce the luscious fruit of the Spirit–love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They chose spiritual poverty over abundant life and scarcity over the joy of enjoying the abundance of their Dearest Daddy.

I’ve discovered that it is too easy to slip into leanness when God wants us to have so much more.  And, no, I’m not speaking of things.  Things are just things.  I am speaking of the richness of knowing Creator God—up close and personal. Too often I’ve been satisfied at times with the bare bones of salvation—a hope of heaven for sure but walking into walls in this life—afraid and seemingly alone. The best day of your life is the day you trust Jesus and second best…well, it is finally figuring out that He is with me and will be with me all the way.  It is figuring out that He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, food, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Three Days, Day 3

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Catch the foxes for us—the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyards are in bloom.” Song of Solomon 2:15

It seems that God has a sense of humor after all.  Day two was a bust.  As bad as I wanted and needed everything to go right…it went wrong.  Mornings are my most productive time and it quickly became obvious that Monday morning and afternoon were not going to be productive…except to fuel and feed my frustration.  Before it was all over the circumstances, of which none were life threatening, none were going to matter in eternity, none were going to change the world, had left me wondering what God was up to.  I just missed the part that He had enrolled me in the school of faith.

Tuesday, day three of “Three Days” began better—not because anything had changed but maybe, just maybe I had.  I got up and prepared the usual way.  Coffee, check. God time, check. Breakfast, check. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the office and see what God had in mind.  Something told me it might be different. When I arrived at the office, made a cup of coffee—first priority—and restarted my Apple computer for what seemed like the twentieth time.  Hmmm. It seemed to be happier so naturally I was happier but happier doesn’t mean the problem was gone.  I still had to do the one thing that started this fiasco—updating the church digital sign. I decided to try something different.

About two months ago, I had installed the software that was supposed to talk to the sign on another computer but no matter what I did, it simply wouldn’t talk to the sign. I called the expert and no matter what he did it still wouldn’t talk to the sign.  We gave up and I turned it off…until that morning…the morning of day three.  Well, figuring I had nothing to lose, I turned the PC on, opened the sign talking software and guess what? They started talking.  Like two old friends they started chatting like nothing was ever wrong. And just like that the thing that I had worried and fretted over was in the rearview mirror.  Just like that the one thing that I really needed to do was, wait for it, possible.  I really couldn’t believe it.  There was no explanation but one.  God not only heals bodies and creates universes—He works on computers.

I hope you are smiling right now because when all this happened, I was.  I wrote to the computer expert guy and told him the problem was solved and I thought it was a miracle.  He agreed.  So, the bottom line is God proved that He is concerned about the little things that cause frustration and stress. He also proved that even when we are wondering what “He did to us,” He quietly and mysteriously works for us. The rest of the first part of day three I merrily pressed the keys and fed data to the church sign for the next couple of months.  Yay.

I am glad that God granted me these three days…even day two…the less than trophy day.  That frustrating day set me up to appreciate the miracle day.  God used my frustration from day two to fertilize and grow the wonder of day three. In frustration on day two I said, “God why did you do this to me.”  At the end of day three I was saying in gratitude, “God, why did you do this for me” because I am sure I didn’t deserve it. I hope this made sense today because it was very cool.  I learned once again that God is God, and I am not and that He is good all the time and if I am willing to trust and wait, He is willing to see me through.

So, that is the story of the three days…three days that I am sure all of us at one time or another have both enjoyed and endured. It is a story of how it doesn’t aways take a major disaster to derail us on the tracks of life.  Sometimes, too often, it is just the little things gone south.  Sometimes the little things are more difficult to manage than the monsters that ravage us.  It reminds me of one of those good verses in the Old Testament.  It says, remember, it isn’t the elephants but the little foxes that spoil the vines and the harvest. I’m just glad that He is a patient loving Father who doesn’t grow weary with my groans or my whines.  No, instead the Whisperer whispers, “It’s ok child, don’t worry, big or small, “I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, forgiveness, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Three Days, Day 2

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

 I never saw it coming. Day one of “Three Days” was so awesome you would think that the day following a trophy day would be at least somewhat awesome, right?  Let me tell you that is not always the case.  If you read, “Three Days, Day One” you know that my day job is being a pastor and one day recently, I and the church, had a “trophy Sunday.”  Now I need to be honest and let you know that not every Sunday qualifies as a “trophy Sunday.”  In fact, some of them can be pretty difficult but that’s not a deal because it is just the way life goes.  “Less than days” have nothing to do with where you work or what you do—it has to do with life.  Like I said in day one, when you have a really good day, put it on your trophy shelf so you can easily find it when you need a reminder that you are blessed.

Well, you know that Mondays always follow Sundays.  It is no accident that Mondays get a bad rap.  It just seems that if you are going to have a challenging day, Mondays get the call and in my case, that is exactly what happened.  So after the trophy day at church that Sunday, I bounded (slight overstatement there) out of bed about 4:10 am, ready to embrace the day.  Because it was Thanksgiving Week and because my wife Judy and I were taking a trip down south to see family, I only had two days in the office that week.  I expected and needed some productive time.  There were several things that just had to get done before I left but I was confident that I could get it done.  So, like a horse in the starting gate, I raced to the office…early.

When I got to the office, for fortification, I made a cup of coffee and then hit the spacebar on my computer and immediately noticed that it was a little slow to wake up. “Hmmm,” I said, wondering what was up with that. It did eventually start responding but things were just not right.  One of the things I had to get done was to update the electronic sign for our church.  To do that my Apple computer needed to talk to the sign which— speaks Windows—think EngIish and German. I have a program on my computer that is supposed to act like a translator but it was on strike. From there things just went downhill.  Not only was the Apple computer not speaking to the Windows sign, everything, and I mean everything,  just came to a standstill.  No matter what I did, no matter how many times I restarted the computer, nothing helped. I watched the clock as my precious day slipped away through my idle hands.

Now, I believe in God.  I believe that God directs my day and my path.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible says, “The steps of a good man (good as in God’s goodness) are directed by the Lord and it is He who directs His path.”  I know it and I believe it though my faith that particular day was sagging.  In fact, I left the office that day feeling just a little put off with God.  I mean didn’t He know I had to get this stuff done?  Didn’t He know I only had a little time to get a lot done?  Well, I finally just blurted out to Him, “God why are you doing this to me.” I was frustrated and maybe, just maybe a little angry…if not at God at least the circumstances.  Looking back, I realized that I was having a little case of “spiritual amnesia.”

Spiritual Amnesia?  Yup…it’s a real deal and I really had it.  You see, I had forgotten the “trophy Sunday” and even forgot to revisit it to remind me of God being a good God.  I had forgotten that I believe that God directs and plans my day…meaning He had planned that day as an exercise of faith and trust…in Him.  I forgot it all and that was not fair to Him, my wife, Judy, who bore some of the brunt of my frustration and anybody else who happened to be close enough to feel and hear my frustration that day.  Are you getting the picture that Monday was not a “trophy day?” Ever had a day like that?  Trust me, I get it and I understand and so does our Dearest Daddy.

Well, that night, I sat down at my home computer and worked and watched how that same God that I had grumbled about multiplied my time and efforts and much of what I needed to get done, got done in just a couple of hours.  It was then that my “spiritual amnesia” fog began to clear.  It was then that I remembered that God doesn’t do things to people…He does things for people.  You see that non-trophy day was about learning—-I was in “God school” and He was teaching me things like faith, trust and patience.  I also remembered the rest of that favorite verse.  It says that even if I should stumble and fall, I will not, can not, be completely cast down because He, God, will pick me up.  I may fall in a mud puddle of frustration but He loves me too much to leave me there.

So the day ended better than it started.  I went to bed that night with a feeling that no matter what tomorrow held, I would do what I could do and just leave the rest to Him.  I got out of bed, had my coffee and had a little talk with Him and He whispered to me that He would be with me that day and that no matter what He would not abandon me.  I knew that somehow the third day of “Three Days” was going to be ok and that what I write each day is indeed true, “He’s got this.” Brother Dewayne

Posted in friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Three Days, Day 1

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

They say that God works in mysterious ways.  So one week God showed up in three very different ways on three very different days.  Now if you aren’t a God follower you might write this off as chance and circumstance but my life and faith journeys won’t let me do that.  Regardless, sit back and enjoy the story.

So if you are a Grits reader you know that my day job is leading a church.  I am the senior (by position and by age) pastor at a local church so God plays a big part of my walkabout life—both at church and otherwise.  Well, on this particular week it all started on Sunday.  It was a special day because we had a guest visiting our church who works in another part of the world.  She is a good friend of my wife Judy and me.  We have visited her and served with her several times where she serves. So we had her share about her work at a brunch we held and also in both of our services.  It was good.

Our worship services consist of two big parts—the music part and the Word part.  The Word part is when I get to share with the folks both in the room, on the radio and Facebook Live.  I love it…when it goes right. Smile.  Well, this particular day, The music part was just awesome and the sermon came together in a way that only God could orchestrate.  He was good.

We also gathered our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  If that doesn’t ring a bell just google it and you will discover one of the most purposeful things you can do. Basically you fill a shoebox with kid’s stuff and then drop it off at a collection point.  Samaritan’s Purse will ship the box (about 12 million of them) around the world to make some child’s day.  It is awesome.  Well, that day we collected our boxes, all 519 of them, and the climax was our kids marching in carrying a bunch of them.  It was very good.

So, when I was giving some closing comments at the end of the service, I told the folks that this was a “trophy Sunday.” What I meant was that it was the kind of day that you put in the special part of your brain where you put memories that you don’t want to forget.  Just like a trophy reminds you of a special event, so day was one we should keep safe because one day, someday, you just might need to be reminded that God is indeed good.

You see, not everyday is a trophy day.  Not everyday is going to be a cloudless and sunny day. There is going to be day’s that make you wonder “what in the world was God thinking?”  It may be one of those days when you think “how could a good God every allow something like this happen.”  It may be one of those days that rub you wrong…like a cheap, scratchy wool sweater.  We all have them, don’t we?  When one rolls around, you simply go to your trophy shelf and remember that God is good and even that is bigger than it sounds.  You see God doesn’t just do good…He is good.  And that is true even when our world goes south.  And sometimes it will.

The biggest trophy on my trophy shelf is a bloodied, Roman cross.  It is where Jesus died a sacrificial death…not for His benefit but for our’s.  His death that day paid the price for the sin, the messes, the brokenness of an entire world.  And God said if we would believe that what He did and choose to follow Him, we could have His love on our trophy shelf forever.  I know in today’s world that sounds hokey but trust me, it is anything but.  Go ahead check it out, check Him out.  It is a trophy worth having. One of the best known verses in the Bible is John 3:16.  It simply says that God loved the lot of us—all of us—so much He allowed His only Son to die so that anyone who believed in Him, could live forever.  Like I said, check it out.  Hey, watch Grits in the coming days for part two of “Three Days.” It is a story that gives weight to the fact that, “He’s got this.” See you then. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Spiders and Snakes

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

I don’t like spiders and snakes.  Nope, never did and never will.  That was the title of one of those crazy songs from the seventies. Of course, back then there were several crazy songs but after all—it was the seventies.  Crazy or not, it was one of those songs that I could sure identify with. We lived on two acres of land and a lot of it was, well, weedy.  And sometimes Daddy or Momma would decide that it would have to be mowed…by push mower.  I can remember well slowly, ever so slowly, working my way through the tall weeds.  I was sure, really sure, that somewhere out there were giant anacondas just waiting to grab my leg and wrap me in their death grip.  Nope, I don’t like snakes.

Oh, and I sure don’t like spiders either.  While I never saw the giant anacondas that lurked in the forbidden zone of our two acres, I saw plenty of spiders.  Our house had wooden siding and at each corner where the siding went a different direction, there would be the perfect spot for these flesh-eating black spiders to hide.  And while I never saw one of them eating anything, my young mind had no problem imagining what went on in their web covered holes.  If the hole had been big enough, I am sure their dens would have been filled with little boys’ remains.  Nope, I don’t like spiders.

But of all the spiders that called 6008 Carlton Road home, the dreaded banana spider was the worst.  The banana spider (I’m sure that is not the correct name, but it was what I called them) would spin their webs out in the low hanging branches and in between two or more bushes.  They were about the size of a small house dog (well, it seemed they were) and they had long legs and a long and narrow thingy in the back.  Their webs were extremely tough and usually had a zigzag pattern. While I managed to avoid them most of the time, sometimes, well, I didn’t, and it seemed that is always when I was mowing the yard.

It would go like this.  I was one of those “can’t hold still” and big imagination kids.  So, I would be pushing the lawn mower fast (to get done…that was just my nature) with my mind somewhere either in the woods or the kitchen—dreaming of a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich.  Zipping along, ducking occasionally for a lower limb, I would almost always manage to walk right into one of these spider webs.  To this day I can still remember just how much I hated it.  The web would get wrapped around my face and unlike the black flesh-eating spiders who lived in the cracks on my house, these guys didn’t hide—they were always there. Boy, do I hate spiders.

Well, looking back and being a little wiser, I know now that those big black spiders didn’t eat little boys after all.  No, they were fond of small insects.  And those massive banana spiders really weren’t trying to wrap me in their web so they could save me for a midnight snack.  They too were insect eaters—howbeit bigger insects than their cousins.  So, while I know the threat was not real—the fear was.  In fact, it was very real.  And that is the way it works, isn’t it? So often the threats that we feel, we sense around us are not real.  Most of the things we fear never, ever happen, but the truth is— fear does.  We find ourselves wrapped in its tight web, paralyzed, wanting to break free but bound.

There might be several answers to fear and knowledge is one of those.  Often if we can gain a clearer understanding of what is driving the fear, it will scamper back into its dark den.  But another thing that sends fear on the run is a strong faith in our God—our Dearest Daddy.  When we realize that He is greater than anything we might fear, when we believe that He will always be there, fear retreats into the dark places it came from.  The light of faith shows us that we have nothing to fear.  When David, the shepherd turned king of Bible days, was writing about death, he said, “Even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  You are with me.”  Did you see all of that great truth?  Death is but a shadow and God is with us.  Now that will put fear on the run.

So today, if you accidentally wander into a web of fear, just remember that the thing we are fearing has no more grip than we give it.  If you can call God Father, well, He is greater than even death.  He loves you and wants to walk with you. My earthly Daddy never walked with me when I mowed but if he had it would have sure helped.  My spider stomping Daddy would have given me the confidence I needed.  I’m glad to let you know that your heavenly spider stomping, fear killing Daddy is beside you and if you listen, over the din of noise, you can hear Him saying, “I’ve got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in birthday, Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Fleas…Another Story of Favor

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Can God use fleas? A few days ago, I ran a story about Corrie ten Boom and fleas. Corrie was a holocaust survivor and she told how she learned to thank God for the fleas that infested her barracks.  The fleas were so bad that the German officers refused to enter which allowed the women to be at least partially free from their harassment. Well, turns out that the Chappell part of the Taylor tribe has a small flea story of our own.

So, really, through nobody’s fault, the Chappell house had a flea problem.  Gratefully these unwanted guests stayed in the basement.  Well, they tried everything from sprays to bombs and of course collars and pills for their pets.  Nothing seemed to work. Finally, someone had the idea to call an exterminator to see what they could do.  So Terminix was called for an estimate, and they got the job.

As the story goes, my grandson Taylor has been taking up riding skateboards.  It’s only been a few weeks but during that time he has gotten pretty good.  For his birthday, his mom and dad wanted to get him a better board. So, when the guy came by from Terminix to give the estimate, somehow the conversation turned to skateboarding and it turns out this guy used to be a semi-pro rider.  It also turned out that he really likes to help kids learn and become more involved in boarding.

So, guess what? He offered to give Taylor a used but in great condition board. How cool is that?  A few days later, when it came time for Taylor’s birthday, he had a cool board with all the good accessories—including, thankfully, some great protective gear.  He was one happy camper. Not only did we recognize this was God working through circumstances to give him a special blessing, but Taylor also recognized God’s hand of blessing in his life. It was special to hear him pray thanking God for his skateboard and the man.

So, what about fleas? Well, without the fleas we wouldn’t have called Terminix and without Terminix we wouldn’t have had the semi-pro board dude and without the semi-pro board dude there wouldn’t have been a free, cool board for Taylor’s birthday.  How about that. If you wait and follow the trail so often it goes back to a Dearest Daddy who is always working for our good and His glory. So, once again, thank you God for your incredible favor and thank you once again for proving that “You got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, love, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, travel

Sweeter…Inside & Out

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.” John 14:17

I like Murray, Kentucky for several reasons. First, some of my tribe live there. My middle daughter and her husband and two of my eight grandchildren call Murray home. Now that alone is reason enough.  Oh, and for the record, Murray is just a cool town with a southern vibe and lots of good places to eat…which leads me to the second reason I really like Murray.  In a word…donuts.

Now, there are probably several places to get donuts in Murray but there is only one place that bears the name Murray Donuts and trust me…they are incredible.  You can tell a good donut place by the length of the line and how soon they sell out.  Well, it seems that this place always has a line (that moves very quickly, thank-you) and they would sell out quickly, but they do a great job of keeping those wonderful doughy designs coming out of the grease.

Well, the other day, my wife Judy and I were down visiting, and we decided to take the grandkids to school with a stop off at Murray’s for a few donuts.  Well, we got into line and before you could say, “cholesterol” we were at the counter.  I had a single sour cream donut, though I wanted more, James had two maple covered donuts and Ellie had a long John with chocolate icing and white cream in the middle. Yummy.  Well, our lady told us they were out of the long John’s with the white creamy stuff, but she would be glad to make us one. Smile.

She walked over to the counter, grabbed a long John, and then walked over to a cool little machine with a long, pointy thing sticking out.  She stuck the long, pointy thing into the long John and mashed this button and before you could say, “Shoot that thing” we had a long John with chocolate icing, filled nicely with white cream in the middle. Now I just thought that was pretty cool. I always wondered how they did that and now I know.

As I watched her do her magic, it occurred to me how she took something that was awesome and made it even more awesome by putting something very special inside—white, fluffy cream.  Well, believe it or not, I almost instantly thought about God and the Holy Spirit.  See, He takes people that He loves, forgives their sin when they choose to ask Him to and believe in His Son Jesus—and that is great.  But that is not all. When a person becomes a Jesus follower, God gives them something else—His Holy Spirit and He doesn’t live on the outside—He lives on the inside—just like the cream in the long John…well, sorta anyway.

So, the white creamy stuff makes the long John better and the Holy Spirit living within us helps us be more like Jesus—which is always a really good thing.  Of course, God doesn’t just make us better—He makes us new.  So, if you have never put your faith in Jesus…I hope you will today and if you already have, well, don’t forget that God also lives in you in the personhood of His Holy Spirit.  He, the Holy Spirit, does so much for us (including making us sweeter) but He also reminds us that no matter what, our Dearest Daddy is always there for us.  We don’t need to worry because, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne