health – Page 2 – Grits with Grace

Family, fear, food, gratitude, life, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Bread, Potatoes and Pecan Pie

Posted on February 27, 2023February 25, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4b

It came in the mail. It was an advertisement, an offer really, to join a program that would not only help me control my diabetes but to reverse it. If everything went according to plan, I could come off both of my diabetic meds and lose the “I’m diabetic” label. There were two more things. First, thanks to my insurance program, it would be provided to me at absolutely no cost to me. I’m sure it is costing my insurance plenty, but the price for me was paid in full…hmmm, can someone else besides me see a parallel there. Can someone say, grace, mercy, and Jesus?

The second thing was that the program would provide several things they called sensors…I call them gadgets. First, there was one of those totally cool glucose monitors that you wear and through your smartphone it tells on the fly what your sugar level is. Second, was a Garmin activity tracker that tells you all kind of stuff…more on that in a later story. Third, was a scale that not only tells you your weight but also how much body fat you have. This one, for obvious reasons, was not one of my favorites. Number four on the list was a meter that tells me if I have too many ketones. I’m not sure what they do or what they are, but I know you don’t want too many of them. Finally, there was a blood pressure “taker thinger” and it does just what it says. What also made the cool list is the fact that all these things talk to an application on my phone and all that information is compiled and it tells me and them if I am failing or succeeding.

So, there you go. No diabetes, no cost, lots of gadgets and only one problem. When I talked to the nice lady on the phone, she told me there wouldn’t be a lot of weird food like tofu or jellyfish eggs. What she didn’t tell me was that there wouldn’t be any really good food on the program either. Well, to be fair, that is not totally true. In fact, there are a lot of foods that I can eat and some a southern boy like me even like but there was no bread, no potatoes, no anything that had carbohydrates in them—and that is about every good thing besides meat and eggs. Hmmm…we have a problem.

Now all this is made worse by the fact that I have my sugar 100% under control. I turned the sweets thing almost totally off and cut way back on the starchy stuff and my sugar quickly plummeted. Thank you, sir…mission accomplished…but not quite. You see, if you remember my new friends want me to get off medicine. However to get off the medicine, I have to give up a whole category of stuff that I love and have loved all my life. The problem is I am quite content to take a couple of pills if they will allow me to eat some of my favorites. I am quite willing to let the two, my self-control and my medicine, work together. Honestly, it would probably be better for me to ditch the medicines but no bread, no potatoes, and worst of all, no, none, never pecan pie. What?

I think this is just a human nature thing and as you know our human nature can get us in trouble. Another name for our human nature is our sinful nature and our sinful nature wants us to sin—maybe not a whole lot but at least some of our favorites. We usually think the price is worth it. So, we control this and control that but often refuse to take the giant leap into total surrender. I know there is a difference between indulging in bread and lust or potatoes and anger but the principle is the same. We want what we want—even if the price is high and it is.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this new thing I’m enrolled in. I think I am going to try and find a place somewhere in the middle. I know that isn’t the best solution but regardless that is probably where I will land. But hear me clearly—that does not work with sin. With sin the best thing you can do is run fast and hard in the opposite direction. Remember this…sin will always win, and it will take you further and cost you more than you think. That is why our Father sent His Son, that is why the Son died and resurrected and that is why we need Him to rescue and save us.

Listen, all the cool sin gadgets in the world aren’t worth what they cost in the end. It will cost you a whole lot more than a pile of mashed potatoes. Just remember, what you can’t do on your own, you can do with Him. 1 John 4:4b says, “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” In other words, “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, food, forgiveness, friends, Grace, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Warning Signs

Posted on February 15, 2022February 14, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Proverbs 27:12

This is the kind of story I don’t like writing. Since some of you know me and some of you don’t, I’ll start by saying that I have issues. Yup…and more than one. With that said, this story is about my health issues. All my life I have had this battle with my weight. Although people say I wear it well, I pack more baggage than I need to carry on this trip called life. Consequently, most of the time I am either on the way up…or on the way down. That’s just the way it is. And honestly, it is all about—sugar.

You see, I love snacks, and, I love sweet snacks. Now I’m not talking about candy though I’m not saying I would turn down a Butterfinger. No, I like the baked stuff and I am an equal opportunities eater. Pies, cakes, donuts, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls—if it is baked and sweet—count me in. To help counter the calories, I do try and exercise—at least some. In fact, at the beginning of 2021 I managed to walk a couple of miles a day, five and six times a week for months. Yay for me…but then something happened. However, and whatever the cause, sometime in late fall I quit and when I quit—it happened. The flat-out truth is I started gaining girth like a snowball going downhill.

Well, I did what any self-respecting foodaholic does—I just quit getting on the scale and, oh yes, I quit checking my blood sugar too. Did I mention that I am a diabetic? Did you also know that donuts, cake, pie, cookies, and brownies don’t go with diabetes? But don’t worry, I’m not a severe diabetic. That’s another way you quit doing the right thing. You simply justify your behavior. A guy said this week that justifying is “just a lying.” Ouch.

I was a recipe, no pun intended, for disaster. I could tell I wasn’t doing well. I could feel my body saying, “Excuse me.” After binge eating on whatever was sweet one recent Sunday, I got on the scale on Monday. Holy moly. I also checked my blood sugar on Monday. Holy moly the second time. Good grief. I was so frustrated with myself. I didn’t even have to ask; how did it happen? I knew…all too well. In fact, a friend asked me what I did to end up there. I told him the answer was, “What didn’t I do?”

Here’s the deal. You know those red lights and crossing guards at railroad crossings? Do you know the consequences when you ignore them? Well, I ignored the lights and the crossing guard and the easiest way to do that was just quit—quit weighing and quit sticking your finger. Anybody can tell you the truth of this. To start down the wrong path just STOP doing the things that help you be accountable. Maybe, your AA meetings. Maybe your exercise. Maybe going to church. Maybe reading your Bible. Well, the list goes on and on.

I stumbled on a really, good verse in the book of Proverbs. It says a wise person will see danger and take cover. A foolish (or inexperienced) person will see the same danger and keep right on going. That’s a good verse. No, that’s a great verse. What about you, what is it in your life right now that you can see the red lights flashing and the crossing guard down? More importantly, what are going to do with it? Trust me…it is really important. You see that decision will determine your regrets and consequences. Remember that “holy moly” moment I wrote about? Yup, that’s the deal.

The answer is simple. Stop saying tomorrow and start today. There’s a saying I just love—when you are tempted to stop, just remember why you started. I know I’m only just started but already I can feel and see a difference. When I visit my doctor again in about three months, I hope we can have a different conversation than the one we had recently. I am grateful that my body still responds to doing the right things. And for me it is relatively easy…at least with these two things. But trust me there are other things that are a daily battle.

The good news is I have Someone who stays by my side…as the Bible says, a friend closer than a brother. Who would that be? My Dearest Daddy. He is for me and never against me. He has things planned for me that are too good to miss. I know this season of COVID has messed with our spiritual stuff badly. But I hope you will make the decision, today, to “get back on the scale.” Your Heavenly Father will be there to help. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

fear, Grace, Military memories, Scripture, travel, Trials

Losing Lift

Posted on April 16, 2021April 15, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7:24-25

It was something I thought I would never see. From 1977 to 1980 my wife Judy and I were stationed with the Air Force in Germany. I have said it so many times but it was a great time. We were young, still newly married and had the opportunity to see and experience so much of Europe. It was good duty too. I was assigned to a small base and provided administrative support for one of the flying squadrons. We flew the OV-10—a twin engine forward air control aircraft. There weren’t many enlisted guys in the squadron and the pilots treated us like family.

Obviously safety, and in particular flight safety, was always a big deal. I remember right before I left to come back to the States we were on a long streak of accident free flying. The commander was also due to rotate back to the States in just a couple of weeks. He said, “The best gift you guys can give me is to remain accident free.” A couple of days later, however, one of our planes crashed.

What I thought I would never see, and certainly didn’t want to see, was another crash. One day, I was standing in my office talking to one of the pilots about who knows what. I was looking out the window as we chatted and saw an aircraft, not one of ours but a F-4 fighter jet, literally falling out of the sky. I blurted out to the pilot I was talking to, “That plane is going to crash.” I remember his response to this day, “That’s not something to joke about.” I wasn’t joking. Less than half a mile from where we were this massive fighter aircraft did literally fall from the sky. The pilot ejected but sadly did not survive. It was devastating. I can still see the explosion in my mind.

As it turns out the plane wasn’t trying to land and where he crashed had nothing to do with our base. He was flying over the area, lost airworthiness, and went into what is called a flat spin. When this happens, planes can lose their lift and they crash. You see, to stay in the air, planes have to have the lift provided by forward movement and air moving in and around their wings. When that doesn’t happen, planes fall from the sky.

It not only happens to planes…it happens to people…like me…like you. At the beginning of this year, I did the healthy thing. I began eating right, checking my sugar levels, and exercising five or six times a week. The results came quickly and were amazing. After three months I had my blood checked and the results were what my physician called, “beautiful.” Literally every critical number was in the normal range. It was amazing…it was awesome. And then, I lost my lift.

The best I can tell my success began my downfall. After winning so big, I wasn’t sure what was next. It was like the day after Christmas. The win was in the bag and I lost my drive to keep on winning. Over the last month or so I returned to my poor eating habits and slowly, or perhaps not so slowly, things began to change…for the worse. The only win is that I am still exercising. Like I said, “When you lose your lift…you crash.”

I was thinking about this before I began writing this morning and decided I really should share my story. Maybe I can help keep someone from crashing. And, it really doesn’t have to be about health…it can be anything. The bottom line is when we lose our momentum, our drive, our lift in any area of our lives—spiritually, emotionally or physically—we are in danger of crashing. Marriages can go south, God can become a distant relative and we can become emotionally disconnected. We need to be careful.

Paul, the guy who wrote a chunk of what we call the New Testament, knew about losing lift and I think he knew about crashing too. He asked the question, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Can you identify with that question? Honestly, I can. But it is the answer that gives me hope. It is the answer that can give you hope. He writes, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Bam! There you go. The answer is our faith and trust in Jesus.

I’m glad he didn’t just say to try harder or maybe pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I’m glad he confirmed what I know and what you might know. The answer is Jesus. He doesn’t just limit His help to obvious God stuff—He is there always and in every way. So, here’s the deal. I’m not going to throw in the towel and I hope you won’t either. I may fall a little further but I won’t stay down. And, regardless, He loves me, when I get it right and when I don’t. And no matter what, spiritually, emotionally, or physically He goes with He—never condemning and always encouraging. I like that. It’s good to know that, “He’s got this.”

Family, food, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Holy Moley

Posted on January 18, 2021January 17, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Proverbs 27:12

You see, I love snacks, and in particular, I love sweet snacks. Now I’m not talking about candy though I’m not saying I would turn down a Butterfinger. No, I like baked stuff and I am an equal opportunities eater. Pies, cakes, donuts, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls—if it is baked and sweet—count me in. To help counter the calories, I do try and exercise—at least some. In fact, at the beginning of last year, 2020, I managed to walk a couple of miles a day, five and six times a week for months. Yay for me…but then something happened. However and whatever the cause, sometime late fall I quit and when I quit—it happened. The flat-out truth is I started gaining girth like a snowball going downhill.

Well, I did what any self-respecting foodaholic does—I just quit getting on the scale and, oh yes, I quit checking my blood sugar too. Did I mention that I am a diabetic? Did you also know that donuts, cake, pie, cookies, and brownies don’t go with diabetes? But don’t worry, I’m not a really severe diabetic. That’s another way you quit doing the right thing. You simply justify your behavior. A guy said this week that justifying is “just a lying.’” Ouch.

I was a recipe, no pun intended, for disaster. I could tell I wasn’t doing well. I could feel my body saying, “Excuse me.” After binge eating on whatever was sweet one Sunday, I got on the scale on Monday. Holy moly. I also checked my blood sugar on Monday. Holy moly the second time. Good grief. I was so frustrated with myself. I didn’t even have to ask, how did it happen? I knew…all too well.

I stumbled on a really, good verse in the book of Proverbs this week. It says a wise person will see danger and take cover. A foolish (or inexperienced) person will see the same danger and keep right on going. That’s a good verse. No, that’s a great verse. What about you, what is it in your life right now that you can see the red lights flashing and the crossing guard down? More importantly, what are going to do with it. Trust me…it is really important. You see that decision will determine your regrets and consequences. Remember that “holy moly” moment I wrote about—yup, that’s the deal.

The answer is simple. Stop saying tomorrow and start today. There’s a saying I just love—when you are tempted to stop, just remember why you started. I know I’m only two weeks in but here’s the results so far. By returning to my exercise and eating healthy and breaking up with my beloved carbs and sweets, I have dropped over 13 pounds and my sugar…normal. I am grateful that my body still responds to doing the right things. And for me it is relatively easy…at least with these two things. But trust me there are other things that are a daily battle.

The good news is I have someone who stays by my side…as the Bible says, a friend closer than a brother. Who would that be? My Dearest Daddy. He is for me and never against me. He has things planned for me that are too good to miss. I know this COVID has messed with our spiritual stuff pretty badly. But I hope you will make the decision, today, to “get back on the scale.” Your Heavenly Father will be there to help. He’s got this.

Family, food, gratitude, life, Scripture, wisdom

Judy’s “S” Words

Posted on August 17, 2020August 16, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

So it is sin to know to do good and yet not do it.” James 4:17

I said the “S” word. Oh, no—not that one. You see we have some pretty strict standards with language in our house. My wife, Judy, taught our children, and me, that there are certain words we just don’t say. One is “shut-up.” That is just too rude. I remember a couple of years back when she was teaching ReFit. She was using a pop song called, “Shut-up and Dance with Me.” Oh my—I had a fit. I tried to explain to her how that was against our standards. She gently, well, somewhat gently, explained to me that it was a love song and the words were spoken in that context. “Oh.” I said, I was always kind of cut and dried.

But that is not the word that came out of my mouth the other day. It was the other “S” word that is banned from our family. So, I had just finished my morning walk. I went 3.6 miles at an average pace of 13.20 minutes per mile. Most folks would tell you for walking that is a pretty fast pace. I got back to the house and I was drenched with sweat…hot and tired. But there was this kinda feeling of satisfaction at the same time. And then I got to thinking.

You see five or six times a week I do this exercise thing and it is good thing to do. It is the right thing to do. It’s the kinda thing that you tell your doctor you are doing and they pat you on the head and say how well you are doing. I even have a healthy breakfast—lots of protein and very little carbs or fat. I feel another pat on the head coming on. And then it happens. Someone brings donuts to the office and those sweet round things whisper my name. Sometimes it is cookies and they whisper a little louder. Through the day the whispers get louder and louder and by the time evening coming I am eating anything and everything with sugar in it. And that’s when I said it.

Sitting outside, drenched in sweat, proud of exercising, I said it, “Dewayne, you’re stupid (that’s the other “S” word). You work so hard to exercise and then turn around and make a series of unwise and unhealthy decisions. And it occurs to me that those bad decisions totally negate the good ones of the morning. In other words, I am shooting myself in the foot. At best I am breaking even for the day. I think I am learning the good doesn’t outweigh (no pun intended) the bad. I need to cut back, perhaps way back, on the sweet stuff to really gain the benefit of the exercise.

We do the exact same thing with our spiritual disciplines. Do we understand that even if we get up in the morning and have a time with God—even if we read His Word, read a couple of devotional thoughts and even pray, the unwise decisions we make during the rest of the day rob us of our victory? We need to learn to do the good and at the same time stop the bad. We need to carefully weigh each decision we make. Often, I visit our pantry and will find myself trying different things just to satisfy that itch I have. In the process I consume a bunch of empty, non-satisfying calories. I end the day wondering why and how that happened. I then start the next day with a commitment to do better.

I think the secret must be to constantly remember through the day the cost of making unwise decisions—whether they be calories or sins. And then in the case of the pantry, turn out the light and walk out—empty handed. It may be difficult at that moment but the win is about two minutes later when you realize you made a right decision. And that’s another secret—make one wise decision and then wait to make the next one. Before long—you wait—and things will begin to change.

There’s a verse tucked away in the Book that James the half-brother of Jesus wrote in the Bible. It says that when we know to do good and then choose not to do it—well, that becomes a sin. And if we see it though that lens it starts to make sense. Now most of my nighttime grazing for sweets occurs when Judy isn’t around. It’s just easier to make unwise choices when the one who loves me most isn’t there. The idea is to stay out of the kitchen when she isn’t around.

It’s the same with our Dearest Father. If we can get it into our heads that He is always there to help us make wise choices—well, we will make wiser choices. He wants us to sin less because when we do—we bring glory to His name and we are happier. So, the next time you’re tempted to make a bad or unwise decision, look around and He will be there for you. Just turn out the light and walk out empty-handed. Just put your hand in His. Just lay it to rest. He’s got this.