John 3:16 – Page 2 – Grits with Grace

Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, heaven, life, love, loving others, Military memories, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Unexpected Gratitude

Posted on August 9, 2023August 8, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

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

I made a random turn…into the cemetery. One evening my wife Judy and I were out on a mission. One of our ladies had given us some homemade ice cream and we were returning the container. Oh, in case you are wondering, it was way beyond delicious. It was peach and it was just peachy. I’ve already put in a request for strawberry next. We returned the container and just kinda started driving randomly. As we went down the street the entrance to the cemetery came up on the right—and I turned right in.

Slowly we started driving down the lanes and just as slowly I started reading some of the headstones there. First, though, on the left was Harrisburg’s “Little Arlington.” It was dusk and the lights were on, and I was so impressed with all the work that went into honoring those who had served their country. It represented sacrifice. For some the ultimate sacrifice…the kind of sacrifice that means you don’t get to come home from the war. I love what is often said, “All gave some, but some gave all.” For that, I was moved, and I was grateful.

Just down the lane was a grave that caught my attention. It was a young soldier who went to Korea to fight for his country in what has been called “the forgotten war.” He was 27 years old when he died on some battlefield, on some hill in a country for away. He was fighting and ultimately died for the cause of freedom. I was moved and I was grateful.

In several places, Judy and I would stop as we saw a headstone that was personal because we knew, we loved, the ones buried there. Sometimes both of the names were etched there in the stone, and it symbolized two lives joined into one story. And for both the story had concluded. Sometimes though only one name had the start and finish dates. The other story was still being written and there was a heart longing for heaven and a long-awaited reunion. One stone declared and celebrated 72 years of marriage. So many of those story writers had touched our lives. I was moved and I was grateful.

There were also stones of tragedy. There stood the stone marking the grave of two brothers tragically killed one night by a drunk driver. Several other stones showed lives cut short by a tragic accident. Over there was the headstone of one of the victims from the 2012 tornado. Everywhere were stories of people who touched the lives of others. One stone showed an American flag engraved in full color—the grave of a proud veteran. One grave was that of a pastor and a veteran of World War II. So many stories, so many lives, so many contributions. I was moved and I was grateful.

As we continued around the lanes inside the hallowed grounds, we noticed there were places where whole families were buried together. Generations of fathers and mothers, sons and daughters lay in eternal rest together. The stones often bore nicknames and tag lines of the one who lay there. On one grave was a tattered flag that said, “#1 Dad.” Some graves though were barely marked. The only indication that someone lay there was a rock or a stone. In another part of the cemetery were the pauper graves. I have been at the graves of some where there were only two people, me, and the funeral director. No one else came. I was moved and I was grateful.

“Wait,” you say. “How can you be grateful?” Well, the reason is simple. Whether it was a family plot of many generations or a solitary grave of a person when no one came—Jesus was still there. He is the unseen attendee of every funeral. For many He is there as Savior and Lord. For others He is there as the Sovereign Lord who wishes all to believe but knows not all will. But He is there. He is always there. When we need Him, when we want Him and yes, even when we ignore Him. I am moved and I am grateful.

When you get some time, take a slow drive through the cemetery. It is anything but morbid…it is in fact one of the most meaningful things we can do. You will be touched, you will be moved, and yes, somewhere along the way you will be grateful. Let each headstone with a start and finish date be a reminder that for you there is still time. Still time to make a difference, still time to mend a relationship, still time to finish well. But most importantly…there is still time to believe and trust in Him. The Book says that if anyone will call on His name…they will be saved—forgiven—rescued. No story is so bad that He can’t change the end. Once again, I am moved, and I am grateful.

Many see the cemetery and think death. For those who truly understand grace and Jesus they know the cemetery isn’t about death it is about life. You learned it in Sunday School but now hear it again…like the first time. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (that is you and me) calls on His name will not perish but have everlasting life.” So, trust in Him and rest in Him. For He has all of this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

What’s Your Worth?

Posted on August 2, 2023August 1, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

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

Well, it happens every fall and that year was no exception…we got to pay the first installment on our property taxes. There is a first installment because there is a second installment and there is a second installment because taxes are well, really steep. All this reminds me of something that came in the mail a year or so ago and it was from the tax guy—the assessor to be specific.

They told me they had driven by my house, and they really liked it—a lot. And, since they liked it so much, they thought it was worth a lot more than they had previously thought. A whole lot more. They blessed me with a reassessment and the grand prize was I got to pay more property taxes. Yay. Well, not really but it did give me a great opportunity to learn about how much God loves me. Here’s what happened.

If you have been here before you probably know my day job is being a pastor. It is something that I really enjoy. My favorite thing is sharing THE story but also sharing stories. I love to take big truths and present them in a way that anyone can grasp them. I think that is what Jesus did and I figure if He did it I should too.

A while back I was sharing the story from the Bible how four guys take this paralyzed guy to see Jesus. When they got there, the house was stuffed with people. There was no way they were going to get in. So, they decided to take this guy up on the roof, dig a hole in the roof and then lower him right in front of Jesus. It was crazy, it was radical, and it was different, but they believed two things. They believe that Jesus could heal their friend and that the friend was worth the effort. We all could use friends like that.

They began to haul this guy up the ladder to the roof. Can you even imagine how difficult and challenging that was? I mean how do you keep a paralyzed guy from falling off his mat while climbing a ladder? Well, somehow, they pulled it off. When they got to the top, they began to remove the thatch first and then break apart the mud and tiles. After they had made a hole big enough to get this guy through—they lowered him down and He landed right in front of Jesus. I bet there was more than one person who wondered what in the world was going on. I bet too some people were grumbling about tearing up a perfectly good roof to get some poor, paralyzed guy in front of Jesus. I mean if he had been some rich guy maybe, but a nobody? And that’s what rang my bell.

You see to those four guys and to Jesus—this guy wasn’t a nobody—he was a somebody. He was worth way more than a hole in the roof. In fact, through the eyes of Jesus every soul if incredibly valuable, including yours. And that’s when the reassessment thing came into focus. Remember, when the tax folks drove by my house they liked what they saw and they increased my assessment. Their assessment really only means I get to pay more taxes. It really doesn’t tell me what my house is really worth.

You see, I learned a while back that anything you or I own—our house, our car, is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. That’s the bottom line. So, here’s the deal. God drove by your soul, my soul and assigned a value to it—what it was worth to Him and what He was willing to pay to redeem it. Do you know what that was? Well, we find it in the Bible. It says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Get that—everlasting (as in eternal) life. God’s assessment of our value to Him was the life of His very own Son. He allowed His Son to die on a Roman cross because He counted us as somehow worth it. He just loved us that much.

Well, the end of the story for the paralyzed guy was pretty amazing too. Jesus first calls him Son—not worthless, not broken, but Son. Then He forgives the guy’s sin—not what he wanted but what he needed—and finally, He tells him to stand up, take his mat, and go home. Three seemingly impossible things but with Jesus, as you can probably guess, nothing is impossible when He shows up. The guy jumps up, takes his mat and leaves as the crowd is standing in disbelief. They said they have never seen anything like that—and they hadn’t. The key thing is that the guy had to not only believe but also act on what he believed and each one of us must do the same. We must believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. When we believe that—we are forgiven, and God becomes our Father.

Truth be known, I wasn’t too happy about my reassessment, but I was glad it taught me a new way to look at how much God loves me…and you. When we are down on ourselves, when all I can see are failures and warts, when I want to give up and quit, I remind myself that my Heavenly Father thinks I am worth a lot. You see, I’m also learning that His opinion is the only one that matters. So why not take a rest in Him today. Because you know—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

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

When it Comes to Flowers

Posted on June 5, 2023June 4, 2023 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

When it comes to flowers, Judy is no Jesus. The one thing I really like about Jesus is that He was so inclusive. If you were down and out—with Him, you were in. If you were a leper—you were in. How about the worst sinner around—the dreaded Roman tax collector? Yup—in. Caught red-handed committing adultery? You were still invited to the party. It just didn’t matter to Jesus because He came to seek and to save the broken, the bruised and the lost. Now it drove the religious people nuts but that didn’t matter. He loved people and He especially loved sinners. How much? Enough to be almost beaten to death…enough to suffer the death of a Roman cross and enough to rise from the dead. Now all that spells love. Race, religion, or social class just didn’t matter.

Now when it comes to flowers, well, Judy really is no Jesus. You see my wife Judy is a real flower person. You can count it a privilege to be planted in her garden…in her yard. Only the best of the best makes the cut. Our neighbor was telling us that when people want to know where he lives and he tells them, and they say, “Oh next to the house with the beautiful yard.” Yup, that’s Judy’s place. But if you were a flower, there might be some bad news. You either perform or you get pulled. If you are just common, pack your bags and get ready to go. The amount of grace varies from zero to some but is never unlimited. Just like the daylilies in our front yard. By every right they really are pretty, but they are just too common to make the cut. If you need some just let Judy know because they are going to go.

I am so glad that Jesus is no Judy. If those daylilies had a soul, He would never reject them. In fact, even the dreaded dandelion (the flower equivalent of a tax collector) would have a home with Him. I’m glad I can let you know that no matter what you have done, how bad you think you might have messed up, whether you are the most common or most beautiful…Jesus loves you and if you are willing to trust Him and believe what He said and what He did—you are welcome to the party.

One of the most common and yet most beautiful verses in the Bible says it best, “For God so loved the world (that’s everybody) that He gave His one and only Son and anyone (that’s everybody too) who believes in Him will not perish (or get pulled up) but have eternal life.” How about that? You, friend, are invited to the party. So why not trust Him…today? Come and be a part of the most inclusive and beautiful garden of all—the garden of His family. It is decision you will never regret—and you will always know, no matter what, that your Heavenly Father can handle anything…because He can. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, Mother's Day, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Mother’s Day – the Hard Way

Posted on May 9, 2023May 8, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

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

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“So,” I asked, “what do you want for Mother’s Day?” I mean, it was a good question and a timely question. It was a question that I asked too many times the week before “the day.” It reached a point where anytime I started a sentence with the word “so” she gave me “the look.”

Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries are all a little difficult when it comes to Judy. “Why” you ask? Well, one she is not a “gifty” person. Now “gifty” is not a word; I made it up. It means one who needs gifts. I am a “gifty” person. Second, she’s pretty content. She’s not really heavy into the stuff thing. She doesn’t particularly like or need jewelry, candy, or even pe-can pie. I know, it’s hard to believe!

Well, it was Saturday before “the day.” No matter how not “gifty” Judy is, I needed to do something. She deserved it and I didn’t want to go to jail. So, I decided to try one more time. “So, Judy,” I said, “what are we going to do about this Mother’s Day thing? It is tomorrow.” At first, I thought I was going to get the look but instead she said, “I know what.” That worried me because she had a smile on her face. It was that “you should have quit while you were ahead smile.” She said, “You can dig up plants for me.”

“Dig up plants?” I muttered but it was too late. The deed was done. The deal was sealed. I agreed and after stalling for a few minutes I followed her out to the yard. She took me to a spot under a large crate myrtle where some liriope had taken over. So, this was it. With a stiff upper lip, I attacked those pesky, rooty plants and ripped them from the ground. “Teach you to grow, you, you, plant you” I muttered. It was a battle but one I eventually won. I thought I had won the day, but I think the muttering under my breath kinda spoiled the deal.

To make up for the muttering we started tackling those killer rose bushes. They had some dead branches that needed to go. Now you need to understand these bushes had thorns on their thorns. Well, before long, blood was shed…and I muttered. I was pretty sure I was going to have to call the Red Cross for a unit of blood before we were done. I thought, “Surely this will win the prize. Game, set, match.” Nope, that stinking muttering under my breath about shedding blood spoiled things again. I think I ended up tired, bleeding, and empty handed. I never should have muttered. Judy calls it “losing the blessing.” I call it a real dumb move.

So, I was sitting on the patio after the medics had bandaged my arm and gave me CPR (smile) and then it occurred to me. You know, this is what we do with God. We tell Him how much we love Him. We offer to do anything for Him. “Just speak the Word, Lord, and I will go, and I will do.” Then He speaks and then we stammer and then we mutter and then we lose the blessing. “Lord, what would you have me do?” we say. He mentions hard things like forgiving, loving, serving, giving, sharing. You know, all those “ing” ending words that feel a whole bunch like digging plants.

Well, if I had pressed pause on the “mutter button” I would have remembered just how much Judy does for me. I would have remembered how much I really do love her. I would have remembered that while I don’t like digging plants, I sure like seeing her smile. It’s the same with God. If you just hit the pause button you would remember all that God has done for us and does for us every single day. If you know Him, you gotta love Him. How could we not? How.could.we.not?

You see, God loves you to the moon and back. Two scriptures put a bow on the package. John 3:16 says God loved us enough to give His Son to a Roman cross. But wait, Romans 5:8 tells us that God showed His love by sending Jesus die on that cross without us having to get it together, He just said “hey, come to Me…let’s get together.” How about that?

Well, Judy and I ended up going on a great hike later in the day and had a really great time. We were amazed at His handiwork, and I was amazed at how quickly she could forgive. I hope the next time she needs some plants dug, I’ll just hit pause on the “mutter button” and gladly start digging. Not because I love digging plants, not because I have too but because I love the one I’m digging for. And when we ask God what we can do for Him, whatever it is or whoever it involves let’s just get our shovels and get busy. Afterwards, we can take a break and rest in Him. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

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

Right Results. Wrong Guy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Family, friends, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful

Daily Reminders

Posted on July 12, 2022July 11, 2022 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

It was the great adventure. I don’t know what your experiences with going to grandmother’s house were like…but mine, well, it was a great adventure. Granddaddy and Grandmother lived in Gainesville, Florida and we lived on the west side of Jacksonville. And, more than occasionally, we would load up in our car and drive down to Grandmother’s house. It’s funny…it was never Granddaddy’s house…it always seemed to belong to her.

When we got there, we have our time of greeting and then, usually, there would be work to be done…at least for Daddy and me and our domain was the yard. Grandmother had some beautiful flowers and my Daddy loved flowers too. We would walk around the yard admiring the handiwork of our Creator and planning what needed to be done. And, before long, we would get to work. There was weeding, mowing, picking up debris left over from the last Florida “frog strangler rain” and a host of other chores. Fortunately, it wasn’t an all-day deal because there were adventures waiting.

Grandmother’s house was located on a main street but in a quiet neighborhood. From the large front porch, with large white rockers, you could sit and watch the traffic go by. If you went out the back door, there was the quiet world of the garden. Beside the house was one of those narrow side streets that you only travelled if you knew it was there. We went down that road and the blocks behind the house to collect coke bottles for the two-cent deposit. Two cents meant two pieces of penny candy…what a bargain. Besides the bottles, there was another treasure trove that we visited every time we visited Grandmother.

I remember we would go into the backyard and there was trail of sorts going through some woods. At the other end of the trail, on the next block, sat a small warehouse. Today I suppose you would call it a large storage shed. To my sisters and me it was heaven. A man had a Jewel Tea franchise and that was where he stored his merchandise. And right next to the building was a pile…a glorious pile of…stuff. It was like having our own treasure chest except there wasn’t a chest. It was all there, free, for the taking.

What was there? Well, there were all kinds of items…things for the house or for personal care. Honestly, you never knew what you were going to find…it was the great adventure. It was not uncommon for there to be candy and snacks. Now keep in mind this was in the sixties and everything was still wrapped up tight. We would have a ball pilfering through the pile. Sometimes of course there wouldn’t be anything but the anticipation of going to the Jewel Tea warehouse was so exciting. The only thing better than finding bottles and collecting our two cents each, was finding the mother lode at the warehouse.

Perhaps you can’t imagine rummaging through a pile of boxes left outside. Perhaps you can’t imagine opening some candy someone had discarded but somehow, someway, it just seemed ok and normal back then. It really was the great adventure. We didn’t have a lot and because of that we didn’t get a lot so when you could find bottles and get two cents or when you could get something for free…well, it was pretty good day.

Somehow, I missed those days…days of simplicity…days of being satisfied with little and needing less. These days we are surrounded by so much and yet today, enough never seems to be quite enough. What used to fill our cups seems now to be but a drop in the bucket. I think we have lost our way…detoured down a road of discontentment where sunrises are ignored, and a beautiful flower missed as we rush by. Love notes from our Dearest Daddy, strategically placed along our paths, go unread. We need to slow down, we need to smell the roses, we need to read the notes.

Today, this day, why don’t we make a conscious decision to find something simple and marvel in it again and why don’t we start with a simple fact. And what fact is that? It is that God so loved this broken, crazy world we call home, so much that He allowed, He sent, His Son into it and made a promise. The promise is anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. Think about that. Loved by God with heaven thrown in…now that’s a good day. And if you need a booster shot of “feel good,” just remember this. No matter what comes your way today…well, He’s got it. Bro. Dewayne

Christmas, Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, Holidays, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, wisdom

I Love Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2021December 23, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

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

I’ve said it before, I’ve written it before, but I’ll say it again, I’ll write it again. Once again, it is Christmas Eve. I have celebrated Christmas Eve sixty-seven times. Granted I don’t remember some of the early ones and I guess to be honest I don’t remember a lot of the other ones either, but I remember enough to know that each one was special. When I was growing up it was all about family, food and presents. My Momma and Daddy did such an incredible job of making sure each Christmas was electric with excitement. While there are several special memories, some were just bigger than others. One particular Christmas, my sister had asked for a chord organ. Now that was a pretty big gift and yet I can remember lying in bed…all three of us little ones in one bed for that special night, and hearing through the thin walls the magical sounds of that organ. Santa had come.

The next morning, with a house filled with family, we would celebrate with gifts, some large, some small, but all given and wrapped with love. Later would come a big meal and prayers of gratitude for a good God who loved us and blessed us. Many more Christmas Eves have come and gone. Some were challenging, like when my Daddy was still recovering from a heart attack, some were much smaller like when it was just my wife Judy and me sitting in a small village in Germany serving our country. The crowd was smaller, but the love was just as big.

Later, we had children and Christmas began to take on a whole new dimension. Judy and I became more the giver than the receiver. We had the opportunity to do for them like my parents had done for me. We watched with joy as their faces lit up with happiness as each gift was unwrapped. Clothes and toys with an occasional bike or hamster thrown in the mix are all part of the memory. But through it all, one thing remained a constant…love…love for each other and experiencing the love of a God who won’t, who can’t stop…loving.

Now, well, the Christmas journey continues. Our children have grown up and all three of them have kids of their own and Christmas isn’t less…it is more. At some point and despite busy schedules, we will get together and love, and celebrate and be thankful for each other and for the One who makes it possible. In my experiences of Christmas, I have discovered that it isn’t the circumstances that make a Christmas Eve or Christmas morning special or not. It is not the bounty of presents or the location, no, it is love. My favorite Christmas verse from the Bible says it all, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now that is a Christmas verse.

God doesn’t want anyone to miss Christmas with Him and that is why He threw open the front door and hung out the welcome sign. He simply says, “Ya’ll come home for Christmas.” No matter who, no matter what, you are welcome home for Christmas. I know growing up things weren’t always perfect in the Taylor tribe but for the most part we did manage to love each other and I’m glad we did. So, Merry Christmas. Remember that He chose to love us and because of that maybe, just maybe, we can choose to do the same for those around us. If you listen this Christmas Eve, you may just hear the Whisperer whisper, “Merry Christmas, I love you, come on home for Christmas. I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, gratitude, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Three Days, Day 1

Posted on November 29, 2021November 28, 2021 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. Last 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.

If you are a Grits reader you know that my day job is leading a church. I am the senior pastor (by position and by age) at a local church so God plays a big part of my walkabout life—both at church and otherwise. Well, 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 ours and our church. We have visited her and served with her several times in another country. She shared about her work at a brunch we held and also some in our services. And it was so 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, Facebook Live, and YouTube. 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 to help kids and share the Good News of Jesus. Basically, you fill a shoebox with kid’s stuff, pray for that special child and then drop it off at a collection point. Samaritan’s Purse will ship the box (about 12 million of them) around the world with the purpose of sharing the love of Jesus and making 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 filled boxes. 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 that 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 every day is a trophy day. Not every day is going to be cloudless and sunny. There are going to be days 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 ever 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 ours. 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 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, and watch Grits for the next couple of days for parts two and three of “Three Days.” It is a story that gives weight to the fact that, “He’s got this.” See you then. Bro. Dewayne

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

Unexpected Gratitude

Posted on October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

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

Just down the lane was a grave that caught my attention. It was a young soldier who went to Korea to fight for his country in what has been called “the forgotten war.” He was 27 years old when he died on some battlefield, some hill in a country for away. He was fighting and ultimately died for the cause of freedom. I was moved and I was grateful.

As we continued around the lanes inside the hallowed grounds, we noticed there were places where whole families were buried together. Generations of fathers and mothers, sons and daughters lay in eternal rest together. The stones often bore nicknames and tag lines of the one who lay there. On one grave was a tattered flag that said, “#1 Dad.” Some graves though were barely marked. The only indication that someone lay there was a rock or a stone. In another part of the cemetery were the pauper graves. I have stood at some of those graves as we laid to rest someone that almost no one knew. Once it was the funeral director and me. No one else came. I was moved and I was grateful.

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, love, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials, Uncategorized

What’s Your Worth?

Posted on October 7, 2021October 6, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

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

Well, this week was the week we got to pay the first installment on our property taxes. There is a first installment because there is a second installment and there is a second installment because tax are well, really steep. All this reminds me of something that came in the mail last year and it was from the tax guy—the assessor to be specific.

They told me they had driven by my house and they really liked it—a lot. And, since they liked it so much, they thought it was worth a lot more than they had previously thought. A whole lot more. They blessed me with a reassessment and the grand prize was I got to pay more property taxes. Yay. Well, not really but it did give me a great opportunity to learn about how much God loves me. Here’s what happened.

So a while back I was sharing the story from the Bible how four guys take this paralyzed guy to see Jesus. When they got there, the house was stuffed with people. There was no way they were going to get in. So they decided to take this guy up on the roof, dig a hole in the roof and then lower him right in front of Jesus. It was crazy, it was radical, and it was different, but they believed two things. They believe that Jesus could heal their friend and that the friend was worth the effort. We all could use friends like that.

They began to haul this guy up the ladder to the roof. Can you even imagine how difficult and challenging that was? I mean how do you keep a paralyzed guy from falling off his mat while climbing a ladder? Well, somehow they pulled it off. When they got to the top they began to remove the thatch first and then break apart the mud and tiles. After they had made a hole big enough to get this guy through—they lowered him down and He landed right in front of Jesus. I bet there were more than one person who wondered what in the world was going on. I bet too some people were grumbling about tearing up a perfectly good roof to get some poor, paralyzed guy in front of Jesus. I mean if he had been some rich guy maybe but a nobody? And that’s what rung my bell.

You see to those four guys and to Jesus—this guy wasn’t a nobody—he was a somebody. He was worth way more than a hole in the roof. In fact, through the eyes of Jesus every soul if incredibly valuable—including yours. And that’s when the reassessment thing came into focus. Remember, when the tax folks drove by my house they liked what they saw and they increased my assessment. Their assessment really only means I get to pay more taxes. It really doesn’t tell me what my house is really worth.

You see, I learned a while back that anything you or I own—our house, our car, is worth only what someone is willing to pay for it. That’s the bottom line. So here’s the deal. God drove by your soul, my soul and assigned a value to it—what it was worth to Him and what He was willing to pay to redeem it. Do you know what that was? Well, we find it in the Bible. It says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Get that—everlasting (as in eternal) life. God’s assessment of our value to Him was the life of His very own Son. He allowed His Son to die on a Roman cross because He counted us as somehow worth it. He just loved us that much.

Well, the end of the story for the paralyzed guy was pretty amazing too. Jesus first calls him Son—not worthless, not broken, but Son. Then He forgives the guy’s sin—not what he wanted but what he needed—and finally, He tells him to stand up, take his mat, and go home. Three seemingly impossible things but with Jesus, as you can probably guess, nothing is really impossible when He shows up. The guy jumps up, takes his mat and leaves as the crowd is standing in disbelief. They said they have never seen anything like that—and they hadn’t. The key thing is that the guy had to not only believe but also act on what he believed and each one of us must do the same. We have to believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. When we believe that—we are forgiven and God becomes our Father.

Truth be known, I wasn’t too happy about my reassessment but I was glad it taught me a new way to look at how much God loves me…and you. When we are down on ourselves, when all I can see are failures and warts, when I want to give up and quit, I remind myself that my Heavenly Father thinks I am worth a lot. You see, I’m also learning that His opinion is the only one that matters. So why not take a rest in Him today. Because you know—He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne