Luke 6:45 – Grits with Grace

food, friends, life, school days, Scripture, Trials

Losing Your Word Cookies

Posted on July 16, 2025July 13, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

The sound came from a couple of seats in front of me. There are two things that me and just about every other elementary school kid knew. First, if you wanted to gather a crowd, all you had to do was holler, “fight!” Shout that one word and every kid within hearing distance would come running. The second thing is if you want to scatter a group of elementary school kids just let someone, “lose their cookies” and you can empty a room in a matter of seconds.

Now I am assuming that you know that “losing your cookies” has nothing to do with losing your cookies but everything to do with grossness. Losing your cookies is a nice way of saying that someone got sick to their stomach and…well we will stop there. It is never pleasant for anyone…whether is in a classroom, a parking lot, a ball field or a bathroom. I know for me it ranks right up there with losing your left arm in a shark attack.

When it happens at school, the custodian suddenly becomes everyone’s hero. He shows up like a first responder…running in when everyone else is running out. I remember so well he would show up with this red sawdust stuff. He would spread it on the floor and, just like magic, the mess was cleaned up and gone. I don’t know if we every applauded him but he sure deserved it.

You know, not all messes are so easily cleaned up. Sometimes when we misspeak, intentionally or otherwise, or misuse our words, well, you might say, we lose our word cookies. Trust me…it is never good and the aftereffects are just about as unpleasant as losing your other cookies. Yuk, yuk and triple yuk. And there is good news and bad news when we lose our word cookies. First, the bad news. There is no red sawdust stuff to make it all go away. Nope, no matter how sorry we might feel, the consequences are still there. Bummer.

Now the good news. There is forgiveness. I have done my share of losing my word cookies and I usually have the common courtesy and sense to ask the person to forgive me and thankfully they usually are graceful enough to do so. And then there is God. Losing your word cookies is not only unkind—it is a sin and when we sin, if we ask, our Dearest Daddy is more than willing to forgive us. I like that…a lot…but I am also plumb grateful.

Well, they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and they are right. Trying to set things straight is honorable but it is better not to put yourself in that position in the first place. In other words, watch your words and don’t lose your cookies. Jesus told us that our words are a reflection of what is in our hearts so if our words are sour it means are hearts are too. But remember, He can fix that too…just ask…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, Integrity, life, loving others, prayer, pride, Scripture, Southern born, Trials, wisdom

Oops, Your Slip is Showing

Posted on January 15, 2024January 13, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” Luke 6:45

Honey, your slip is showing. Change is a constant in life, and I vividly recall my mother preparing for church back in the day. During those times, women wore a couple of additional “accessories.” First, she was a devoted user of what I believe were known as girdles – contraptions designed to keep things in check around a lady’s waist. Although I never witnessed her putting one on, I could tell when she was wearing one when I playfully poked her in the side during church. It felt as hard as a rock, suggesting the presence of the infamous “girdle.”

The other item was called a slip. A slip was worn beneath a lady’s dress to prevent anything from being visible through it. My mother was particularly concerned about her slip being visible, emphasizing the importance of keeping it a couple of inches shorter than her dress. Without a full-length mirror, she’d often ask, “Dewayne, is my slip showing?” prompting me to inspect and report. Even in the early years of my marriage, slips were still fashionable, and I’m pretty sure Judy also sought the occasional “slip report.”

Nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted to attend church with their slip showing. It was a social faux pas. However, as time passed, slips fell out of fashion, and with them, the need for slip reports disappeared. Yet, the saying lingers only with a twist. When someone tells you, “Your slip is showing,” it implies that something intended to be hidden is now visible for all to see. This phrase is applicable often in our conversations but even more so in the realm of social media today. Although I am not really a Facebook user myself, I’ve been made aware of the numerous slips on display.

The revelations on Facebook no longer shock me. People seem to blur the line between the privacy of a personal journal and the public nature of Facebook. Hurtful words are carelessly thrown around, much like a bad case of stomach flu. I vividly remember a church member writing un-Jesus like words on Facebook, only to justify it with, “Well, I didn’t know the whole world would see them.” Really? Duh.

So, when we witness unkindness on social media, perhaps it’s time to adopt a gentle approach and say, “Excuse me, but your slip is showing.” Unleashing unkind words is never justified. Momma used to say, “If you can’t say something nice…don’t say anything at all”. She was always smart. So, whether following the golden rule of saying something nice or abiding by Jesus’ wisdom that words reveal the heart, the message is clear – choose kindness.

In the secular world, unkindness is sometimes almost expected but for followers of Jesus, such behavior is labeled as sin, irrespective of justifications. Instead of expressing displeasure with someone, why not try praying? God is always receptive to sincere prayers, and you won’t find yourself being told, “Your slip is showing.”

I admit, I’m someone who occasionally speaks without thinking, but I’m learning to hit the pause button. As they say, the older you get, the more you lose your filter. Uttering and writing things that are unkind or just not right may lead to regret and the need to apologize to God. Let’s start an “Excuse me, but your slip is showing” campaign – a subtle way of letting someone know that their communication, whether on social media or spoken, is, shall we say, embarrassing. They might not appreciate it now, but perhaps they will later. And if, like me, you struggle with putting your foot in your mouth, ask God for help. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, forgiveness, friends, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Losing Your Word Cookies

Posted on July 19, 2023July 18, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

Now I am assuming that you know that “losing your cookies” has nothing to do with losing your cookies but everything to do with grossness. Losing your cookies is a nice way of saying that someone got sick to their stomach and…well we will stop there. It is never pleasant for anyone…whether it is a classroom, a parking lot, a ball field or a bathroom. I know for me it ranks right up there with losing your left arm in a shark attack.

You know, not all messes are so easily cleaned up. Sometimes when we misspeak, intentionally or otherwise or misuse our words, well, you might say, we lose our word cookies. Trust me…it is never good and the after effects are just about as unpleasant as losing your other cookies. Yuck, yuck and triple yuck. And there is good news and bad news when we lose our word cookies. First, the bad news. There is no red sawdust stuff to make it all go away. Nope, no matter how sorry we might feel, the consequences are still there. Bummer.

Family, forgiveness, friends, Grace, Integrity, life, love, loving others, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Your Slip is Showing

Posted on February 10, 2022February 8, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45

Pardon me, but your slip is showing. Change is everywhere. I can well remember my Momma getting dressed for church. In those day she always wore a couple of extra “accessories.” First, she was a big fan of what I guess was called a girdle. As I remember, these things were designed to hold things in place around a lady’s waist. I never saw Momma put one on, but I know she wore one. How? When we were sitting in church, I would get bored and start doing “things.” Things are anything that helped me pass the time. So, I would poke my Momma in the side, only to find that it was hard as a rock. As impenetrable as the Great China Wall, there was something firming things up. I suspect it was “the girdle.”

The other thing was something called a slip. As best as I could tell it was worn under a lady’s dress to ensure that nothing was seen through. Now I know more about this because my Momma always wanted to be sure her slip wasn’t showing. It was important to have the slip shorter than your dress by a couple of inches. Well, since she couldn’t see behind her (we didn’t have a full-length mirror), she would say, “Dewayne, is my slip showing?” I would get behind her and give her the report. I think in our early years of marriage, slips were still in vogue. I’m pretty sure Judy asked me to give her the “slip” report too.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted to get to church and have their slip showing. How many times did we get somewhere public and there in front of us would be a lady with her slip showing? Momma would sadly shake her head and say, “Oh my, her slip is showing. She should have had someone check.” Well, some time ago slips went out of vogue and so also went the way of the slip report. No slip…no report. But the saying still lingers.

When you hear someone say, “Your slip is showing.” it means that something they intended, or perhaps should have intended, to be hidden is there for everyone to see. Well, here’s a news flash. Someone needs to tell everyone that their “slip” is showing in social media. Now I am not a social media person. I use it to post Grits, to make a couple of church announcements and wish people happy birthday. But beyond that, it just isn’t my thing. But even with that limited exposure, and thanks to folks who sometimes tell me what they see, well, there are a lot of “slips” showing.

I’ve almost stopped being shocked at what people write on social media. It seems people confuse the privacy of their journal with things like Facebook. Things that should never be written or spoken spew on the pages like a bad case of the stomach flu. Hurtful, painful words too often fill the screen of our devices. I remember one time a lady who attended our church at the time wrote some very un-Jesus like words. I asked her about it, and she said, “Well, I didn’t know the whole world would see them.” What? Duh?”

So, I think when we see someone being unkind and harsh in social media we should just say, “Pardon me, but your slip is showing.” Now “showing your slip” with unkind words is never right. You know your Momma taught you, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Well, Jesus gives us another perspective and warning. He tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. In other words, what comes out of our mouth is simply revealing what is in our hearts. And if hurtful, unkind, and sometimes untrue words flow from our mouths, or our fingers, according to Jesus, it is just revealing what is in our hearts.

I know, if you aren’t a Jesus follower that doesn’t make a lot of sense but hey, kindness is really in vogue these days even in the secular world. It might be selective kindness, but it is there. Now, if you are a Jesus follower, God gives us a word for this kind of practice. It is called sin. No matter the circumstances or the way we attempt to justify it, it is sin. If you feel the need to express your displeasure with someone, why not try praying. God is always up for an authentic prayer on behalf of someone and you also won’t be surprised to hear “your slip is showing.”

I happen to be one of those people who too often speaks without thinking but I am learning to hit the pause button. They say the older you get the more you lose your filter. You say things…and write things…that are just not right, or kind or both. Then, you end up telling God you are sorry and experiencing that regret thing. Of course, you may not have any remorse…and that is the saddest of all.

So, what do you say? Let’s start a “Pardon me, your slip is showing” campaign. It is a gentle way of letting someone know that their communication, whether it be social media or spoken, shall we say, is embarrassing. They may not thank you now but maybe, just maybe, they will later. And if you are like me and sometimes wrestle with putting your mouth in gear when you shouldn’t, ask God to help. He will, trust me. This is a big deal to Him. The good news is that like everything, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne