new day – Grits with Grace

Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

This is the Day

Posted on February 5, 2024February 3, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.” 2 Timothy 2:13

It was Saturday morning. I like Saturdays…especially early in the morning. I usually get up somewhere between 4.30am and 5.00am. There is no alarm and no reason…it is just something that I do and have done for years. I immediately head to my trusty Keurig for a cup of inspiration and then watch a few minutes of the Weather Channel before heading over to the farm show. I know, I am not a farmer but for some reason it is part of my Saturday routine. They do have a weather report that is like the old fashion days…you know, not a lot of fancy stuff just some weather maps and a few graphics. After that comes some time with God. I read, we talk and well, it’s just a great way to start any day but especially…Saturday.

So, this past Saturday, after the normal routines were done, I decided to make another cup of coffee and take it outside. It was still early…you know that time when night is still lingering but it is on the run. It’s a mixture of grays with just a hint of promise starting to peek in the East. As I walked out onto our driveway, I looked to my left, to the east, and saw a bit of that promise. From where I was standing, I could see the Christian Church that sits over on the next block. They have those frosted, glass block windows that were all the rage in the 1940’s. One of those windows was capturing the first rays of that day’s sun…and it was beautiful.

Reflecting on the window and filling the whole window, was a radiant color that can only be described as brilliant orange. It was that morning’s sun, just rising above the horizon, saying, “Good Morning.” As I looked, a verse from the Old Testament part of the Jewish and Christian Bibles, came to my mind. It says, “This is the day that the Lord has made…I will…that is, I choose…to rejoice and be glad in it. And, honestly, given the reflection in the glass, that might not be too difficult.

Well, I wondered if I walked north to my front yard, could I see more of the impending sunrise. So, I started walking, carefully avoiding all the small rocks on the sidewalk that could hurt my bare feet and spoil the moment. When I got to the front yard, there was indeed a small glimpse and this time it was the Methodist Church’s turn to be a part of the show. This church sits just down the street from our house. It is a majestic, old building made of brick with large columns. It could easily be a church planted on a city square somewhere down south.

And there it was…the early morning sun. Sandwiched between two massive columns, that same brilliant orange, pierced the gray…and it was beautiful. It was so beautiful; I spoke out loud the words that had earlier come to my mind. “This is the day that the Lord has made…I will…that is, I choose…to rejoice and be glad in it.” It was a declaration, but it also was a celebration. I was celebrating the faithfulness of my Dearest Daddy who had blessed me with a brilliant taste of the new day. It.Was.Good.

It was about then that I made a connection. It was good and so is He. I mean, I had no idea what the day was going to hold, but if He is good then I just believed that regardless of what came, He was going to bring good from it. There is another verse that says that in the Bible, but that morning, I owned it…I believed it…by faith. I was deciding that, regardless of that day’s circumstances, they were not going to dictate my opinion of God. Instead, my faith in the God Who caused the sun to rise would.

Another verse popped up on my radar and it was one that I had decided to use when I shared at church on Sunday. It was written by Paul, a guy God used to write a chunk of the New Testament and he said, “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.” Even when I am not faithful, even when I blow it—He will be faithful. Why? It’s just who He is, and He cannot deny Who He is.

So, today, regardless of what comes, I hope you will remember that no matter what, God is going to be faithful. You have His word on it. It doesn’t mean the day is guaranteed to be perfect. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be a bump or a tragedy. It just means that no matter what…no.matter.what…He will be there, He will be faithful and, oh yes, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

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

War of 1812

Posted on May 26, 2023May 25, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8

Warning. Thought provoking story ahead. It was the strangest library you could imagine. A while back a friend told me about a cemetery that had some very old graves. Now I know you are wondering, “What does a cemetery have to do with a library?” And the answer is volumes and volumes. First, lest you think me strange, I love history and especially American and local history. Second, I love stories. This particular cemetery had some of both.

So, over the river and through the woods Judy and I went till we came to Lavender Cemetery Lane. A quick right off Highway 34 and about half a mile down the lane and there it was—Lavender Cemetery. There were two sections. The first section was much older than the second, but both were filled with stories. And, like I said, I love stories.

First was my friend’s grandfather. I had already learned that he was quite the character. He actually ran with the infamous Charlie Berger gang. He did some time in the big house and died when he was only 48—though not from a bank heist or anything like that. I was fascinated. Then we started looking around and it was amazing. We found the grave of a veteran from the War of 1812. Can you believe that? Then we found families who had lost not one, not two but three children. It was in the days before there were antibiotics. Can you imagine how difficult that was?

There were many other veterans buried there. There was a Vietnam veteran who had obtained the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant and had earned a Bronze Star for Valor in the war. Next to him was a veteran of the Korean War. He had died aboard the USS Saris. During a typhoon in Korean waters a naval mine broke loose and hit the ship and it sank in 20 minutes. Four men died and one of them found his way back home to Lavender cemetery. But wait, there is more. World War II veterans were scattered throughout as well as World War I. There were even civil war veterans buried there. Almost side by side, a young soldier from Mississippi was laid to rest by a soldier from the north. On and on, old, barely readable stones told stories of valor and courage.

There were headstones with beautiful etchings of home places and poems about life and death. Scratched into a large rock, one read, “My friends, here lies my body beneath the sod but my soul has gone home to God.” In this obscure country cemetery, I saw a headstone for two people I know. The dates of the death yet to be filled in—their stories still being written. Many of the headstones have been worn smooth by time. Like their headstones, so many of their stories have faded into obscurity. But each one…each one…wrote a story that touched people and perhaps changed lives.

That afternoon at about 5:30 pm I found myself face to face with my own mortality. My time, your time is limited. The story will come to an end one day for each of us. The question is this, “What kind of story are we writing?” What story will be told at the service given to remember us? What story will be told when we stand before our creator either as His child or one who said no? What kind of story?

Well, the good news is, there is still time to write. There is still time to make sure your story is a story worth celebrating. Peter tells us in the Bible that a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years. That is a big truth. We get the first part easily but don’t miss the second. A day is like a thousand years. That seems to say that even if we are in the second half of our life, or later, there is time. If there’s more in the rearview mirror than the windshield, it’s not too late. God can take those limited days and make it like a thousand years—plenty of time to start writing a new story. So why not start now. Right now.

Forget the regrets. Forget the unwise choices. Forgive the broken promises just like God forgave you. It’s in the Book. Learn from each one but then leave the past in the past. Paul did…check out Philippians 4:13…forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to the future in Christ, I press on. Good, good advice. I don’t know what’s next in this crazy world, but do I know I am not afraid. I know my Father is in control. I know that the foreseeable future is going to be different. But I also know I want the story about how I handled it all… to be that I trusted Him to handle it. He’s trustworthy. I can lay my head on my pillow tonight and rest in Him. So, pleasant dreams. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

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

Just Like Papa

Posted on August 26, 2021August 25, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24

It is one of my favorite pictures. It was several years ago when Blake and Sarah were stationed in Savanah, Georgia. He served in the United States Army and they are one of thousands of families who made the sacrifice to go where they are sent and do what they are called to do. Now, of all the places the Army can sent a family, Savanah was good duty. Located in the Southeast corner of Georgia it is rich in heritage and about 25 miles from the beach. Not bad.

Well, one day Judy suggested we should go down and see them. Let’s see…family, grits (the food not the stories), history, and pralines (in case you don’t know they are a crisp or semi-crisp candy typically consisting of butter, brown sugar, and pecans. You need to try them.) Yup…sounds like a great idea. We load up the van and off we go. It’s about an eleven- hour drive and we broke it up into two days because we are not as young as we used to be and to us the journey is part of the adventure.

When we arrived in Savanah, there were the usual “big hellos” and “what’s happening?” Soon after greetings, the next two big questions were, “what are we going to eat” and “where do we want to go?” We decide to go to the historic downtown. If you have never been to Savanah, it is hard to describe this special part of the city. It is a series of parks, literally block after block, filled with trees, flowers, monuments, and fountains. Oh, and there is a Five Guys Burgers and Fries nearby. It can’t get any better. It’s like the Southern part of heaven.

After three or four blocks of strolling, I decide it is time to sit down. I wander over to an empty park bench and sit a spell. As I sometimes do, I lean back, locking my hands behind my head and just relax. The birds are singing, the squirrels are playing, and life is good. And then, it got better. While I am sitting there doing my relaxing thing, my grandson Will, who was about four, comes over to the park bench and eyes his Papa. What he does next is recorded in a photograph and in my heart.

Will, with a bit of a struggle, climbs up and sits on the park bench. He then gives me a look, raises his hands behind his head, locking his fingers. He is being like his Papa. He is doing what he sees me doing. Judy, with the keen eye of a great photographer and grandmother, snaps the picture. It was only when we got home that we saw the true beauty of the picture. Today, a copy sits on my desk in my home-office, and it is indeed one of my treasures.

Will reminded me that there are always people watching and looking and often imitating us. Sometimes they are family, sometimes they are fellow church members, sometimes neighbors, and sometimes even strangers. But they are watching and looking to see what we are going to do, how we are going to react, and then they do what we do. That might be the reason when one of Jesus’ disciples deserted Him…they all did. It might be why when one shouted “crucify Him,” they all did. This picture makes me pause and ask, “What are my kids, my grandkids, my friends, the yet to be friends around me, seeing when they see me?” What do they see at the park, in Wal-Mart and yes, on Facebook. Hmmm.

The guy who wrote Hebrews says that we should consider—we should weigh carefully “how we may spur one another on toward love and good works.” In other words, the things we do and say should cause others to do good—and not evil. We are to be beacons of light shining out into a dark, rough, and dangerous sea. I guess I really love that picture because of the innocence of it all. But what if, what if, that same picture showed me being hateful or rude. What brought me joy would, and should, instead bring tears.

Today is a new day. I like new days. New days say I get another chance. Let’s use this day with the knowledge that people are watching and we get to show them the way to get it right—not wrong. I know, it is a daunting task…but we have a great, big God pulling for us. Just like I got to set an innocent example for Will, so Jesus has set a sterling example for us. Just follow the Leader and you can’t go wrong. So, climb up on the bench, sit a spell and rest. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne