pandemic – Grits with Grace

birthday, Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, Integrity, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Happy Birthday Grits

Posted on March 18, 2024March 16, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds.” Matthew 13:34

Well – what an adventure! It was a Friday morning in March of 2020 and the beginning of the COVID pandemic that caused me to sit down one morning and write a short post on Facebook. I intended it to be a one and done deal and was simply meant to be an encouragement. I wrote it and posted it…and then, something happened. For whatever reason it touched a chord with people who followed my Facebook page and many readers responded. And, with that random act, Grits with Grace was born.

We made a permanent home for Grits in May of 2020 on WordPress with a new address, www.gritswithgrace.com . The website archives all the stories and has a great search engine if you are looking for a particular subject. It also has some valuable statistics…that remind us how the God’s Word never comes back void. As of March 20, 2024, the WordPress website has 516 followers (people who currently follow our site), and 685 followers on Facebook. Wow! We find it very exciting that some are following us in other countries, Singapore, India, and the Philippines.

I thought you might want to read the very first Grits again. If so, the next few paragraphs contain that first story. If not, I’ll just meet you at the bottom of the page.
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A Word of Encouragement

The story is told of a Christian lady who had cancer. Her pastor went to see, encourage, and pray with her. Towards the end of the visit, her pastor asked if he could pray with and for her. Her response was, “yes, of course.” That wasn’t surprising. What happened next was.

When he asked how he should pray, her response was totally unexpected. He assumed it would be for healing but instead she said, “Pastor, pray that I would not waste this suffering.” Waste this suffering.

She was wise enough to know that the God she believed in was sovereign, was in control and was a kind, merciful and loving God. She also knew that He was wise and that this had been allowed into her life for a purpose–His purpose.

God’s word says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

I admit I’m baffled by a lot of what is happening around me. Just when I think I can’t be surprised…I am. But I’m not baffled about God. He is working in our circumstances to bring glory to His name and strengthen our faith.

So, God has this. He isn’t asking us to understand…He is only asking us to trust Him. And believe me…He has a track record of always getting it right. God bless you today…trust Him…He’s got this.

Well, that is where it all started. The last four years my wife Judy and I have been honored to share our lives and our stories with all of you. We honestly don’t have an accurate idea of how many people take the time to read Grits each day, but we do know that we are grateful for all of them. The stories have been as varied as life itself. We have written about everything from the “Underwear Fairy” to a mean goose in our city park we named, “Bubba.” Hopefully, many made you smile, and some might have made you cry. I know there were times when tears slid down my cheeks as I wrote.

You know, Jesus loved to tell stories and He told a lot of them. Maybe that is why I love Grits so much—it teaches the way He did. All the stories for the last 1460 days have had a truth that can be applied to life and very often that truth centered around just how much Creator God loves us, His creation. Oh, and we have learned that no matter how big or how small the problem or the circumstance, we can know for certain that, “He’s got this.”
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I’ve wondered how long Grits will be around. Well, I suppose the answer is this. As long as there is a story to tell and a friend who enjoys reading it, I will keep pressing the keys and Judy will keep designing the graphics. So, once again, thank you so much for reading and sharing Grits with your family, friends, and neighbors. And let’s always remember that no matter how difficult the circumstance, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Faith and Shifting Sand

Posted on June 10, 2022June 10, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

God is not a man, that He might lie, or a son of man, that He might change His mind.” Numbers 23:19a

Well, I just don’t understand it. You know, there are somethings in this world that just don’t make sense. You probably have noticed that we seem to be in the middle of some kind of financial crisis. Inflation is inflating to the tune of eight or nine percent. Can someone say ouch? And then there is this whole gas thing. As I write this gas is about $5.30 per gallon. Can someone say double ouch? It is hard to believe that just two years ago when we were doing the pandemic thing gas was about $1.52 and we said we just couldn’t believe it. Well, go figure. And the amazing part is that we are all driving as much as we did when it was cheaper. Those guys with the big pickup trucks with big engines are still putting the pedal all the way down. It’s like gas is free. What?

And then of course there is the shortage thing. They are saying it has to do with supply and demand. Well, if that is true somebody needs to start demanding more supplies. Things that used to be so common, so easy to get, are outta here. I’m telling you it just doesn’t make sense. In a time of precedented happenings, life just seeming to be going on like before. The restaurants are full, the store shelves are empty, and no one seems to be in a panic. In fact, in at least one instance they seem to be celebrating. Yup…it’s true.

I’ve just about given up watching the news, but when I do they will sometimes show this scene from Wall Street. It occurs at the end of the day, and it shows about fifteen or so people on this platform and it is their job to ring the bell calling for an end of the trading day. So, the other day, when the stock market had fallen nearly 1,000 points there were people there and as they rang the bell, they were cheering like madmen (or women). They were yipping and yelling like they had just won the lottery. Big smiles and grins filled their faces. It’s like they didn’t even know what had just happened.

Well, it turns out no matter what happens on any given day, these folks, and it is always different folks, get up there and do this madman (or woman) celebration. I’ve concluded it has nothing to do with the market…they are just glad to ring the bell. Maybe it is because the day and damage is done or maybe it is because they made a ton of money. All I know is it sure is confusing. It sends this crazy mixed-up message and I’m left scratching my head. Good or bad? Happy or sad? Who’s knows?

So what do you do in a world that often doesn’t make a lot of sense? That’s a fair question. To be honest, there are times these days when I don’t know exactly what to do or say. I want to complain but that isn’t going to help. I want to whine but that doesn’t change anything. I want to get mad sometimes but, well, what good does that do? I think the right thing is stay the course and to believe and trust…in God. I mean even if you aren’t a God person maybe today would be a good day to give it a try! Everything around us is shifting and sinking—maybe we should try something different.

I’ve been on my personal Jesus journey for more than a few decades. I’ve seen the mountain tops and I’ve trudged through my share of valleys and the one constant has been God. I don’t always understand but I have found that even when I don’t…He is faithful. The Bible, the oldest and most reliable of sacred writings, tells us that God is not a man, that He might lie, or a son of man, that He might change His mind. I know that might seem a bit extreme if you are not a believer and I get that. But don’t these extreme times call for something extreme…like faith?

I’m not sure what the price of gas will be in a week. I’m not even sure there will be bread on the shelf, but I am sure that no matter what my Dearest Daddy in heaven will be the same…good, faithful and trustworthy. I’m sure that no matter what, He will be there, the Whisperer whispering, “Don’t worry son, I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

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

A Word of Encouragement- One Year Later

Posted on March 17, 2021March 16, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Let not your hearts be troubled—you believe in God—believe also in Me.” John 14:1

It was a year ago…as in 365 days. In March 2020, our world changed. We received word that our schools would be shutting down for at least two weeks because of a new virus that was spreading around the world—COVID19. The virus itself had not really impacted our small part of the world—yet—but regardless the concern over safety prevailed. Parents were scrambling for babysitters and the kids were pretty happy for two weeks of “snow days.”

In the early days, and the later days for that matter, we didn’t know what to do. That really didn’t change for a long time so basically we had to settle for others telling us what to do. As a church, our leadership met on Sunday morning after services, March 15, and decided to support the community and move services off campus to Facebook (which thankfully we were already doing) and our radio broadcast. Little did we know that it would be 10 weeks before we met on campus together again. And when we did meet, well, things were different.

So, Tuesday of that week, March 17^th, I sat down and wrote a short post for Facebook to try and encourage our church family in those unsettling times. It was very much appreciated and since the unsettling times didn’t end…I didn’t stop writing and now, a year later, 365 days later—the keys are still clicking on my keyboard. In the midst of the pandemic, God gave me yet another opportunity—another way—to share and encourage people.

So what follows was that original post. I hope it still encourages you today. The truth is still the same—and always will be. And let me thank you for reading and sharing—for staying with me. I think I have discovered that no matter what, there will be opportunities to tell a story and let you know that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

A Word of Encouragement: The story is told of a Christian lady who had cancer. Her pastor went to see, encourage and pray with her. Toward the end of the visit, her pastor asked if he could pray with and for her. Her response was, “yes, of course.” That wasn’t surprising. What happened next was.

God’s word says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So God has this. He isn’t asking us to understand…He is only asking us to trust Him. And believe me…He has a track record of always getting it right. God bless you today…trust Him…He’s got this. Brother Dewayne

life, Scripture

War of 1812

Posted on May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 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 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 of 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.

Yesterday 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 how this virus thing is going to finish playing out. 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. I want the story to say I trusted Him during the pandemic. We can do that you know. He’s trustworthy. I can lay my head on my pillow tonight and rest in Him. So, pleasant dreams. He’s got this.