park – Grits with Grace

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, love, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, Trials

Tragedy, Triumph, and Toughness

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

Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

They may have feathers, but they are definitely a “band of brothers.” A while back when I was walking in the park, I once again realized what a “band of brothers” the geese and ducks are in the park. As I made my laps around the park pond, I couldn’t help but notice what was happening. No, they were not a few like the Marines, and I have no clue if they were proud of anything besides the huge mess they make on the walking path, but they were quite the band. Their slogan might be, “The Tragic, the Triumph, and the Tough.” Hmmm…that sounded better when I thought it up but hey, let’s see how it goes.

Monday of that week, I noticed in the geese and duck community that there were signs of tragedy brought on by a duck couple’s poor choices. Monday, they had decided to lay some eggs and they chose the worse place ever—just three feet off the walking path. It was simply a hole in the ground with no protection, no anything. It was an invitation to disaster. Tuesday she was on the nest, and he was doing his daddy duck thing—waddling, strutting, and quacking. By Wednesday, it was game over. Lap one, they were gone, and one lone egg lay on the grass outside the nest. Lap two, they were back, and the egg was gone. Lap three they were walking around quacking sadly. I don’t speak fluent duck, but it seemed they were asking, “What happened?” I told them…out loud… “Bad choice guys, bad choice.” It was a tragedy.

But with the occasional tragedy comes moments of triumph. About ten or eleven days after the tragedy, I found a bunch of feathers by the walking path…bummer…and it looked like another sad tale…and it was. But then something happened. A little further down the path, there were two small ducklings that had somehow survived the onslaught. They were survivors…they were beating the odds. When I walked a few days later, they were still there…sticking together…a small “band of brothers.” They were hanging around a couple of big ducks, but it was clear that they were on their own. Way to go little ducks…keep on keeping on! It was a moment of triumph.

And then there were the tough guys. They had survived being goslings and now they were big, they were bad, and they were tough. The geese love to stand around on the walking path and, uh, well, you know. It’s really quite messy. That day, I was speeding along, and I soon realized the geese and I were on a collision path…either them or me were going to have to hit the grass and it wasn’t going to be me. So, I “parted the waters” and they all puffed their chests out and started hissing at me. They hissed, I kept walking and they finally moved. We had played chicken (no pun intended) and I had won, but I had to admire their toughness. Like I said, “gutsy.”

Tragedy…Triumph…and Toughness. It seems life is life no matter what. We all know about tragedy…live long enough and it is going to mess with your life. The difference is ducks and geese rarely see it coming and we often do. The difference is they must face it alone, but we have a Someone who will walk with us through the hard times. That someone is Creator God. He is always there and always willing to help. He can turn tragedy into triumph. While there are plenty of epic failures in our paths, we can also know the joy of winning…of triumph. I remember when ABC Sports tag line was “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and that is the way of life. Sometimes we win and sometimes…well, we don’t.

I know it is natural for us, like our goose friends, to puff our chest out, and hiss and strut around trying to prove how tough we are. But truthfully, often we are not tough enough and that is when we need to lean on the One who is. Our Dearest Daddy loves us so much that He sent His Son to take on our greatest enemy…death…and soundly thrash it. No wonder Paul, one of the guy’s God used to pen a lot of the New Testament, said, “Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?” You gotta love Jesus’ toughness when it came to taking on sin and the grave.

Well, if you live in Harrisburg, Illinois or if your town has a park with a goose and duck “band of brothers” stop by and see what you can see…what you can learn. And if you’ve never met the God who took on death and won…why not check Him out today. You will discover a God who is strong enough to say, with confidence, “I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne

gratitude, life, love, loving others, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Food Truck Day

Posted on July 19, 2022July 18, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

There’s a new food truck in town. I’m a walker…not every day but consistently. I take several different routes but one of my favorites is around the lake at the city park. It was there I met Bubba the goose (for past readers he said to tell you hi), saw the power of integration in the goose families (they are doing fine), saw a man waging a war with people I could not see, and saw the new food truck in town. Let me explain.

We walkers see two kinds of exercisers. Some people come and go, and some are regular as clockwork, they show up to walk each day. Like Forest Gump they start running—or walking—and just don’t stop. These folks become unofficial friends. We may not know each other’s names, what we do for a living or where the other person lives but for those few minutes at the park our lives intersect. And then, there’s the “food truck.”

She loves dogs and really animals. She walks her dogs every day in the park…and there are several. But what is interesting is that for a long time there was a cat walking with her. I mean a lot of people walk dogs, but a cat? The feline wasn’t on a leash but would just quietly walk behind her and the dogs. Talk about intriguing. So, after a while I just had to talk with her. It turns out it wasn’t her cat at all. She met the cat one day while walking and it looked a little thin, so she started dropping some dry cat food on the sidewalk and …well the cat had breakfast and hung around for dessert. There was a new “food truck” in town.

Sadly, one day her feline friend wasn’t there, and I learned that he was hit by a car and didn’t survive. We mourned together…a lady I didn’t know losing a cat she didn’t own but we paused and grieved. But before long, there was another cat. I first saw him on the sidewalk about a block from the park and he was having breakfast on the sidewalk, and I knew the “food truck” had been by. The relationship wasn’t as tight or as long, but she had made a new friend by meeting a need.

Well, one day I was again walking in the park and ahead I saw several squirrels having breakfast. Yup, the “food truck” fed squirrels too. And then a few days later I saw several ducks gathered on the walking trail. Turns out ducks like cat food and they too were having breakfast. The “food truck” was a hit in the park and everyone was invited. But the funniest part was yet to happen.

So, I am walking, and across the narrow lake I can see her walking her dog. Behind her is a group of ducks having breakfast. Then on my side of the lake there are three ducks, and they are on the move. They are waddling as fast as their little legs would take them and they are quacking up a storm. Again, my duck is a little rusty, but I believe they were saying, “Hey wait for us.” So, huffing and puffing they waddled down a small peninsula and jumped in. Paddling furiously, they headed straight across the lake. Like kids chasing the ice cream truck they swam on. It was my last lap for the day but the last time I saw them they were on shore and hollering, “Wait, we’re coming.”

I don’t know my friend’s name, but I do know her impact. Her acts of kindness to animals makes her a hit with them and with me. She just seems to care and really, besides this strange sort of fan club, gets no other reward. She just does what she thinks is the next right thing. I wonder how different our world would be if we did the same. Jesus did. The Book tells us that when He saw people—He didn’t see social class, He didn’t see color—He just saw people and He had compassion on them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd or maybe like ducks needing breakfast.

Compassion is best defined as simply love in action. It’s seeing a need and then doing what you can to meet that need. Imagine today taking the time to show kindness to someone having a difficult day. Imagine today taking the time to give someone a smile when they are only used to frowns. Imagine today doing simply the next right thing—without reward, without expectation—simply because it is the right thing to do. It might just be amazing. It might just look crazy…like a cat following a lady walking her dog. It might just be game changing.

In a few minutes, I’m going to do my walking thing. I don’t have any cat food. In fact, my shorts don’t even have pockets but I can pack an intentional smile for someone who needs one. I can do that. Sometimes Jesus gave out free lunches to crowds—big crowds. Sometimes He healed broken bodies and spirits. But something that I think we overlook is that He probably smiled…a lot. Imagine His joy as He shared and showed compassion—love in action.

Like the cat, like the ducks following the “food truck,” people followed Him. Not just for the bread, though some did, but because around Him they felt safe. They felt loved. They found a place where they could rest from the craziness of life. We can too. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, Grace, life, love, loving others, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Ignored

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

Get up,” Jesus told him, “pick up your mat and walk.” Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk. John 5:8-9

No matter how hard I tried…he ignored me. So, I am a walker…sometimes more consistent than others but generally I walk several days a week. The habit person in me likes the consistency of taking the same route over and over. The adventure person in me likes to vary the routes that I take. The bottom line…it is a coin toss every time I walk. Regardless of which route I take, I see him frequently.

Who is he? He is one of the homeless guys here in our small town. Actually, I am only assuming he is homeless. Like I said, frequently and no matter how early, I see him riding his bike, pushing his bike, and sitting somewhere, anywhere holding onto his bike. When I stroll by, I try to be friendly. I walk by and give him a wave and a smile with a “good morning,” attached. He doesn’t respond. If you remember the story of Brier Rabbit and Tar Baby, you know when Tar Baby didn’t respond to Brier Rabbit—he got more than a little upset. Well, I think Brier Rabbit and I might be distant cousins. My thought was, “What’s up with this? Why is he ignoring me?”

Well, there were many attempts after that attempt, and it wasn’t just with him. I would try to wave, be friendly, and give a “Good morning” if we were in voice range. Almost without exception…there was nothing just a blank stare. Well, earlier this week it was the same song, same verse but this time something occurred to me…or more accurately maybe Someone spoke to me. The thought, the inner voice was this, “Dewayne, he is ignoring you because that is all he knows.” A bell went off in my head and in my heart.

I realized in that moment that to most people, these folks who live in the streets are ignored because they become invisible. Most people don’t even see them much less acknowledge them. And, I think, that once you have been ignored for so long…when you are invisible to the world around you…you stop seeing and feeling too. It becomes easy to just look, to stare until the world around disappears. And, you need to know, that it isn’t always homeless people…it can be just everyday walk-around people who have been bruised and hurt one too many times. They go to work, they function, but in reality, they stare into nothingness just trying to get by.

What are we to do? Well, first we don’t stop trying to reach out and touch those around us. Jesus was so good at seeing the invisible and loving the unlovable and do you know what? He never gave up. A story is told about a lame man who laid by a pool forever…or, at least, it seemed forever…38 years to be exact. The rumor was if you could be the first in the pool when the waters stirred, you would be healed. It wasn’t true and it really didn’t matter because he could never be first. And then…Jesus showed up.

Jesus saw him, spoke to him and asked this question, “Do you want to be well?” The man gave him the story about him and the waters. Jesus didn’t quit. He just said, “Pick up your mat and walk.” Well, the guy took the gamble, obeyed, and…he was healed…just like that. Amazing. Thirty-eight years of suffering came to an abrupt end. I guess we can’t offer the broken around us that kind of deal, but we can see, we can speak, and we can pray and when we do that…who knows what God will do?

Let me encourage you…and me for that matter…to start seeing again, to start loving again, to start making a difference, no matter how small, again. If you see someone obviously broken and you are a Jesus follower, just remember how broken you were when you met the Healer and He whispered, “I love you…I forgive you.” And as you remember, take that moment to reach out and let that person know how much God loves them and longs to forgive them. Oh, and let them know also that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, gratitude, life, love, prayer, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Tragedy, Triumph and Toughness

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

Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

They may have feathers, but they are definitely a “band of brothers.” The other day when I was walking in the park, I once again realized what a “band of brothers” the geese and ducks are in the park. As I made my laps around the park pond, I couldn’t help but notice what was happening. No, they were not a few like the Marines, and I have no clue if they were proud of anything besides the huge mess they make on the walking path, but they were quite the band. Their slogan might be, “The Tragic, the Triumph, and the Tough.” Hmmm…that sounded better when I thought it up but hey, let’s see how it goes.

Monday of this week, I noticed in the geese and duck community there were signs of tragedy brought on by a duck couple’s poor choices. Monday, they had decided to lay some eggs and they chose the worse place ever—just three feet off the walking path. It was simply a hole in the ground with no protection, no anything. It was an invitation to disaster. Tuesday she was on the nest, and he was doing his daddy duck thing—waddling, strutting, and quacking. By Wednesday, it was game over. Lap one, they were gone, and one lone egg lay on the grass outside the nest. Lap two, they were back, and the egg was gone. Lap three they were walking around sadly quacking. I don’t speak fluent duck, but it seemed they were asking, “What happened?” I told them…out loud… “Bad choice guys, bad choice.” It was a tragedy.

But with the occasional tragedy comes moments of triumph. About ten or eleven days ago, I found a bunch of feathers by the walking path…bummer…and it looked like another sad tale…and it was. But then something happened. A little further down the path, there were two small ducklings that had somehow survived the onslaught. They were survivors…they were beating the odds. Here’s the amazing part. They are still surviving. When I walked a couple of days ago, they were still there…sticking together…a small “band of brothers.” They were hanging around a couple of big ducks, but it was clear that they were on their own. Way to go little ducks…keep on keeping on! It was a moment of triumph.

And then there were the tough guys. They had survived being goslings and now they were big, they were bad, and they were tough. The geese love to stand around on the walking path and, uh, well, you know. It’s really quite messy. That day, I was speeding along, and I soon realized the geese and I were on a collision path…either them or me were going to have to hit the grass and it wasn’t going to be me. So, I “parted the waters” and they all puffed their chest out and started hissing at me. They hissed, I kept walking and they finally moved. We had played chicken (no pun intended) and I had won, but I had to admire their toughness. Like I said, “gutsy.”

Tragedy…Triumph…and Toughness. It seems life is life no matter what. We all know about tragedy…live long enough and it is going to mess with your life. The difference is ducks and geese rarely see it coming and we often do. The difference is they have to face it alone, but we have a Someone who will walk with us through the hard times. That someone is Creator God. He is always there and always willing to help. He can turn tragedy into triumph. While there are plenty of epic failures in our paths, we can also know the joy of winning…of triumph. I remember when ABC Sports tag line was “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and that is the way of life. Sometimes we win and sometimes…well, we don’t.

I know it is natural for us, like our goose friends, to puff our chest out, and hiss and strut around trying to prove how tough we are. But truthfully, often we are not tough enough and that is when we need to lean on the One who is. Our Dearest Daddy loves us so much that He sent His Son to take on our greatest enemy…death…and soundly thrash it. No wonder Paul, one of the guys God used to pen a lot of the New Testament, said, “Who got the last word, oh, Death? Oh, Death, who’s afraid of you now?” You gotta love Jesus’ toughness when it came to taking on sin and the grave.

fear, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful

I Heard Him Before I Saw Him

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

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. You are with me.” Psalm 23:4

I heard him before I saw him. Last week I was walking in the city park. It wasn’t the casual walk but the exercising kind. I do about 2.5 miles in about 35 minutes. That day the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the trees were doing their “leafing out” thing and it was a good day. Then, like I said, I heard him before I saw him.

I was alone in the park till then. As I crossed the bridge on the north end of the park there was a man in his forties or fifties. He was dressed normally–whatever that means but that was where normalcy ended. At first, I thought he had one of those things in his ear that enabled him to talk on his cell phone. The closer I got the more I could see and hear.

He was angry. He was shouting. He was cursing. Then he began to pick up rocks and throw them violently in one direction and then another. I realized he was fighting a battle with someone I could not see but he could. To him it was real–very real. He felt threatened and hurt by an enemy only he could see.

I prayed. I asked God to deliver him from the invisible demon that was haunting him. I asked God for His peace to come upon this peace-less man. Later I saw him leaving the park, no longer angry, no longer violent, no longer cursing. It seemed from where I was that a moment of calm had come to his storm wrecked mind. I was grateful and told God so.

I thought about that day several times and I realized that in these days there are a lot of folks fighting and fearful of enemies–enemies that don’t have or need a face to wreck their lives. The covid-19 virus, the loss of a job or business, the fear of losing someone they love, the fear that things will never be the same, the fear that this fear will own them–consume them.

My mind goes back to Psalm 23:4. David, chased by a crazed king consumed with jealousy, chased by too many memories of too many failures writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. You are with me.” He was wise enough to know that as he walked through this valley it wasn’t filled with real monsters–only monster “wanna-be’s.”

You see, the valley became a roadway and not a residence. Death, because of his faith in a “bigger-than-anything” God, was reduced to a shadow. Shadows can frighten but can cause no real damage or harm. How did that happen? Somewhere along the way David chose to believe in his “bigger-than-anything” God and he found peace. He said, “I don’t need to fear evil, no matter what it looks like, because You are with me.” You are with me. Today as you journey, remember all around us are people who fight battles with enemies only they can see. Be sure and swift not to judge but to pray. That day in the park I got it right but trust me I don’t always do that. It’s then that I pray a different prayer–one for forgiveness. And if you are fighting those invisible enemies today–just a word or two. God loves you. Rest in Him. He’s got this.

Family, Scripture

Larry, Barry, Harry, Terry, Ralph and Bubba

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.” (1 Corinthians 12:17-18)

Ok, I was just so confused that I needed to tell someone. I know you must think I am goose crazy but yesterday morning was so weird in goose-land at the park or better, maybe it was something beautiful. So, let’s just say the geese were very prolific this year. There are lots, and I mean lots, of baby geese. There are two kinds of geese in the park. Almost all of them are the standard, brownish geese. Then there are also four or five white snow geese. Now trust me on this. In the past the snow geese and the regular geese just didn’t like each other. But something must have happened.

So let me tell you about yesterday. First, there were several of the standard brownish geese families. They were teaching the kids about swimming, eating, how to potty on the walking path…you know the standard things. But then there was something else happening. There were four white geese and they had like five babies and they were one big happy family. I’m sure there was a mom and a dad but there was also at least an aunt and an uncle. They were all doing their family thing. But hang on.

There was also a pair of the standard brownish geese and they had babies. What was different was they had two brown babies and a baby that obviously came from the snow geese. No really. I’m think they adopted one. And you know what? They treated him just like the rest. But that wasn’t quite the end of the story either. So, there was a pair of standard brownish geese and they had five brown babies. They were so cute. I think their names were probably like Larry, Barry, Harry, Terry and Ralph. Anyway, there’s one more thing.

There was one of the big snow geese in the family mix. He obviously had to be a distant, and I mean distant, relative. But he was one tough dude. The little babies were on the sidewalk and mom and dad were standing there. Usually, when I would walk by a family, the dad would hiss at me and I would act afraid. I wasn’t but I was hoping it made him feel better. Anyway, mom and dad were like casual—no deal.

But then there was the snow goose named Bubba. I mean when I got close he puffed his chest out, stretched his neck, glared at me and gave me his best manly hiss. You know the kind those big cobra snakes do in India. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and on my arms and I kept moving. I don’t know who Bubba was but he likes his family—brown or not—a lot.

You know, the more I thought about it… the more I thought it wasn’t weird at all. I thought maybe that’s exactly how it is supposed to be. The geese, regardless of their feather color, came together, formed a family and a community and were doing life. Everyone seemed pretty happy to me. Well, all except Bubba. He had an attitude but I think even that was because he loved and cared for the others.

Someone once said it takes a village to raise a child. It takes all kinds of people to make life work. And do you know what? It takes all kinds to make God’s family work too. If you go to church you know sometimes it can get just a little bumpy. Someone doesn’t like this or doesn’t like that. Someone wears the wrong thing or not enough of the right thing. Someone thinks things are too loud or too soft or too hot or too cold. Well, I think we need to take a lesson from the guys and gals at the park.

In the Bible Paul wrote that things would be pretty weird if a body was one giant ear or one giant eye. If we were all the same we would just be in a hot mess. It takes every part—ever person—being themselves and doing what God designed them to do. And do you know what else it says? It says in 1 Corinthians 12:18 “But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as He wanted.” As.He.wanted. That means that the person that you just love at church was put there by God. And it also means the person who irritates you the most was put there too. And perhaps they are there just for you. Of all God’s creations the church, His body, is one of His most beautiful. A flower garden is made beautiful not in its sameness but in its variety. The body of Christ is made beautiful the very same way. So, in these trying days, these crazy days, these days when it is so important that the church be the church, be sure and remember that the body is a bouquet of people and personalities selected and arranged by God himself. We need the Bubbas and we need Larry, Barry, Harry, Terry and Ralph too. We need the younger and we need the older. We need each other. Sound too difficult? Sound a little overwhelming? Don’t worry about it. God’s good at helping His rowdy, sometimes difficult kids grow. So, take a rest in Him. He’s got this. Just ask Bubba.