pastor – Page 3 – Grits with Grace

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, Scripture, thankful, Trials

My Friend Francis

Posted on July 29, 2021July 28, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

Johnny Cash sang it. “My name is Sue…now you’re going to die.” Well, his name wasn’t Sue but it was Frances. Like Sue…it was a somewhat unusual name for a man and Frances was an unusual guy. I met Frances when I went to pastor at the LaMonte Baptist Church. The church had three deacons and they were named Leo, Francis, and Floyd. All three of them were special guys and I grew to love each one of them for who they were. I was a very young, inexperienced pastor and new at the pastoring thing. So new, in fact, that when I mowed my grass at the parsonage, across the street from the church, I would wear dress pants. I wasn’t sure if pastors were allowed to wear jeans so close to the church. They can.

So, even back in 1984, Judy loved flowers and the parsonage was woefully short in that department. In fact, I’m not sure there were any flowers in the entire yard. Well, one day Judy declared that she wanted a flower bed. She began to actually plan the where’s and how’s of the flower bed. If it would have been me, I would have grabbed some flowers, dug a hole, stuffed them in, and applied dirt. Good luck. Not Judy. She decided that the flower bed should go along the front of the house and that it needed to be raised. That means we needed to find some timbers to build up the height of the bed. Again, after a little thought, she decided that railroad ties would do the job.

Somehow, I casually mentioned to Frances that Judy wanted a flower bed. Now Frances was the go-to guy when it came to things like the parsonage. He had already led the charge in installing a brick flue so we could have a wood burner, so he was the natural choice for the flower bed. I said, “Frances, Judy would like to have some railroad ties for her new flower bed. Frances didn’t miss a beat. He said, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at five.”

Well, sure as shooting, the next day at five, Frances pulled up in his big ole dually, white Dodge pickup truck. You know there are pickup trucks too pretty to get dirty and then there are real pickup trucks. Frances had a real pickup truck. I climbed inside and we headed toward Sedalia, the largest town nearby. I figured we were heading to the hardware store there to purchase some ties. I was wrong. You see, there was a railroad that ran parallel to the main highway. We went down the road a bit and then…Frances turned.

Yup, he turned on a small road and then immediately took a right. We had arrived at the railroad tie store, only it wasn’t a store…it was the factory. I found myself in railroad tie heaven. You see, the railroad company had recently replaced their ties and the old ones were strewn all down the rails. As far as you could see there were railroad ties. I was just amazed. I should have been afraid.

Frances said, “Preacher, how many ties do you think you will need?” Well, I told him I thought ten or twelve would be enough.” So, we started going along the tracks and selecting the best ones for the flower bed. Just like a carpenter would choose the best 2×4’s at the lumber yard, we picked the best ties. This was just awesome. And then it happened. I heard the sound of a distant train whistle.

Now I didn’t think a thing about it. I always was a bit gullible and way too trusting so I had just assumed that Frances had called the local railroad office, told them the church needed a few of their old ties and got permission to get some. I was wrong. I heard the train whistle the second time and it was decidedly closer. I noticed that Frances had picked up the pace…he was definitely moving a little faster. I still didn’t think a thing about it. I just assumed he didn’t want to be that close to the tracks when the train went by. Well, that was kind of true.

The whistle blew again and this time it must have been about a mile down the tracks and Frances said it, “Preacher, we got to go.” I did sense a bit of urgency in his voice but I kind of thought it was a safety thing. It turned out it was a bit more than that. As we got back in his truck I said, “Frances, what’s the hurry?” I was thinking we could just move the truck further away from the tracks and we could even wave at the crew as they went by. “Preacher, you don’t think they are giving us these ties, do you?” Wait. What?

Yup…I just discovered that we were stealing ties from the railroad. It wasn’t a matter of safety it was a matter of not going to jail. So, Frances cranked the engine and mashed the gas and off we went just before the train came by. In the back of the truck were a bunch of railroad ties and in the front were two guys. One was a preacher, one was a deacon, and both of them were guilty as sin. One knew all about it and the other was just learning but both were tie stealing criminals. Frances was smiling and I was wondering if I was going to jail. But somehow it all seemed like a great adventure.

Well, we got back to the parsonage, and we built the flower bed. Frances helped with that too. Years later when I would return to the church to preach, or perform a funeral, or maybe just drive through town, I would look and see the ties. I didn’t remember the sin (After all, I’m sure I confessed it. God had forgotten it and I figure I should too.) No, I remembered a crusty old deacon, but more than that, a friend who wanted to help. His way wasn’t ethical but all these years later, his willingness, his own brand of love is still lodged in my heart. The Book says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

You know there are fancy friends, and rich friends and maybe even friends in positions of power. And then there are the Frances kind of friends and that ain’t bad. Of course, if you’re gonna steal railroad ties, you definitely need the Jesus kind of friend. His specialty is forgiving when you mess up and He’s the best friend of all. He’s the kind of friend that wouldn’t have frowned or pretend He didn’t know you when He saw you in Walmart. No, He’s the “stay by your side” friend. Through thick or thin, jail or not, He would say, “Don’t worry…just rest in Me. I’ve got this.” Now that’s my kind of friend. Bro. Dewayne

Family, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel

June 12th

Posted on June 11, 2021June 10, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” 1 Chronicles 16:34 (ESV)

I wonder if one day is really enough. It was in 1863 when President Lincoln decided that we needed to have a defined day of Thanksgiving. So, the final Thursday in November was so designated. Later, on October 31, 1939, and strictly for business reasons, Franklin Roosevelt redesignated it as the next to last Thursday in November and since then that has been the day we celebrate Thanksgiving. But wait, it isn’t November, and in fact, it is nowhere near November, so what gives?

Well, what gives is June 12th. You see, I graduated from high school on June 8, 1972 and the following Monday, June 12th, I left for basic training in the United States Air Force. It wasn’t a matter of strategic planning but rather a slight misunderstanding. A friend suggested we join together under what was called, “The Buddy Plan.” Two guys could join together, go through basic together and then be assigned together for their first assignment. Well, we agreed, I signed up and he didn’t. But here’s the deal. I am absolutely certain that God sovereignly planned that for my good and His glory.

It turned out the Air Force was a good move for me. It taught me dozens if not hundreds of life disciplines that have served me well all of my life. God used the Air Force to position me to meet my wife Judy and then to teach us how to pick up and move when an authority said too. For us, and between the Air Force and God, that included a year in Georgia, three years in Germany, six years in Missouri and finally 35 years in Illinois. We learned to go when and where we were told, and we learned to trust. It also helped us forge a strong marriage that has seen us through 45 years of adventures.

It turned out that God was also using the Air Force to prepare me for the real purpose of my life—our lives together—the pastorate. Strangely, but really not, it was also on another June 12th, this one in 1983, that I was ordained into the gospel ministry. And because God has a great sense of humor, I found myself pastoring a church with, well to be blunt, no training whatsoever. I well remember I was filling in at a church when they asked me to be their pastor. I told them I didn’t know how to do that. They replied, “Don’t worry, we will teach you.” And do you know what? They did.

The game changer was the fact I was trained as an administrative specialist in the Air Force and when God spoke to my heart with a new set of “orders,” I was prepared. Twelve years of administration were like twelve years of on-the-job training for the pastorate. I learned to write, research, organize and manage an office. When I stepped out of the Air Force and into a church office, I was strangely at home. Of course, nothing could prepare me for what has sometimes been a wild ride of pastoring a church. It has been a journey, a glorious, “you’ve got to be kidding me,” ride.

As I glance in the rearview mirror of my life, I am overwhelmed with the incredible goodness of God and that has led me to this conclusion—one day is not enough. We need Thanksgiving but even more we need to celebrate, “Thanks-living.” As you can probably guess, Thanks-living is understanding the importance of living a life that celebrates the goodness of God every day. Someone said that there are two ways to live life—nothing is a miracle or everything is a miracle. I’ll take the latter. Also, I think the heart of those brief words speak to being grateful too. Everywhere, everyday there is something to be grateful for.

So, tomorrow, is a special day for me and Judy. Even though she wasn’t there for the first June 12th, she was there for the second and every one since. She has been my best friend, my ministry partner and my cohort in our many adventures. I thank God for her, our family, and the countless folks we have met along the way. The Bible tells us to, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” I think that is a pretty awesome idea. I don’t know what the years ahead hold, but if it is anything like the past, it’s gonna be a great ride and of course, no matter what, He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, Trials, wisdom

The Brothers

Posted on December 11, 2020December 10, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

It just bears repeating. They say that two of the things that has been so difficult about this season called COVID-19 is the isolation and the division it causes. I couldn’t agree more. One of the things I have read and heard over and again is how pastors in particular have struggled through all of this. Church size and denomination mattered little. With so many different opinions, unity was bound to suffer…and it has.

I’ve said it several times, but personally as a leader it has been incredibly difficult. I have served as a pastor for 38 years and twenty of those have been with the church family located at 1300 South Feazel Street. It has been a great ride. One of the gifts it seems that God has given me is the ability to bring and sometimes hold the family together. But this season has made me doubt that giftedness.

Oh, I know, you can’t please everyone. I even wrote a story about that. But this has been one time that the family is divided and it seems there is no easy solution. As the pastor, I’m not called to one group or another—I’m the shepherd of the whole family. Oh, it’s gonna be ok. Our best days are ahead of us, but can I be honest? I began to wonder if our love, my love was going to be enough to see us through this in one piece. There’s a part of the Bible that says love will cover the multitude of sins, but could it be enough to cover our journey through COVID-19? Like the old Christmas song says, “I wonder as I wander”. And then God sent me a love note.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we had our family celebration at my daughter’s house outside of Murray, Kentucky. My wife and I went down Friday, spent the night and enjoyed some good family time. The rest of the tribe joined us Saturday for a great meal and more family stuff. About mid-afternoon it was time to head home. We had church the next day and there was a full night of preparation waiting for us. So we headed north. When we got home, I turned up the furnace (I had turned it down to save the planet and a few bucks) and started unloading the car. After about thirty-minutes or so it occurred to me that the house wasn’t getting any warmer. Hmmmm.

I went downstairs and our furnace was stone, cold dead. It was really strange as the breaker had flipped. I called one of the brothers in our church who knew about boilers…in fact, he had helped me before when I had some trouble. Our boiler is older than our first born so…well, you know. Since it was Saturday evening I just called for some advice. He gave some. Since it sounded electrical, he suggested I start with an electrician. That sounded like good advice, so I thanked him.

I called another brother in the church (we have a lot of brothers in the church) who knew about electrical stuff (which appeared to be the problem) and asked if he could maybe come by Sunday afternoon and take a look. He refused. He said it couldn’t wait till then and volunteered to come as soon as he finished supper. I thanked him and also thanked God for brothers to call when there is a need. In just a few minutes the doorbell rang. I assumed it was the electrical brother but in fact it was the boiler brother. Before long, the other brother showed up too. So, on a Saturday night, two brothers came to try and make sure Judy and I weren’t cold that night.

Working together they found a short in the control box and within an hour the furnace was up and running. That night Judy and I slept warm because two brothers were willing to help another brother in a time of need. I was pretty overwhelmed. I said to them, “Thank you for loving us.” The boiler brother said, “How do you know we love you?” And the answer was simple truth. I said, “Because of your actions.” The COVID-19 hot mess had left me running on empty so God caused a furnace to fail so He could send to brothers over to say, “I love you.” Isn’t that just like our Dearest Daddy? I think it is.

The Bible says people will know we are Christians by our love. Love is a great noun, but it is an even more powerful verb. Compassion is love in action. God demonstrated that by sending His Son to die on a Roman cross. These two men, on a Saturday night, demonstrated it by coming and doing. I believe the one quality that must be evident in a church is love. We need to love God and we need to love each other. God has made it clear that nothing will come between Him and us. We must make sure that nothing Satan throws out today comes between brothers and sisters.

We talked Sunday about how amazing it was that God could ask a young virgin girl to be the mother of Jesus. She couldn’t understand how that could happen. An angel simply said, “With God nothing is impossible.” We wonder how we can love when we disagree, when we are hurt, when we being pulled in opposite directions. The answer is simple…everything is possible with God. Judy and I rested good that night with a warm house and a heart warmed by love…both His and theirs. It reminded me fresh and anew that He’s got this.

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, Military memories, Scripture, thankful

This Day

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

June 12th is a special day in my life. I graduated from high school on June 8, 1972. I am amazed that 48 years have passed beneath the bridge of my life. Time seems to travel so quickly. As a child it was a gentle stream and now as a mature (that is in years and not necessarily actions) adult it seems a raging torrent. So 48 years ago I was member of the largest graduating in the state of Florida for that year…714 seniors from one high School. Trust me…it was easy to be a small fish in that big pond. By Monday all that was in the rearview mirror.

On Monday, June 12, 1972, I raised my right hand and swore to protect and defend the constitution of the United States and to obey the orders of those appointed in rank above me. I was eighteen, naive, had never been away from home and wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. If I remember that day correctly we took the oath, had last minute medical exams, and filled out a mountain of paperwork. They took us to Morrison’s Cafeteria for a last meal of sorts and then on to the airport for the flight to Lackland Air Force Base. Intentionally we arrived at about 2:00 am…something they still do today. We were given a couple of hours of sleep before beginning the great journey of becoming airmen.

The privilege of serving my country for the next twelve years marks that day as one of the great days of my life. The training I received there impacted the rest of my life. The skills I received in my advance training and then in my career prepared me for something far greater then I could imagine. Little did I know on June 12, 1972, what God had planned for me. Saddle up your horses boys…this is the great adventure.

After twelve years in the Air Force it became apparent that the winds of change were blowing in my life. I so loved the Air Force—it was my niche, my calling. Starting in 1980 there were these whispers from Abba Father, my dearest daddy, that He wanted to do something more. It was a whisper from Him to jump into the unknown. It was a whisper to trust Him at a level that I had never before experienced. He was calling and it was undeniable.

The details are still vivid in my mind but time doesn’t allow the whole story to be told. On February 14, 1982, I went forward in a morning worship service and told God I would do whatever He wanted. Four short months later I found myself still in the service but in His service pastoring a small church close to our home. Those days were crazy days. Over the course of a few months the deal was sealed. He whispered that He wanted me to give myself completely to Him. He no longer wanted share me with the Air Force. With that, Judy and I, along with our two very young daughters, prepared to jump big.

That leads to our second June 12th. On that date in 1983, on a hot Sunday afternoon, I sat before a large ordaining council and a larger crowd. That day, June 12, 1983, I was ordained, set apart, to serve Him. My fondest memory of that day came after the council had asked all their questions. They had been graceful to me and I was grateful. The chairman of the council told the moderator that he had no more questions. The moderator then asked if anyone else had an questions. I only thought I was done.

An elderly pastor, slowly stood to his feet and said, “Young man, the Bible says that the husband is the head of the home. It also says that a pastor is to rule his house well. Are you going to rule your house well?” And he sat down. If there was ever a time that I needed for God gave me the right words to say it was probably then. With all the intentional fortitude I could muster I said, “Yes sir…if Judy will let me.” The room erupted and I got ordained.

And here I sit thirty-eight years later so grateful for a God who believed in me and hundreds of people who were patient and loved me. I have seen wheelbarrows full of grace from the God of the universe and His people. If you ever wonder why I am grace heavy in my teaching it is because I have needed it so much and I have experienced it so much. I am blessed. Game. Set. Match. The Bible says that this day, this very one, is a day that the Lord has made. We get to choose how we are going to live it and how we will remember it. Well I am so grateful for two days in June, both the 12th. They are markers for this incredible journey called life. How about you? Do you have some special days that God moved, that God spoke, that God just showed off? Let me encourage you to celebrate them…and Him. He is such a good Abba Father to do less is unimaginable. So go ahead, relive the times, relive the days when He showed up, when you rested in Him, when you just knew “He’s got this.” Then you can be the whisperer and softly say, “Thank you, Father.”