redemption – Grits with Grace

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

Humpty Dumpty and Me

Posted on April 15, 2024April 14, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” John 14:6

Some things never change. As we were growing up, we all learned various nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Some were funny, some serious, and some a little bizarre. One of my favorites was Humpty Dumpty. Why? I think because his story could have easily been our story—after all, we’ve all fallen off a wall at one time or another. I love the story too because what didn’t happen for old Humpty Dumpty, can happen for us.

If there had been a headline that day it might have read something like this, “Local Egg Takes a Tumble.” The story would begin with, “Apparently a well-known and respected egg, Humpty Dumpty, decided to take a rest on top of a wall just outside of town. While sitting there he lost his balance, fell off the wall and was shattered into several pieces. Fortunately for Mr. Dumpty there were witnesses who immediately called 911. Paramedics, along with representatives from the local government, were quickly on the scene. It is reported that local clergy were also on scene, though they didn’t stay long. Unfortunately, no one was unable to put Mr. Dumpty back together again.”

What a sad tale! There he lay–his life in pieces–kinda like a lot of folks today. You would have thought the local citizenry, government, and churches would have been sympathetic but no. First, some questioned why an egg was on the wall in the first place. After all, given his rounded bottom he was certainly a high risk. Second, he was in a fragile state–in fact, he lived in a fragile state. Others blamed the builders of the wall. If the wall had only been six inches high, he wouldn’t have suffered such massive fractures. Others blamed the weather service because they didn’t put out a high wind warning that day for eggs on walls. And the church–well, they said a respectable egg should have been in church, for it was a Sunday.

Well on and on it went, and in the end–Mr. Dumpty was still broken. You know, some things never change. When sin entered the world Adam blamed God, (God, because He gave Adam the woman & Eve because she gave him the fruit), Eve blamed the snake, and the snake? Well, he just smiled. It wasn’t a time for finger pointing then, nor is it now. For all around us are Humpty Dumpty’s…broken lives in a broken world.

But then, along comes God. God made the very first promise of a Rescuer, a Redeemer, and a Savior way back in Genesis 3. One day the Redeemer would come and provide the cure for sin–His own death on a Roman cross–and then come back to life thus defeating death forever. And the snake, well, he would be cast into a very hot fire for a very long time.

You see, I am so glad that God is more interested in redemption than blaming. He is still inviting people, all people, to come home. Scared people, sick people, broken people, mean people, and nice people–all get the same invitation–come home. And the path is always the same. Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” It’s not religion, it’s not good works, and it’s not winning by out-blaming the person next to you. It is grace.

The world could use a little good news don’t you think? So today why not share some? When you see the next scared person, the next broken person, the next difficult person (and it might be in the mirror), just assure them that God loves them and that regardless of their past they can come home. Tell them to rest in Him. Why? Because He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

The Bloat Load

Posted on February 28, 2024February 27, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.” Ephesians 1:8

More is better. I know, I know…that is a flawed philosophy because sometimes more is just more but often…more is better. I am a foodie. I like food and food likes me. To me food is more than nourishment…food is like a warm blanket on a cold night and because of that I sometimes ask for…more. When my wife Judy and I were much younger for a special treat we would go to Shoney’s for supper. It didn’t happen often, not because we didn’t like it but because our very limited budget said no. On an even rarer occasion we would get desert…either strawberry pie or chocolate ice cream cake. When the choice was the latter, I would ask the server to “smother” it with extra hot fudge and usually, they would. The cake would come baptized in hot fudge. Can someone say, “Amen?”

More can indeed be better. I’ve never been too shy about asking for more. One time I was at our local restaurant. We were and are regulars there and whenever I ordered something that had french fries, I would ask them to be sure and add a few extra. I know, my Momma surely taught me better and Judy was mortified but I did it and it worked. My plate would come and sure enough…there were french fries enough to feed half the kids in Africa. I would then douse them with ketchup and well, it was good. More can be better.

On one visit I decided to change my approach, so I asked the server for a “boat load” of french fries. I wasn’t sure how much a “boat load” was but I was sure it was more and yes; more can be better. Well, it worked and once again my BBQ sandwich was accompanied with what had to be a five-pound bag of french fries. As we finished our meal, our server brought our ticket by. Now, I’m one of those people who don’t normally even look at the ticket…I just assume it is right. But this day I did…and I was glad.

No, the amount wasn’t wrong but what she wrote was hilarious. She was probably not familiar with my southern humor or word pictures because she didn’t write “boat load,” she had written, wait for it, “bloat load.” Even now as I write this a smile creeps across my face because it was both accurate and funny. I am sure by the time I finished off the enormous pile of fried potatoes, I was most certainly, “bloated.” Wrong word—right message! And yes, sometimes more is better.

I know that is true with God. In my Jesus journey, I have discovered that He is a “bloat load” God. Mercy…bloat load. Kindness…bloat load. Love…bloat load. Patience…bloat load. Grace…mega bloat load. In fact, I like the way Paul, one of the big players in the New Testament part of the Bible put it. He said, “In Him [that’s Jesus] we have redemption [that’s rescue from our hot mess sin] through His blood [that’s the cross], the forgiveness [that means charges dropped] of our trespasses, according to the riches [that means a lot] of His grace, which He lavished [that means “bloat load”] upon us.” Wow. Now that is good news.

I thought it was always cool when the server accommodated my “more is better” request. At the minimum they didn’t scorn me and at the most…well I received more and as you know…more can be better. But nothing matches God. The only place that God is a little stingy is in the wrath department. Oh, He is just, and He is holy, but His preference is that each of us, all of us, come to Him and receive His grace. After all, He did say He loved the whole world and after all He sent His Son to die for that world on a Roman cross. Can someone say, “bloat load?”

So, more can be better…especially if it involves hot fudge and french fries. Oh, and more is always better when it involves the mercy, kindness, love, patience, and grace of my Dearest Father. He wants you to be able to call Him Father also…just ask and He will lavish His great grace all over you and call you His own. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, forgiveness, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, thankful, Trials

Possession and Perception

Posted on August 3, 2023August 2, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

How sweet Your Word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth.” Psalm 119:103

Well, I guess it is only partly so. All my life I have picked up things that were said and passed along. As I grew a little older, I discovered that some of them are true and some just aren’t. A friend in our office had a stye in her eye that was really bothering her. She made an appointment with the doctor but before she went, I asked her, quite sincerely, “Did you rub the stye with a gold ring?” Well, she looked at me like a calf at a new gate (that’s one of those sayings) and said, “What?”

Well, I tried to explain to her that all my life this was something I heard. In fact, I can clearly remember my Momma taking my Daddy’s wedding band (which I now own) and rubbing my eye with it. What I don’t remember is if anything happened. And that’s not all. I was a full-grown adult before I found out how much time I wasted growing up by waiting 30 minutes after I ate before going back into the water to swim. It was just a fact that if you did you were probably going to drown. Turns out—ain’t so. How about that?

A saying that I have heard all of life is, “possession is nine-tenths of the law.” I’m not even sure what that means but I think it means that if your neighbor borrows your pitchfork and doesn’t return it for a long while and then you go back and try to retrieve it, somehow it magically becomes his. Come to think of it, I still have my friends pitchfork from my days in Cobden. Oh, and I think there is a shovel out there in the garage too. Maybe there is some truth there after all.

Well, a takeoff from that saying is this saying—and it is true. It goes something like this, “Perception is nine-tenths of the message.” In other words, how a person perceives what you say is just as important as what you say. Think about it—and I think you will agree. If you say something and the person thinks you said something totally different it can be hurtful and confusing. It is also true when we try to describe something and just aren’t clear. We say it one way…and they hear another. It reminds me of the story of three blind men who tried to describe an elephant. They each grabbed a different part of the elephant, and each had a totally different perspective.

I was teaching recently and was talking about how we describe the Bible. So often we portray it was a Book of just no, no, and no again. Well, there are plenty of no’s in the Bible but there is also plenty of times when God says yes! The main message of the Bible isn’t rules and regulations but God’s grace and redemption. From the beginning to the end, the message is the same: God loves us, and God wants to redeem us. He extends grace to all that are willing to turn from their sin and believe.

So, the next time you are trying to paint a word picture of something, keep in mind the importance of perception. And the next time you are telling your friend about the Bible and what the Bible says, remember, perception is important. Need a little help? No problem. The God who inspired it and led men to write it…well, He’s got that. Bro. Dewayne

birthday, Family, fear, friends, gratitude, heaven, life, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Happily Ever After

Posted on January 6, 2023January 5, 2023 by Dewayne Taylor

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm139:16

Cinderella and happily ever after. Most of us grew up knowing at least something of fairy tales. When I was younger it was largely by reading books. In those days, Mr. Disney was just getting started and there were few animated films but slowly things changed. Over the years, what was once only printed on the pages of a book became alive on the screen before our eyes…and it was amazing. For years there were the classics, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan to name just a few. And the list has grown and grown. When we watch them, we often want to be them. As the story plays out and ends with the dramatic “happily ever after” we sigh and long…if only.

Each fairy tale, every animated story begins with a “once upon a time…” It sets the stage for the story and then slowly, and almost invariably, the plot develops and oh so often there are plenty of bumps and bruises along the way. There is usually a bad guy or guyette and they slosh their mess all over the screen, hurting and wounding. And then, right when it seems that they are going to win…things turn around. Good overcomes evil, the weak become strong and the impossible becomes…possible. Just about then the “happily ever after” music begins and we smile at the end, we savor the redemption, and we leave feeling good but knowing that story could never be our story. Or can it?

You see, all our lives begin with a “once upon time…” All of us have a beginning. In fact, today just happens to be my birthday and on this day, I think about my, “once upon a time.” On that day a grand story began to be written. A little boy with dreams about a big future. A teenager trying to figure out what life was all about. A husband and later a father trying to figure that out—still trying to figure that out. Twelve years in the service of his country and forty years in the service of his King. Mountains and valleys, wins and losses, victories, and defeats—fighting monsters and dragons and loving his fair maiden and their princesses. Whew…what a journey.

And honestly, there were times when I would ponder how all this would play out. Having watched a whole lot of “redemption” movies where the end is always exactly how we would want it, I wondered, “What about this story?” Perhaps you have done the same. Perhaps you have wondered how your story will end. Perhaps you have longed for a different story…a different prince or princess, a different role, something, anything different. Well, I have some good news for you. The Playwright for your story never makes a mistake and never gets it wrong. He has been writing stories since before the beginning of time. In fact, the Bible says that He wrote every scene of your life before there was a “once upon a time.” In Psalm 139:16 it says, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Wow…how about that?

But wait…it might just get better. So, every story, including yours, can be like every fairy tale. A beginning, a story filled with up and downs, bumps and bruises, toads, and princes. But here’s the best part—every story can have a “happily ever after.” No, really. You see the same book and the same God who promises that every day, every scene in your story has been written and planned promises a “happily ever after.” Oh, it is not always here, though sometimes it is. It is in eternity. When we are willing to put our faith and trust in the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings we have the promise of an eternity that is beyond our wildest dreams. Believe what He did and choose to follow Him and heaven is the end of the story.

It is nice when the story, our story, plays out like we want and wish. It would be nice if every detail was just as we would have written it. Perhaps, but maybe not, because the One who writes the story, our story, is far wiser than us. We probably won’t be able to understand or see that entirely till the end but, well, that is what faith is all about. So, trust Him for the grand finale. It is going to be a wiz-bang finish. And until then…enjoy the show…savoring the good scenes and trusting in the hard ones. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, Trials

Mirrors and Band-Aids

Posted on October 24, 2022October 23, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” James 1:24

Well, it just made me laugh. At least for me the internet is a love, hate relationship. There is so much good stuff out there but if you are older than two, you know there is a ton of junk too. So, you learn to tread carefully and get the good stuff and avoid the bad like the black plague. And, if you happen to stumble into something that is poisonous, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit. On the other side of the coin, when you find something good, apply it and share it.

Every day I receive probably five or six devotionals in my email. The good news is they are always safe reading. The better news is that often they are more and this week I got something that was more. It told a story that goes like this. “A drunken husband snuck up the stairs quietly one evening as his wife James 1:24was sleeping. He looked in the bathroom mirror and discovered he had several bumps and bruises from a fight earlier that night. He doctored himself up and then proceeded to climb into bed smiling at the thought that he had pulled one over on his sleeping wife.”

“When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his obviously unhappy wife. While glaring, she said, “You were drunk last night, weren’t you?” The husband said, “No honey…I wasn’t.” “Well,” she replied, “if you weren’t, then who put all the Band-Aids on the bathroom mirror?” Boom. Gotcha. I hope that made you smile because it sure did me. And as a writer of the blogs and a teacher, I realized this story is just stuffed with truths and lessons for us to learn. As an example, I wonder how he expected to explain the Band-Aids that were supposed to be on his face…let alone the ones that ended up on the bathroom mirror. The marks and scars of our misguided steps will always tell a story. There’s a verse in the Old Testament that says we can be sure our sins will find us out. How true.

Another great lesson from our story teaches us that we should play close attention when we look in the mirror. In this case since the husband was drunk…well, he was also clueless. What is amazing to me are the times when we are stone sober and take a look in the mirror, see something that isn’t right and still walk away leaving whatever it was intact and in place. There’s a verse for that one too. James, the half-brother of Jesus, says that when we know what to do and don’t do it, we are like a person who looks in a mirror, sees that something is awry and chooses to just walk away. Remember it is better to take care of the problem and yes, it is better to not only read and discover what to do…but then…do it. An ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure.

Oh, and then there is the lesson about self-fixing. The man saw the mess and tried to fix it up himself. How many times have we tried that…and failed miserably. One of the lessons I have learned through the years is that while self-fixing is sometimes admirable, it can never do what only God can do. There are plenty of mishaps and messes in life that we need the help of Someone bigger than us. Enter a God who loves us so much. Enter a God that loves us too much to leave us alone…like we are. He is in more than the fix-it-up business…He is in the rescue; redeem and resurrect business and He can’t wait to be a part of your life.

Well, I reckon we can’t leave this story without stating the obvious. And what is that? The dude shouldn’t have been drunk in the first place! Whether he was seeking an escape or just stopped by the bar and stumbled into a mess… neither matters. Remember, mess with a snake and you will eventually get bit…it is just how it goes. But regardless, accidental, or intentional, God is there not to lecture but to redeem…not to point a finger but to point the way to your rescue. No matter what…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, food, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Thanksgiving, wisdom

Bring on the Gravy

Posted on December 3, 2021December 2, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8

It can make good things better! Thanksgiving is quickly disappearing in the rearview mirror. Especially because of these crazy it was good to get together with family and rejoice and remember. I know from this side of the fence the Taylor cooks are off the scale good. Our menu, at least the one that list the side dishes, is almost set in stone. Mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, strawberry pretzel salad and other salads (the kind that make you like salads), Apple pie…well you get the idea. There is one thing that plays a minor role at our Thanksgiving table…gravy.

Now I am a Southern boy and gravy was a big part of my eating life. Momma would regularly make both brown and white gravies for our supper and they were incredible. I remember one time I was reminded that you can have too much of a good thing. She had cooked a roast and one of the things I loved was to take two slices (one wouldn’t do) of bread and then smother, no drown, the bread in gravy. Well, one time it got me. I guess all the goodness in the gravy was too much and I got sick, real sick to my stomach. It wasn’t pretty.

Momma also made a great giblet gravy at Thanksgiving. She would take all those things that are tucked inside the turkey when you buy it, cut them up in tiny pieces and put them in her gravy. Yup…it was incredible. That’s when I began to learn the value of gravy. It could take the driest dressing (not my Momma’s mind you) and make it the best dressing in the world. It worked even better on leftovers. You go back later that afternoon, fill your plate for round 2 of the feast, warm up the gravy and let her fly. The dressing, the potatoes and the turkey all were reborn with a little gravy.

Gravy also can play the role of redeemer with biscuits. Even the best biscuits are almost always made better with a little help. It might be a smattering of butter or butter and honey or syrup and great becomes greater. By far the greatness soul mate of a biscuit is a flood of good sausage gravy. On my goodness—that combination is its own food group. Any good restaurant that serves breakfast is always sure to include that in its offerings. The bottom line is that gravy makes things better.

I know something else that does the same thing—even more so. That is grace. Grace is when we choose to extend something good to someone they really don’t deserve. It might be an act of kindness, a measure of forgiveness or a kind word or two. As a pastor I know people have extended a measure of grace when they commented on some of my sermons. “Best sermon this year, preacher!” Well, truth be known it wasn’t that good—they were just being graceful.

Now get this. Just like a good gravy can make ordinary or less than extraordinary food taste incredible—grace can do the same thing. Families are stronger, relationships are better, teams at work are more productive when grace gravy is poured all over them. You know the circumstances of these last eighteen months have fractured relationships like crazy. It is dividing families, friends and, yes, churches. I think we need to pour some gravy—some grace—all over it. If we don’t we are going to have some scars that time won’t heal. If that happens and when this thing is all over, we might be able to heal it up but the scars will be forever visible.

If you are a Jesus follower then you should be a grace expert. You know that God extended grace, His unmerited favor, to you and forgave all your failures, sins, and warts. If you understand redemption right you know you didn’t deserve it—He just did it because of His love for broken people. Grace makes the impossible possible. Grace, like a good gravy, can redeem the worse and restore the driest. God talks a whole lot about grace in His Book. I encourage you to Google it and be amazed at grace—God’s grace. It is so amazing they even wrote a song about. Perhaps you’ve heard it—Amazing Grace.

Sometimes when I order at a restaurant I will order my gravy on the side. Let’s be honest—not every place can make good gravy. But when it comes to God’s grace don’t ever get it on the side. Just ask God to pour it on heavy—flood the plate of your life. The Book says that through faith in Jesus we have redemption through His death on the cross. When we believe that, God forgives our sins through His grace which He lavishes on us. Wow and bring on the gravy—bring on the grace. So if your life is like a dry biscuit take a break and ask God to pour on the grace. And if you are overwhelmed because of life and it’s left you like so much dry turkey, ask God to pour on grace and you will soon be revived because…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, fear, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Humpty Dumpty and Me

Posted on April 28, 2021April 27, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” John 14:6

Well on and on it went, and in the end–Mr. Dumpty was still broken. You know, some things never change. When sin entered the world Adam blamed God, (God because He gave Adam the woman & Eve because she gave him the fruit), Eve blamed the snake, and the snake? Well, he just smiled. It wasn’t a time for finger pointing then, nor is it now. For all around us are Humpty Dumptys…broken lives in a broken world.

But then, along comes God. God made the very first promise of a Rescuer, a Redeemer, and a Savior way back in Genesis 3. One day the Redeemer would come and provide the cure for sin–His own death on a Roman cross–and then come back to life thus defeating death forever. And the snake well, he would be cast into a very hot fire for a very long time.

You see, I am so glad that God is more interested in redemption than blaming. He is still inviting people, all people to come home. Scared people, sick people, broken people, mean people, and nice people–all get the same invitation–come home. And the path is always the same. Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” It’s not religion, it’s not good works, and it’s not winning by out-blaming the person next to you. It is grace.

Family, food, forgiveness, Grace, life, loving others, Scripture, Thanksgiving, wisdom

Bring on the Gravy

Posted on November 30, 2020November 29, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8

It can make good things better! Thanksgiving is disappearing quickly in the rearview mirror. Even in the COVID mess this year it was good to get together with family and rejoice and remember. I know from this side of the fence the Taylor cooks are off the scale good. Our menu, at least the one that lists the side dishes, is almost set in stone. Mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, strawberry salad and other salads that makes you like salads, Apple pie…well you get the idea. There is one thing that plays a minor role at our Thanksgiving table…gravy.

Now I am a Southern boy and gravy was a big part of my eating life. Mama would regularly make both brown and white gravies for our supper and they were incredible. I remember one time I was reminded that you can have too much of a good thing. She had made a roast and one of the things I loved was to take two (one wouldn’t do) slices of bread and then smother, no drown, the bread in gravy. Well, one time it got me. I guess all the goodness in the gravy was too much and I got sick, real sick to my stomach. It wasn’t pretty.

Mama also made a great giblet gravy at Thanksgiving. She would take all those things that are tucked inside the turkey when you buy it, cut them up in tiny pieces and put them in her gravy. Yup…it was incredible. That’s when I began to learn the value of gravy. It could take the driest dressing (not my Mama’s mind you) and make it the best dressing in the world. It worked even better on leftovers. You go back later that afternoon, fill your plate for round two of the feast, warm up the gravy and let her fly. The dressing, the potatoes and the turkey all were reborn with a little gravy.

Gravy also can play the role of redeemer with biscuits. Now even the best biscuits almost always need a little help to become great. It might be a smothering of butter or butter and honey or syrup and good becomes great. By far the greatness soul mate of a biscuit is a flood of good sausage gravy. On my goodness—that combination is it’s own food group. Any good restaurant that serves breakfast is always sure to include that in its offerings. The bottom line is that gravy makes things better.

I know something else that does the same thing—even more so. That is grace. Grace is when we choose to extend something good to someone that doesn’t deserve it. It might be an act of kindness, a measure of forgiveness, or a kind word or two. As a pastor I know people have extended a measure of grace when they commented on some of my sermons. “Best sermon this year, preacher!” Well, truth be known it wasn’t that good—they were showing grace.

Now hear this. Just like a good gravy can make ordinary or less than extraordinary food taste incredible—grace can do the same thing. Families are stronger, relationships are better, teams at work are more productive when grace gravy is poured all over them. You know this COVID thing is fracturing relationships like crazy. It is dividing families, friends and, yes, churches. I think we need to pour some gravy—some grace—all over it. If we don’t, we are going to have some scars that will take a long time to heal. If that happens and when this thing is all over, we might be able to heal, but the scars will be forever visible.

If you are a Jesus follower then you should be a grace expert. You know that God extended grace, His unmerited favor, to you and forgave all your failures, sins, and warts. If you understand redemption correctly, you know you didn’t deserve it—He just did it because of His love for broken people. Grace makes the impossible possible. Grace, like a good gravy, can redeem the worse and restore the driest. God talks a whole lot about grace in His Book. I encourage you to Google it and be amazed at grace—God’s grace. It is so amazing they even wrote a song about. Perhaps you’ve heard it—Amazing Grace.

Sometimes when I order at a restaurant, I will order my gravy on the side. Let’s be honest—not every place can make good gravy. But when it comes to God’s grace don’t ever get it on the side. Just ask God to pour it on heavy—flood the plate of your life. The Book says that through faith in Jesus we have redemption through His death on the cross. When we believe that God forgives our sins through His grace then He lavishes it on us. Wow and bring on the gravy—bring on the grace. If your life is like a dry biscuit, take a break and ask God to pour on the grace. And if you are overwhelmed because of this COVID mess and its left you like so much dry turkey, ask God to pour on grace and you will soon be revived because…He’s got this.

Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life

A Really Bad Idea

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.” Psalm 103:8

It was just a bad idea. Each of us have times when we do something and from the get go we know it was just a bad idea. Yesterday’s story of me at age seven trying to ride a 26 inch bicycle was just one of many. And these bad ideas usually bear the fruit of bad endings.

I have a really good friend who manages a local restaurant. Before COVID, we would get together once a week and have breakfast at the restaurant. Since COVID we still try and get together for coffee and perhaps a pastry fresh out of the oven. Suffering isn’t all bad, is it? Well, I was famous for ordering different things for breakfast. One was the delicious “preacher stack.” It consisted of a slice of toast, an over-easy egg, a slice of cheese, a couple of slices of soft bacon, a small serving of hash browns (cooked crispy, of course), a second egg and finally the crowning touch, a smattering of gravy. For variety the hash browns were sometimes replaced with grits. Now, let me tell you, that was “shoot that thing” good. I do believe I might be the Rembrandt of breakfast. Sometimes.

You see, one time, about midway through the fall season, I got an idea. Unfortunately, it was a very bad idea. Now the problem with bad ideas is that sometimes they look good from one angle and horrible from the other. Well, this time I looked from the wrong angle. I told my friend, “Jeremy, I have an idea. I think I want to try chili and eggs for breakfast in the morning.” Now being the good friend that he was, he tried and tried to get me to change course. But at that time and from that angle it really sounded good. The key word there is “sounded.”

So the next morning Jeremy cooked up a batch of chili and I was served chili and eggs for breakfast. The first and second bite wasn’t too bad—weird, but not too bad. From there it went down hill and by the time I was done—I was done. I felt like I had swallowed a 12 pound bowling ball and that bowling ball stayed with me all day. In fact, it was a couple of days before I felt half normal. It was a very, very bad idea. He tried to warn me, but no. Oh boy, just the thought of chili and eggs makes my eyes cross.

Well, today I had a nice, innocent bad idea. I usually walk in the mornings but Judy and I decided to walk in the afternoon. That was ok—unusual, but ok. And that wasn’t the bad idea. We were going to walk on the bike trail so I thought I would wear an old pair of trail running shoes I had in the closet. “Why?” Well, I liked the way they looked and I liked the way they laced up (they had these cool speed laces) but that’s where the love affair ended. They weren’t very comfortable and the inside of the heel had long lost its padding. All that was left was a crater where the padding used to be surrounded by rough edges. Everything said, “Don’t wear those shoes.” Well, you know what I did. I wore the shoes anyway and it was indeed a very bad idea.

I had planned on only walking a couple of miles but ended up doing 3.6. Somebody say “wow.” Well, at about the 1.8 mile turn around point I noticed that the back of my left heel was starting to burn—to hurt. Remember the padding that was missing—well, those rough edges that remained were now slowly eating into my heel. And with every step it got worse. I was almost two miles from the car and it hurt, and it hurt, and it hurt. I found myself saying over and over again, “This was a really bad idea.” The problem was I realized it just a little too late. Well, about 10,000 steps later, I got back to the car and the shoes and I parted company—forever. Even sitting there I said it again, “That was a really bad idea.”

Well, in a while Judy got back to the car from her walk. As she came over to where I was sitting and noticed I had my shoes off. She made a comment about resting. I said, “Judy, do you remember the time I ate the chili and eggs?” She said, “Well, yes, but what has that got to do with today?” I said, “That was a really, bad idea and wearing these stinking shoes today was a really bad idea.” To make matters worse, when we had started walking I commented how much I liked the shoes and she remembered that. “But Dewayne, I thought you said you liked them?” Well, I liked the way they looked, I liked they way they laced up, but boy, I didn’t like the way they felt after walking. And trust me—that outweighed all the looks and all the cool laces.

Well, I wanted to tell you this story for a couple of reasons. First, don’t, do not, eat chili and eggs. What it does to your insides requires the intervention of the EPA. If you eat chili and eggs be prepared for a period of quarantine. Be prepared to camp in the “valley of the shadow of death.” It. Is. A. Bad. Idea. And if you are going to walk, remember to pick your shoes based on what is important not what is intriguing or flashy. At about the two mile point you will thank me. Trust me, I know.

One thing that I really like about the Bible is that it is filled with people just like me. People who didn’t always listen to God and people who ate chili and eggs and wore the wrong shoes. Real, live, people who didn’t always make the best choices. The thing I like about God is that He is so loving, patient and kind. Even when Adam and Eve ate “chili and eggs” in the garden and then wore the “wrong shoes” to cover it all up—He still loved them and still provided a way for them to be forgiven. They tried to do it their way, but God didn’t throw them under the bus and start over. And guess what? He doesn’t throw us under the bus either, and I am thankful. When we come to Him with our “chili and eggs,” “wrong shoes,” whining and complaining about how we got the “blisters” in our life, He is patiently waiting.

He is always there for us…bad ideas and all. You will find the Whisper whispering warnings, “don’t got there,” and encouraging you to “go the right way” and “do the right things”. That’s just the way He is. You know He could have carried me back to the car yesterday but I think there was a lesson that I needed to learn and a story I needed to tell. I finished the walk limping a little, but also a little wiser. As I sat there resting in Him I decided no more chili and eggs and no more worn out, flashy shoes. And the next time I find myself two miles from the car—well, I’ll just remember, He’s got this.

life, Mother's Day, Scripture

Mother’s Day- Redemption

Posted on May 18, 2020May 18, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

“Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Redemption. It’s one of my favorite words. One week ago, I wrote a story about Mother’s Day and my feeble attempt to honor the mother of our children. It was a story of good intentions with a not so good conclusion. It was a story that should have been about honoring but was really about muttering. It was a story about what was instead of what could have been…should have been. But, well, it turns out it wasn’t the end of the story.

So, without retelling the whole story (see “Mother’s Day—The Hard Way, May 11, 2020 on gritswithgrace.com) let’s just say I lost a blessing. Judy asked for a simple Mother’s Day gift and I fumbled the ball. I did it but with some (ok, a lot) of muttering. The day ended good with a great hike together and my receiving a reasonable measure of grace. The next day, Becca, our oldest daughter suggested a trip to Pigeon Forge for a few days as recompense. That seemed reasonable and doable and is in the planning stages. But there’s more.

It is the time of year when ladies change their purses. I know Judy has a dark red one that she uses in winter and a cute (did I just say “cute?”) one for spring. Well, the cute one for spring has seen its last hurrah. It is faded like an old leaf on the ground in late fall. She told me she was looking for a replacement but couldn’t find “the one.” It had to be a certain kind, it had to be the same color as last year’s, and it had to be a particular design. She said, “I can’t find what I want. I guess they just don’t make it.” What she was really saying was, “Here’s a chance for redemption, big boy.”

I jumped on this like “white on rice.” I like a challenge and love redemption. Now, I don’t know a thing about purses. Most guys don’t do purses though some have a “man-bag.” This guy doesn’t do either. But I do know about the promised land…Ebay. So, I got my iPhone out, clicked on the icon and entered eBay land. I tried several key searches. I quickly found out that whoever this Vera Bradley person is, she makes a lot of purses in a lot of designs and in lots of colors. But I was determined…I was seeking redemption.

Well, Judy wanders in, sits down and together we continue the search. By the time she got there, I was close. I could smell it; I just couldn’t taste it. And then it happened. There it was. Vera Bradley, coral floral, cross-body purse. The right brand, the right color and the right design. She wondered if it could be true. She said she would believe it when she could see it, hold it, touch it. The Saturday after Mother’s Day it came in the mail in all its glory. She saw it, she held it, she touched it. Game. Set. Match.

Her smile was from ear to ear and so was mine. Her happiness was so evident and so was mine. She couldn’t believe her prize was in her hands and her “prince” had brought home the bacon. Oh, I was redeemed all right. The epic failure was gone…replaced by the laurels of “coral floral” victory! Then I said, “Wait…I’ve heard this story before.” It is the story of God and me…of God and you.

You see, because of our sin, our failures, we were in a hot mess. We were separated from God and there was no fixing it. It was epic fail 101. Then God made a way—the way for rescue, for restoration, for redemption. And it’s not unlike my Mother’s Day story. I searched for the one thing that would make redemption possible and found it. And we do the same. We long for the one thing. And it isn’t religion. It isn’t being good. It isn’t stopping a bad habit or starting another. It is grace. It is forgiveness. It is Jesus.

You see, Jesus is not a religion…we have enough of that already. As Jesus said, He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” His death and resurrection made it possible for anyone to come home to God. He makes it possible for this epic failure to call God, “Father.” Paul, in Colossians 1:13-14, put it this way, “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Well, I’m glad the story didn’t end with part one. I’m glad there was a part two. I’m glad for redemption. And your story never has to end with only a part one. Whether it is coming home for the first time or coming back home another time, we will always find Him waiting with open arms and a warm embrace. Guess what? Last Monday I was ok…Judy still loved me. She’s like that. This Monday, well, she thinks I hung the moon. She’s like that too. Today, God waits to welcome you home and guess what? No, He doesn’t think you hung the moon…He did that. But He does love you to the moon and back. So, let go and let Him hold you. Rest in Him. He’s got this.