rocks – Grits with Grace

Family, life, priorities, Scripture, thankful, travel

Rocks and Fossils

Posted on July 25, 2025July 28, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” Philippines 2:13

They were everywhere but nowhere to be found. A couple of years ago, my wife Judy and I went to a pastor’s conference over in North Carolina. It’s just a little far to travel in one day, so we always choose to stay a night on the road and one of our favorite spots is Cookeville, Tennessee. It is a little over an hour outside Nashville and has several good places to eat and stay. We usually stay at an Airbnb since it provides a little more space and sometimes it offers a little bit more.

This find was Judy’s and that probably explains why we spent more than we normally do. The place was located on a small scenic river and featured two waterfalls within a hundred yards of the property. One was bigger and one was smaller—both were awesome. The smaller one had several rock features but only fell about ten feet. Its big brother, on the other hand, fell about fifty feet and was massive. It’s funny because they both had the same amount of water to work with but, you know, the farther the water falls the more impressive it seems.

Because of the falls and because the area around the river was rocky, the ground was covered with tons (both literally and figuratively) of small rocks. There were all shapes, many colors, and sizes. Most were fist-size or smaller but here is the best part. Scattered around and in all the rocks were a heavy sprinkling of fossils. Most were of ancient water plants that had become trapped in the sediment and slowly, over time, became fossilized. There were all kinds, and since they were so unique—I just had to have some. So, Judy and I went hunting.

From the get-go, it seemed she was better at it than me and soon she was shouting, “Here’s one, here’s another.” Well, that caused me to look harder than ever. Well, before long, we both had plenty, and they are now on display in my office at home. But here’s what is amazing and what prompted this short story with a big truth. The fact is they were everywhere but there were so many rocks to poke through it was just hard to find them. They were there but they were well camouflaged…looking a lot like their rock brothers and sisters. Making it even harder was the fact that one side of a rock might have a cool fossil and the other—nothing. The only choice was to keep looking and keep turning over as many stones as possible.

Isn’t that just like life? We look for this or that and sometimes we become frustrated and give up and behold—it was right in front of our face the entire time. That is never truer than with God things. We think God has turned off the blessing faucet when the truth is we just aren’t looking close enough…hard enough…and we give up. Well, let me encourage you to keep flipping those rocks over because you never know what might be on the other side.

Sometimes the answer to our prayer or our miracle is just one stone flip away. God loves to bless His children so don’t give up and don’t be surprised if you find yourself staring a blessing in the face. Paul wrote, “For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to His good purpose.” In other words, don’t give up…He’s working, and He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, pride, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

“Pigdemic”

Posted on April 29, 2024April 22, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

The COVID era was a crazy, crazy thing and time. Nothing so dominated the public’s attention as this, this disaster, this tragedy, this pain in the neck, this maker of our new normalcy like COVID-19. I eventually caught it twice, but I also caught its first cousin.

Did you know that the pandemic had a first cousin? Of yes it does. It is the dreaded…wait for it…pigdemic. Yup…you read it right. Pigdemic was a new phenomenon that swept the nation. It happened when people were forced to stay at home for extended periods of time bored out of their minds. In this condition, people ate and ate and ate. They ate things that they love, they ate things they like, they ate things they don’t like, and they ate things they have never heard of. The consequences were weighty.

Clothes magically shrank while hanging in closets, mirrors suddenly made people appear shorter and wider, gravity seemed to take on added strength when people tried to get off the couch and exercise became more difficult, much more difficult. And that is when I made a self-diagnosis. I had the pigdemic. It happened like this.

First, despite my shrinking clothes, I managed to walk 2.5 miles, five or six days a week at a respectable 14-minute mile pace. Well, one morning, after walking, my wife was going to ride her bike. I decided I would join her. After all, riding a bike had to be easier than walking. So off we went! I was surprised when she was about 40 yards ahead of me and I was panting like a dog on a hot day. “Hmmmm” I said. She had to stop and adjust her seat (for which I am eternally grateful) and I told her, “I don’t know if it is because I walked this morning or maybe it is those pesky donuts, but I am tired. This is hard.” She laughed and kindly said it was probably because I had walked. I was sure it was the donuts.

We kept riding and despite my best efforts, I kept falling behind and I was pretty sure I was going to die. I was also certain I had the pigdemic. I wasn’t ready to swear off donuts, but I was close. Well, I had been hearing a noise coming from my front wheel (which sounded strangely like a pig squealing) but I didn’t think too much about it. I should have. I finally told Judy I was going to stop and check out the squealing pig sound. I did and it turned out my front wheel was off center causing my brake to be about half on. I loosened the front wheel and centered it slightly and got back on. Two amazing things happened. The squealing pig was gone and suddenly I could peddle a lot easier. A whole lot easier.

It turns out I was not about to die from the pigdemic. It was a brake that was braking when it should have been coasting. I discovered it is amazing when you ride a bike how much harder it is when the brake is on…even a little. A little braking can quickly break your spirit. I decided before I ride again, I’m going to check my bike out a little closer and make sure there are no squealing pigs on board.

I wonder if that is what the writer of Hebrews had in mind. He encouraged us to lay aside every weight and every sin that might hinder us from running our race or riding our spiritual bike. I think it might be. The weights are things that may not be wrong for us but are just not helpful. It might be like riding a bike and carrying a ten-pound rock in your basket…just because you like rocks. Sin, well, we know what sin is. If you are biking it might be like riding with a flat tire. Not a good idea. Whether it is rocks or flat tires, the bottom line is life is harder when we carry stuff that we don’t need or that can and will hurt us.

So, if you are riding your bike and there is a sound that sounds like a squealing pig, it probably isn’t the pigdemic. It’s probably a wheel off-center causing your brake to brake. If life seems a little more difficult, why not ask God and see if you have a rock or two in your basket or worse, a flat tire. Try praying this prayer from Psalm 139:23-24, “Father, would you search me inside and out, run some tests on me, and see if there is anything hindering me, hurting me? Would you see if there is something that I’m doing that offends you? Would you lead me in a way that shows others I am on Your path? Thank-you Father. Amen.”

Now that is one prayer that God wants to answer. He wants you to peddle through life with the wind at your back, a song in your heart and no squealing pigs on board. And when you get home you can rest in Him. Do you know why? Yup…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, thankful, Trials

Backyard Cars

Posted on February 2, 2024January 30, 2024 by Dewayne Taylor

But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Acts 3:6

Sometimes it seemed like a parking lot. We have all seen it, but I experienced it. As I have often said, there were certain benefits to growing up in an urban county. We weren’t country like horses and cows, but we were country like room to run, places to play and cars in the backyard. What? Yup. I know we have all seen yards where there are old cars hanging around the yard. I know each time I drive to Paducah down Route 145 in Southern Illinois I pass a house with an old Capri parked in the yard…permanently. Over the years that I have seen it, weeds and green algae have slowly grown over it. I’m not sure about the story behind the old Capri, but it is there year after year.

Over the years I lived at 6008 Carlton Road, we had several cars parked in our backyard. When my granddaddy Taylor died, we inherited his old Pontiac Sedan. I’m not sure what year it was but it was old…probably the late forties if I were to guess. I knew at least for a while it was a runner, but later on it became a sitter. Regardless, it was a great place to play and hide in a good game of hide and seek. This past week I was converting some old family movies to digital so we could watch them again. There is one simply titled, Alston and Leslie Taylor and their children – 1960’s. In the middle of the video there was my daddy, and he was working on the old Pontiac. It was good to see him again. It reminded me what a good man he was.

I have a feeling that there was a reason that he was working on granddaddy’s Pontiac. You see I remember that our main driver, a 1957 Plymouth, blew an engine so it was parked under the tree in the backyard. So, I think Daddy may have been working on the Pontiac so we would have something that would get us from here to there. The Plymouth sat there for quite a while. Motors were expensive and it would be a while before Momma and Daddy could scrape the money together to buy a rebuilt one. I know they eventually did, but until then it was the old Pontiac.

And then there was the Sunbeam. My brother Lee bought a car from somebody, and it was quite unusual. It was a British made car and it almost had that James Bond allure about it. I was trying to think how to describe it and simply put, it was cool. Well, it was cool until it quit running. You see, certain cars, and especially British ones, are hard to work on and expensive to repair. Well, somewhere along the road (no pun intended) it died. Rather than bury it, we just parked it in the backyard where it became one of the original storage sheds. We slowly stuffed it to the gills with—stuff.

Well, eventually the Plymouth got fixed, the Pontiac got hauled off and the Sunbeam went somewhere, and our backyard looked a little less like a small junkyard and more like a garden. Daddy had a love for growing roses, and I have to admit they looked a lot better than the old cars that adorned our yard for a season. Thinking back, I wonder what people thought about the old-World War II barracks turned house with a car or two parked in the backyard. I wonder if they, like me, like you, were tempted to judge the people that lived there?

I wonder if they ever pondered why the house needed painting most of the time or why there were old junk cars sitting in the yard? I wonder if they thought the people who lived there were lazy or unkept? Well, in the case of 6008 Carlton Road they would have been wrong in both cases. My Daddy was a hard worker making sure the folks under his care had food and clothes. He worked until his heart said no, and even then, he found a job as a security guard. Momma worked hard taking care of us. She poured her life into our lives and made sure there was supper on the table and clean clothes to wear. I would suppose they both were too busy pulling it all together to worry what people thought.

I know this. When I drive south to Paducah and pass that old house with the overgrown Capri in the front yard, it won’t be thoughts of judgement that pass through my mind. Instead, I will remember two people who worked hard to make life possible for me, and my brothers and sisters. And then I will remember that until I have walked in someone’s shoes, I have no business looking down on anyone. Most folks don’t wake up some morning and just decide to have their world go south. Sometimes it just happens. But what I do know is that Jesus, the Man a lot of us have committed to follow, wouldn’t cast a rock, rather He would lend a hand.

One day a couple of Jesus followers were going to church, and they passed by a man who couldn’t walk. The guy was begging and that was the honorable thing to do given there was no security net for help in those days. He looked up and the two Jesus guys looked down. They said, “You know, we don’t have any money, but we do have an answer. And right there, right then, they reached down and in the name of Jesus they healed the guy. He got up, did a little dance and they all went to church together. How about that? So, who can you help today? What house have you driven by so many times before but perhaps today you need to stop? I know in a world of risks, that can be hard but hey, I know Someone who will help make it happen. His name is Jesus and He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Read more stories on the blog: http://www.gritswithgrace.com

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials, wisdom

Backyard Cars

Posted on March 1, 2021February 28, 2021 by Dewayne Taylor

But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Acts 3:6

Sometimes it seemed like a parking lot. We have all seen it, but I experienced it. As I have often said, there were certain benefits to growing up urban county. We weren’t country like horses and cows, but we were country like room to run, places to play and cars in the backyard. What? Yup. I know we have all seen yards where there are old cars hanging around the yard. I know each time I drive to Paducah down Route 145 in Southern Illinois I pass a house with an old Capri parked in the yard…permanently. Over the years that I have seen it, weeds and green algae have slowly grown over it. I’m not sure about the story behind the old Capri, but it is there year after year.

Over the years I lived at 6008 Carlton Road, we had several cars parked in our backyard. When my granddaddy Taylor died, we inherited his old Pontiac Sedan. I’m not sure what year it was but it was old…probably the late forties if I were to guess. I know at least for a while it was a runner, but later on it became a sitter. Regardless, it was a great place to play and hide in a good game of hide and seek. This past week I was converting some old family movies to digital so we could watch them again. There is one simply titled, Alston and Leslie Taylor and their children – 1960’s. In the middle of the video there was my daddy, and he was working on the old Pontiac. It was good to see him again. It reminded me what a good man he was.

I have a feeling that there was a reason that he was working on granddaddy’s Pontiac. You see I remember that our main driver, a 1957 Plymouth, blew an engine so it was parked under the tree in the backyard. So, I think Daddy may have been working on the Pontiac so we would have something that would get us from here to there. The Plymouth sat there for quite a while. Motors were expensive and it would be a while before Mama and Daddy could scrape the money together to buy a rebuilt one. I know they eventually did, but until then it was the old Pontiac.

And then there was the Sunbeam. My brother Lee bought a car from somebody and it was quite unusual. It was a British made car and it almost had that James Bond allure about it. I was trying to think how to describe it and simply put, it was cool. Well, it was cool until it quit running. You see, certain cars, and especially British ones, are hard to work on and expensive to repair. Well, somewhere along the road (no pun intended) it died. Rather than bury it, we just parked it the backyard where it became one of the original storage sheds. We slowly stuffed it to the gills with—stuff.

Well, eventually the Plymouth got fixed, the Pontiac got hauled off and the Sunbeam went somewhere, and our backyard looked a little less like a small junkyard and more like a garden. Daddy had a love for growing roses and I have to admit they looked a lot better than the old cars that adorned our yard for a season. Thinking back, I wonder what people thought about the old World War II barracks turned house with a car or two parked in the backyard. I wonder if they, like me, like you, were tempted to judge the people that lived there?

I wonder if they ever pondered why the house needed painting most of the time or why there were old junk cars sitting in the yard? I wonder if they thought the people who lived there were lazy or unkept. Well, in the case of 6008 Carlton Road they would have been wrong on both cases. My Daddy was a hard worker making sure the folks under his care had food and clothes. He worked until his heart said no, and even then he found a job as a security guard. Mama worked hard taking care of us. She poured her life into our lives and made sure there was supper on the table and clean clothes to wear. I would suppose they both were too busy pulling it all together to worry what people thought.

I know this. When I drive south to Paducah and pass that old house with the overgrown Capri in the front yard, it won’t be thoughts of judgement that pass through my mind. Instead, I will remember two people who worked hard to make life possible for my me, and my brothers and sisters. And then I will remember that until I have walked in someone’s shoes, I have no business looking down on anyone. Most folks don’t wake up some morning and just decide to have their world go south. Sometimes it just happens. But what I do know is that Jesus, the Man a lot of us have committed to follow, wouldn’t cast a rock, rather He would lend a hand.

One day a couple of Jesus followers were going to church and they passed by a man who couldn’t walk. The guy was begging and that was the honorable thing to do given there was no security net for help in those days. He looked up and the two Jesus guys looked down. They said, “You know, we don’t have any money, but we do have an answer. And right there, right then, they reached down and in the name of Jesus they healed the guy. He got up, did a little dance and they all went to church together. How about that? So, who can you help today? What house have you driven by so many times before but perhaps today you need to stop? I know in a world of risks, that can be hard but hey, I know Someone who will help make it happen. His name is Jesus and He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, thankful, wisdom

Chucking Rocks

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7

I should have listened. I was a pretty good kid when I was young but let’s be honest. Pretty good doesn’t mean perfect and pretty good doesn’t mean not mischievous. I think it means I was somewhere close to normal. The only thing is, normal can still get you into trouble.

One day I was with the family and I’m pretty sure we were at a laundromat. Apparently the washing machine had broken down and we had to do the wash at the mat. My daddy and I were out in the parking lot while mama was washing the clothes. I was about nine and bored and that is not a good combination. The parking lot was gravel and all those rocks just seemed to be saying, “Throw me.” So, I obliged.

At first it was a little toss here and there but the more I threw, the more I wanted to throw. First it was here and there but then I started taking aim. Several things were lying along the edge of the parking lot and they made great targets but then I got an idea. If hitting a can was good, imagine hitting a moving target. So I started chucking the rocks in the direction of the road and at the cars passing by. Bad idea.

Now, if you are going to chuck rocks at a car, every nine year old rock chucker knows you don’t just chuck your rock with obvious intention. You ease into it. Well, I started easing into it and before long my rocks were landing dangerously close to cars passing by. My Daddy thought it was kinda accidental and it garnered a “Dewayne, be careful to not hit the cars.” He hadn’t caught onto my real plan to “ping a hub cap.” Anyway, I kept chucking so he upped the warning.

“Dewayne, listen, don’t throw rocks at the cars.” He had finally caught on and I should have quit while I was ahead. I finally got close enough so that we entered “Final Jeopardy.” “Question—what happens if you hit a car? Answer—I’m gonna give you a spanking.” Yeah, well, you can probably guess where this is going. I chucked a rock and hit a car going by and it was “Final Jeopardy.” Daddy got mad, the driver got mad and I got in trouble.

Well, Daddy was able to talk to the driver and he promised him the “grapes of wrath” would fall when we got home. As he drove off, daddy explained about the “grapes of wrath.” Translated, it meant I was gonna get a spanking when we got home and it wasn’t gonna be a little one. So, as soon as we pulled into our driveway, I ran into the house and hid under the dining room table. Soon, I heard Daddy’s voice, “Where are you, Dewayne?” I felt like Adam and Eve in the garden after they had chucked rocks at God and decided to sin. God was looking for them and they were hiding too.

And that’s where things get fuzzy. I don’t remember the spanking which means I probably got grace instead. It probably means that Daddy and I had a long talk about chucking rocks at cars and how that was not a good thing to do. It must have worked because I don’t think I ever chucked another rock at a car…at least one that was moving. That day I learned about obedience and how it has a lot less consequences than disobedience. I also learned about grace. Grace is when you deserve a spanking but instead you get a talking. But I also learned about rock chucking. I learned that it was ok to chuck rocks at things like stumps and cans, but it is not ok to chuck rocks at things like cars. When you do there are consequences…big ones.

Now, there’s another kind of rock chucking that I’m still learning about and that is chucking rocks at people. I’m not talking about waylaying someone with a stone but rather waylaying them with our judgmental acts and words. It’s what we do when we see someone fail and we decide to make ourselves feel better by knocking them down.

Jesus ran into this when some religious people found a woman sinning big. They dragged her into the middle of a crowd and wanted to stone her. They asked Jesus what He would do. He told them that the person that had never sinned should chuck the first rock. Well, slowly they all walked away because they had all messed up. “Where are your accusers?” Jesus asked the woman. She replied that they had left…and indeed they had.

The only two left were her, the sinner and Him, the One who had never sinned. He could have chucked rocks but instead He loved her and forgave her. She deserved the rocks but He gave her grace. I like that. A lot. He dismissed her a smile and a word of “now don’t go on sinning” and the rocks stayed on the ground…right where they belong. So, I am grateful for grace…and you should be too. If we have experienced grace we should extend some too. You see, rocks make great parking lots and driveways but are terrible weapons. They need to stay in the quarry or on the ground. My daddy showed grace then and my Dearest Daddy shows it every day. We should too. However, it’s good to know when we are hiding under the dining room table and He calls, we can come out and sit in His lap and learn about the consequences of sin but also the wonders of grace. So, come on out from your hiding place. We can rest in Him because, “He’s got this.”

food, life, Scripture

“Pigdemic”

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

I was afraid I had caught it. We have all heard all we need to hear about the corona virus. Regardless of what magazine, newspaper, news program, talk show or person you talk to, eventually, the topic of this pandemic will come up. Nothing has so dominated the public’s attention like this, this, this disaster, this tragedy, this pain in the neck, this maker of our new normalcy…COVID-19. Oh, and I wasn’t afraid that I caught that. Nope…but I was almost certain I had caught its first cousin.

Did you know that the pandemic had a first cousin? Oh yes, it does. It is the dreaded…wait for it…pigdemic. Yup…you read it right. Pigdemic is a new phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. It happens when people are forced to stay at home for extended periods of time, bored out of their minds. In this condition, people eat and eat and eat. They eat things that they love, they eat things they like, they eat things they don’t like and they eat things they have never heard of. The consequences are weighty.

Clothes magically shrink while hanging in closets, mirrors suddenly make people appear shorter and wider, gravity seems to take on added strength when we try to get off of the couch and exercise becomes more difficult, much more difficult. And that is where I made a self-diagnosis. I had the pigdemic. It happened like this.

First, despite my shrinking clothes, I have managed to walk 2.5 miles, five or six days a week at a respectable 14 minute mile pace. Well, this morning, after walking, my wife was going to ride her bike. I decided I would join her. After all, riding a bike had to be easier than walking. So off we went! I was surprised when she was about 40 yards ahead of me and I was panting like a dog on a hot day. “Hmmmm” I said. She had to stop and adjust her seat (for which I am eternally grateful) and I told her, “I don’t know if it is because I walked this morning or maybe it is those pesky donuts but I am tired. This is hard.” She laughed and kindly said it was probably because I had walked. I was sure it was the donuts.

So we kept riding, I kept falling behind and I was pretty sure I was going to die. I was certain I had the pigdemic. I wasn’t ready to swear off donuts but I was close. Well, I had been hearing a noise on my front wheel (which sounded strangely like a pig squealing) but I didn’t think too much about it. I should have. I finally told Judy I was going to stop and check out the squealing pig sound. I did and it turned out my front wheel was off center causing my brake to be about half on. I loosened the front wheel and centered it slightly and got back on. Two amazing things happened. The squealing pig was gone and suddenly I could peddle a lot easier. A whole lot easier.

It turns out I was not about to die from the pigdemic. It was a brake that was braking when it should have been coasting. I discovered it is amazing when you ride a bike how much harder it is when the brake is on…even a little. A little braking can quickly break your spirit. I decided before I ride again I’m going to check my bike out a little closer and make sure there are no squealing pigs on board.

I wonder if that is what the writer of Hebrews had in mind? He encouraged us to lay aside every weight and every sin that might hinder us from running our race or riding our spiritual bike. I think it might be. The weights are things that may not be wrong for us but are just not helpful. It might be like riding a bike and carrying a ten pound rock in your basket…just because you like rocks. Sin, well, we know what sin is. If you are biking it might be like riding with a flat tire. Not a good idea. Whether it is rocks or flat tires, the bottom line is life is harder when we carry stuff that we don’t need or that can and will hurt us.

So, if you are riding your bike and there is a sound that sounds like a squealing pig, it probably isn’t the pigdemic. It’s probably a wheel off-center causing your brake to brake. If life seems a little more difficult, why not ask God and see if you have a rock or two in your basket or worse, a flat tire. Try praying this prayer from Psalm 139:23-24. “Father would you search me inside and out, run some tests on me, and see if there is anything hindering me, hurting me? Would you see if there is something that I’m doing that offends you? Would you lead me in a way that shows others I am on Your path? Thank-you Father. Amen.” Now that is one prayer that God wants to answer. He wants you to peddle through life with the wind at your back, a song in your heart and no squealing pigs on board. And when you get home you can rest in Him. Do you know why? Yup…He’s got this.