Tag: rules

Posted in Family, fear, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel, Trials, wisdom

Locks

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Well, that didn’t do a lot of good.  A while back my wife Judy and I attended a pastor’s conference at the Billy Graham Training Center in North Carolina.  It was so refreshing to get away and as always, we were treated like royalty.  The teaching, the facilities, and the food were all top notch.  It was like an oasis where we could pause and refill—to drink deeply from His well of living water.

So, too soon, it was time to head back home and because the conference was over in the middle of the day, it just made sense to stop about halfway and spend the night. Cookeville, Tennessee is just about the midway point, so we booked an Airbnb. It was a nice place and we unloaded and then went to get a bite to eat. In the meantime, it decided to rain.  Now let me explain this was one of those rains that could drown a fish.  It rained, rained hard and it rained a long time. I was about to check the price on gopher wood.  Anyway, when we got back to our home for the evening, I jumped out of the car and unlocked the door and Judy followed.

Well, it continued to rain and several times I went outside to see what was happening.  You could hear the rain from inside the apartment and you could just tell it was coming down in buckets.  Of course, there was the occasional lightning followed by a good, ole thunderclap.  Each time I went out I was careful to lock the door back.  You know, the neighborhood looked safe, but you can never tell.  Finally, it was time to head to bed and I checked the door, and it was locked.  We were safe and sound.

Well, sometime in the night, I woke up to rollover and I thought I heard something.  Now don’t panic…it was nothing, but I thought it might be something.  And then, something occurred to me, a question really.  I asked myself, “Did you leave the key in the lock on the door?”  Well, that made me wonder…and for good reason.  So, in the middle of the night I got up and turned on the lights.  I looked on the counter and guess what?  The key was nowhere to be seen.  I had a sneaking suspicion I knew just where to find it.

I walked over to the door, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the door and there for everyone and anyone to see and find…was the key.  Well, I obviously took it out of the lock and gratefully locked the door back, put the key on the counter and went back to bed.  After a short prayer thanking God for keeping us safe, I drifted back off to sleep…no harm and no foul.  But it did make me think.

You see the door had two locks…one on the doorknob and one a deadbolt.  Those together would certainly keep out any bad guys.  But with the key right there…well, those locks weren’t going to keep anyone out.  With the key in the lock, it was like hanging out a “Y’all come on in!” sign. As I mentioned, no one tried to come in, but I had rendered the locks useless by leaving the key there.

It made me wonder how often do we leave the keys in the locks that guard our heart, our mind, our character, our marriage, our anything?  You see, God watched out for Judy and me that night and gratefully, He also watches out for us in life.  But as sure as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, it is better to remove the key and lock the lock.  Wouldn’t it have been crazy, though, for me to leave the key in the lock because, after all, no one tried to come in…yet?  And just because nothing has gone amiss in our lives yet doesn’t mean that it can’t, and it won’t.

The Bible tells us in the Book of Smart Living, aka Proverbs, to guard our hearts because out of it comes the wellspring of our lives. In other words, we need to lock the door of our hearts and put the key safely away. If you are wondering the best way to guard your heart, to lock the door to your heart, I believe the Bible is the answer.  It is just jam-packed with help from the One who made us.  And remember, the Bible isn’t just a book of rules…it is a book for living well. Like guardrails on a curvy road, it keeps us from big regrets and consequences.  Written on the pages and in between the lines is His calm assurance that we don’t have to worry because He is with us and yes, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, missions, prayer, Scripture, travel, Trials

Don’t Move

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Sing it, Willie, sing it.  It was around noon on a Tuesday in July when I could once again hear Willie’s words rolling around in my ears.  Yup, we were “on the road again” and this time we were going on a really long and really big adventure.  My wife Judy and I, along with a couple of our friends, were going to England on a mission trip to love on some folks from Africa who now live in England.  Africa has long held a special place in our hearts, so we were really excited about serving those special folks.

You probably have already figured out that we couldn’t drive to England, and you probably also know that these days anything to do with airports and planes can be just a little chaotic.  Well, this time was no different.  We got checked in, they were kind enough to relieve us of our luggage and then it was time to go through security.  I’ve done this enough to know the ropes. I wear pants that don’t require a belt and shoes that don’t have laces.  I put everything possible in my backpack, so my pockets are all empty…just the way the security people like it.  Check, check, and check. Not only was I on the road again but I was ready to roll through security.

Soon it was my turn to go through the security thingy.  There are two kinds of machines that they use.  First is the metal detector thingy and then there is the body scan thingy.  I drew the body scan thingy.  So, you step into this booth thing, put your feet on the two yellow shoe spots on the floor, raise your hands above your head and wait.  The person causally says, “Don’t move” and this thing takes a picture of your whole body and makes sure you don’t have anything that you shouldn’t.  Well, my rolling through security was about to hit a snag.  And it all started with me trying to do the right thing.

As I stepped into the booth and raised my hands, I quickly glanced down and noticed one of my feet was not on the yellow spot. So, I slid my foot over.  Unfortunately, that was just about the time that she mashed the magic button and, well, I failed the test.  She asked me to step out and told me, “You moved.”  Well, I said, “Well, let’s just do it again.”  “Oh no,” she said, “anyone who moves get a special prize.  You get to have a full body search.  Please step over here.” Bewildered and wondering, I stepped over.

Soon, there was an officer, explaining and apologizing for what was about to happen.  There was no magic metal detecting wand, no, he had to check me out…carefully.  So, well, it wasn’t fun, it was embarrassing, and I learned an important lesson about those two words, “Don’t move.”  You see, in the end it didn’t matter that my intentions were good.  In the end it didn’t matter that I was trying to do the right thing.  The only thing that mattered is that I moved…I broke the rules and because of that there was a price to pay. Bummer.

Well, here is the deal.  That is true in airport security…trust me, I know.  But it is also true in life.  We often seem too think that the rules of life were meant for someone else.  Or often we just assume that we can get a “do over.”  Well, here is a news flash.  The rules of life apply to everyone…the rich and famous and the everyday Joe.  And very often, there is not a do over. There’s an old saying that says, “do the crime and you’ll do the time.” Well, I sure learned that applies to airport security. Smile.

One of the things I love to share is that when God gave us the Bible it wasn’t to hurt us…it was to help us.  It wasn’t a book to put us in shackles but rather a Book to set us free.  I know that when I pay attention to His Word, I have fewer regrets and smaller circumstances.  Trust me…it is true.  So, even if you aren’t a God person, you might want to check out the Bible.  It sure seems that life just goes better when we follow His rules and take His advice.

In the Bible it says that God’s word is like a lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path. If you’ve ever walked in a dark room or down a dark path, you know the value of a flashlight.  Starting today, why not let the Word of God be your flashlight?  Better yet why not invite God to be your guide? After all, He knows the way, has never made a mistake, and is just waiting to help you. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, travel

Beautiful Sanibel

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Recently Judy and I went on a great adventure as we traveled down to Southwest Florida to the Fort Myers area.  Because of the virus thing it was interesting on several levels.  First, masks were required the entire time we were in the airport and on the plane.  We were allowed to take them off while we were eating our snacks.  When we arrived we were pleased to discover, that as we suspected, this area of Florida was not crowded at all. Yay.

More than a few stores were closed still and every restaurant we went to had plenty of room for customers.  Whatever crowd limits were in place were not met…no lines.  So it was just a great adventure and we love great adventures.  I even managed to rent a Mustang convertible for the time we were there and that was well, beyond awesome.  The rental agent tried to convinced me to rent a GT model for an extra twenty dollars a day.  He obviously didn’t know me.  Twenty dollars for the week maybe… but a day—the six cylinder was more than good.  I have to admit I felt pretty cool.  My cool sunglasses and my cool hat hiding my “not so cool” balding head completed the look.

One of the things we did, twice, was to go to beautiful Sanibel island.  It was only about 12 miles from where we were staying and it was one of those places we had wanted to go for a long time.  So one day we put the top down and off we went.  We had music from the sixties and seventies playing on the radio and I felt pretty young.  Maybe the sixties are the new forties.  So as we neared the island there was a six dollar toll.  “No deal” I said.  I thought it interesting that there was no one to take the toll.  There was simply a sign that said, “We will bill you.”  I bet they will too.

So when we got on beautiful Sanibel Island one thing quickly became apparent.  It was beautiful but it was a place of threats and rules.  The biggest was the parking deal.  Everywhere—and that is not an exaggeration, there were signs—big signs—threatening signs—warning you that if you parked without paying two things would happen.  They would tow your car and charge you a fine.  And the fine was not like $25 dollars.  Oh no…it was like $250.  And they meant it too.  And the parking was, are you ready, $5.00 an hour.  No breaks and no exceptions.  But that wasn’t all.

There were signs warning you that if you were caught speeding, there was a fine and it was strictly enforced.  If you turned where you shouldn’t turn, there was a fine and it was strictly enforced.  If you were from Illinois, there was a fine and it was strictly enforced.  Ok, I made that one up but you get the idea.  It seemed everywhere you looked in what was supposed to be paradise, were more threats and rules and it kinda just took some of the fun out of it.  I understand why they thought they had to do it but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. I felt like they were just waiting for me to mess up so they could say, “gotcha.”

Well, so in a few days Judy and I will pack up and come back to Harrisburg and leave that part of the trip in the rearview mirror.  We loved it but that part I can do without.  And that is the point of this story.  So often as Jesus followers we insist on seeing Kingdom life as a land of strict rules and we see God as the ultimate traffic cop.  He writes these impossible rules and then waits for us to mess up so He can say, “gotcha” and zap us.  I wonder where we got all of that? I mean God’s love and grace toward His children are plastered all through His Book.  I understand the need, and benefits, of obedience but I disdain it when people try and make God to be a bad God.  He is anything but bad.  Yes, He is just.  Yes, when we reject His gift of salvation we have to answer for our sin.  But this God gave His Son to a Roman cross so that we could have forgiveness and call Him Father.  That is amazing.

If you find yourself living in a world where your faith is confined to a world of rules and threats you’ve probably wandered off the right grid. Remember the wonderful words found in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Yes, I know they were written to Israel but the principle is ours to claim.  Our lives should be motivated by God’s love and grace and not the fear of Him zapping us.  Never, never forget that as His child He loves you beyond what you can believe.  He is working things for your good and His glory.  It’s that plain and simple.  Every no and yes in His Book is there for that reason.  He is not a cosmic cop waiting to hurt you…He is a wonderful, loving Father who would die for you…and He did.

Starting today, why not change your view of God?  If you’ve never asked Him for forgiveness and received His great gift of eternal life…start there.  And if you’ve wandered off the grid into the land of rules and threats, come back home to grace and love.  It’s where He wants you to live.  It is where you will find rest.  It is where you will discover that no matter what, He’s got this.