volkswagen – Grits with Grace

Family, life, priorities, Scripture, Trials, volkswagen

Out of Alignment

Posted on October 7, 2025October 6, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Something told me I was a day late and a dollar short. A few years back we bought a “new to us” car. It was a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta. I drove all the way up near St. Louis to look at their lot full of Jetta cars. Volkswagen had gotten in trouble about emissions and recalled all their diesel cars. It took them a couple of years to get them fixed and rerelease them to the market. Mu wife Judy and I decided to dive into the diesel market and get one.

So, off I went to St. Louis. When I arrived, I saw dozens and dozens of VW Jettas. However, the problem was most of them were in pretty, rough shape. Apparently as the owners turned them in, they decided to treat them like an unloved dog. Even after they cleaned them up it was pretty apparent they had lived a hard-knock life. With my trusty salesman by my side, I went from car to car to car—with no luck. I’m pretty particular about cars and these were not making the cut.

Finally, after checking almost every car in my price range, we found one that was not as perfect as I wanted but it was the best one available. I drove it and liked it and before long it was ours. Driving it home I noticed that the VW emblem on the steering wheel was not pointing straight up. Hmmmm. But trying to control my perfectionism I chose to ignore it—for a while.

So, even though it was “Judy’s car”, the crooked emblem had to go. I asked my super mechanic, Chris, if we could pull the steering wheel and straighten it up. He said, “You don’t have a steering wheel problem, you have a front-end problem. You need a front-end alignment.” Well, what about that? I had noticed the car was not wanting to stay straight on the highway, but I didn’t think too much about it. I should have.

A few days later we got the front end aligned and sure enough there it was—the VW emblem was straight up and down. Yay—I said. Problem solved…and it was. However, the problem was that I had waited too late. I noticed a little later that my front tires tread on the outside was virtually gone…outta there. My choice to ignore and live with a problem ended up costing me nearly $500.00 for new tires. Bummer. Big bummer. Oftentimes, procrastination can be very expensive.

Life can be like a car out of balance. It got me thinking. What in our lives might be a little misaligned, out of balance? What habit, what misplaced priority, what sins are we hiding, ignoring, or choosing to not take care of? I know, it seems easier not to worry about it, but truth be known, the longer we wait the more it costs. The longer we wait the bigger the consequences and the greater the regrets. It has been said that if you aim for the moon and are less than one degree off you will end up somewhere, but it won’t be the moon…it might be Mars.

Solomon, one of the smartest guys in the Bible, said it best. He said that we should learn to trust in the Lord with everything we’ve got, and don’t try to figure it out on our own. He goes on to say that in all our ways check with Him and He will make our paths straight. Make.Our.Paths.Straight. In other words, if the steering wheel of our life is crooked, He can give us the realignment that we need. He can make our lives straight.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I will save the $500.00 next time and head to the alignment place as soon as I notice something’s going wrong. I think I’m gonna do the same thing with life. When my “VW emblem” is a little crooked or I find myself pulling away from the One who loves me most—I’m gonna head to the Master mechanic and let Him check me out. I can trust Him. The Creator always knows His creation best. I’ll rest in the waiting room while He works. I know He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, gratitude, life, pride, school days, Scripture, thankful

Live Forward, Glance Back

Posted on May 12, 2025May 8, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13

There’s a reason it is smaller. I like cars. I love cars. From my first car, a worn out, rusted out, 1962 Rambler, to what I drive today…cars have held a special place in my life. That old Rambler may have been akin to the “Ramblin’ wreck from Georgia Tech” but it was mine…the result of a trade–he got a slot car track and I got a car. I was 16 or 17 and I thought I was on top of the world. Through the years I have had many different cars. Some were new (oh, how I love that smell) and more were used, but each one was my baby. I try and take care of all of our family vehicles, but mine always gets the best care. Don’t even think about eating in it. Grandkids are required to take a bath before getting in it. Even Judy requires a permission slip to drive it.

As different as these cars have been, there are a few things that they have in common. They all had an engine. The Rambler had a straight line six with a rod knocking but hey, it ran…for a while. My first new car was a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle. It had an engine too…but in the back. Trust me that was revolutionary in those days. Then there was the 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser. It had an engine—a diesel. I didn’t know a thing about diesels. Imagine my surprise when I looked for the spark plugs and found out it didn’t have any! Speaking of diesels, Judy and I drive a diesel Volkswagen these days to the tune of about 42 miles per gallon. So I’ve returned to my roots.

Oh, and all those cars had tires, four of them. They had seats—most had seating for five, but some had more. Our mini-vans could seat seven and that Cutlass Cruiser could seat eight. All had heating and most had air conditioning. Like I said, they had a lot of things in common. And they all had a mirror. They had one or two sideview mirrors and then there was one that hung inside right in the middle of the windshield. It allowed me to see what was behind, and as you know that is important. But there is one more thing that they had in common. They all had a windshield.

In the real old days, cars didn’t have windshields. You wore goggles and just picked the bugs out of your teeth. But somewhere along the way someone figured out that there had to be a better way and the windshield was born. The windshield allows you to see where you are going and what is coming at you. It is big because it is important. Have you ever thought about this—the thing that allows you to see the future is a whole lot bigger than the thing that allows you to see the past. Hmmm. I bet that is no accident. No one can deny the fact that we need to look behind, it’s just that looking forward is much more important.

So, here’s the question. As you are “driving” along life’s road, which is bigger, your windshield or your rearview mirror? I know many folks spend more time looking back than looking forward and that can lead to a pretty hair-raising ride. You see the rearview mirror in your car is not designed to be the primary place you look. It is designed for an occasional glance. Well, that is true in life. The rearview mirror in our life is there, it is designed, to glance back. We savor the good times and smile as we remember them. We wince at some of the more unwise decisions but remember the lessons we learned. Yup…it is profitable until it is all that we look at.

Living with our eyes glued to the rearview mirror of life is a dangerous thing. If we live staring at all the past good days, we will soon become discontent with the present. If we live staring at all the past failures and flops, we will soon become discouraged and depressed. It’s just what happens when we stare at the past and ignore the present and future. Paul, in the Bible, gives us some great advice. He admitted that while he hadn’t figured it all out, he had learned one thing. He said we should leave the past in the past and reach out for the future. And trust me…that is really, good advice.

A guy named Brian Simmons says, “The time before us is not one of gloom and doom; it will be instead the best and most adventurous time of our lives. The best for God’s people lies not in the past, buried in Scripture somewhere. It’s yet to come. Let’s not allow fear to defeat us.” Right on Brian, Right on. Remember, don’t fear the future just because it is unknown. You see, there is a God who knows the future and in fact, in a way we can’t understand…He’s already there. So, settle back, rest in Him and enjoy the drive. Go ahead…set the cruise…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

communication, friends, life, Military memories, Scripture, thankful, travel, Trials

Zwei or Saar

Posted on April 21, 2025April 18, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.” Psalm 37:23

We were so close and yet so far away. It was 1977 and we were brand new at our new assignment in Germany. We had purchased a 1967 Volkswagen station wagon which turned out to have virtually no floorboards just floor mats. We found that out the first time it rained. It rained a lot in Germany. Anyway we named him Herman. He wasn’t fast, he wasn’t pretty–but he would go…most of the time.

Our friends that lived a couple of hours away invited to come over and spend the weekend with them. We lived in Sambach which wasn’t too far from Sembach where I worked. You can probably already tell that things can get confusing in Germany in a hurry. So, we had been in country about 10 days, we had our international driver’s license which meant I paid someone $15 dollars, and we had Herman. Not to sound like Gilligan’s Island but we started out on a three hour trip…a three hour trip.

We were heading to a small city called Zweibrucken. That is where our friends lived. The Air Force had a small airbase there where he worked and since Zweibrucken means “two bridges” I assume they had those too. It was simple. Get on this highway with your car named Herman and with no floorboards drive about an hour or so, take a left and head toward Zweibrucken. Not a deal. Right? Well, not so fast.

Soon Judy and I traveling along, excited for a new adventure. We had no traveling experience in Germany, no maps, it is raining (remember it does that a lot in Germany) so we had miniature swimming pools for floorboards and the antique wipers are just keeping up with the rain. The directions were simple: drive for about an hour, take a left and head for Zweibruken. We probably should have written that down.

After about an hour we came to a large directional sign. It said Saarbrucken straight ahead. Well, Mr. “I’m a man who doesn’t get lost” looked at his sweet, dear “Don’t look at me, I’ve never been out the country before either” wife and said, “Uh was that Saarbrucken we were looking for?” You know, if you’ve seen one “brucken” you’ve seen them all.

Well, I couldn’t remember, she couldn’t remember so we kept driving and it kept raining. We drove for quite a while and suddenly found ourselves in Saarbrucken which happens to be on the French border. We also found ourselves on the verge of having to speak French. Since we didn’t speak German either we decided we had better turn around before we started an international incident.

I did a quick turn around and headed back the way we came. We were disoriented, discouraged and disappointed. We drove back about 30 miles or so and there we saw a sign: Zweibruken. Hallelujah. I remembered, she remembered—sweet Zweibruken. We exited off of the autobahn (which is German for you can drive fast if you don’t drive a Herman) and as we exit we see our friend just pulling away. He had come to look for us and was just about to give up. We saw him, he saw us. We laughed, we embraced. We had made it. “Guten Tag.” Guten Tag, indeed!

We still laugh about that crazy story. Two young people who didn’t know a thing about driving in a foreign country, taking off in a too old Volkswagen station wagon with swimming pools for floor boards, getting lost and can’t ask directions. Yup, life was good. Now if I remember right I was probably frustrated, a bit mad, discouraged and discombobulated. I’m not exactly sure what that means but I am sure I felt it that day. But the bottom line is we had fun. Even then we laughed at the hot mess we were in. It was a story we would tell our kids one day. Well, we have and it still brings a smile to our lips.

I know there is so much craziness today. So many missteps, so many “I don’t knows,” so many “Saars” when it should have been a “Zwei.” But remember this. There is a God that is writing this story called your life and He is a God who loves a good adventure. And the things that we count as disruptions just might be one of His great adventures purposely put in your path for your ultimate good and pleasure. David in Psalm 37:23 writes, “The steps of a good person are ordered [directed, planned] by the Lord. And He delights in that path.” In other words, God has a plan and it is a plan that He has written just for you.

I know I sometimes question my GPS when it takes me down some crazy roads to save a minute or two but I am learning to just enjoy the journey. Even today, Judy and I love to drive around and try to get lost. One of my friends said, “Come on down to Pope County. I can get you lost.” I might just take him up on it. I’ll have my trusty GPS and my friend so it should be a great adventure. I’ll just go along for the ride and rest in Him. After all, He’s got this. Guten Tag (Oh…by the way that means Good day!) Bro. Dewayne

Family, friends, gratitude, life, Southern born

Looking Forward

Posted on May 17, 2022May 16, 2022 by Dewayne Taylor

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13

There’s a reason it is smaller. I like cars. I love cars. From my first car, a worn out, rusted out, 1962 Rambler, to what I drive today…cars have held a special place in my life. That old Rambler may have been akin to the “Ramblin’ wreck from Georgia Tech” but it was mine…a gift from my oldest sister and her husband. I was 16 or 17 and I thought I was on top of the world. Through the years I have had many different cars. Some were new (oh, how I love that smell) and more were used, but each one was my baby. I try and take care of both of our family vehicles, but mine always gets the best care. Don’t even think about eating in it. Grandkids are required to take a bath before getting in it. Even Judy requires a permission slip to drive it.

As different as these cars have been, there are a few things that they have in common. They all had an engine. The Rambler had a straight line six with a rod knocking but hey, it ran…for a while. My first new car was a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle. It had an engine too…but in the back. Trust me that was revolutionary in those days. Then there was the 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser. It had an engine—a diesel. I didn’t know a thing about diesels. Imagine my surprise when I looked for the spark plugs and found out it didn’t have any! Speaking of diesels, Judy and I both drive Volkswagens these days, both diesels and both get about 42 miles per gallon. You might say I’m returning to my roots.

Oh, and all those cars had tires, four of them. They had seats—most had seating for five, but some had more. Our mini vans could seat seven and that Cutlass Cruiser could seat eight. All had heating and most had air conditioning. Like I said, they had a lot of things in common. And they all had a mirror. They had one or two sideview mirrors and then there was one that hung in the middle of the windshield. It allowed me to see what was behind, and as you know that is important. But there is one more thing that they had in common. They all had a windshield.

In the real old days, cars didn’t have windshields. You wore goggles and just picked the bugs out of your teeth. But somewhere along the way someone figured out that there had to be a better way and the windshield was born. The windshield allows you to see where you are going and what is coming at you. It is big because it is important. Have you ever thought about this—the thing that allows you to see the future is a whole lot bigger than the thing that allows you to see the past? Hmmm. I bet that is no accident. No one can deny the fact that we need to look behind, it’s just that looking forward is more important and that is why it is so big.

So, here’s the question. As you are “driving” along life’s road, which is bigger, your windshield or your rearview mirror? I know many folks spend more time looking back than looking forward and that can lead to a hair-raising ride. You see the rearview mirror in your car is not designed to be the primary place you look. It is designed for an occasional glance. Well, that is true in life. The rearview mirror in our life is there, it is designed, to glance back. We savor the good times and smile as we remember them. We wince at some of the more unwise decisions but remember the lessons we learned. Yup…it is profitable until it is all that we look at.

A guy named Brian Simmons said, “The time before us is not one of gloom and doom; it will be instead the best and most adventurous time of our lives. The best for God’s people lies not in the past, buried in Scripture somewhere. It’s yet to come. Let’s not allow fear to defeat us.” Right on Brian, right on. Remember, don’t fear the future just because it is unknown. You see, there is a God who knows the future and in fact, in a way we can’t understand…He’s already there. So, settle back, rest in Him and enjoy the drive. Go ahead…set the cruise…He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne

Family, life, Military memories, Scripture, travel

If You’ve Seen One “Brucken”

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.” Psalm 37:23

We were so close and yet so far away. It was 1977 and we had recently arrived at our new USAF assignment in Germany. We had purchased a 1967 Volkswagen station wagon which turned out to have virtually no floorboards just floor mats. We found that out the first time it rains. It rains a lot in Germany. Anyway we named him Herman. He wasn’t fast, he wasn’t pretty. But he would go…most of the time.

Our friends that lived a couple of hours away invited to come over and spend the weekend with them. We lived in Sambach which wasn’t too far from Sembach where I worked. You can probably already tell that things can get confusing in Germany. So, we had been in country for about 10 days, we had our international drivers license which meant I paid someone $15 dollars, and we had Herman. Not to sound like Gilligan’s Island but we started out on “a three hour trip…a three hour trip”.

We were heading to a small city called Zweibrucken where our friends lived. The Air Force had a small airbase there where he worked and since Zweibrucken means “two bridges” I assume they had those also. It was simple. Get on this highway with your car named Herman and with no floorboards, drive about an hour or so, take a left and head toward Zweibrucken. Not a deal. Right? Well, not so fast.

Soon Judy and I were traveling along, excited for a new adventure. We had no traveling experience in Germany, it was raining, remember it does that a lot in Germany, so we had miniature swimming pools for floorboards and the antique wipers were just keeping up with the rain. After about an hour we came to a large directional sign. It said Saarbrucken straight ahead. Well, Mr. “I’m a man who doesn’t get lost” looked at his sweet, dear “Don’t look at me, I’ve never been out the country before either” wife and said, “Uh was that Saarbrucken we were looking for?” You know, if you’ve seen one “brucken” you’ve seen them all.

Well, I couldn’t remember, she couldn’t remember so we kept driving and it kept raining. We drove for quite a while and suddenly found ourselves in Saarbrucken which happens to be on the French border. We also found ourselves on the verge of having to learn French. Since we hadn’t mastered any German either we decided we had best turn around before we started an international incident.

I did a quick turn around and headed back the way we came. We were disoriented, discouraged, and disappointed. We drove back about 30 miles or so and there we saw a sign: Zweibrucken. I remembered, she remembered—sweet Zweibrucken. Hallelujah. We exited off the autobahn (which is German for “you can drive fast if you don’t drive a Herman”) and as we exit we see our friend just pulling away. He had come to look for us and was just about to give up. We saw him, he saw us. We laughed, we embraced. We had made it. “Guten Tag.” Guten Tag, indeed!

We still laugh about that crazy story. Two young people who didn’t know better driving in a foreign country, taking off in a too old Volkswagen station wagon with swimming pools for floor boards, getting lost and unable to ask directions. Yup, life was good. Now knowing me, I was probably frustrated, discouraged, and discombobulated. I’m not exactly sure what that means but I am sure I felt it that day. But the bottom line is, we had fun. Even then we laughed at the hot mess we were in. It was a story we would tell our kids one day. Well, we have and it still brings a smile to our lips.

I know there is so much craziness today. So many missteps, so many “I don’t knows,” so many “Saars” when it should have been a “Zwei.” But remember this. There is a God who is writing this story called your life and He is a God who loves a good adventure. And the things that we count as disruptions just might be one of His great adventures purposely put in our path for our ultimate good and pleasure. David, in Psalm 37:23 writes, “The steps of a good person are ordered [directed, planned] by the Lord. And He delights in that path.” In other words, God has a plan and it is a plan that He has written just for you. I know I sometimes question my GPS when it takes me down some crazy roads to save a minute or two but I am learning to just enjoy the journey. I wrote a few days back that Judy and I love to drive around and try to get lost. One of my friends said, “Come on down to Pope County. I can get you lost.” I think I’m gonna take him up on it. I’ll have my trusty GPS on standby and my friend won’t be too far away so it should be a great adventure. I’ll just go along for the ride and rest in Him. After all, He’s got this. Guten Tag.