Tag: worship

Posted in communication, friends, loving others, Scripture

Harmony

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”  John 13:13-14

They came to church one day.  I like church…most of the time anyway.  One of the things I like about church is that it is so inside down.  Like, if you go to a concert, the most expensive seats are right up front.  If you go to a ballgame, you pay extra to sit down where the action is.  That’s not true in church.  The high value seats are all the way at the back.  There might be 150 seats and only 50 people but most of the folks sit in the high-priced back seats.  I can’t blame them. 

The story is told of a young preacher who was excitedly telling the people that Jesus was coming back.  He said, “Jesus said, Behold, I am coming quickly.” He said it three times, each time just a little more enthusiastically.  When he said it the third time, he lost his balance and fell off the stage and right in an older lady’s lap. He was so embarrassed and apologized profusely.  She said, “That’s ok son, you warned me three times.” Well, anyway, I get the sitting in the back thing.

Now, not because I was a pastor, but my wife and I always like to sit near the front.  I do like to be where the action is and trust me…it is rarely crowded. Well, one day, a couple came and visited our church and guess what?  They came right down and sat on the second row.  I was surprised and when I said hi to them, I told them how glad I was to have them…especially on the second row.

Well, church started and, in case you are not too familiar with church stuff, usually we sing a while and then the preacher (in this case that was me) would speak a longer while.  Make that a lot longer.  So, as we were singing, I could hear this voice singing behind me.  It was the lady who was visiting with her husband.  She had a nice voice, and she was singing harmony and it seemed she knew most of the songs.  Well, they just turned out to be real nice folks and the best part…they came back and sat week after week in the second row.  She kept singing and I could tell she really seemed to enjoy it.

After several weeks, after services, Judy and I were talking with them after church and I asked her, “I enjoy your singing.  Do you, or would you, like to sing a solo for us?” Without hesitation, she simply said, “No thank you.  I just enjoy singing harmony.” Singing.Harmony.  That struck me as pretty profound.  For many folks, getting the opportunity to sing in front of a pretty large crowd would be seen as an opportunity to perform.  But not for her, she was content to be one of the worshipers…just singing harmony.

There is an old southern gospel song by the Oak Ridge Boys that said, “Nobody wants to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus, everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band.” That song has stuck with me all through these many years.  It is a good reminder to make sure that I remember that when I stand on a stage and speak—Jesus is the star of the show and I am just a rhythm guitarist somewhere in the band.

You see, pride is a dangerous thing—especially in Jesus circles.  If anyone taught lessons on humility it was Him.  He is the guy who performed slave labor one night and washed the feet of everyone in the room.  And then, He said, “Now I’ve set an example for you.  You should do the same.”  I don’t think it was about washing feet.  I think it was about putting everyone at the front of whatever line you are in.  It means remembering that you are not the most important person is the room.

It may surprise you to know that church can be a real pride factory. You would think that it would be the opposite, but people will be people and sinners will be sinners…even forgiven ones…even in church.  So that is why my friend’s response was so, insightful.  She didn’t need to be on stage, in fact, she didn’t want to be on stage.  She was content to be singing harmony amidst all the worshipers on any given day. For sure, some people have to be on stage and that’s fine.  We just need to remember that we are there because of Him and for Him.  And if we forget…well, He has ways to remind us…like falling off the stage.  And when we do, if we do, well, it’s good to know that He’s got that, too.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Grace, gratitude, heaven, life, Scripture, travel

East and West–Sun and Moon

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue My people from the East and from the West. I will bring them home again.” Zechariah 8:7-8a

That night He made a statement. My wife Judy and I pulled in the driveway at about 3:15 pm on a Tuesday afternoon. We had been to Florida and Georgia and several more states in-between. In the process we had driven over a thousand miles. It was a wonderful time with God and His creation, family and friends. Of course when we got back we had to unload the car–one of my favorite things to do.

After the unloading and a few other trip chores, I told Judy I was going to get the Mustang out for a short trip around a long block. Turned out it was a great idea. It was very near sunset so I got in, dropped the top (yup…it is a convertible) and started down the driveway. When I turned East onto the street, I glanced up and there was–a nearly full moon…and it was magnificent. It was a super moon which means it seemed larger than life…and I guess it was. This particular super moon was the closest the moon would come to earth this entire year–221,818 miles to be exact.

Well, I continued East a few more blocks stealing as many glances as I could at God’s super moon. Eventually I turned North and then after a few blocks back West–and there it was.  It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen and it seemed the longer it went on, the more magnificent it became. The sky was ablaze with the miracle of color and it went on well after the official time for the sun to set. It too, like it cousin the moon, was simply amazing.

So there it was–East and West–sun and moon both proclaiming the greatness and goodness of God. Psalm 19:1 says it best, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. 

The skies display His craftsmanship.” And that Tuesday night–they were shouting the roof down. And what struck me was the vastness of their song–the moon from the East and the sun from the West. It seemed to me that God did that intentionally–His vast love for us needed the vastness of both horizons to even begin to show the greatness of His great love.

Zechariah 8:7-8a says, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue My people from the east and from the west. I will bring them home again.” East and West–all the whosoever wills–He’s bringing them home. How about that. So if the weather cooperates tonight, sneak out and see if you can see what I saw–the sun and moon in full concert proclaiming the truth, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in communication, fear, friends, Grace, life, loving others, Scripture

Turn Off the Mike

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless, and he deceives himself.” James 1:26

It wasn’t what it seemed.  The life of a pastor is, well, interesting.  In fact, the life of the pastor’s family is interesting.  For forty-two years you could say that we live in a glass house and that would be so true.  I remember when we lived in a parsonage (that’s a house provided by the church) and we had a wood burning stove.  It was difficult to control the heat so often we would leave the front door open to allow some cooler air in.  There was a sweet (and she really was) older lady who attended our church and she was very concerned that we had our door open.  She would call saying, “Judy, do you know that your front door is open?”  Of course we did, but she felt it was her civil and religious duty to make sure we were stewards of our electricity.

When we moved to Cobden, Illinois our girls were very young…five and four.  Back in those days during worship, the pastor had a big chair where he was to sit on the stage.  I don’t know if we did it that way to make the pastor seem important or so everyone could stare at him. It was just the way we did it.  Now here is what was interesting.  While I was sitting on the stage looking at everyone and everyone was looking at me, Judy was playing the piano.  Many pastors are blessed with musically talented wives and I certainly was one of them.  Now don’t miss this.  I am on the stage and Judy was at the piano. Who do you suppose was watching the girls?  Well, that would be no one.  And you know, girls will be girls.

Like so many siblings, the girls loved to pick at one another.  It was always nothing serious…just enough to make mom and dad nervous.  Well, that Sunday was one of those days.  They were being little girls and poking and pinching each other. They were giggling enough to cause a bit of disturbance and to catch their mother’s eye.  Judy gave them “the look”.  Now every married man knows about “the look”.  Personally, I would rather stare down a cobra than face “the look”.  The problem was, while Judy was looking…they were not.  They were busy poking and pinching.  You might wonder what I was doing.  I was sitting on the stage trying to ignore the two little girls on the first or second row.  I was pretty good at it, too.  However, there was no ignoring the lady at the piano.

When they didn’t get the message, Judy made sure I did.  I don’t know if it was “the look” or smoke signals coming from behind the piano, but I got the message loud and clear.  Handle it.  As much as I didn’t like sitting on the stage on the throne, I preferred that to handling the girls in public.  I rose from the throne and walked straight to the girls.  I took them by the hand and as casually as possible led them out the side door of the sanctuary.  Now there is one thing that every pastor has to remember whether he is going to the restroom or taking his kids out to have a come to Jesus meeting.  Turn your microphone off. I didn’t.

As the door closes behind us, Becca, our oldest, and in her sweetest five year old voice says, “Daddy, please don’t hit us.”  Now, pause, because I know in this world the idea of hitting a child conjures up all kind of bad things.  If there was any hitting it was only going to be a gentle swat on the bottom.  Period.  I knew that and the girls knew that.  Thanks to my not turning my microphone off—everyone in the sanctuary knew it too.  You can probably imagine that sweet little voice coming over the speakers.  There were no tears between the three of us but there were plenty of tears in the sanctuary.  No, they weren’t grieving for those precious little girls—they were fine.  They were tears from laughing so hard.  We walked back into the sanctuary and every person was either rolling on the floor or trying to stay in their seat.  It was a Hallmark moment.

Yup…we live in a glass house for sure.  Even worse, I still had to stand up and preach later in the service. Amazingly, somehow, we made it through.  It is things like that which make our relationship with the families we serve so special.  I deeply appreciated that through the years.   Anyone who knows the Taylor tribe knows that we are unapologetically human.  If you are looking for a perfect, plastic pastor family…well, you won’t find it with us. I’ve often said that people can handle Christians who make mistakes…they get that.  What they can’t handle is when we act like we are perfect and better than they are. Truth is we are neither.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, said if anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Well, spoken, James.  In fact, we could probably put several actions in place of controlling our tongue and come to the same conclusion.  I am always so grateful that God can handle our imperfections. He never regrets inviting us into His family but He does desire for us to be honest and real…and so does everyone else.  Go ahead, take off the mask and just be you.  You can rest assured that His unconditional love will still be there…even when you leave your microphone on.  And, if you do, don’t worry, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne 

Posted in communication, Family, gratitude, life, school days, Scripture, thankful

The Wonder of Music

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!” Psalm 96:5

You might say that I am a music nut.  I love music.  Ok, to be honest there is some music I like better than others, but by and large—most music is great.  I discovered something recently that I find to be quite a mystery.  I have satellite radio in my car and because of that I have access to a large selection of music.  I have several buttons preset so I can easily access my favorites.  Number one is modern or contemporary Christian.  Number two is smooth jazz—oh, I like that one. Then come the decades of my youth—sixties and seventies.  And then comes the mystery—the fifties.  Let me explain.

For some reason I find that I enjoy that station…a lot.  But more surprising, I know almost every song that is played.  I think that kinda odd.  My parents certainly didn’t listen to much of the radio, my older brothers and sisters were mostly grown by the time I came along last and the sisters next to me were sixties gals.  So where did it come from and how?  I don’t have a clue.  All I know for certain is that I like what I hear.

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I must agree and that might explain my love for most music.  When it comes to worship (the music we do that talks about God) I have two favorite instruments and guess what?   They don’t go together either.  First, I love drums.  I can’t play the drums. I have no rhythm—in fact I struggle to clap to the beat but all of that doesn’t change my love to both watch and hear them being played. Now in direct contrast to that is the violin.  There is something sweet, almost precious, about the sound of a violin. Its melodic sound can quickly sweep me away in worship.

So how is it that I can like such a variety of music and two instruments that are such opposites? I think the answer is simply at the center of it all is my love for music.  That seems to top everything else. So, you are just as likely to see me patting my foot to southern gospel as you are to a piece of the classics.  I think this love for the central thing might help us in our God stuff. You see, if we keep the focus on Him, all the stuff on the sidelines doesn’t matter nearly as much. It’s nice to know that no matter where I worship…I can worship because it isn’t the music that owns me…He does.

So, I hope music is a big part of your life.  And more importantly…I hope the God who created it is too.  As you journey in life, learn to appreciate the Creator and the rest will fall into place. The reason is simple.  As His book puts it, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.” There you go.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised no matter what, He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in gratitude, heaven, life, sovereignty of God, thankful

Closer Is Better

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!” Psalm 34:3

We’ve done crazier things. So, on March 25th, at around 1:30 am, there was a total lunar eclipse visible across most of North America. A lunar eclipse is when the earth’s shadow covers the surface of the moon. Not as rare and not as dramatic as a solar eclipse, we still thought it worthy of interrupting our sleep to see it. So we set our alarm and drifted off to sleep. All too soon the alarm on our Alexa was telling us it was time to go howl at the moon—not really—we were just looking.

So, I was the first one up and so the first one to sneak a peek. I looked out our bedroom window and at this point the moon was just about two-thirds covered. We had watched the moon rise earlier that evening and it was magnificent. However, by this time, the moon was a much smaller dot in the evening sky. It didn’t look that impressive. At any rate, I went on downstairs and walked to the backyard. I plopped (that’s what you do at 1:30 am) into a chair and started staring. Pretty soon my wife Judy joined me and we watched as the moon slowly turned the color of water in a very rusty pipe.

We commented back and forth…I think trying to convince ourselves we were impressed. She snapped a couple of pictures but honestly they were lackluster also. But in the end we were both glad we saw it…it was still an opportunity for the heavens to declare the glory of God. Around 2:00 am we called it a night and said goodnight to Mister Moon. The next morning we chatted some more about our early morning adventure. And then it happened.

Our son-in-law Blake, who is a very good photographer, called to chat. I asked him if he got any pictures of the lunar eclipse and he said that he did. Well, he sent them to me and what I saw was totally different than what we had seen.  The pictures he took were taken by his iPhone but they were shot in conjunction with a telescope that they own. Result? They  were magnificent and clearly revealed just how beautiful this wonder of nature was. It was just about then that I learned a simple valuable lesson.

While we were able to see the event with our naked eye it was small and distant. Blake, on the other hand, aided by a telescope, was able to bring the event much, much closer. Details of the moon and its eclipse were so vivid. And right there and then I knew that closer is better. The closer something is, or appears to be, changes everything. It is true in everything but it is very true when it comes to—God.  God is better when we are closer to Him. Take this one to the bank—we enjoy God and all His wonder and character when we allow Him to “close in” on our lives. How does that happen? It comes with intimacy and intimacy happens through prayer and His Word. Put those two together in our lives and He is magnified.

So we enjoyed the eclipse from a distant but was so grateful we got see it through a different lens—magnified. Why not make the effort to allow God to be magnified in your life? Why not take the time to pray and meditate on the Word? Why not allow God, up close, to remind you that, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in birthday, Christmas, Family, friends, gratitude, Holidays, life, New Year, Scripture

Happy Birthday!

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1

Here we are again. It seems like yesterday I was celebrating my 70th birthday and today…well it’s number 71st! It’s funny how quickly these things sneak up, right? They say age is just a number, and a birthday is just a date on the calendar, but the number keeps getting bigger, and that date seems to come around way too fast.

I’ve always thought birthdays were cool, even though mine’s right after Christmas. Growing up, it was always special when friends and family remembered it. I mean, it’s easy to forget when everyone’s still in Christmas mode.

Turns out, my birthday actually falls on a pretty special day. Way back in the day (like, really back), January 6th was when people celebrated Christmas. So technically, I was born on Christmas Day! Then, a pope came along and decided to change it, so… goodbye Christmas. But hey, I still get to claim that cool little connection. Also, January 6th is known as Epiphany, when the three wise men, led by a brilliant star,  supposedly visited Jesus. Honestly, we’re not even sure there were three of them, and the Bible hints that they didn’t show up until a couple of years later. But whatever—it still makes my birthday feel extra special!

So, we just wrapped up Christmas—the time time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth. But here’s the thing—sometimes, even His birthday gets lost in the shuffle. With all the hustle, the shopping, the family gatherings, and traditions (which I do love, by the way), it’s easy to forget the real reason we’re celebrating. Same thing happens at Easter, too. And honestly, in a world moving at “500 mph,” we can easily let this happen every day. As Jesus followers, we’ve got to make sure He stays front and center, not just at Christmas, but all year long.

Anyway, this isn’t really about my birthday. (Okay, maybe a little bit, but not really.) It’s more about remembering Jesus—keeping Him at the forefront of our minds and hearts. It’s about making sure He gets the attention He deserves, Christmas or not. So next time you look up at the stars, think about that bright one that announced His birth over 2,000 years ago. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Sure, we put candles on a cake, but God lit up the whole sky with stars, and created everything we see. Pretty amazing, huh? So even though Christmas is behind us, let’s keep Jesus at the front of everything. No matter what we face, it’s great to know that “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, Southern born, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel, Trials

Slow Down

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” John 13:27b

Well, our last great adventure to see our southern tribe is in the rearview mirror.  The bad news is that there are several folks on both sides of our family that are not in the greatest of health. The good news is that has motivated us to do something that we should have been doing all along—visit them.  As you might know, both Judy and I are from the deep south and a visit to any of our siblings and their tribes requires at least an eight-hour drive, while most times it is more like eleven or twelve hours. If that sounds like an excuse it probably is, but the bottom line is being a pastor has certain travel restrictions, especially on weekends.  The other bottom line is this—the clock is ticking for all of us, so somehow, some way, we must make time for the important stuff.

Enough of that. So, we hit the road and rediscovered the travel truth.  You can travel on the interstate highways and get there fast. In other words, if you are in a hurry, dash over to the closest interstate.  The two negative sides to that are the occasional but always untimely traffic jams and the fact that you miss so much of the scenery. The other option usually takes longer but almost every time it is worth it.  You can skip the interstate, slow down, and see what there is to see.  You can learn to enjoy the journey.  Maybe because Judy and I are getting a little older or maybe because we are learning to enjoy the journey, more often we are choosing the slower option.  Slow down and smell the roses.  Let me say that again…slow down and smell the roses—enjoy the journey.

I know it isn’t always easy, but it is important because what’s true in travel is also true in living.  Life truly flies by but what if we make conscious decisions to sometimes apply the brakes?  What if we intentionally said no to something to intentionally leave a blank on our calendars?  What if we settled for hotdogs on the grill to give Mom or Dad some extra time after their busy day to talk?  What if we blocked two hours off on Sunday to worship and not work…or play? Slowing down must be intentional.  When you drive, you must occasionally hit the brake. Keep your foot always on the gas and a catastrophe is going to happen.  Driving requires the fine balance of gas and brake…and so does life.

Looking back, I find myself wishing I had somehow made more time to visit my southern tribe.  Several of them, including my four brothers, are no longer with us and the time for visitation is over. Don’t wait too long. I always remember the words of Jesus to Judas right before he was going to betray his Teacher. He said, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” If we can ignore the larger context and just focus on the part that tells us not to procrastinate by waiting and waiting—well, it’s good teaching. 

So, here’s a question.  What is it in your life right now that you simply need to make a priority?  What do you need to say no to so you can make room for a valid yes? Think about it and then do something about it.  God is a great time manager and if we ask, He will be there—He’s got this! Bro. Dewayne

Posted in friends, Grace, gratitude, life, love, loving others, missions, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Three Days, Day 1

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

They say that God works in mysterious ways.  So one week God showed up in three very different ways on three very different days.  Now if you aren’t a God follower you might write this off as chance and circumstance but my life and faith journeys won’t let me do that.  Regardless, sit back and enjoy the story.

So if you are a Grits reader you know that my day job is leading a church.  I am the senior (by position and by age) pastor at a local church so God plays a big part of my walkabout life—both at church and otherwise.  Well, on this particular week it all started on Sunday.  It was a special day because we had a guest visiting our church who works in another part of the world.  She is a good friend of my wife Judy and me.  We have visited her and served with her several times where she serves. So we had her share about her work at a brunch we held and also in both of our services.  It was good.

Our worship services consist of two big parts—the music part and the Word part.  The Word part is when I get to share with the folks both in the room, on the radio and Facebook Live.  I love it…when it goes right. Smile.  Well, this particular day, The music part was just awesome and the sermon came together in a way that only God could orchestrate.  He was good.

We also gathered our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.  If that doesn’t ring a bell just google it and you will discover one of the most purposeful things you can do. Basically you fill a shoebox with kid’s stuff and then drop it off at a collection point.  Samaritan’s Purse will ship the box (about 12 million of them) around the world to make some child’s day.  It is awesome.  Well, that day we collected our boxes, all 519 of them, and the climax was our kids marching in carrying a bunch of them.  It was very good.

So, when I was giving some closing comments at the end of the service, I told the folks that this was a “trophy Sunday.” What I meant was that it was the kind of day that you put in the special part of your brain where you put memories that you don’t want to forget.  Just like a trophy reminds you of a special event, so day was one we should keep safe because one day, someday, you just might need to be reminded that God is indeed good.

You see, not everyday is a trophy day.  Not everyday is going to be a cloudless and sunny day. There is going to be day’s that make you wonder “what in the world was God thinking?”  It may be one of those days when you think “how could a good God every allow something like this happen.”  It may be one of those days that rub you wrong…like a cheap, scratchy wool sweater.  We all have them, don’t we?  When one rolls around, you simply go to your trophy shelf and remember that God is good and even that is bigger than it sounds.  You see God doesn’t just do good…He is good.  And that is true even when our world goes south.  And sometimes it will.

The biggest trophy on my trophy shelf is a bloodied, Roman cross.  It is where Jesus died a sacrificial death…not for His benefit but for our’s.  His death that day paid the price for the sin, the messes, the brokenness of an entire world.  And God said if we would believe that what He did and choose to follow Him, we could have His love on our trophy shelf forever.  I know in today’s world that sounds hokey but trust me, it is anything but.  Go ahead check it out, check Him out.  It is a trophy worth having. One of the best known verses in the Bible is John 3:16.  It simply says that God loved the lot of us—all of us—so much He allowed His only Son to die so that anyone who believed in Him, could live forever.  Like I said, check it out.  Hey, watch Grits in the coming days for part two of “Three Days.” It is a story that gives weight to the fact that, “He’s got this.” See you then. Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, Scripture, thankful

The Wonder of Music

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!” Psalm 96:5

You might say that I am a music nut.  I love music.  Ok, to be honest there is some music I like better than others, but by and large—most music is great.  I discovered something recently that I find to be quite a mystery.  I have satellite radio in my car and because of that I have access to a large selection of music.  I have several buttons preset so I can easily access my favorites.  Number one is modern or contemporary Christian.  Number two is smooth jazz—oh, I like that one. Then come the decades of my youth—sixties and seventies.  And then comes the mystery—the fifties.  Let me explain.

For some reason I find that I enjoy that station…a lot.  But more surprising, I know almost every song that is played.  I think that kinda odd.  My parents certainly didn’t listen to much of the radio, my older brothers and sisters were mostly grown by the time I came along last and the sisters next to me were sixties gals.  So where did it come from and how?  I don’t have a clue.  All I know for certain is that I like what I hear.

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I must agree and that might explain my love for most music.  When it comes to worship (the music we do that talks about God) I have two favorite instruments and guess what?   They don’t go together either.  First, I love drums.  I can’t play the drums. I have no rhythm—in fact I struggle to clap to the beat but all of that doesn’t change my love to both watch and hear them being played. Now in direct contrast to that is the violin.  There is something sweet, almost precious, about the sound of a violin. Its melodic sound can quickly sweep me away in worship.

So how is it that I can like such a variety of music and two instruments that are such opposites? I think the answer is simply at the center of it all is my love for music.  That seems to top everything else. So, you are just as likely to see me patting my foot to southern gospel as you are to a piece of the classics.  I think this love for the central thing might help us in our God stuff. You see, if we keep the focus on Him, all the stuff on the sidelines doesn’t matter nearly as much. It’s nice to know that no matter where I worship…I can worship because it isn’t the music that owns me…He does.

So, I hope music is a big part of your life.  And more importantly…I hope the God who created it is too.  As you journey in life, learn to appreciate the Creator and the rest will fall into place. The reason is simple.  As His book puts it, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.” There you go.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised no matter what, He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, gratitude, life, loving others, missions, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, travel

Same Words, Different Melody

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them.”  Matthew 9:36a

It was familiar but not.  One of the highlights of our recent trip to England was the opportunity to experience so many things that were similar to life in America but at the same time different.  After all, we all spoke English, but our English and the English the Brits spoke was just a little different.  More on that in another story.  We both drive cars but on different sides of the road.  They drive on the left (who knows why) and we drive on the right because…we are right.  We like (love) ice in our drinks, and when we ask for ice, they look at you like, “What?” Crisps are potato chips and flats are apartments.  Like I said..we both speak English but not quite the same.

Another thing I enjoyed while there was attending worship.  I am a Christian who happens to be a Baptist.  The church I attended there was Baptist too and while it was the same, it was different.  They didn’t have offering plates…they used these little bag things with a pole attached.  It was like a fish net but was made a cloth instead of netting.  One of the things we really loved…and wished we could import…was the fellowship time at the end of the service.  After the last prayer, instead of rushing out the door to the nearest restaurant or appointment, everyone, gathered at the back of the worship hall and just visited.  There were some light refreshments but mostly people just talked.  How novel.

One thing that was a little different was the songs that they sang.  While some were familiar there were several that were totally new to us.  So, I was glad when the song person said we were going to sing, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”  That is a wondrous (pun intended) song and one of the older hymns that I enjoy singing.  As the instruments, a piano, flute, and guitar began to plan the introduction…something wasn’t quite right…not familiar.  And soon, very soon, I realized that while I knew the words, I certainly wasn’t familiar with the melody. How about that?  Same song, same words, different melody.

So, I jumped right in and worked my way through the unfamiliar melody motivated by the beautiful familiar words.  And even with the different melody, the words carried me into worship.  And just about then it hit me.  In life, church or no church, we can come together and do life.  We may walk or dance to a different tune but still can be carried by the same message.  Wouldn’t it be a better world if we realized that we are all created by the same God and the things that make us different are not a weakness but a strength?  Wouldn’t it be a better world if we were not driven apart by skin color, or our heart language or the social economic station we are in life?  Let me tell you. It.Would.Be.Better.

Of the thousand things that I love about Jesus, one of the best is that He loves people.  Period.  When He lived here, He just saw people as people.  Some might have been more broken than others, but He loved them all the same.  One time a bunch of people met Him on the shore as He got out of a boat.  I’m sure there were all kinds of people there that day but all He saw was people and the Bible just says He had compassion on them.  He loved them.

If you are a Jesus follower, or even if you are not, why not follow the example of this lowly man from an obscure part of the world.  Why not set out today to see people as people…and love them regardless.  Even if they look different, speak different, believe differently or, gulp, vote differently than you…why not just love them?  If you happen to be a Jesus person, well, I’m sure that is something that would make Him smile…and if not well…He probably would smile anyway.  Accepting people as people isn’t easy but with a little help from the One who made us…anything is possible.  In other words, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne