Accepted or Valued? There’s a Vast Difference!

October 31, 2016November 2, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

One of the hard things in life occurs when we don’t feel accepted. And, I imagine just about everyone of us has experienced it more than a few times. It just doesn’t feel good to be on the outside…especially when the ‘in’ group is our family or friends and people we care about. Because of our insecurities (and most of us have ’em) it’s possible to have that feeling pretty often. But, many times that feeling is just something that’s perceived on our part and not really legitimate,….or even intended on the other party’s part. But we can still experience the blunt pain of it anyway. Being accepted on the other hand has a very positive feel to it.

There’s plenty of talk around the church these days about acceptance. I hear some people, from time to time, kind of ‘braggingly’, alluding to the fact that they accept everyone, as it’s supposed to be some real badge of nobility. It’s not rare to hear someone say, “Yep, we accept bikers, poor folks, alcoholics, drug addicts, ex-cons, those that are all ‘tatted’ up, gays, lesbians….”, and the list could go on and on. I wanna say, (but I don’t!) “Well, ain’t that what we’re supposed to do anyway?!” I don’t have much tolerance for bragging about something that oughta be commonplace, and a ‘no-brainer’, for the church!

But, just deciding to accept someone….I don’t think is enough! I mean, from the position of not being accepted to being accepted, that’s a big thing, no question. It’s huge!! But, just accepting someone has the feel that we’re just kinda ‘tolerating’ them ’til they change to be like us. (which in most cases they really don’t care to do….and, seriously,…..who could blame ’em!)

But, something really supernatural happens when we go beyond just ‘accepting’ them to actually ‘valuing’ them!! Valuing someone is going to the next level. It amounts to seeing someone through the eyes of the Lord. When we can do that and then show it through our attitude….and actions with them….amazing things are apt to happen!

I’m glad the Lord didn’t just accept me! I’m really glad that He’s not just ‘tolerating’ me! I can tell by my interaction with Him, and how good He’s been to me, that He’s gone way beyond that…and that He’s put a huge amount of value on me. (….incredibly undeserving on my part, I might add!)

Oh, and those people that you ‘accept’…..they can feel whether you actually value them or not. And, if you don’t….enjoy their presence now ’cause more than likely they won’t be there long!

Check these out: (click on the highlighted link to read)

FOMO

“Obviously, I’m God’s Favorite!”

The Thing About Unconditional Love

“It’s Not Your Job to Fix Them!”

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You Can Only Do What You Can Only Do!

October 25, 2016October 26, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I was having a conversation with a good friend a few weeks back. He was lamenting, so to speak, about some decisions he’d made 10 years or so ago that really affected some people in a negative way; people who he cared about and were important to him. He’s very sincere about doing the right thing; he’s determined to do things that are right and just. He used the best judgment he had to make his deliberations and his decision. But the decision left the other party feeling hurt and betrayed and my friend has been carrying the weight of this for several years now.

I’d be surprised if most of us didn’t have some situations in our past that ended up like that. Situations, that if we were to have the chance for a do-over, we’d definitely take a different course of action. But, here’s the thing; It’s a fact of life; You can only do what you can only do! We’re faced with all kinds of dilemmas in the normal course of our lives. And, if we’re trying to do the right thing we can only do what we know to be the best thing at that particular time. As we grow in the Lord, we grow in grace….(if we’re not growing in grace….we really aren’t growing in the Lord!) and as we grow in grace we have a deeper, more profound….and actually simpler way of handling our relationship dilemmas, and decisions. We become much more understanding with people, ….as well as, much more patient and forgiving. It’s a natural progression for anyone who’s really trying to follow the leadership of the Lord.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that when the heart is correct the Lord, somehow, has a way of causing good to come from it.….even though we might feel like we mishandled a situation at the time. It seems that He nearly always honors a ‘clean’ heart. Oh, and on the good side, if you can look back and see some of those things that you know you’d handle different today….it’s just good, solid evidence that you’re growing, progressing and maturing!

So, don’t fight your head or beat yourself up too much about those things…..You can only do, what you can only do!

If you have any such incidents that you’d definitely do different today, tell me about it.

Check these out, too:

If God Has Your Heart, He Can Get Your Feet Where They Belong!

Redirecting!

“I Keep A Close Watch On This Heart Of Mine”

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An Often Neglected Part of Prayer

August 2, 2016August 24, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Most everyone’s aware of the importance of prayer. And, the Bible is clear, for those of us who believe….it’s not “if” we pray….but “when”. It’s one of those non-negotiables for us. Like the Nike slogan….we “Just Do It”! It’s how we appropriate that which is already ours’ but which we haven’t attained, as of yet. Interesting thing about prayer….faith is ‘built into’ the activity of prayer. In essence you’re asking Someone you can’t see….to do something you can’t do. And, that right there…..that’s faith!

He must love answering our prayers! In fact the Bible says that before we say it….He’s busy about doing it. He’ll take every opportunity He can to grow and nurture our faith. It’s just more evidence of how good a Father He actually is. We’re encouraged in His Word to ‘let our requests be made known to God’. My experience has taught me that when I pray in generalities…He answers in generalities. But when I pray in specifics…..He answers specifically!

But, there’s a part of prayer that I hardly ever hear anyone talking about. Simply put, prayer is how we communicate with God. And, if you’ll think about it….genuine communication, productive communication is always a two-way street! Good communication involves a balanced mixture of talking and listening. And, while expressing your heart to Him is important….it just might not be as important as what He has to say to you. I’ve learned that the more time I take to ‘listen’ to the Lord…..the less things I need to ask Him for! It’ll work that way for you, too!

With that in mind it makes all kinds of sense to work on perfecting our ability to hear Him. In doing so there’s a few things that’ll help. 1) Understand that He wants to ‘talk’ to you even more than you think you need to hear from Him! 2) Don’t make it difficult! He’s a Father…you’re His chosen kid! 3) He’s not limited to ‘speaking’ in an audible voice. Learn to notice all the ways in which He speaks. (your circumstances, dreams, visions, through other people, through His Word…and the list could go on and on!)

The Father doesn’t waste words. He always speaks the things we need to hear the most. He always knows just the right thing to say at just the right time!

So, the next time you pray…invest a little time in listening. You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s some more that’ll be helpful:

Listen More …….. Learn More!

You’re Better at Hearing the Lord Than You Think!

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 1

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 2

Your Heart – The Control Room of Your Life

August 1, 2016August 2, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Your heart; arguably the most important organ in your body. If it’s not working, and working correctly, nothing else works very good either. But as long as it’s beating like it’s supposed to everything else has a good chance to be working, as well. It makes sense to have some kind of regular checkup to make sure your heart is performing like it should.

The Bible often refers to our ‘heart’ in verses that are extremely important. But it’s not that beating ‘muscle’ that lies there inside your chest it’s talking about. It’s more accurately referring to the deepest, most ‘real’ part of you,…. your spirit. For it’s there that the Spirit of God dwells….and rules the really important things in your life. (but only if you allow it!) It’s your heart that ‘governs’ your mind. I mean, your mind can come up with all kinds of scenarios….but it’s your heart that decides if you should entertain those things, ….and if you should act on them or not! It’s like a compass that can quickly detect if, or when, you might be off a degree or two. And, just like having a regular checkup on your heart, it would serve you well to make sure this ‘heart’ is as good as it should be!

When we’re born again it’s like having a ‘heart transplant’. There’s some real supernatural things that take place at that point and a good deal of it happened in our spirit. Our spirit is instantaneously transformed. Our perspective changes on just about everything. We begin to notice our ability to see things like the Lord sees them. And, as we continue our walk of faith and our deepening relationship with Him….our entire life takes on a whole new dimension. We begin to fulfill the incredible destiny that He’s purposed for us.

It all started with Him…and His relentless desire to have you as His own. He’s given us His own Spirit….Who’s entered our heart, the ‘control room’ of our life!

You’ll like this one, too:

Workin’ it Out

The Sound of Silence

July 28, 2016July 29, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

If you were around in the 60’s you’ll remember that song*(click here to listen) It was written by Paul Simon and recorded by him and Art Garfunkel, aka, Simon & Garfunkel. An interesting thing about the song is that the album it was originally released on in 1964 was a total flop and actually led to the breakup of the S&G duo. But the song, after hardly any airplay, began to pick up steam around Harvard University. The producer did a remix adding some electrical instrumentation and it ‘took off’!! The Sound of Silence hit #1 on the Billboard Charts in January of 1966! The duo immediately reunited and recorded their second album. You can still hear it on classic rock stations today. And just recently a group called Disturbed, released another version of the song.

Sound….of Silence; that’s kind of an oxymoron when you think about it. Silence actually has no sound, whatsoever. Silence is something we don’t experience much these days. On a personal note, Julie and I raised 5 kids, 4 boys, and a daughter. And, as you can imagine, there’s not much silence in a household like that. It was challenging, we loved it….but not much silence, if you know what I mean. And now with 9 incredible Grandkids….again, not much silence. We love the activity…and the noise that goes along with it!

Most of us, when given the opportunity for silence, almost feel the need to turn on the TV, whether we’re watching it or not, just so we don’t have to deal with the deafening silence. But, we could be missing out if we’re not getting at least a little bit of silence now and then. If you think about it, embracing silence is one of those things we probably ought to consider. The clatter of everyday life has the potential of drowning out the, sometimes very quiet, voice of the Father. The Bible calls it, “the still, small voice”. God’s not limited to speaking to you in the silence….but the natural noisiness of life makes it a lot harder for you to hear.

Learn to ‘deal’ with the distractions, ‘make’ time for some silence….and hear what the voice of the Father is saying to you!

He Won’t ‘Put More On Ya’ Than You Can Stand

July 27, 2016July 28, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

There’s a common misconception, in my opinion, on a certain passage of scripture that’s used over and over. It’s usually construed this way, “God won’t put more on you than you can stand”, or “more than you can handle”. And, while that’s a nice thing to consider, I submit that the truth of it is not nearly as clear as most would like for it to be. In fact it’s not what the verse is talking about at all. (The verse in question is 1 Cor 10:13)

For starters, just so you won’t get the wrong impression of God, it’s not the nature of a father to put unreasonable, or unbearable things on their children just for the heck of it. That doesn’t make sense at all. And, don’t forget….He’s a lot better Father, by far, than we could ever be. And, the folks that say God puts hard things on you to teach you a lesson……are a ‘long ways off’ from reality! They really need to STOP it!

But here’s something that experience has taught me. He really doesn’t ‘put more on you than you can handle’, but He consistently allows you to go through things that you don’t think you can handle! In fact, and don’t get the wrong idea here, I actually think He kinda likes it! For, it’s in those times of desperation that you’re reminded of how much you really need Him. You’re a lot more prone to trust Him at times like that. THAT’S what He likes!

So, don’t be so quick to blame Him for ‘putting something on you’….and remember, as a Father, He’s a lot more interested in building character in you, than making you comfortable!

Check this one out, too:

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Let’s Work Together

July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I was watching a documentary on TV awhile back. Yeah, it’s just part of my exciting life! I think it was at a star fair, maybe Wisconsin. There were these huge Belgian draft horses like the Budweiser Clydesdales in a contest to see how much weight they could pull. They started the single horses out at 1500 pounds, pulling a weighted sled. They’d add to the weight after every round and if a horse couldn’t pull the sled, they were out. It amazing how much weight these horses can pull. The winning horse pulled 8,000 pounds! Then it was time for the ‘team pulling’ with two horses hitched up and yoked together. And, what happened was absolutely mind boggling.

You’d think that two of these draft horses would be able to pull about twice what one horse could pull but it turned out that they didn’t pull twice as much…..but exactly three times more than one horse! I found that to be pretty amazing, to say the least. After a little reading on the subject I learned that it’s fairly normal for two horses to pull three times the weight that one can pull. And, what caught my attention even more is that the phenomenon of synergy (the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects) works with people….and organizations, as well.

The principle,……and the power, of synergy works with a husband and wife, a pair of business partners, leaders and their organizations, a shepherd and his ‘flock’…and the list goes on and on. The more people that are added to the equation, it appears the more incredible the results are apt to be. When it comes right down to it, it’s a whole lot more than just working together. It’s coming to agreement on a common goal and then ‘yoking’ up together, addressing the inevitable obstacles that will surely come, refusing to be divided over petty issues, keeping the focus on when the ‘chips’ are down, riding out the lean years…and the determination to keep going.

If you’ll work together, you’ll be like those draft horses…..your output will surprise you….and everyone around you!

Here’s a great song by ‘Canned Heat’, a 60’s band that performed at Woodstock, that captures the essence of synergy….and the power of working together.

*(Click on highlighted link) “Let’s Work Together”

Shift Happens!

July 18, 2016July 18, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

Well, I bet that got your attention….for all the wrong reasons, too, no doubt! Lol. I’m not talking about the bumper sticker that you’re so familiar with, although there is some common ground between that and what I’m writing about today.

I was having a conversation with a young guy about a week ago. He’s a very sharp young guy…and one that I’d consider a ‘son’ in the Lord. He has tons of potential, and for his age displays a lot of character and maturity. I often think about how far ahead of the ‘curve’ he and a bunch of other young ones, are….compared to where I was, spiritually, in my mid to late ’20’s. It’s truly a blessing to see…and to know that I at least have had a little bit of influence with them is extremely rewarding.

He’s at a ‘juncture’ in his life; not a bad place at all but a place where he really doesn’t know exactly what to do. It’s the Lord that has brought him to this place….and it’ll be the Lord that’ll direct him from here. I do appreciate these young guys ‘leaning’ on me at times like this but I’m determined to never take the place of the Lord in their lives. And, while, many times I know exactly what decision they should make….I nearly always think it’s best to let them…and the Lord flesh it out. It seems to work and I really think the Lord likes that scenario a bunch better. But the most important thing that happens is the person learns to put his dependency on the Lord…..and not on me. That’s very, very healthy!

Times like these form and shape young believers (old ones too!) into their true identity. That’s where the title of this blog comes into play. When we’re faced with an issue, a problem or a dilemma and we arrive at the point of decision….there’s a ‘shift’ that takes place. The new understanding brings us into a ‘new’ place, a new point of perspective; we automatically begin to see things different. And in more ways than one….everything changes!

So, roll with it! And, keep in mind that anyone who’s serious about following the Lord is going to face a lot of times like that. It’s just a normal part of ‘the journey’. So the next time you see the ‘other bumper sticker’, let it be a reminder that ‘Shift Really Does Happen’!!

If you’re interested in one of my very favorite topics, “Hearing the Lord”, you really should read these:

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 1

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 2

If God Has Your Heart, He Can Get Your Feet Where They Belong!

You’re Better at Hearing the Lord Than You Think You Are!

The Parable of Pedro Flores Pt 2

July 13, 2016July 14, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It would sure help if you’ve seen Lonesome Dove. I joke about Lonesome Dove all the time, telling people that they’re not ’rounded out’ spiritually until they’ve seen it several times. But, seriously, it’s a great movie. Larry McMurtry’s a great writer any way you look at it. But, even hardcore Lonesome Dove fans may not know there are actually four books in the Lonesome Dove series. The first, Dead Man’s Walk (1996), chronicles the lives of the young Texas Rangers, Augustus McRae and Woodrow Call. Comanche Moon (1998) covers the ranger’s middle aged years. Lonesome Dove (1985), the later…almost over the hill years. And Streets of Laredo (2000), the sequel and last in the series. I highly recommend them all if you liked Lonesome Dove. Interestingly enough….I’ve read those…. but never actually read Lonesome Dove. (I have, however, watched it 9 times!)

I recently wrote “The Parable of Pedro Flores”. *(Click on link to read) It’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie. But there’s another little part of the scene that I was reminded of that just kinda ‘tops it off’. The person who reminded me is a good friend and a ‘lawman’ cut from much the same cloth as Gus and Woodrow. (You know who you are, DM) But, the culmination of that whole scene happened when Gus & Woodrow stole the herd of horses back from Mexican bandito, Pedro Flores, in the middle of the night. Flores was as surprised as he could possibly be at all the commotion taking place when there in the darkness Gus appeared horseback and the two made unmistakable eye contact. It was then in the midst of the chaos that Gus, not fifteen feet away from Flores, tipped his hat in true Texas fashion, …..and in doing so implied to Pedro….“Got you again!!” And, as good as Pedro Flores was at stealing and pilfering…..the Rangers were better!

Again, I see parallels with our spiritual life. Our adversary, the devil, is a formidable foe, indeed. But armed and equipped as you are he’s just no match for you. We’ve been given ‘authority’ over all the power of the enemy. He knows that….but sometimes we don’t know it, or act like it. I agree that it’s nothing to be arrogant about, that would surely guarantee our defeat. But maybe you should, when things seem the darkest, remind yourself of just ‘who’ you are and, with a profound confidence (in Him!), tip your hat to the enemy like Gus did Pedro and make your way on back home with your ‘stuff’!!

Tragedy in Dallas: What Can I Do? Part 2

July 12, 2016July 12, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

Serious times here in the good ‘ol U S of A! The tragedy in Dallas is the most recent in a seemingly unending nightmare of mass shootings. It comes on the heels of another hate crime and terroristic catastrophe in Orlando. Omar Mateen, a Muslim ISIS influenced loyalist, entered a gay bar two weeks ago, heavily armed. He killed 49 people and wounded another 53 before he was killed by a member of the SWAT team. It’s just now coming to light and being reported that Micah Johnson, the Dallas shooter, had strong ties to Islam, himself. Radical Islam is a term that we’re hearing almost every day now. But it’s a term that our President refuses to utter. I think we all know why!! It’s a problem that’s growing by the day and something must be done immediately to close the door.

Racial tension is at a fever pitch, the most intense that I can remember in my lifetime. If it wasn’t for knowing the Lord has our solutions it’d be extremely discouraging. I’ve thought about how we should respond as humans, as Americans….but more important as Christians. Here’s a few practical things that each of us can do that I think’ll make a difference.

Pray! It always makes a difference. As you pray your level of faith will rise.
Take it to the Lord. Inquire of the Lord ‘how’ you should pray. When you do that your prayers will be strategic.
Get the facts. There’s so much false and conflicting information out there by the media that it takes work to find out the ‘actual’ truth.
Be an agent of positive change. Each of us has a ‘circle of influence’. We can influence those around us in a positive way.
Watch your mouth! This one may be just for me! It’s so easy for me to go negative with my mouth. It’s not good….it doesn’t work!
Be careful with your social media comments and responses. *Everything your read on FaceBook is NOT true! Don’t treat it as such!
Pray for and Support law enforcement. Now, more than ever they need our support!
Use your ‘voice’ – The larger your audience – The greater your responsibility. Speak truth; speak with maturity.
Don’t take the ‘bait’! – Love instead! Lots of ‘race baiting’ out there right now. Be wise!
Stay the course! This is not an overnight fix. Don’t get discouraged, don’t throw in the towel.