Redirecting!

April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

Technology is a wonderful thing. It’s amazing how much progress has been made in the last 50 years. I remember when I got my little transistor radio for Christmas when I was about 8 years old. Believe it or not, those little things were right on the edge of technology in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I think I was about a 5th grader when I got a little tape recorder; remember those? I loved it and had lots of fun with it. I’ve always had a fascination with technology….even though I’ve stayed behind the curve a little, if you know what I mean.

One great little technological advance was the advent of the GPS. What an amazing instrument! Julie bought me a nice Garmin GPS for Christmas several years back. I loved it! Key in your destination, punch the button and it’ll give you ‘turn-by-turn’ voice directions all the way there. I did get in a mess in El Paso one time. There’d been a lot of new construction with a loop around the city and my particular GPS didn’t have that new information. She kept telling me to turn….and after awhile I started yelling back at her, “There ain’t no street there!!!” She was unflappable; Not bothered one bit by my screaming at her. And I may, or may not, have cussed at her a time or two! About every 10 seconds she would say, “Redirecting”. I finally made it to my destination….no help from her! Anyway, all it took was a 5 minute hook up to my computer when I got home with the upgrade and everything was fine.

I was thinking about that the other day and you know, the Lord guides us through life a lot like that little GPS. I’m sure His Spirit does His very best to help us make the right turn at every juncture in life….but we run by the intersection time after time! And, if we’re not real careful we’ll find ourselves lost out there on the road of life…..wondering which way to go. But the good news is that, even though we’ve gotten lost, He can redirect us no matter how far we’ve gotten off the path. He’ll redirect us as many times as He has to…..to get us to our destination!

You’ll like these, too:

Walkin’ the Floor

The Thing About Unconditional Love

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!

Just Say, “Yes”!

Living Proof

April 6, 2016April 10, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

If you look down through the generations at the ones that the Lord chose to be His leaders you’d think He’s just not very picky at all. It nearly always looks like He’s got the wrong guy, especially on the front end. I mean, right from the very start He picks Abraham, a pagan man living in a pagan nation. After that, Jacob; now there’s a guy who had some issues. Then it was Moses; he killed a man….but obviously, in hindsight, he was definitely the one to lead God’s people out of Egypt. Later on David, who was called the ‘apple of God’s eye’ and His own handpicked man to lead the nation, had a moral failure of the highest order. It was so ugly that people still talk about it today.

Then Jesus came along and picked twelve of the most unlikely men He could find to be His closest followers. Matthew was a tax collector; everybody hated the tax collectors! Peter, James and John were all fishermen. They had some serious issues of their own. These were not professional ministry guys by any stretch of the imagination! They all made their own share of blunders in the process of learning the way of the Lord. And, that’s just part of the picture. There’s many more who’d fall into the same category.

It appears at first glance that the Lord is just not a very good judge of character. But, that can’t be it. We know He doesn’t make mistakes. And, as awkward as some of these choices looked, early on,…..they turned out to be the right ones for the job every single time.

The Bible actually speaks pretty clear about that. “Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God uses the simple things of the world to confound the mighty.” Not a single one of these were chosen because of their impressive resume’. The Lord still makes some awkward looking choices today.

Take me for instance……I wasn’t trained for this; knew absolutely nothing about how to do it. And, after 27 years, I’m probably still behind the curve, some. People will decide, a long time after we’re gone, if anything we’ve done could be classified as ‘significant’. If they decide that it was…..all we can say is, “We’re just living proof that the Lord can use anyone!”

Check these out:

Simplicity! It’s All I Have to Offer

“Highly Credentialed”!

Living Your Life With Abandon

April 5, 2016April 6, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I was teaching on a recent Sunday morning about the 40 days immediately after Jesus’ resurrection. It’s a 40 day stretch that I’ve never heard anyone talk about. In fact, I titled my message, “The 40 Days No One Talks About”. There’s not a lot written about what Jesus did during those days but there are a few critical pieces of information.

In thinking about those 40 days there’s a lot that comes to mind for me. I’ll probably write about some of those thoughts from time to time. But one thing that seems to emerge for me is the need that Jesus had to get the apostles in a ‘good place’. Because…..they were not in a good place, from my perspective. They were not in a good place spiritually or emotionally, actually far from it!

If these were going to be the 11 (later Judas’ replacement was chosen) in charge of changing the world, advancing the kingdom and continuing the work that Jesus started….something drastic had to happen with them. Thomas was a ‘doubter’; Jesus had to rebuke several of them for their doubt, unbelief and hardness of heart. Peter, James and John couldn’t stay awake in Jesus’ darkest hour. And then again there was Peter, who folded like a cheap lawn chair, in denying even knowing Jesus when He needed him the most! If we’re keeping score, His failure would rank up there in the top two or three, all-time! (I’m glad God doesn’t keep score on that kind of stuff!)

World changers, without exception, live their lives with abandon. People who don’t walk by faith would label them reckless. …..and reckless they are, but for the most noble cause. These were just men, fishermen and tax collectors, but their destiny demanded that they, somehow, recover from their failures. So, Jesus had to fix them if they’re going to be world changers. Not an easy task! That’s some of what He did in the span of that 40 days.

As I think about it……it seems to me that those are the exact same things He is working to change in us. ……….and for the exact same reason!

Check these out, too:

Talk About a ‘Fixer-Upper’!

Virtual Reality

God Moves Through ‘Influence’ ……. Not ‘Control’!

You’ve Gotta Quit Calling Yourself a “Sinner”!

The Lord Helps Those That Help Themselves!

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I hear people put that out there fairly often as if it’s actually written in the Bible. Well, it’s not! It’s not a flat-out untruth…in fact, there’s quite a bit of truth to it if you think about it. It does make sense that the Lord would help someone who is trying their best to be obedient and to be a good steward of the resources he might have. It’s even very Biblical to expect the Lord to bless you even more if that’s the position you’ve taken. “Whoever’s faithful in a little, the Lord will bless with more.”.

So, it can very well be true that the Lord helps those that help themselves…..but His help is not limited to just the ones that do that. No, much to the contrary, His attention is never far from those in distress, those who have lost their way, those who are discouraged, depressed and downtrodden. And, many times it’s actually, ONLY, the help of the Lord that can get a person lifted up out of those kinds of dire straits. I’m speaking from personal experience here! I’m really grateful that His lovingkindness and His ability to rescue is not totally dependent on my utter devotion to Him! I’d have been in big trouble a bunch of times!

So, yes, the Lord will help those who’ll help themselves…..but He’s also very quick to help those who just can’t muster up the energy to get it done!

*He’s even been known to help some who are just determined to ‘not’ help themselves!

You might like these, too:

The Thing About Unconditional Love

“It’s Not Your Job to Fix Them!”

Virtual Reality

If You See God “Wrongly”…….You’ll Never See Yourself “Rightly”!

What’s So Good About Friday?

March 25, 2016April 19, 2019 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

I like Fridays’! They’re nothing like Mondays’! I can live with Mondays’ but I don’t just crave ’em. More stress, too far to the weekend, usually a dilemma or two; Yep, Mondays, can be tough. They don’t call ’em Mondays’ for nothing! But Fridays’, now there’s a day I can enjoy! I can do Fridays’!

But seriously, there was a Friday, way back, that someone decided to call ‘Good Friday’. I’m not sure who coined the phrase but I think they did a heckuva job! When you look at that particular Friday a couple thousand years ago, and what took place on that fateful day, you might be really perplexed as to why anyone could have the audacity to call anything about it, ‘good’. In fact, if I didn’t know the whole story…..it would’ve been the worst Friday that ever happened!

That Friday that I’m talking about was the Friday that Jesus, God’s Son, was put to death by crucifixion on The Cross.…the cruelest method of corporal punishment around the first century. It was the greatest miscarriage of justice that would ever take place in the context of time itself! Jesus,……sinless, perfect, lover of sinners and tax collectors, put to death with absolutely no wrong done. How in the world could that possibly be ‘good’?!

Because if Jesus hadn’t done what He did….we’d be doomed to be slaves to sin, forever. That, in turn, would make eternity to be dreaded to the deepest degree! No hope. But Jesus turned it all around! It didn’t come easy, though. He was beaten almost to the point of death, stripped of His clothes, and made to carry His cross through the swelling crowd in Jerusalem to the hill called Golgotha (the place of the skull) where he was nailed to the cross. …..and there He died. Bad Friday……really bad!

Saturday,…..not good! Terrible, in fact. But Sunday everything changed. I mean, Everything!! ….when Jesus came out of that tomb! And, He was carrying the keys to death, hell and the grave! They would no longer have any kind of hold on mankind!

Jesus, motivated only by love, willingly laid down His life for you and me! Because of that, now, we have the awesome opportunity to have the same relationship with God that He has!

And that,………that right there’s why they call it Good Friday!!

It Ain’t as Easy as It Looks!

March 22, 2016March 26, 2017 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

About a year ago were was a young guy, I’d say in his late 2o’s, who wanted to get on some bucking bulls. Professional Bull Riding, the PBR, has come to the forefront over the last decade or so and is finding a strong fan base similar to other professional sports. So, this young guy obviously was captivated by the mystique, machismo and the sheer danger of it. He’d never been around it….but he did know a little (very little) about it.

He got on 3 or 4 bulls back to back. He didn’t ride any of them further than a jump or two. I will say for the guy that he wasn’t afraid to get on! After about the fourth one he yelled at his girlfriend, who he’d brought along to watch, “It ain’t as easy as it looks on TV!” Truer words were never spoken!

And, it’s like that with a lot of things. It looks easy from a distance, or on TV, as our buddy above surmised. But most everything changes when you’re actually doing it. Ministry is dang sure like that! Oh, there’s plenty of people out there who love to make fun of ministry people. They say things like, “Yeah, he couldn’t do anything else, so he started preaching.”. That’s some of the nicer stuff. But, just like our bull riding friend said…..it ain’t as easy as it looks. I rode bulls professionally and the stress of that doesn’t even come close in comparison to this. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t griping; everybody’s got plenty of stress to deal with. And, the Lord always gives plenty of grace when it’s needed.

Oh, and there’s a way to insulate yourself from the stress. I guess you could just look at it as job. (some do!) You could just treat it as a 9-5, not get attached to people, not deal with their tragedies, and not care whether or not they would have an authentic expression of Christianity, or have a genuine relationship with the Father….or experience a church that’s actually alive. I could never do that!

But, if you sincerely care about people, if you’re willing to do everything in your power to keep it real, if you’re determined to not be satisfied with some ‘phony imitation’, if you’re willing contend for the glory of God and endure all the criticism that comes along with it……it ain’t as easy as it looks!

What If I’d Said, No?

I’m Just the Messenger

You Got to Me Too Late!

March 16, 2016March 17, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

If you’re a regular reader of mine you already know I don’t have much tolerance for people telling other people that God’s mad at them. And I have a grand total of zero tolerance for preachers taking the ‘good news’ and turning it into a bunch of religious rules….that for the most part they can’t even keep, themselves! Dead religion is a cruel taskmaster and it leaves the children of God feeling like they’re never good enough. That’s a problem of the highest order!

I think what gets under my skin the most is the fact that God is so grossly misrepresented. He’s often portrayed as having an unreasonable attitude toward us and almost impossible to please. God is, first and foremost, a Father. And, fathers are loving and nurturing to their children. It just comes natural to us dads, and God is so much better a Father than we are. When He’s misrepresented it can cause one to avoid coming to Him because of a preconceived fear of rejection.That’s very serious….and it must really make Him sad. It has to stop!

When I came to the Lord in 1984 I was at a very low point (actually the very lowest in my entire life!) in my life. He had no good reason (from my perspective) to take me in. I’d done absolutely nothing to warrant His favor or to expect Him to answer my desperate cry of, “God, if you’re out there, you gotta help me!”…..But He did!

My relationship with the Father began right there, really kind of unbeknownst to me. I didn’t even know that to have a relationship with he Father was anything you should, or could, do. But in those days I found Him to welcoming toward me; I found Him to be gracious, forgiving, encouraging, nurturing and full of love toward me. That’s how I know Him!

So, don’t be pulling that, “God’s mad at you”, stuff on me. (or anyone else for that matter!) Do us all a favor….and back off! It won’t work…..you got to me too late!

Check out these related blogs:

The Fear of the Lord…..Let’s Get It Right!

“God, If You’re Out There, You Gotta Help Me!”

If You See God “Wrongly”…….You’ll Never See Yourself “Rightly”!

Walkin’ the Floor

March 11, 2016March 11, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

“I’m Walkin’ the Floor Over You”; Any hardcore country music lover like myself can sing that ‘un by memory! The song was written and performed by none other than Ernest Tubb, (click highlighted link for more information) son of a Texas sharecropper and one of the true pioneers of what we now call ‘honky tonk’ music. ET, a Crisp, Texas (now a ghost town) kid was so fascinated by Jimmie Rodgers that after Rodgers death he contacted his wife for an autographed picture of Jimmie. Mrs. Rodgers was instrumental in getting the first recording contract for young ET. After a semi-botched tonsillectomy that affected his singing voice he turned exclusively to songwriting until he signed with Decca Records in 1940 and tried his hand at singing again. Turned out to be the thing to do; His sixth released single was the one that brought him almost instant stardom, “Walkin’ The Floor Over You”. (click to see Ernest perform) The single sold over a million copies. Quite a feat for someone whose singing voice seemed to be lacking! *(non-country music fans would probably argue that his voice never recovered……you can decide; lol)

I grew up on Country Music, thanks to my Dad. These days I can appreciate all kinds of music to some degree but those Classic Country songs are still my very favorites. I got to see Ernest Tubb when I was 15. He, and his Texas Troubadours, came to Canadian, Texas to the VFW Hall there in ’68. I’ll never forget it. I’ve since then seen a lot of entertainers live performances but ET’s still ranks up there among the best for me. I joke about that fact that we really were country long before country was ever cool (not a lie)! We were excited when the movie ET came out…..only to be disappointed to find out that it wasn’t a documentary on Ernest Tubb! LOL

I was thinking about my last two posts, “Shoot in Here Amongst Us!!” (click to read) and “Perspective, It Makes All the Difference!”. They both, either directly or indirectly, elude to the reality of our going through rough spots, challenges and problems throughout the course of our lives. It’s true that none of us are immune to them….and how we navigate them will have a profound effect on us….one way or the other.

So, you’re probably wondering by now what Ernest Tubb’s song and that last paragraph are even doing on the same page. It’s a fair assessment, but pretty simple if you ask me; When we’re going through those trials of life, which seem to be pretty often, we might ask ourselves, “God, what are you doing??!!!”

I certainly don’t have the full perspective of God but there’s a few things I think I’m pretty sure of. When He looks at your situation (and by the way, I think He does that often!) He doesn’t have a scared look on His face like we might; He hasn’t lost His appetite and He’s not wringing His hands and breaking out in a cold sweat; He’s not worried sick about the outcome!

And one thing I do know, …He’s not ‘walking’ the floor over you’ and me,…..and our problems!!

Maybe we should stop doing it, too!!

Hey….if you like these….”Share” ’em! Thanks!

Here’s some similar posts:

“Only ‘DADDY’ That’ll Walk The Line”

“I Ain’t No ‘Fortunate Son’”

“If You Ain’t Lovin’, You Ain’t Livin’”

The Gospel According to Shaver!

Perspective; It Makes All the Difference!

March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It’s true…and I continue to prove it to myself at least a few times a week. The perspective that we have on just about everything can make the difference between something being very good or very bad. Let me explain; I don’t always know how it works but I can get my mind stirred up about something, begin worrying about it and in just a short time be all ‘down in the mouth’ about it. I’ll sometimes fret and agonize over it before going to bed and not be able to go to sleep. I might even wake up, or even worse get up, during the night and worry about it ’til I just can’t stay awake any longer. And then, only, to wake up the next morning and be amazed at why I would worry about something so trivial as that! Just doesn’t make sense sometimes!

Well, it’s all about perspective. How I (we) see things is filtered through the ‘grid’ of several different factors. It’s filtered through how we were raised…and the things we experienced growing up. Those things, right or wrong, really have a way of shaping us into how we think….and who we are. Another thing is how we perceive we’ve been treated by the world around us. That would include parents, siblings, friends and just people in general. Again, those things really have a way of influencing us at our very core. Another thing, and one I think is more important, is how we see God and how we perceive that He has treated us. There are other factors, I guess, but you get the idea.

Something that’s helping me navigate all the things I encounter these days is the reality that God, our Father, is trying desperately to give us His perspective. And, not just give us His perspective on a couple of things….but every single thing we come across….the good, the bad….and the ugly. I’m far from having this perfected but I think I’m gaining ground, a little at a time. When you think about it, if we can start to see things through His eyes it really takes all the pressure off, and causes us not to worry as much.

All that’s just my theory….and maybe it’s more for me than anyone else. But, if you think it might be for you too, here’s a few simple ways we can gain His perspective: 1) Communicate with Him! *Don’t complicate it. He wants to hear your voice more than you can imagine! 2) Read His Word! *And as you read, remember He’s your Father! When you read the Word it’ll enhance your relationship with Him! 3) Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions! Things might not be exactly like you first perceive them to be! 4) Reserve judgment! *(Especially where people are concerned!) Don’t always go with your first inclination…..consider that you might be wrong. 5) Just ride it out! *Maybe, just maybe, gaining His perspective will be like a ‘timed-released’ medicine. i.e., You’ll just catch it along the way. 6) Learn to NOT be intolerant of someone else’s perspective, too!! You might learn something! 7) And, lastly…..Don’t be afraid to change, based on your ‘new’ perspective!

One thing I know….having His perspective changes just about everything!

Check these out….I think you’ll like them!

You ‘Can’ Get There From Here!

If I’m Trying Harder Than You Are, This Probably Ain’t Gonna Work!

It Ain’t Just “Good News” …… It’s “Great News”!

Just For the Record, You Didn’t ‘Find’ the Lord

The Fear of the Lord…..Let’s Get It Right!

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

The “fear of the Lord”; It’s one of the fundamental issues of Scripture. I hear people referring to, or quoting, the phrase fairly often. But I hardly ever hear it communicated the way I think it should be done. Let me say up front that I don’t consider myself a Bible scholar. And, beyond that, it’s not anything I’m shooting for either. I do think, that for me at least, that I need (and do have) what I call a ‘good working knowledge of the Bible’. And, by that, I mean that when I need to know where to go in the Book to find the Truth about a certain issue….I can do it. I’m still learning but I can pretty much find a Scriptural answer for your problems when I need to.

But this issue of the fear of the Lord is one that really needs to be cleared up, once and for all! Nearly every time I hear anyone talking about it, (even some of the Bible scholars get it wrong, by the way!) they always talk about it…or teach it in such a way that we’re supposed to be afraid (frightened, scared of, terror stricken, fearful, petrified; all synonyms of fear) of God. Ticks me off, to say the least! Now, if you look at some of the Old Testament expressions of God…..without having any relationship with Him….it’d be easy to assume the wrong thing. And, I think that’s where a lot of the error originates….with people who know a lot of Biblical facts about Him….but don’t actually know Him relationally. That’ll mess you up in a BIG way!

You may wonder why I think this is so important. Here’s why; From God’s standpoint…it’s always been about Him having a relationship with His children. (Im talking about you and me!!) So, think about it….how good of a relationship could you have with someone that you’re afraid of?? Well, there you go! If you’re a parent do you want your kids to be afraid of you?? Good parents don’t want that!

So, let’s get this right; God is the perfect Father…..and He doesn’t want us to be afraid , or scared of Him. Now, …..reverence, respect, adoration, devotion, loyalty, esteem; these are all *correct responses to Him (*actually they’re ‘natural’ responses to Someone Who loves you like He does!) So, if you’re out there telling everyone they need to be ‘scared’ of God.…STOP IT!!

Get to know Him, and you won’t be scared of Him anymore! It’ll make a huge difference in your life!

Here’s a couple more you might like:

The “Only Thing” That Really Works

“Obviously, I’m God’s Favorite!”