Them Swallows Can’t Return to Capistrano Soon Enough For Me!

May 10, 2016May 11, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It’s a miracle they say. Every year on March 19th these little birds return to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano in Orange County in California. They make an amazing flight from Argentina just like clockwork every year arriving on March 19. And then…..right on schedule on October 23 they circle the mission a time or two and head right on back to Argentina again. People from all over the world make their way to the old Mission to see the swallows make their arrival.

I’ve had a little bit of experience with those swallows myself. None of it has been very pleasant on my end. And for the life of me I can’t see why making a big deal of them returning to the Mission in California is anything to celebrate about. My first experience with these little feathered friends (trying to be nice!) was when we were living on the ranch in Texas. They’d start showing up a few at at time, then a dozen or two….and before you know it there were a few hundred of them. They’d gather mud and start to build their nests around the eve of our house. Like I said, “Nothing to celebrate about”.

I’d knock their nests down with a broom handle and a few times I’d spray the water hose on the nests to try to get rid of them. But they are persistent little varmints. They’d be back the next day…and apparently bring some of their friends with them. The harder I tried to get rid of them, the more of them that showed up! It was kinda like Bill Murray on Caddyshack trying to get rid of those gophers!

But my worst experience came years later. We started Trinity Fellowship in people’s homes to begin with, then in a little building right south of downtown When we got up to about 25 people we moved onto the property where we’ve been ever since. Our original church building there was originally the country club. It was an older building probably built in the 50’s. One spring those %*#@ swallows we were talking about started showing up and building their nests under the eve. And, that’s not the worst of it; they’d start their obnoxious, …..and very loud, chattering right in the middle of our church service! It was extremely distracting……for everyone. I tolerated that for a couple of weeks and decided I was going to do something about it!

I didn’t have a ladder to reach the nests from the outside but I could, with the help of a straightened out clothes hanger and a chair to stand on, poke through from the inside and mess up their little nests. (I may,….or may not, have cussed a little bit during this process!) When I poked that clothes hanger through to their nests I could tell they were really disturbed about it. I was doing some good! I totally destroyed a couple of the nests. But before I could step down from the chair I was literally itching all over. Now, I don’t know what you know about mites……but they’re not to be messed with! This was my first (and hopefully my last!) experience with ’em! They’re so tiny you can hardly see them; lots smaller than a flea! The itching was terrible; not kiddin’! I headed straight home, took a shower. Still itching! Took another shower, not much let-up!

That all happened on Saturday evening. I was up at daylight on Sunday morning, took a jug of insect spray back out there and hosed down the whole area…..a few times. I thought that should do it. About thirty minutes into the church service that morning I started noticing that everyone sitting on the south side of the isle was scratching! Pretty soon they were all scratching, ……and pretty vigorously too! Yep, you guessed it, the mites were in attack mode!

I don’t remember what I preached about that Sunday….but I do remember I cut it really, really short! We kept that little secret to ourselves for years. So, if you were there and remember scratching like crazy…..it was the mites……from the swallows!

So, anytime I hear anything about those swallows returning to Capistrano….I think, “Good riddance”! They can’t return to Capistrano soon enough for me!

Check these out:

The ‘Baddest’ Dang Turkey in Arkansas!

Just Some Friendly Advice: Always Approach a Possum With Extreme Caution!!

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Identity Theft

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

You hear about it all the time these days. Someone, somewhere, somehow gets the personal information on an individual. And, then that information is deliberately used to assume that person’s identity. It’s nearly always done to make purchases on everything imaginable including prescription drugs and clothes…..and just about every other thing you can think of. It’s very hard for authorities to find and catch the perpetrators because it’s usually hard to determine how they obtained the information in the first place.

I got an email a couple of months ago from a credit card company which I had a card from. There were three charges in the previous week that they somehow identified as ‘suspicious’. After looking at the charges it was obvious that I had become the victim of identity theft. It was a good ‘heads up’ move by the credit card company. If they hadn’t noticed it I would’ve probably just paid my bill and went on without ever knowing it. The transactions amounted to a little over $300 dollars. $250, and some, at a Publix Supermarket in the Orlando area. The other two totaling about $60 were used at gas stations in that area, as well. It was nice to find out that the credit card company covered those bogus charges.

There’s an even more serious case of identity theft happening today, and it’s happening in the church. There’s an outright ‘identity crisis’ and it’s affecting the the overall effectiveness of the whole church in a negative way. Here’s the issue at stake; For the longest time we’ve heard that we’re to be ‘servants’ of the Lord. That’s somewhat true….but only from a ‘functional’ position…..but not at all from an ‘identity’ perspective.

The Bible is crystal clear; the Father has called us His own sons….not servants. Sons have greater responsibility than just a hired-hand. And, they should….because sons…….have an inheritance! And, the difference in mentality and motivation between servants and sons is vast.

So, maybe it’s not so much a case of ‘identity theft’ as it is ‘identity forfeiture’. But, at any rate, we need to step into our true identity as sons and daughters and change the world!

Check these out from a year ago:

Are You God’s Servant??

The “Only Thing” That Really Works

FoMO

May 4, 2016May 5, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Apparently it’s a ‘thing’ now; a real thing. Yep, heard it on the morning network news a week or two ago. They did a whole segment on it. FoMO; “Fear of Missing Out”. It’s a pervasive attitude or syndrome linked to the negative feeling of getting left out of something important, and something that other people might be invited to, or involved in.

I’m gonna say that long before someone came up with the name for it, we’d all felt that feeling before; probably quite a few times, the truth be known. Not a good feeling. No one wants to be left out. In fact, whether we really want to be involved or not….it does feel good to be invited and kept in the loop. Makes us feel important. Getting left out hurts our feelings and makes us feel insignificant.

I’ve got some good news if you’re feeling like the FoMo Mojo’s on ya’! Lucky for us the Creator of the Universe has extended an open invitation for us to be at this huge banquet sometime in the near future, date TBA. Right now there are people going out into the hedges, the highways and byways and inviting all those who, many times, don’t get invited to anything. It’s a big wedding party. The Bible calls this big party the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Gonna be some really important people there, including you! All the people attending have been handpicked and adopted into the Family by God, Himself.

It’s an RSVP event; If you said “yes” to Jesus….that’s an adequate reply. Your seat’s already reserved,…..and in the VIP section, no less! If you haven’t said “yes”, I would at the next opportunity. He really wants you to be there!

When we catch the reality of how much He loves us the FoMO won’t be an issue with us any more!

Check these out:

“Obviously, I’m God’s Favorite!”

The “Only Thing” That Really Works

The Truth Does Not ‘Set’ You Free!

If you find these helpful…..Please “Share” ’em with your Friends!

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”

May 3, 2016May 4, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

If you were paying attention at all in American History class in school, you’ll remember that line. It was the one memorable line of a speech that Patrick Henry gave before the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. He is credited with having swung the balance in convincing the convention to pass a resolution delivering Virginian troops for the Revolutionary War. Among the delegates to the convention were future U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. He concluded his famous speech by saying, “I know not what course others may take but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Patrick Henry considered the possibility of liberty….or perhaps the potential loss of liberty to be a monumental thing to fight for. Apparently, the other members of the Virginia Convention agreed. For, after a few minutes of absolute quiet,….they agreed with Patrick’s plea to dispatch troops for the battle.

Freedom is a wonderful thing! It has an extremely high value. But, then again, it came at an extremely costly price. I sometimes wonder, though, if we appreciate it as much as we should, living in America. I think it does me some good from time to time to reflect on the reality that there has actually been bloodshed so that we can live in a nation so great….and so Free. If you need a reminder watch “Saving Private Ryan”! It’ll do as much to jumpstart your patriotism as anything I can think of.

Spiritually speaking, we’ve also been given liberty.….and not to minimize the liberty we have as a nation at all….but the liberty we’ve been given as believers came at an even greater price. It too was a result of bloodshed! Only this time it wasn’t by some great military effort that we attained freedom. Nope….it was the willful act of one solitary Man that purchased our freedom…..once and for all. The battle would never have to be waged again!

The question would obviously be raised, “What did we become free from?”. Good question. First off, and it’s a big one, we are now free from sin…..and, equally as significant, the penalty of it (which is eternal separation from God)! And, if that’s not enough for you….we have been set free from the Law and the penalty for breaking that, too! Oh, …..and don’t forget the freedom from ‘dead religion’; you’ll appreciate that one, as well!

“We have been called to liberty”, that’s what Paul said in one of his letters. And, it saddens me that anytime we start talking about liberty around the church…that some over-religious, self-righteous, Pharisee-minded (well, I better stop there!) person immediately starts talking about compromise, and sin. Paul went on to say that we shouldn’t use that liberty as on opportunity for the flesh.

I seriously doubt that any of us are living out the extent of freedom and liberty that Jesus died for us to have, and that grieves me. But, I’m working on it; it’s on my list of things to do! And, if it’s true that we aren’t living out the fulness of that liberty that He’s purchased for us at such a costly price…..then we’re not experiencing the fulness of life that we should be! I think I’m going with Patrick Henry on this one…..“I know not what course others may take but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Check ’em out:

You Got to Me Too Late!

“Freedom’s Just Another Word” …… But It’s a Whole Lot More Than That!

“Nothing I Can Do About it Now”

May 2, 2016March 7, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

A day or two ago I was listening to my favorite XM station and one of Willie’s songs I’d heard several hundred times before caught my attention. The words, that I’ve sang along with by memory for as long as I can remember, caught my attention. And I thought to myself, “I need to write a little something up about that.”. The song, “Nothing I Can Do About it Now”, (click here to listen) is probably a testimony of Willie’s about some of the mistakes he’s made in his life. I think the reason it resonates, so, with me is ……it’s kinda my testimony too. And, truth be known, probably about 90% of the people reading this little blog can readily identify with it, as well.

Willie, whether you like him or not, will go down in history as one of the greatest country songwriters of all time. (I’m a huge admirer of songwriters!) Example: He wrote country classics, “Crazy”, “Night Life”, and “Funny How Time Slips Away”, all in a 24 hour period! Think about that one for a minute! And, again, whether you like him or not he’s already staked his claim on country music immortality. Generations after you and I are gone when anyone mentions “Willie”, everyone’ll know exactly who they’re talking about.

I first saw Willie in the ’60’s on the Wilburn Brothers Saturday afternoon TV show. It was a ritual in the Taylor household to watch country music on Saturdays. Willie was clean cut wearing a suit and tie and was an exceptionally good guitar picker. And he never really reached a broad following until the ’70’s when he donned the bandana and the braids. Armed with “Trigger” (his trademark guitar) he took on the ‘outlaw’ persona and literally millions of new, and younger, fans took note! And, as they say,…….the rest is history!

“Regret is just a memory written on my brow, and there’s nothing I can do about it now”. Like Willie’s song, most of us have a long, long list of regrets and if we’re not careful we’ll let those regrets affect who we really are and how we live out the rest of our lives. After the Lord rescues us we mustn’t let those blunders rule our lives. It just wouldn’t be right, considering what Jesus has done for us! Willie addressed that very thing, “And I could cry for the time I’ve wasted, but that’s a waste of time and tears” “And I know just what I’d change if I went back in time somehow, but there’s nothing I can do about it now”.

Can’t do anything about it; its true. But what we can do is not keep on doing things that we know will bring deep regret; quit making the same old mistakes. And if you’re a youngster reading this, let the song,….or these words, (or better yet, the Holy Spirit) steer you away from doing dumb stuff. Life’ll be a whole lot better for ‘ya!

And for the rest of us….that got that news too late, ….we’re forgiven! Willie’s concludes his song by singing, “I’m forgiving everything that forgiveness will allow, and there’s nothing I can do about it now”.

Check these out:

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

“I Ain’t No ‘Fortunate Son’”

The Silver Bullet Lounge

April 26, 2016April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

If you were around in the ’80’s you’ll surely remember the Silver Bullet Lounge. The Silver Bullet Lounge was the name of the pub in a Coors Beer commercial. Coors introduced their Coors Light beer in 1978. It contained significantly fewer calories than their regular Coors beer, which appealed to anyone who was calorie minded. Beer lovers could enjoy their brew without compromising on taste (or so I hear! lol), and not worry about stacking on more pounds. I’m still not sure if that was a great win for our culture or not but there are plenty out there who would surely argue that it was!

Coors Light was produced in an attractive silver can that quickly took on the name, likely due to a brilliant marketing ploy by Coors, Silver Bullets. As far as I know, Coors Light drinkers are still calling them that nearly 40 years later.

Just about the time my life was turning around that Silver Bullet Lounge commercial was airing on TV (you can watch it by clicking, here). The setting was in a local pub; everyone was happy and laughing, lots of friendly conversations going on; there was a real sense of community, authentically pleasant relationships and most of all….genuine joy! Now, whether or not that actually happens all the time is anybody’s guess but it probably does happen quite a bit. I thought, as I watched that commercial, “You know, if I could find a church that had that kind of atmosphere…..I think I might go”!

My impression of the church in those days was that almost everyone I saw didn’t really look happy or content. And, it seemed that all the good characteristics that the Silver Bullet Lounge had…..were somehow missing from the church. Now, agreed, that’s not a fair assessment of the church seeing that I wasn’t in it….but that’s how it looked from a distance. But honestly, after all these years……doing what I do, I still see a lot of church people who don’t display any degree of joy. Kinda sad if you ask me.

Now before you get all twisted up about it,……I’m not advocating that you head on out to the Silver Bullet Lounge. (Although if you do, you won’t get any grief from me.) But I still contend that we should have all those qualities that they have there, in abundance around the church. It oughta be a happy place! There oughta be a lot of friendly conversation going on; People oughta be laughing….and laughing a lot! There should be an atmosphere of good, genuine and healthy relationships….all the time! If it was like that you might really be surprised who’d come and join in!

We could learn a little somethin’ from the folks down at the ‘ol Silver Bullet!

Check this one out:

Virtual Reality

Laugh a Little! …….. No, Make That a Lot!

“It’s Complicated!”

April 25, 2016April 26, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I hear that a lot these days. It’s a common admission on FaceBook and other social media sites, and it’s usually used to describe one’s relationship status. It may just be me….but I think I’d steer away from any relationship that’s ‘complicated’. If I were to give advice to any of those claiming to be in a complicated relationship, it’d be to simplify. I think that’d make it easier on everyone involved. I’d love to see just one person on FaceBook describe their relationship by posting….”It’s Simple”!

I imagine a lot of people might also classify their relationship with the Lord as complicated. I mean, He’s a pretty profound Entity to say the least. In fact, in His infiniteness, He could decide to make Himself totally un-understandable if He wanted to. But, it’s just not in His makeup to do so. He could reveal Himself to be so complex that it would totally boggle the human mind. He definitely has that capability, too. But, again, it’s not anything He’s interested in doing in the least.

He has never wanted His relationship with us to be complicated. That’s one reason He reveals Himself as, Father. And, He doesn’t just reveal Himself as Father only because it’s a relationship that we can understand, and relate to….although it does go a long ways in helping. Nope, He reveals Himself as Father…..’cause that’s Who He really is!! It’s the clearest description of Him and of His nature.

Religion has a way of complicating our relationship with the Father…..but don’t let it! When you’re feeling like it’s getting complicated….just revert to the simplicity of that Father/son, Father/daughter relationship that He deeply desires to have with you. Enjoy!

And when anyone asks you about that relationship you’ll never, ever have to say, “It’s Complicated’!

Check these out:

Simplicity! It’s All I Have to Offer

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

Relational Equity

April 20, 2016April 21, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Equity: In finance, equity is the difference between the value of the assets and the cost of the liabilities of something owned. For example, if someone owns a car worth $15,000 but owes $5,000 on that car, the car represents $10,000 equity.

Anytime we make a payment into our investments we are building equity. I’ve been paying on my home loan for years. I’m at the point now where I can almost see the end of it. So, I’ve got a lot of equity in my home. In the last year or so our local economy has tanked. I have a friend in the banking business who recently told me that there were 200-300 homes in our area for sale. There’s a good number of those folks just walking off from their homes…..and the loans attached to them. Not a good situation for anyone involved. It does make sense, though, that if you have a lot of equity in that home that you’d do everything in your power to somehow make the payments. Yep….too much equity to just walk away from.

In the same way we make investments in possessions, property and the like, we also make investments in relationships. And every time we interact with someone else….we’re building equity; ‘relational equity’. Julie and I had our first date in 1967, we got married 10 years later, to the day. Next January we’ll have been married 40 years….but together for 50! That’s a lot of equity! A lot of relational investment…and way to much to walk away from. (not that we’re thinking about it! lol)

Relationships are important. They’re challenging, to say the least, but the greatest joys in life come through our relationships. They can also be a source of heartbreak too….but they’re still well worth the investment. We have to take the chance, the stakes are too high, there’s too much to gain! And, besides…..”it’s not good that man should be alone”! Engage…interact, stay hooked and build equity!

It works the same way in our relationship with the Father. Every time we interact with Him we get to know Him more. That’s building relational equity! And the more we ‘know’ Him the more we will, naturally, love Him. If you want your life to be as rich as it can possibly be…..start building relational equity today…..with people…..and with Him!

Check these out, too:

Loyalty – A Forgotten Virtue

A “Disposable” Relationship

‘Betrayal’ – Nothing Easy About It!

The “Only Thing” That Really Works

‘Thorns in the Flesh’

April 19, 2016April 20, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Did you ever have one of those nagging, ongoing situations that seemed like it might never end? I mean one of those things that you worked and worked to remedy but just couldn’t find your way to a solution. Yeah, ……me too! I’ll bet if we ask around we’ll find that it’s fairly universal.

As people, we all handle those situations in different ways. We can complain and whine about our situation. Done that! We can worry ourselves sick and lose sleep over it. Done that one, too! We can agonize over it and let the weight of it control our lives if we’re not careful. Yep, you guessed it, done that one, too! So far, those methods haven’t done me much good!

But I think there’s an extremely valuable lesson found in the Bible (Imagine that!), if we’re willing to consider it. In one of Paul’s letters he eluded to, what he called, a ‘thorn in the flesh’; You should read the story. No one really knows what that thorn in the flesh was, although there’s plenty of speculation. Some think it was his failing eyesight, others think it might have been a difficult person he was having to deal with. And one of my friends suggested that it was Paul’s wife! (There’s no record of Paul having a wife; so, I can only surmise that my friend was thinking about his own situation! lol)

Paul was a pretty spiritual guy by my standards. Here’s what he did. He prayed. (now there’s a novel idea!) Not once, not twice…..but three times. But nothing happened! You ever experience that??! Yep, I’ve done that, too! But in the middle of his dilemma he came to a brilliant, and profound, conclusion. He said, “I have found that in my weakness, the power of God is made manifest. And, when I’m weak, then I’m strong”. Even though he didn’t get his prayers answered, he came out of it better off than he was, going in! How can that be possible!?

Here’s my conclusion; From what I see Biblically and from what I’ve experienced personally, it appears that there’s just some things that the Father doesn’t make us strong in. For His own reasons, He seems to be OK with allowing us to remain weak in some areas. We have to consider that the Lord might want us to realize what Paul realized. We will find out, like he did, that His strength is made perfect in our weakness! So, there may always be an area or two in our lives where we ‘know’ that we have to be totally trusting in Him! I think He likes that!

He spoke to Paul, right in the middle of his trial, “My grace is sufficient.”! Whatever it is that you’re going through…..you can be 100% guaranteed that there’ll be grace enough for you.

So, when you’re facing some of those trying circumstances, by all means pray! But, don’t throw in the towel if He doesn’t remove your ‘thorn in the flesh’. He might just have something greater for you!

Check these out, too!

You Can Live in the Past if You Want To…..But There Is a ‘Downside’

There’s a Charge For Extra Baggage

It’s Better to “Be” The House!

April 19, 2016April 19, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

Every so often, on a Sunday morning, one of our worship leaders will say something like, “Isn’t it good to be in the house of the Lord”. That’s what most people call the church building. And, that’s a pretty fair assessment of what it actually is. But if you take the people out of that ‘house’, it is really just another building. There’s nothing holy about a building. It’s the people that make it the ‘house of the Lord’.

Every time I hear them say that I say to myself, “Yeah, it’s good to be ‘in’ the house of the Lord…..but it’s better to ‘be’ the house of the Lord!”. If you find that to be a strange observation….here’s where I’m coming from. Paul, in one of his letters said it this way, “Don’t you know that you’re the temple of God, and that the Holy Spirit lives in you?” Paul had received a great revelation when he had his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus. It totally, and literally, turned his world, not upside down but, ‘right side up’! He talked about, in another of his letters, “a mystery among the Gentiles, which is, Christ in you….the hope of glory”. God doesn’t live in structures built with hands. In fact, he could live anywhere He wants to….but His choice is to live in us, individually and corporately. It’s this ‘temple’ that He wants to restore….and fill with His glory.

So, I’ll agree…..it’s good to be “in” the house of the Lord….but it’s even better to “be” the house of the Lord!

You’ll like these too:

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

We’re on a ‘Need to Know’ Basis with the Lord!!

“Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!!”