Love People, Trust God!

December 12, 2016December 13, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Life is an endless sequence of learning experiences. As long as we’re learning we’re growing. I don’t think that ever has to stop, even as we get older. It does stop, however, for a lot of folks who, for one reason or another, just put it to rest and decide they don’t need to learn anymore. I guess that’s someting we’ll all have to face sooner or later.

I didn’t even start to learn about spiritual things until I was about 30 years old. Didn’t grow up going to church. I had heard a few of the Bible stories like David and Goliath. I believed in Jesus but I knew very little about Him. But, when my life made the turn, I pretty much hit the fast track. I had done so much in my life that didn’t work, and all of a sudden I got ahold of the one thing that does work and I pretty much gave my life to ‘it’!

I think it was the sovereignty of God that caused me to end up in the little Baptist Church in Allison, Texas. Looking back, there was a very profound move of God happening there. There were no less than 8 couples/families that are now serving the Lord in full-time ministry. Our pastor, Ronnie Chadwick, was a great mentor for all of us. His guidance and influence helped set the direction for our lives, and even continues to do so today.

After we’d been there a few years we took a trip down to Dallas to a James Robison conference. We were part of a good sized group that went that year. It was a life-changer for most of us. I was green as a gourd, didn’t know much but my heart was in a good place. After one of the morning sessions as we were exiting the Dallas Convention Center a homeless guy had walked in off the street. He was dirty, smelled of alcohol and was probably there to He had everything he owned in a little plastic Wal-Mart bag. What I saw broke my heart; The biggest part of the 8-10,000 people that were at the conference, supposedly to learn how to be a better Christian, made a big, wide swath around the homeless guy. I don’t want to judge but it appeared that they didn’t want to be bothered by him, and definitely didn’t want to come in contact with him.

I just couldn’t pass by without trying to help the man. I found out he’d been in some bad situations in Vietnam and had been on the streets for years. I really felt for this guy. I spent twenty minutes or so telling him about the goodness of Jesus. I felt like it was my responsibility to ‘lead’ him to the Lord. (that was back when I didn’t know better!) But after those 15 minutes he didn’t want anything to do with that but just whatever handout he could get. I gave him some cash and he was gone.

I met back up with our group and I was totally devastated. I was sobbing for the condition of the man I’d just met. I felt like I had let the Lord down (which wasn’t true, but I didn’t know!) because he had rejected anything to do with Jesus. My pastor, Ronnie Chadwick, gathered me up and gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever received. “Andy, you just have do what you can and trust the Lord to do what, only He, can do.”

It was a profound experience for me and a lesson learned that has enabled me to help hundreds of others since then. The Bible says, “Some plant, some water….but it’s the Lord that gives the increase.” As I have matured through the years I often think of that incident. In this journey of learning to serve the Lord we must come to the understanding that, “Yes”, we have a certain amount of responsibility…..but if anything significant is going to happen…..it’s gotta be God!

It was right there that I learned what my responsibility actually is,

“Love people, trust God”.

VIP #3 – Ronnie Chadwick

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

A Long Ways From the Lord

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Fail Forward

December 6, 2016March 7, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

It doesn’t matter what you’re doing in life, missing the mark is always a possibility. In fact, it’s inevitable that we’re going to fail at something. Whether it’s not making the 5th-grade basketball team or coming up short for class president. Most of us experienced the heartbreak of not doing quite good enough early on in life. You know, if it’d just stop there it wouldn’t be too bad. We could surely overcome that class president thing and move on with life. But, challengingly enough, it doesn’t stop there.

Every single thing we do in life the possibility of failure is staring us square in the face. It can be distracting and downright intimidating. Get yourself two or three of those heartbreaks in a row, which is not hard, and it makes for a really tough patch of life. It would be easy for anyone to get stuck in that same old pattern and let it set the course of their entire life. It’s happened all too many times.

But it doesn’t have to happen that way. Actually, failure has some profound potential if we just don’t allow it to get the best of us. Failures provide some amazing learning opportunities and they can give us some incredible perspective if we’ll just let it.

Peter was one of those guys that failed. He didn’t just fail a little….he failed BIG! At the time Jesus needed him most he folded like a cheap lawn chair. Three times he denied that he even knew Jesus, once to a little 12 year old girl. You may have had some major blunders in your life but I’m bettin’ you haven’t had one that big. It would have been easy for that failure to define the rest of Peter’s life. But he had an encounter with Jesus after the resurrection and something miraculous happened; something so miraculous, in fact, that for the next 25 years he was the most important man of the planet as it related to the plan of God! That should be a source of great encouragement to people like us.

Failure is a strong word; and, just because you failed at something doesn’t mean you’re a failure! We shouldn’t allow our failures to define us. We should use them as a stepping stone to greatness. Learn your lesson, get back up and get going again, use your bad experience to help someone else.

You’re gonna miss the mark; you’re gonna fall short, you’re gonna fail occasionally. But when you fail, …….fail forward! Failure is not final…..unless you let it be!

Oh, and don’t forget what really made the difference for Peter! That encounter with Jesus is the ‘clincher’!

It’ll work for you, too!

Here’s a couple more you might like:

Critics……..There’s One On Every Corner

“Nothing I Can Do About it Now”

Mexican Food and Prophecy! They Go Great Together!

November 15, 2016November 16, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

I was in Edmond, Oklahoma a couple days ago on my way home from a trip to Tulsa. Sitting with a friend having Mexican food, I was reminded of an incident 10 years ago, or so, that occurred only a block or two from where we sat.

Julie and I were in Oklahoma City Christmas shopping and took a lunch break at On The Border. Mid way through our meal a threesome came in and sat in a booth twenty-five feet away from us. It was a couple and, what appeared to be, their college aged son; handsome looking family. While we were eating the Lord drew my attention to them. I didn’t know exactly what it was but what I was feeling from the Lord was very, very strong. If we’re being sensitive He will often do this with us when He wants to, somehow, touch other people through us. (I think He would like to do this with all of us!) And, as He often does with me,…I didn’t feel like He’d given me anything specific about them….or ‘for’ them. ….which makes it pretty hard to know what to do. But the feeling was strong!

I considered just getting up and going over to their table….but that seemed really awkward seeing that I didn’t have any prophetic word at all. And, ……we’re right in the middle of the Mexican restaurant, they’re eating……double awkward! (I’m thinking, “Really, Lord?! Right here?!) So, I kinda talked myself out of doing anything. We finished our meal, got in the car and headed for the mall. I got no more than a quarter mile away and the feeling came on even stronger than before. And, then I got the feeling that I had really missed the Lord on this one. “I gotta go back”, I told Julie….who I hadn’t even mentioned any of this to as of yet. “I think I missed the Lord”. Well, we were in some intensive road construction so I couldn’t just turn around and go back. I had to go nearly a mile before I could exit and go back.

In my mind I was kinda hoping that they’d be gone….but that didn’t feel good either. I made it back, went in and they were nearly finished with their meal. I walked up to the table and said, “Excuse me, we were sitting right over there and the Lord brought y’all to my attention. I really feel like He has a ‘word’ for you but I wouldn’t dare give it without your permission.” *(I still had absolutely nothing specific from the Lord!) If they had said, “No”, then I’m off the hook. I’d been obedient to the Lord. But they said, “Sure, please do!” At that precise moment the Lord showed me that he had something for their son.

It’s been ten years but to the best of my recollection it went like this, “You’re the kind of guy that makes decisions on the spur of the moment. That’s the way God has made you and He loves that. You’re kinda like a ‘gunslinger’ in that respect. It’s a good thing.” At this point all three were nodding their heads in agreement. “But, you have a decision in front of you that the Lord wants you to know that you can’t make like that!” At this point they were still nodding but got very serious. I asked, “Is any of this making any sense?” And, in unison they replied, “Oh, yes! We know exactly what this is about!” I finished up, “The Lord wants you to move seriously, slowly and prayerfully before you make this decision.”

I said, “Well, that’s it.” By now all four of us knew that the Lord had intervened; it was clear! They were extremely grateful and said, “Thank you so much for the word….and thank you for being obedient to the Lord!”

We left there for the mall. Julie went in and I stayed in the car. A feeling I still can’t explain came over me and I began to weep. The only way I have of explaining it is that maybe there was something so very important to the Lord….and to this family that had some enormous spiritual implications.

To this very day when I tell the story it’s hard for me to tell it without breaking down in tears. Still don’t have any idea ‘why’! Even writing it today I’m having to wipe away the tears to finish it. All I know is….something pretty important happened!

And, I came really close to missing my part in it.

Why not check these out:

I’ve Never ‘Led’ Anyone to the Lord……and I Ain’t Planning on Doing it Anytime Soon!

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

Virtual Reality

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“You Are Here”

November 1, 2016November 1, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I know you’re familiar with those “You Are Here” signs. In the mall is the most obvious place I see them. I find myself looking at them pretty often when I’m there. I go to the mall occasionally but not often enough to actually know where everything is. I know where a few of the stores I’m interested in are located but there are dozens that I have absolutely no idea where they are. But, really, I don’t have a problem knowing where I am so, for me, the “You Are Here” sign is kind of a moot point. But, if I could find a sign that could tell me where Julie is in the mall…..now that’s something I think I could find extremely useful! But, and I’m talking from years of experience here, I guarantee that if I headed straight to the point where the sign says she is…..she’d be gone by the time I’d get there. Yep, done that too many times to count!

But, seriously, in the course of our lives one of those “You Are Here” signs would come in pretty handy. It’d be helpful for us to realize where we are….especially in relation to where we’re going. I think there are several surefire ways to help us identify exactly where we are. Some of them are pretty revealing and some will undoubtedly expose some of our immaturity, our weaknesses and inconsistencies. But if we’re serious about arriving at a certain destination they can provide some serious personal growth opportunities.

Life is full of ‘tests’; all kinds of them. And if you’re serious about your walk with the Lord there’s going to be a lot of them. It’s important to know that when the Lord tests you it’s not so He can find out where you’re at…..He already knows that. No, the tests are so you can find out for yourself where you are. That’s good information!

At that point we can adjust, refocus (and repent in some cases) and seek His wisdom about our situation and then get lined up again with His plan for our lives. I’m convinced that He likes nothing more than to help us get on track.

So, look at your life right now. If you’re in the middle of some test, observe how you’re responding to it. More than likely it’s one of those “You Are Here” opportunities!

Some others you might like:

Are You ‘Led’, or Are You ‘Driven’?

Don’t Tie the Ends Up!

Objects in the Mirror are Closer Than They Appear!

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What’s ‘Right’ With It?

August 8, 2016August 9, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

I was watching ESPN early this morning. There was a piece on the Olympics in Rio. The focus of the segment was on the Zika virus and the crime rate in Rio, which has been escalating for several years. It was also mentioned that with the Athens Olympics, there was a high risk of terrorism; with Sochi it was the possibility that many of the venues that would hold thousands of spectators would not be completed by competition time. Of course, those are all things that need to be considered, especially if you’re making the trip down there. So, all in all, it was a good and informative piece of journalism.

It occurred to me as I listened and watched that we are so geared in our culture to focus on the negative….rather than the positive. We’re bombarded from every direction it seems. The media often reports nothing but negative news. It’s mostly about ‘what’s wrong’. I get that. It seems that there’s an insatiable desire by the general public to want to hear bad news. After all, the bad news is what causes the ratings to surge.

The problem is that, as a culture, we’ve taken on some of those same attitudes. And, what’s way more serious is the potential for us, who call ourselves ‘believers’, to take on that same mindset. We should be people having a message of hope. These dark, discouraging times should be a great opportunity for us to ‘shine’. After all, we have the answers to the worlds’ problems. But as long as we’re just joining in on the fray….our voice will be muted.

Rather than looking for the ‘bad’, or negative, in everything…..maybe we should try to find something good to focus on.

“If you can’t think of something good to say, don’t say nothin’ at all”…..still good advice!

Check these out:

It Feels Good To Be “Believed In”!!

If You Love Someone….You Should Tell Them!

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

“Greatest Misses”

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I’d love to have titled this one, “Greatest Hits”. But, as a rookie and aspiring writer, I doubt I’ve achieved that status yet. Maybe, someday! In the last year and a half I’ve written nearly three-hundred blogs. That’s not much writing for a ‘real’ writer but for a guy like me it’s fairly significant. I’m a ‘learner’; you’ve read that in my blogs more than a few times. I’ve learned a lot in this little stretch of time….and most of what I’ve learned are the things I’ve learned about myself. I have wanted to write things that would be helpful to others but found that some of those things have helped me, most of all. It just does something when you ‘write down’ your feelings and opinions. I highly recommend it for everyone, it’s therapeutic!

One of the things that’s been interesting are the blogs where I really thought I ‘nailed it’. I think, as a writer, you kinda know if you got it done…..or not. But some of those that I thought I did my best work on at times happened to be ones that didn’t get read all that much. I get that. I’ve learned that people like stories. And, it’s a nice surprise when one just ‘takes off’ and gets read by three or four hundred people. Then there are a few that were just fun to write and still fun for me to read again. I’ve listed several of my “Greatest Misses” and if you have the time you might check ’em out. I’ve also included a few that still make me smile. Hope you enjoy ’em! If so, “Share” ’em with your people! Thanks for taking the time!

*Click on the highlighted link to read:

Identity Theft

Relational Equity

You Got To Me Too Late

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

Retaliate!!

Virtual Reality

Weapons of Mass Construction

God Is My Co-Pilot! ……and therein lies the problem!

That ain’t all the “Greatest Misses”! I’ve got a ton of ’em!

…….and just for fun:

You May Not Know This, But I’m Kind of a Big Deal!

Tee-Ball…..The #1, Undisputed, Very Best Team Sport of ‘Em All!!

There’s Just So Much of This Stuff in Life We’re Gonna Have to Learn the ‘Hard Way’!

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

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

One sure fire thing you can count on in life is the inevitability of problems. It’s universal, in fact, and no one’s immune! These challenges come in a broad variety including, but not limited to, physical challenges, relationship challenges, health challenges, financial challenges and many, many more. Problems come in all shapes, sizes and forms, some are temporary while others may last a lifetime. Some might have simple solutions without a lot of stress, while others can be life altering, and in some remote cases…..even life threatening.

The list of root causes of these trials we experience in life is not a long one:

We may be experiencing hardship because of our own decisions/actions
It could be the result of someone else’s actions
Happenstance (Stuff just happens!)
Demonic activity
The sovereignty of God

Nobody likes problems; I’m no exception. But what if these trials of life afford us an extreme opportunity to grow spiritually, …and as a human being?? If that’s true, and I believe it is, maybe our problems are not as bad for us a they ‘feel’. Here’s a few ways to look at your dilemma, to help you ‘make the best of a bad situation’.

Your trials:

Tests your faith; God wants you to ‘know’ the quality of the faith you have!
Helps build character; Few things are more valuable! It’s simple; trials build character!
Help to ‘mature’ us; It helps immensely to bring us into our true identity!
It may feel like it’ll ‘break’ you…..but it has the potential to ‘make’ you!
Reveals impurities. It helps to reveal our ‘blind spots’.
Have great potential to uncover ‘good things’ in you that are waiting to be exposed
Some of the Father’s best work in us occurs during these times!
In times of ‘desperation’ we’re likely to consider God. The Lord is ‘there’ in the midst of your trials!!
Conforming Value; It’s all part of us ‘being conformed into the image of Jesus’!
Experience is a great ‘teacher’! Gives you experience to help others with similar problems.

So, you see, our problems hold some great opportunities if we can make the ‘stretch’ to look at them from a little bit different perspective. How you react/respond to your problems could very well determine the duration of them. They have the potential to bring out the best in us. And, …..your perception of how bad your situation is…..may actually be miles away from reality!

What If It’s Not to ‘Break’ You,….but to ‘Make’ You?

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”

10 Tips That’ll Help You Become a “Learner”

June 28, 2016June 29, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I’m a learner; I like learning…and if you’re like me you can easily see that the possibilities for a learner are unlimited. We live in the information age where anything you want to know is simply a ‘click’ away. My Mom and Dad set me on the course of being a learner early on. One of the most profound things I’ve ever learned is a little something Dad told us when we were kids, and then reinforced it throughout mine and my brother’s lives. Here’s what he said, “When you think you know it all, you’re as smart as you’re gonna get.”. That proves to be true if you’re a jet pilot or a lawyer; a plumber or a senator. But, the profound thing about it is that if you buy into it….it puts you on the path of being a lifetime learner. There’s a few practical things that I think’ll help if you want to choose to be a learner. *Keep in mind, it’s an inconclusive list…..since I’m still learning!

Make a conscious choice to be a learner.
If you’re going to be a learner, you must allow the truth(s) that you know to be challenged
You must be able to consider ‘new’ information
Learn to not reject opinions that differ from your own
Listen!
View every day as a day to learn
View every event you encounter to be a learning experience
Consider that every person in your life is there for you to learn from
Some of the hardest things we endure in life hold the greatest lessons for us
Be quick to ‘give away’ the things you learn