VIP # 5 & 6 – Edith Yowell & Nellie Millar

June 11, 2015June 11, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Definitely VIP’s! Edith Yowell was my first-grade teacher and Nellie Millar, my second-grade teacher. No kindergarten for me…in fact I don’t think they even had kindergarten in Reydon, Oklahoma in 1958. I mean, it was in the day of outhouses (fortunately we had indoor plumbing!). We did, however, have some neighbors who still had a dirt floor in their house.

My first day of school was a memorable one; I can remember the excitement of being a little kid embarking on some kind of great adventure. I met a bunch of new friends and some of them are still friends today. I’m pretty sure on the first day of school we got handed the book, “Tip”. It was a story about a dog. When we finished that one it was “Tip & Mitten”; a dog and a cat this time. Then not long after those it was “Fun With Dick and Jane”. Still remember those vividly.

My Mom and Dad already had me in the mode to read so I just devoured “Tip”, and “Tip & Mitten”. “Fun With Dick and Jane” was a little more challenging, of course, but I was really learning to read now. As I look back, and think back, it seems apparent that these two teachers had an incredible impression on me. I think there are several things that they taught and imparted but the most important thing I got from them was the desire to be a ‘reader’. Somehow they instilled in me the desire to read and that reading was fun, enjoyable and, almost always, productive. It’s a desire that I still have today! I’d definitely advise parents to instill the need to read in their kids. They’re going to have to be reading their whole lives. And to be a good reader just does nothing but good!

Writing is something that I really enjoy these days. I think I’ll be doing it for a long, long time. I can’t help but think how valuable to me Mrs Yowell and Mrs. Millar were to this process. I can’t say enough good about good teachers; they’re not paid enough in my books and their job isn’t easy. They have a tremendous responsibility….and opportunity, for that matter. I had some really good ones….maybe I’ll write something about them later. But, I’m extremely grateful for Edith Yowell and Nellie Millar! They got me headed in the right direction. They were some great ones!!

Do You Have Enough Faith??

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Let me answer that for you…..before you answer it wrong! YES!! You do ‘have’ enough faith. Now, whether or not you’re using it is another question, altogether. The Bible is clear that we’ve been given ‘the’ measure of faith. The Father loves us all! And because He doesn’t favor any one of us over another….He gives each of us the very same measure of faith. It’s enough faith! Enough to navigate every single event we’ll ever encounter in our whole life. It’s also enough faith to enable us to fulfill our destiny (God’s perfect plan for our life)! It’s not a flimsy, cut and run at the first sign of trouble, kind of faith either. It’s powerful enough for the sick to be healed, demons to be cast out and enough to empower us to tell the ‘good news’ to the poor!

This amazing faith that’s been given to us works in every situation. But you and I must activate it! It works in perfect synch with the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. “Signs and wonders will follow them that believe”! If we’re to experience this to the degree that the Father has purposed we must be ‘given’ to His Spirit. We can’t ‘go rogue’ with our faith and make ‘unilateral’ decisions. We must be devoted and reliant on His Spirit to see the miraculous manifested.

When our faith is ‘exercised’…..it grows. We have the potential of ‘mountain moving’ faith but if we don’t activate it…..it just abides there dormant. It’s like having a fortune in your bank account but never writing a check on it! The Bible says, “We’re created in Christ Jesus for good works.” The world is waiting for a people like us who really believe! Let’s ignite our faith! Write some ‘checks’ and see what happens!

Do you have enough faith?? Yes you do!! Use it!

Faith……..Use it or Lose It!

June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I had an interesting thought the other day. You know, as believers, we’re supposed to be people of faith. It doesn’t always work out that way in real life, though. I must admit that I don’t exactly have it perfected either. I’m working on it, and I’m better than I used to be but still have a long ways to go.

We’ve been ‘given’ (Rom 12:3) ‘the measure of faith‘. It’s actually a measure of the same quality of faith the the Father, Himself, has. That’s a pretty big deal if you think about it. It’s no flimsy faith; it’s faith that’s full of power. That’s very Biblical, by the way. We have a measure of the same kind of faith that the Father exercised when he ‘spoke’ the world into being!

This faith that we’ve been given is there for a myriad of reasons. For one, it’ll help us to navigate the events of life, good and bad, in such a way that we prevail in every circumstance. With this faith we’re encouraged in the Bible to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and communicate the good news to the poor”. But there are many people who actually never exercise their faith at all. It’s there lying dormant, but it’s there, nonetheless. It’s like having a fortune in our bank account but never writing a check on it.

What if we approached our faith like we do our vacation days with our work? Many companies give a week or two paid vacation to their employees. Some of those companies require that you use those vacation days before the end of the fiscal year. It’s use them-or lose them. Nobody really wants that to happen. I doubt the Lord looks at our faith like that. I’m sure He’s always blessed anytime we exercise our faith. But it wouldn’t hurt us to look at our faith that way. It might just motivate us to walk in faith a lot more.

It could mean more people saved, more people healed from diseases, more addictions broken, more marriages put back together, etc. Maybe we should view our faith from a “Use It or Lose It” standpoint!

All I Know Is, God Loved John a Lot!

June 3, 2015July 26, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I’ve done, in the neighborhood of, three hundred ninety funerals over the years. I’ve never been able to separate my feelings from the feelings the family of a deceased loved one has. That being said, they are all pretty taxing on me, every one of them. It’s just one of those things that I believe the Lord has wanted me to do.

I had one a few years ago for a dad and his little boy whose pickup got hit by a truck. Another one for a dad and his two kids that burnt up in their house. Those really took it out of me. I clearly remember driving to the gravesite after the funeral service. That day, I’d had all I could take.I told the Lord, straight up, I didn’t want to do funerals anymore. I felt like I heard him clearly; “You don’t have to do them anymore, but if you do I’ll give you a greater anointing to do them.” That was thirteen years ago and I’m still doing them. (did one today, in fact)

But I had one some months back that was, maybe, my greatest challenge yet. It was a funeral service for an atheist. I had met John (name changed to protect the family) several years before when he and his fiance came by my office for me to marry them. He told me that day that he was an atheist and that he didn’t want to talk about the Lord. I said, “OK, but if you ever do want to talk about Him, I’m your guy.” He agreed. We never had that conversation. I found out later that as a little boy his dad would take the Bible and shame him and condemn him with it. In my mind, it turned John away from the Lord.

I got the call about doing John’s service. His wife’s family is a very special family to me. I met with his wife and we talked about the service and John’s wishes. I thought about it for hours. What would I say? I just kept coming up empty. I didn’t sleep much the night before, still weighted down by the task ahead. As I walked out of my house the next day to drive the 40 miles to the graveside service, the Lord spoke clearly to my spirit. “Andy, John’s life mattered.” He had a bout with drugs earlier in his life and took it upon himself to get free, which he did. He made it one of his life projects to help anyone who was wanting to do the same, which he did. He had three sons who he was a great dad to. He was a good husband to his wife, as well.

There were a hundred people or more at the graveside service. The attitude of most everyone there was extremely somber. I said what the Lord had spoken to me, “John’s life mattered. It mattered to his wife, it mattered to his boys, it mattered to the ones he helped to kick the drugs. His life mattered to God!” I said, “Most everyone here knows that John’s convictions about God were different than most of ours’.” I continued, “I’m glad that I’m not responsible to be the Judge; we’d do well to examine our own selves and leave the judging to God.” “But there are a couple of things I’m a hundred percent certain of, God is fair……and God loved John a lot!”

He Did It ‘HIS’ Way!

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

Frank Sinatra did it ‘his way’. A lot of others have done it their own way and it worked fine. I like that. I admire someone who goes at the world full blast and makes a success of it. There’s definitely something to be said for those who do it like that. But I”m in a vocation where doing it ‘my way’ just won’t work.

I grew up a cowboy; not a wannabe cowboy, a real one. That’s really all I ever wanted to be. But along about 1986 my life took a very unexpected turn. I’d began attending church in my little hometown of Allison, Texas somewhere around 1985 and it wasn’t long after that I felt like I needed to be involved more than just showing up on Sundays. So I did. My first spot was to teach the teenage Sunday School class in the First Baptist Church. There I was, 32 years old, and having not grown up in church trying to teach a dozen or more teenagers who all grew up in church and for the most part from good, committed Christian families. All of them knew a lot more Bible than I did. But it was an incredible place for me to grow. Not once did I show up for that class without studying and preparing. Heck, I knew I had to or I’d be ‘busted’! I grew a lot in those couple of years and nearly all of those teenagers are some amazing, productive kingdom adults today. I’d like to think I had just a little to do with it. That feels good.

The Lord really started dealing with me about ministry. I gave my testimony a time or two at different places and it seemed like the Lord really blessed it. I remember well the day that I ‘knew’ I was called. I went to town from the ranch and talked to my Pastor, Ronnie Chadwick. I told him I felt like the Lord was calling me to ‘preach’. That was the only terminology I had at the time. I remember his advice clearly, “Forget it, Andy”. I said, “What do you mean, forget it?” He said, “Because if you can forget it, it ain’t God!” Great advice! And I couldn’t forget it.

So, here I am today, thirty years later with a great church full of amazing people. The challenges have never stopped, facing some big ones even today. But the Lord is faithful. I mean, really faithful! To bless a guy like me who knew absolutely nothing about the kingdom of God. I say it often….and it’s true; I’m just living proof that the Lord can use anybody!

I hope when I’m done somebody will notice that I didn’t do it ‘my way’! It’d be nice to be remembered as somebody who did it, “HIS Way”!!

PS-I’m still a Cowboy!

Bless the Lloyd!

May 29, 2015May 29, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

My best friend and right-hand-man, Daryle Perry and I were sitting in my office one day when we saw a blue pickup pull up in the driveway. I saw the guy get out and knew right away that I didn’t know him. He walked toward my office door and had a serious look on his face. My office has a glass door and the man looked through it and I waved him on in. He took the three steps toward my desk and immediately got down on his knees, looked up at me and said, “I need prayer”. I answered, “Sure, what’s your name?” He replied, “Lloyd”.

Now you just need to know this about Daryle and myself; nobody enjoys a good laugh any more than us. But it’s not good at all when we’re in a place where you’re not supposed to be funny….or laughing. We’ve been in many a jam that way but we never saw this one coming! I started to pray, and I meant to say, “Now Lord, in Jesus’ name.” But it came out, “Now, Lloyd, in Jesus’ name.” Well, that wasn’t good! Daryle grabbed his mouth, snickered, busted up laughing and walked out the door leaving me with Lloyd. It was all I could do to keep my composure but I kind of got it gathered back up.

I went ahead and prayed and as I was nearing the end of the prayer I meant to say, “Lord, thank you”. But, yep, you guessed it! “Lloyd, thank you”. Well this time I grabbed my mouth, snickered and busted up laughing! Lloyd looked up at me with a real bewildered look on his face. I said, still trying to keep from laughing, “Man, I am so sorry”! I don’t think he bought it.

Well, Lloyd left and we never saw him again and I still feel bad about that. But I did pray for him….and I was sincere when I prayed. I think he knows that we weren’t laughing at him, but at ourselves. So, if I had one little piece of advice for you it would be this, “Trust in the Lloyd with all your heart”!

You ‘Can’ Get There From Here!

May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 8 Comments

You’ve heard the old adage, “You can’t get there from here”, right? It’s kind of a tongue-in-cheek reference indicating that it’s next to impossible to make the change to get from one place to another. Can you imagine stopping for directions at some little out of the way service station in the middle of nowhere on how to get to your destination….and hearing the attendant say, “You can’t get there from here.” Well, we all know it’s not true but it definitely feels like that sometimes.

In 30 + years of ministry I’ve seen some amazing life transformations; mine for one!! I’ve seen people whose lives were in a worse mess than you can possibly imagine. I’ve seen marriages that were totally over and done with. I’ve seen those who were so entrenched in their sinful lifestyle that it looked as though there was no way out. I’ve seen people so hopeless that they could never believe that their life could ever be fixed. I’ve seen addicts and alcoholics who were so messed up they just couldn’t see out. I’ve seen those whose financial situation was in virtual ruin. I’ve seen plenty of people who sincerely believed that God would have absolutely nothing to do with them because of their stupid choices. And for all those to think that they could, somehow, end up with a decent life is so far fetched….it’s kind of like, “you can’t get there from here”.

But I’ve got good news…..no, actually it’s great news! God’s a ‘rescuer’!! He’s a ‘fixer’!! He’s never intimidated at the messed up state of our lives.He can restore any life and give it the significance that it deserves. It’s why we all need God. We’ll all make a monumental mess of our lives without Him.

So, if you’re in a place where you have no hope…..or if you’re wondering if your life could ever be livable and enjoyable, I’m here to tell you that it can! You ‘can’ get there from here!

Lives Matter!

May 27, 2015July 9, 2016 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

Lots of conflict on the news lately. It seems that racial tension is nearly as high as it was in the ’60’s. I remember that. I actually thought we had made some major strides in overcoming that in the last few decades but it doesn’t take too many like Al Sharpton egging it on to get everyone stirred up again. In my opinion he’s used up way more than his fifteen minutes of fame!

The cry from communities like we’ve seen in Baltimore and Ferguson, MO is that “Black Lives Matter”. I could not agree more! It’s kind of a ‘no brainer’, huh? I saw a sign in a yard in a nearby town that says that “Police Lives Matter”. Agree again! The truth is, and only an idiot would argue otherwise, that all lives matter! I’m discouraged that in the greatest nation on the planet we’re even having this discussion. I don’t doubt that in many areas there are some strong prejudices and biases against minorities. I’m a country boy and I haven’t had to deal with that much, so I don’t consider myself an expert in the least. I just know it doesn’t work….it doesn’t work for anyone! It’s the classic ‘lose-lose’ situation!

I think we’ve gotta stop making it a ‘white’ issue, or a ‘black’ issue and make it a human being issue! “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you” still works! I agree that it’s a deeper and more complex discussion and that there’s at least dozen or more points to be considered. But let’s not make it any more complicated than it already is.

If there’s anything positive going to happen, you and I should at least do our part. A good start is deciding that “Lives Matter”….. all of them! And anytime we see racial prejudices in our little world, we should step in, if possible, and be the voice of reason, righteousness and reconciliation. We should take the position of ‘peacemakers’ and see what happens. I know the Lord’ll bless the effort.

I doubt that many of my regular blog readers are racist…..hopefully none! So, in that sense….I’m preaching to the choir. But if you were to “Share” this post it might just hit someone that could make a huge difference. In the meantime, let’s all decide that “Lives Matter”!!

VIP #4 – Paul Luchsinger

May 26, 2015January 23, 2022 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

My rodeo career was just finishing up and Paul’s was just getting in full swing. We’d crossed paths a couple of times but we didn’t really know one another. Fast forward a few years and we had moved from Texas to Oklahoma and started the church in Sayre in ’89. I started hearing about Paul and, his then wife, Susie’s (Reba McEntire’s sister) ministry, which was pretty significant to say the least. We, again, crossed paths a time or two but I never got to spend much time with them.

In about 2008 I bumped into Paul in Wheeler, Texas. We had just finished a leadership training event in a church there and went out to eat. He was in the restaurant with a friend. We talked briefly and went on our way. He said later that the Lord told him that night that he needed to move to Sayre. He came over for a visit or two but it was a full two years before he moved here permanently. After being here a short time, he confessed that he should’ve been here all along.

Paul was not good. Diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and in the process of getting a divorce. His relationship with his kids (all grown) was strained, at best. He was angry, bitter and pretty hard to get along with. He had so many regrets about his life and just couldn’t find any peace to move on. He sorely regretted doing ministry from a condemning standpoint (his own testimony). And just when he’d be at his worst, someone would inevitably show up or call and tell him that 20 years ago, something he said to them totally changed their life. We included him in every single thing we did here. This story’s not about us, but there are some people around here that just won’t let you stay in a defeated mode. We propped him up, we encouraged him, we chastised him when it was unavoidable, we straight-up told him to quit beating himself up,…..but most of all we just loved him, ……and he started to change.

It was a process…but he caught the significance of having a real relationship with the Father, which in turn began to affect every other relationship that he had. He caught the tsunami of God’s grace and he was never the same after that. He started backtracking and repairing broken relationships, none of the least of which was with his children, E.P., Lucchese and Samuel. He was determined to love them and to be there for them in a way, which he said, he’d never really done before. He got that accomplished!

I often compare Paul Luchsinger with the Apostle Paul of bible fame. Both were full of dead religion until their ‘encounter’ with the God of grace. And after that….neither one was ever to be the same! His bitterness was totally gone and he was a blessing to every single person he came into contact with. There’s no telling how many people he helped as he pointed them to the Father. Even when his health was deteriorating he never complained….he always made it about everyone else. He ‘fought the good fight’ like nobody I’ve ever seen before….and may never see again.

I was in North Carolina when Paul graduated to heaven. Not embarrassed to admit that I shed quite a few tears when I received the news. I’m a little sad for us….but not sad for Paul at all. Paul Luchsinger got well in Sayre, Oklahoma! He finished STRONG! I’m sure that he’s not just a VIP in my books, but undoubtedly a VIP in the Father’s eyes!

**Paul Luchsinger was promoted to heaven on May 12, 2015

A Word or Two For the ‘Grads’ Out There

May 21, 2015May 16, 2017 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

School’s out! I’ve had five grads myself down through the years finishing up with Cameron a few years ago at this time. I continually tell parents with young children, “You better wake up….’cause that part of your life is incredibly short!” Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to speak at quite a few graduation ceremonies. There are some things that I think will help the new grads to take on the world. It’s not a conclusive list but it’s a good start.

1) Live – Live is short! Learn to ‘live’ it with zeal and excitement.

2) Give – The world has two kinds of people, givers….and takers. Givers live a much more fulfilling life!

3) Forgive – You’ll have a lot of opportunities to forgive…..resolve to not miss a single one!

4) Laugh – Enjoy the trip as much as possible. You’ll have to work at this one but you can do it!

5) Learn – Resolve to be a learner. “When you think you know it all, you’re as smart as you’re ever gonna get.” Cliff Taylor

6) Love – Learn to relate to God as Father! As you’re exposed to His kind of love…..you’ll learn to love like He does!

7) Relationship, Relationship, Relationship – It’s really what life is all about. Value your relationships!

8) Get Back Up – You’re gonna get knocked down; to be successful you just have to get up one more time than you get knocked down.

9) Be Courageous – Swing for the fence! You have the faith for it so it’s up to you!

10) Destiny – God has a plan for your life and He’s willing to disclose it to you. Go after it!

11) Purpose – Find those things you’re good at and put your effort into those things.

12) No Regrets – Older folks say they don’t regret the things they did as much as the things they didn’t do. Do it!

After thinking about it, maybe this advice is not ‘just’ for the grads. Maybe it’s for all of us. Even if you’ve gotten a slow start…’saddle up’ and move on! It’s really never too late!