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

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

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 5 Comments

It took me a lot of years to learn that but I think I’ve finally got it down. It was quite a turnaround for me when I came to the Lord in 1984. When I started cooperating, the Lord began to ‘piece’ my life together, little-by-little. And….after 30 + years He’s still faithful to keep on fixin’ all the things that need fixin’ in my life.

When Julie and I started the church in Sayre in 1989 we didn’t know much. We were pretty sure we’d heard the Lord and we plowed ahead doing the best we could, mostly by faith….and trial and error. It has been amazing how the Lord has blessed the trip. There’s been plenty of obstacles, road blocks and speed-bumps but all in all the Lord has been extremely gracious to us and has had our back in every situation.

There’s been a lot of changed lives down through the years that I take no personal credit for, but it has been rewarding to be involved to see just how the Lord can still miraculously transform a really messed up life. Since right from the start I’ve had a strong desire to see the Lord repair the lives of the hundreds He’s sent our way. So much of a desire, sometimes, that I could get overly involved in trying to help them in the overcoming process. I’d jump at their beck and call, sit up with them all night if that’s what it required, encourage them, give them the best counsel I could, miss events that I should be at, put other important things off to be there to help. I still do some of that after all these years but I’m quite a bit better at discerning this one thing. I’m not sure why it took me so long to learn this. I guess I may just be a slow learner. But I have found it to be true 100 % of the time that if I’m trying harder than they are to fix their problem…..it never, ever works!

So, if you’re in a jam, I’ll still do my best to help. I can be, pretty much, all in if you’re serious. But the moment it feels like I’m trying harder than you are….., nothing personal….., but I’m backin’ off. We can always make another run at it, but if I’m trying harder than you are, this probably ain’t gonna work!

Maybe You Should Quit Whippin’ Your Own A#$!!

May 15, 2015March 5, 2019 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Did you see the movie, “Liar Liar”? You should. Jim Carrey, who’s about the funniest guy alive, in my opinion, is a lawyer who just can’t tell the truth about anything. He makes a vow to not tell a lie for a certain amount of time. At one point he goes into the bathroom in the courthouse and starts beating himself up. Someone comes into the bathroom and asks him what he’s doing, to which he replies, “I’m whipping my a#$!” It’s really pretty funny!

The world is a tough place; people can be cruel. It’s easy to find yourself on the receiving end of people’s bad intentions. Nothing pleasant about that at all. But in my 60 + years of experience, I’ve seen as much, or more, ‘self-inflicted’ pain, discomfort and mental anguish as the other kind. I really don’t think the Father likes us to do that!

Most everyone I know has made monumental mistakes in their lives. I’m pretty sure that most of us have regrets; things we shouldn’t have done; things we should have done differently; maybe even things we should have done but didn’t. It’s just kind of how life goes. We could keep our focus on those things and let them rule our lives today….or we could learn from them and move on.

Peter is a great example. He failed Jesus at a time when the Lord needed him the most. He denied Jesus three times in the dark hours before the cross, once to a little 12-year-old girl. In the greatest test of his life, he folded like a cheap lawn chair. But something happened to Peter after Jesus was resurrected. You know the story; Jesus took him aside and asked Peter if he loved Him three times. His encounter with Jesus, somehow, healed him from his epic failure. And the rest of the story: Peter was the most important man on the planet, as it relates to the plan of God, for the next 25 years or so.

If the Father doesn’t hold those things against us….maybe we shouldn’t either! One thing I know….our failures dim in comparison to Peter’s. We really should quit whipping’ our own a#$ and move on with our destiny!

We Oughta Get Our Ducks in a Row!! Part 2 – Marriage

May 1, 2015May 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

Obviously, (or at least it should be obvious) getting our spiritual life in order should be first on the list of getting our priorities in proper order. After that, our family should be the very next priority in order of importance. Problems arise within families when friends, jobs, hobbies or other activities get in the way. None of those things are unimportant….but they’re not as important as our family.

When setting family priorities in order it’s important, again, to get first things first. Many parents would argue that their children are the most important in the family relationship scheme but I totally disagree. Children are extremely important….but the best thing you can do for your kids is to work on, and shore up your relationship with your spouse. A happy husband-wife relationship is a good guarantee of a healthy home. There’ll be plenty of challenges but when that relationship is in tact, you’ll feel like you can conquer any obstacle.

My experience and observation through the years is that if we’re not doing something to strengthen our marriage, the general conditions of life are slowly eroding the quality of our relationship away. It’s not hard to do but I believe we need to be intentional when it comes to our marriage. We have raised 5 incredible kids and life was extremely busy when they were all in the home. You can have every good intention to spend quality time with your spouse but if you don’t plan for it, it probably isn’t just going to happen. If you’re not careful you might go years without giving your spouse the quality time they need. Your husband/wife does not need the leftovers!! And that’s what happens more often than not.

Fix it! Schedule some quality time together. Have a ‘date night’. Arrange for someone to watch the kids. Block out the distractions and focus your attention on one another. Have some meaningful dialogue; make eye contact and express your love toward one another. Be affectionate toward, and intimate with one another. It’s an investment that you’ll never regret!

It Ain’t Grace’s Fault!

April 21, 2015April 21, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

I’ve heard several definitions of grace; ‘God’s ‘unmerited’ favor’, seems to be the one most often heard. I guess I agree with that except for the fact that it just seems to come up short. When you’ve actually experienced the Father’s grace it’s hard to find enough words in our vocabulary to adequately define it. All I know is, grace is GOOD! It’s a huge part of the nature of God….and if He has His way it’ll be a huge part of our nature as well!

Grace has recently become an extremely controversial subject.…and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why! The accusations fly toward those who talk grace from those who say that us ‘grace people’ are saying that you can just go out and sin all you want. Never said that; never even thought it! Accusations fly from those who want to stay connected to the ‘law’, indicating that we need to do something to complete the work that Jesus Himself said was “finished’!

Most believers want to keep us ‘tethered’ to the Law but those who teach/preach a ‘mixture’ of law and grace….aren’t preaching grace at all! The ‘religious’ people in Jesus’ day couldn’t receive grace; “too good to be true” they contended. And it’s the same argument today. An accurate understanding of grace always leads to less sin, it never leads to more sin! The subject of grace is having a ‘polarizing’ effect in the church today. And it’s very critical as to which side you find yourself on?

You can blame it on the person who uses grace as an opportunity to sin; you can blame it on a ‘skewed’ understanding of what grace really is; you can even blame it on the selfish person who just wants to ‘use’ the Lord to further his own cause, you can argue that it’s too good to be true. But whatever you do, don’t blame grace! It ain’t grace’s fault!

Who Owns Who??

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

I got saved in ’74. I was at a Countywide Crusade in Wheeler, Texas sitting on the back row. When it came invitation time I knew I was supposed to go forward and give my life to the Lord….so I did. There was definitely something different. Julie had a little paperback “Living Bible” and I started reading it. I started on page 1, and got over in the book of Leviticus and got all bogged down in all those “begats” and put it down and didn’t pick it up much for the next ten years. I didn’t have any Christian friends and I drifted way off from the Lord. Nobody’s fault….it just happened.

For the next ten years when I’d get in a jam in my life, I’d run to the Lord. When that set of unpleasant circumstances was over I was back to my own way again. I did that over and over for ten years. Looking back I call that a ‘disposable relationship’ with the Lord. I think a lot of people have that kind of on-again, off-again relationship with Him. In that sense He was just a possession of mine that I’d use when I needed Him and then return to my own way, never having any real, ongoing relationship with Him.

A lot of people are like I was…..just ‘using’ the Lord for our own benefit. But later on in ’84 when my life made an abrupt turn I started having an, altogether, different perspective. I began to understand that I was His possession! “We were bought at a price, we should glorify God in our body, which is His”. We’re not just His possession…..we’re His most prized possession! From Mt. Everest to the Sahara Desert, to the redwoods in California and the Amazon River….all those things that He created and that the world recognizes as the handiwork of God…..they all dim in monumental insignificance in the light of how much He loves you and I!

Going forward….let’s come to the realization that we belong to Him….we’re His possession. It’ll change our entire perspective on our lives!

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

April 4, 2015April 7, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

It would be easy to get our focus on all the negative things going on in the world. After all there is a bunch of depressing things going on. But if we’d just examine those things in light of the “good news” it would totally change our perspective. The actual meaning of the ‘gospel’ is “good news”. And, While some preachers are determined to talk about the doom and gloom, it’s not about that at all! As believers we have been given incredible opportunity/responsibility to be purveyors of news that will actually change the world for the better.

Jesus came telling the “good news”, and after generations of dead, legalistic, lifeless religion it must’ve been some kind of breath of fresh air! What Jesus said and did brought life….something that the culture in His day had never experienced. What exactly was the “good news” all about. It was about a Savior Who came to set captives like us free! It was the Son of God introducing people like you and I to the Creator of the Universe Who, amazingly enough, wants to be our Father, too! It’s about the reality of total forgiveness for every trespass we’d ever commit!

That’s a lot of “good news”, but it didn’t stop there……it just got better! You know the story; the soldiers seized Jesus and took Him before Pilate. The chaos escalated as He carried His cross to Golgotha where he was nailed to it and died there. It was the undisputed, greatest miscarriage of justice that the world would ever experience. Things looked pretty bad! But early in the morning three days later a jingling sound began to break through the silence. It was the sound of the keys of death, hell and the grave…….and Jesus was carrying them out of the tomb!! Those things would no longer hold us in fear. They were once and for all….dealt with! He’s Alive Again!!

Tomorrow, when you wake up, …..on the day that we observe the resurrection, consider what happened there in Jerusalem a couple thousand years ago. Pretty amazing! It ain’t just “good news”….. It’s “Great News”!!

Check out this week’s posts:

(*Click on link to read)

The “Only Thing” That Really Works

A ‘Voice’ or an ‘Echo’….Which Are You?

There’s a Charge for Extra Baggage

The ‘Baddest’ Dang Turkey in Arkansas!

“Be Who You Are!”

February 25, 2015April 7, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

This one’s critical, and it can be extremely elusive. We’re created in the image of God; that’s pretty amazing if you think about it! And of all the people on the planet…there’s no two of us alike. The problem is that everything, and everyone, around us is trying to get us to conform to certain behavior patterns and expectations. All these things have the potential to skew and alter our true identity. But the Father has created us to be exquisitely unique…..and to lose our true identity, I believe, is a serious thing in His eyes.

God told Abraham to, “Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father’s house.” I doubt those things were bad, in and of themselves, but God wanted Abraham alone with Him so He could reveal to him his true identity. Your environment, your family and your generational way of thinking has formed you and shaped you, much like Abraham. God began to say things to Abraham that would re-shape him into the man that God had destined him to be. He wants to do the exact same thing with you and I.

The secret to our true identity is hidden in the Lord and we’ll never know ‘who’ we really are until we start to relate to Him as Father and engage with Him relationally. The things that God says to you forms you and shapes you into who you’re supposed to be. If you don’t ‘know’ the Father….you’ll never know ‘who’ you are!

Why is your true identity such an important thing? If you don’t know who you are….chances are great that you won’t be doing with your life what you’re supposed to be doing! Be who you are!!

Lady Gaga, Little Monsters & Jesus!

February 24, 2015February 6, 2017 / Andy R Taylor / 32 Comments

It’s been about three years since Julie and I, Cameron and one of her friends went to a Lady Gaga concert in Oklahoma City. (I’ll wait a few seconds for those of you so righteous that you just sucked all the oxygen out of the room!I)

On the way to the Chesapeake Center where the concert was to be held there were picketers….Christian picketers…..a lot of them, displaying their signs and banners “, “Lady Gaga is the Devil”, “God hates gays”; “You’re going to hell!” …. you know the typical unconditional love stuff that we’re so known for!

An interesting thing that I did not know was that Lady Gaga’s loyal followers are known as “Little Monsters”. They dress up in some of the wildest, most bizarre costumes and get-ups that you could ever imagine. It’s like Halloween on steroids! I’ll have to admit, it was a little out of my comfort zone! But the show was unbelievable; I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lady Gaga, whether you like her or not, is an extremely talented young woman. She can sing, she can dance, she can play the piano. She can do it all!

But there was a point three quarters of the way into the show that I did NOT see coming! House lights out, she’s in the spotlight lying on the stage. She says, “Jesus, …. up there in heaven, …. all those people outside tell me you don’t love me…..but I know that’s not true! I know you love me, and I know you love all these “Little Monsters”, too!” And the bigger part of 20,000+ young people cheered as loud as they possibly could. I had a big lump in my throat; I could barely hold back my tears. And I wondered if anyone had ever told many of these “Little Monsters” that Jesus really does love them. Oh, I know they’ve been told they’re no good and that God’s mad at them. They’ve been reminded of that over and over again but you could tell that they so wanted her words to be true! And I think, somehow, they believed it.

If the Father can’t depend on the church to tell the ‘good news’, He’ll use Lady Gaga, or anyone else He chooses, to let all us “Little Monsters” know how much we’re really loved!

The Truth Does Not ‘Set’ You Free!

February 17, 2015April 8, 2017 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

I bet that got your attention right off the bat! I know how the ‘religious’ mind works….just waiting for anyone to challenge their ‘current’ system of beliefs so they can quickly and decisively chastise the perpetrator so that any other theory other than their own doesn’t get ‘out there’, so to speak. So in some people’s mind the above title is blasphemous.

But it’s a true statement! The bible, in fact, does not say that “the Truth shall set you free”. (John 8:32, ’cause I know you’ll want to look!) it actually says, “the Truth shall ‘make’ you free”; Huge difference if you ask me!

I remember years back the Lord gave me an analogy of that particular verse. Let’s say you had a caged tiger that had been in the cage his whole life. Opening the door to the cage is the equivalent of setting the tiger free. The tiger might, or might not, leave the ‘perceived safety’ of the cage. Hearing truth does not set you free but it carries with it the potential for us to be set free. But the bible says, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall ‘make’ you free”. To be ‘made free’ would be the equivalent of totally removing the cage from the tiger! That’s what happens when we, not only, hear the truth but actually embrace it and act upon it!

…..or we could take an even more basic approach to that familiar verse; Jesus said of Himself, “I Am the Way, The Truth and the Life”. If we embrace Jesus and act on that by faith…..the cage is removed!!

Enjoy your freedom!