25,000; Twenty-Five Thousand; 25K; 25 Large!

August 1, 2015August 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

That’s how many “Views” I’ve received on my blog, “The Way I See It”, since January 1 (25,145 as of this post!). I’ve posted 130 times. Whoever you are, where ever you are….I appreciate you taking the time to read the blogs! It’s my deepest desire that the blog has blessed you in some way. Give me some feedback! What are your favorite blogs? Mention two or three that have helped you in some way. Hit the “Share” button on FaceBook so your FB friends can access the blog.

Listed below are the Top-Ten Blog Posts ranked by how many times they’ve been read. If you haven’t read them….do it now! If you have….you might want to read them again. I’ve also included a few that are some of my very favorite. *By clicking on the red link you can go straight to that blog. I’d like to grow the, “The Way I See It”, family so I’m asking you to “Share” when you like a post and recommend that your friends become “Followers”.

Lady Gaga, Little Monsters & Jesus!

All I Know is God Loved John Very, Very Much!

VIP #4 – Paul Luchsinger

VIP #1 – Booger Bryant

Quit Telling Me What the Problem Is!

Bless the Lloyd!

“Keith” – It Was a Short Friendship….But a Good One!

Branson to Cherokee – The Longest Night I Ever Spent

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

You’re Not Welcome Here!

………..and a few of my very favorite ones.

“Obviously, I’m God’s Favorite”!

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

It Ain’t Grace’s Fault!

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

How Gunnar Payne Changed the World!

……….or if you just need a good laugh!

The ‘Baddest’ Dang Turkey in Arkansas!

That Whole, “Greet the Brethren With a Holy Kiss” Thing, is Waaay Overrated!!

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

Thanks again for reading the blogs!! Weigh in on your favorites and spread the word!!

THANKS!!

Listen More …….. Learn More!

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Someone said it this way, “We have two ears and one mouth, therefore we should listen twice as much as we talk”. I don’t think that’s bad advice. It’s actually some advice that I should take myself. I’m a ‘talker’. That can be good …..and bad. Because of what I do I’m expected to talk in a lot of different situations. So, in that respect, talking can be a good thing. But there are times when the ‘talkers’, like myself, need to pipe down and just listen. It’s something I’m working on.

I’m actually a decent listener when I’m in a personal counseling session. It’s important in spiritual counseling to discern what the real issue is so that we can pray specifically and strategically. Oftentimes a person will talk all around the issue without ever disclosing the ‘real’ problem. A good listener is able to discern what’s at the core and then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, approach the solution.

My achilles heel is when I’m in a room with several people and the discussion is in full swing. I have a tendency to talk too much. I’ll cut people off sometimes in the middle of their conversation; sometimes I’ll talk over people. I don’t mean to be rude or disrespectful. It’s really a bad habit….and like I said, “I’m working on it”. Communication, and being a communicator can sometimes collide. Healthy communication involves a good balance between talking and listening.

I want to be a lifelong learner. I even encourage others to be learners. It think it’s important. I know that if we’re learning….we’re growing. I don’t know that it’s impossible to learn while you’re speaking, but it’s a no-brainer that it is much easier to learn something if you’re listening. Listening is an art! It’s something that we can all work on to improve. So, I’m going to commit myself to “Listen More – Learn More”!!

There’s Just Something About ‘That Name’!!

July 30, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

After we had moved from the ranch in the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma, we still went to church for a time in Allison, Texas. This particular Sunday we had come back the 30 miles to our house. Our great friends, Daryle and Carrie Perry and their daughter Micah came to our house for lunch. After lunch we were just sitting around, hanging out and visiting when one of our boys yelled at us from our bedroom. Clay, who at the time was about 2, had taken the lid off the toothpaste and in trying to taste it had swallowed the lid. He was choking and gasping for air when I got into the room. You can imagine the panic that ensued!

By now we’re all in the room as I grabbed him and tried to reach in his mouth for the lid. No luck! I handed Clay to Carrie who is a very proficient nurse and she did everything she knew to do to dislodge the lid…..but to no avail. Just so you can grasp the chaos of the situation, there was total panic on all of us. It was the worst feeling you could possibly imagine. Clay had turned blue and the clock was ticking!

I grabbed him from Carrie and went to the floor with him. I reached into his mouth as deep as I possibly could (Afterward I had bite marks high upon my wrist!) and could just barely touch the lid with the tip of my finger. There was just no way I was going to be able to get it out that way. Clay had become limp and blue…and beginning to be lifeless. The situation was getting dimmer! Out of total fear of the worst-case scenario, and utter desperation I yelled at the top of my lungs, “In the Name of Jesus, Come Out!!”.

I no sooner got the words out when that toothpaste lid shot out of Clay’s mouth like a missile onto the floor! He took in a huge breath of air and immediately everything was OK! We all just sat down on the floor crying….out of relief.

The Name of Jesus has power! Using that Name ‘saved the day’ for us there on the bedroom floor 25 years ago (and a lot of other times since then, too!), and It’ll save the day for you too!

By The Numbers

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I was thinking a few days ago about what I do and just wondered how many times I’ve preached a message, how many funerals I’ve presided over, how many ‘corporate’ prayer meetings I’ve led, how many ‘ministry’ school sessions I’ve taught in, how many conferences I’ve spoken at, how many civic events I’ve been asked to speak at, how many marriages I’ve performed, how many different churches I’ve spoken at, how many ‘small group’ meetings I’ve led, how many youth camp services I’ve led, how many graduations I’ve spoken at, ordination services I’ve been a part of, etc. So, I thought I’d try to count it up. It’s a ‘ballpark’ guess at best and I’m trying to be conservative.

Sunday/Wednesday Messages: 2125

Funerals: 350

Prayer Meetings Led: 1144

Ministry School Sessions: 60

Conference Messages: 60

Civic Events: 35

Marriages: 100

Different Churches: 60

Led Small Groups: 100

Youth Camp Messages: 100

Graduations: 20

Ordination Services: 40

Misc.: 25

Grand Total: 4319

……in addition to that…..

Newspaper Articles: 550

Blogs: 125

Small Group Lessons: 100

Radio Shows: 85

Camp of Champions XIII

June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

The Camp of Champions is an amazing project. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the most unique church camp you could ever find. It’s a Christian Rodeo Camp for kids ages 6-16. This year marked the 13th year for the COC. In the previous 12 years there’s been no less than 1000 boys and girls who’ve given their lives to the Lord during the camp. It’s the largest camp of it’s kind on the planet It’s a camp hosted by our church, Trinity Fellowship in Sayre, Oklahoma.

There’s been many Junior rodeo champions, High School champs, Collegiate champs and even a PRCA World Champion Bull Rider who have been enrolled in The Camp of Champions. We’re proud of all the boys and girls who have attended and have gone on to success in the rodeo arena….but we’re more proud that we have been able to influence, in a small way, kids who learn to be successful in life due to their relationship with the Lord. We’re “Developing Champions in, and out, of the Arena”!

The Instructors at the COC are literally a “Who’s Who” of the rodeo world. But they’e not just great rodeo hands…..they’re great hands for the Lord! They’re men and women who understand what their career is/was actually about…..INFLUENCE! They don’t come here for the money. To be honest…it’s not all that much. They come here to help give these kids a ‘leg up’ in their rodeo events, and a ‘leg up’ in their relationship with the Father.

Unlike a lot of Christian youth camps we intentionally do not try to scare them with hell so they’ll make a decision for salvation. We don’t try to manipulate or coerce them in any way. We believe that the Holy Spirit is good enough at His job that we don’t have to resort to those funky, non-Jesus, tactics. If I were a parent of a kid in the COC….I’d really appreciate that.

It takes a lot of people working selflessly to pull it off each year. We’ve got the greatest bunch of volunteers around here that I’ve ever seen assembled anywhere! Many take their vacation to help with the COC.

Highlights of Camp of Champions XIII:

* 50 + decisions to receive Jesus as Savior

* Young adults who have came up through the camp and are now top notch instructors…and great speakers in the tent

* A lot of tired, but extremely rewarded helpers who were instrumental in kids experiencing relationship with God

You Don’t Have to Have Had a Good Dad to be a Good Dad…..!

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

When it comes to dads I’ve had it better than about anyone I know! Cliff Taylor is about the best example of a dad you could possibly have. To this day he’s the hardest working man I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen him do business on his ‘word’ all my life. I’ve never once in my 61+ years seen him do one person wrong. He’s been a great example to me in every facet of his life. But more important than all of that is how he’s been as a dad. He gave my brother, Monty, and I a pattern of how a dad really ought to be. He helped us, nurtured us and loved us….both in word and in deed. So, as dads go, I’ve had the very best……I would have no excuse if I were a failure as a dad. I think I’m a decent dad myself. I doubt if I’m as good as he was but I’m still getting better, after 37 years.

These days I see lots of men that are good dads but one of the things that amazes me are these men that had a ‘no-good’ dad (by their own admission), but themselves are some of the best dads out there. I love that! I think much of it derives from wanting to do more for their children than was done for them. And the sense of pain and mental anguish that they might have experienced, they’re not willing to let their own little ones experience. I admire that a lot.

Of course, the best case scenario is that we had a good dad to begin with. I have learned something over the past 15 years or so and it proves to nearly always be true. As we come into our ‘sonship’ with the Father….we start to take on His characteristics. Those who are becoming aware of that sonship and who are engaging in relationship with the Father, I think, ….make the very best dads.

There’s so many benefits of connecting relationally with the Father and this is just one…..but it’s an important one! You don’t have to have had a good dad to be a good dad…..but if you’re in the process of learning to be a ‘son’ from the Father, you’ll be an exceptional dad!!

The Very Least We Can Do Is Have a “Day” For Them!!

May 10, 2015May 10, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Mother’s Day! Heck yeah! That’s a holiday we should all get behind. The value of a mother could never be over-communicated. Moms deserve to be recognized, honored and maybe even pampered a little. After all, they’ve spent a good deal of their life carrying, feeding, doctoring, nurturing, grooming, cuddling, cleaning up after, dressing, giving, shopping for, honoring, supporting, interceding for, building up, caring for, educating, fiercely protecting, taxiing to all kinds of activities, sacrificing for, encouraging, instructing, defending, gently correcting and most important of all……loving us and our children!

I’ve had the incredible blessing to have the greatest Mom in the world! She did all those things I listed above…and a whole lot more for my brother and me. As Mom’s go, she never missed a single thing in our growing up and has continued to be a voice of stability and encouragement in our adult years as well. She has always been extremely supportive in anything we’ve ever done and would fight a grizzly bear for us, even to this day! The older I get, the more I realize how important she has been to me in my life. I’m beyond grateful!

I would bet that nobody on earth could come close to being as good a Mom as mine, that is, until I married Julie and we had Clint after just being married a year! Then I saw her in action as a Mom and, I’ll be danged, she was just as good with our kids as Mom was with us. She put her own dreams on the back-burner and never wavered as an awesome Mom! Her whole life has been devoted to doing all those things listed above, and more, for our kids….for the past 37 years. There couldn’t have been a better one anywhere on the planet for our bunch. I don’t even have the words to adequately communicate how grateful I am for Julie, and the stability she’s brought to our home as a Mom! Don’t be surprised if you happen to look in the dictionary, under “mother”, and see a picture of Charlene Taylor and Julie Taylor. Because they embody, and exemplify, every single thing that an authentic Mother should be.

So to just have a ‘day’ to honor our Moms seems kind of like a ‘rip-off’ to me! We ought to have a Mother’s Month…..but if you can’t see your way to do that, be sure and make Today a great day for Mom! She deserves it!

We Oughta Get Our Ducks in a Row!! Part 3 – Parenting Our Children

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Getting our ducks in a row involves setting our priorities in proper order. #1 on that list is to give our spiritual life the attention that it needs. #2 is making your relationship with our spouse as important as it’s really supposed to be. It just makes sense that #3 would be to work on our responsibility as parents.

Being a parent is one of the greatest blessings that we can experience in our lifetime. Children are a ‘gift’ of the Lord. I’ve often said, and I totally believe it’s true that the love we have for our children is exactly like the love the Father has for us. We don’t love our children because we’re supposed to; we don’t love them because it’s the ‘noble’ thing to do; we don’t love them because it’s right; No, while all those things may be somewhat true…..we love our children just exactly like the Father loves us…..because He can’t help it!!

This is not a conclusive treatise and I’m far from an expert on parenting but I have learned a few things in my 38 years of being a dad. Some of those things I’ve learned the hard way….by doing them wrong first. Maybe I can pass along a few tips so you won’t have to learn them that way.

Everything we’ve done down through the years, we’ve done as a family…..I mean the ‘whole crew’! That’s one of the things that I think we really got right! We hardly ever missed any activities that our kids were involved in. That’s quite a challenge when you have as many kids as we had! There were a lot of days I’d come home from work to find a note from Julie that she had gone to one of the kid’s soccer games. I’d head out and make a baseball game of one of the the others. Those things, I think, are really important!

We all have to work for a living but our jobs are never more important than our children. It’s a challenge but we need to learn to adjust our lives so we’re able to spend quality time with our kids. We’ve done a good job in showing and telling our kids that they’re loved. We’ve disciplined them. We’ve tried to release them so they could each be the person the Lord wants them to be. All those things say loud and clear, “I love you”!

If You Love Someone….You Should Tell Them!

April 29, 2015July 23, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 10 Comments

I’ve had the amazing good fortune to have grown up in a household where the term, “I love you”, was a very regular happening. Cliff and Charlene Taylor never let an opportunity to say it, go by. I think I’d be safe in saying that Monty (my brother) and I heard “I love you” from them most every day of our young lives. I’ve never had to go a single day in my 61 years wondering if I was loved by them. They’re now in their ’80’s and live just a few blocks from me. I see them several times a week and talk to them on the phone almost every day, and every single time, without exception, we tell one another, “I love you”! I think it makes a difference.

We have a ‘built-in’ need to be loved, and hearing it from those around us goes a long ways in meeting that need. Of course, to say it and not show it with our actions doesn’t do much good. It really, really needs to be both! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened in my office to men and women, some younger, some older than me, who agonize over the fact that their dad never told them that he loved them. I don’t think I’ve ever heard even one of them say that their mom never told them that she loved them. Maybe moms are better at it…..and maybe it’s the validation of a father that we so desperately need. In most cases, it isn’t a situation where the dad didn’t love them….I think it’s more of an issue that they, maybe, weren’t told that themselves. And, in our culture,….as wrong as it may be, men saying “I love you” just isn’t cool.

I’m on a lifelong crusade to encourage you, whoever you are, to tell the people in your life that you love them! I’ve seen quite a few by now that didn’t grow up in an “I love you’ culture, who have broken the pattern. It has changed everything for the better….they all agree! If you love someone, by all means, show them by your actions. But don’t forget to tell them too!

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

March 17, 2015April 7, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 5 Comments

Why? It’s just healthy, that’s why! Julie and I were sitting watching America’s Funniest Videos a few days ago, which we never do. It was just on and we didn’t change the channel. I started watching and there was just one funny video clip after another. Some of them were, of course, funnier than others….and some of them I literally laughed out loud. I even did the TIVO thing and watched several of them three or four times. What I noticed is that my general demeanor just naturally changed from laughing at the video clips. And it changed in a really positive way. I just felt better!

I’m pretty sure that most of us don’t laugh enough. I mean, life IS serious.…it really is. And it can really take a toll on us over the course of time. It can, and will, erode our emotional state to the point of anxiety and depression if we let it. Most everyone agrees, and it has even been proven scientifically, that a poor attitude (sad, discouraged, discontent, angry, bitter, etc.) eventually begins to affect our health in some very negative ways.

I firmly believe that we need to do something to offset the emotional damage that’s being done to us. And if you ask me, laughter is one certain way to do it! I know you’re thinking, “Easier said than done!” Here’s a few things that I think might help: 1) Get an eternal perspective; If you belong to the Lord, everything is, somehow, going to work out in the long-haul. Jesus even said that we were to have “His joy”!! 2) Learn to laugh at yourself! That’s definitely been one that has worked for me over the years. It works for me to ‘not’ take myself so seriously! 3) Identify things that make you laugh; My grandkids make me happy…..even writing now I smile when I think about them! *And if your attitude is in ICU, Google a baby that gets so tickled that he can’t quit laughing and that’ll get you going! 4) Chill out! Yeah, really…..just chill out a little bit. You can do it with a little effort.