You’re Not Welcome Here!

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

In 1988, our last year on the ranch out in the Texas Panhandle, I was taking care of 2500 head of cattle for a guy from Throckmorton, Texas. He’d leased about 30 sections of the Urschel Ranch north of Canadian. I’d make the 35 mile trip from where I lived three times a week and check the cattle there. There was one pasture that had a perfect view overlooking the city of Canadian, Texas. The Lord started dealing with me about praying for Canadian, which I did nearly 3 times a week that entire summer. I had no idea that He had plans for us to plant a church there.

After we left the ranch and moved to Oklahoma I continued to pray for Canadian. 13 years later He started speaking very clearly to us about planting a church there. We felt like the ‘right’ thing to do was first go the the local Ministerial Alliance (made up of all the pastors of the churches there) and tell them of our plans. Well, the response we got was NOT what we hoped for…..by a long shot! Now, get the picture…I was born in Canadian, Texas, and lived in Hemphill County most of my life. Donald Hill (who was going to Pastor the work) was born there and lived there his entire life. Of the other pastors there, the longest tenure of any of them was about 4 years. They were very rude to us, to put it mildly. At one point one of the pastors asked why we thought we needed to plant a church there because, as he said, “We’ve got plenty of churches here”. When I said, “Well, we believe the Lord has told us to”. Then he replied, “Well, that doesn’t impress me at all.” He went on to say, “Yeah, you hear about the kid on TV who says the Lord told him to kill his parents”. I’m thinking….“well, that’s a perfect analogy of what we’re trying to do here!” lol Very rude!

There was one particular pastor who kept fairly quiet. He wasn’t necessarily friendly but he wasn’t rude, either. We found out later that he called the pastor of the same denomination in Sayre. He told him, “These guys came to Canadian saying they are going to plant a church here. There’s been half a dozen groups in the last 10 years try to do that….and they’ve all been gone overnight.” The pastor in Sayre told him, “Well, these guys won’t be gone overnight!” The Canadian pastor asked, “So, what do you think we need to do about it?” The Sayre pastor replied, “You need to welcome them into your town.” “What do you mean, we need to welcome into our town”, he asked. “Because if you’ll welcome them into Canadian…..every other church in town will be better because of them!”

I can’t tell you how good that made me feel. I think it’s primarily due to the fact that we’ve prayed for the other churches in our town for, now, 26 years….and the Lord honors that!

Oh, and that church, The River, is now 14 years old and, true to form, all the other churches in town are better because of The River. And Donald Hill, one of my old beer drinkin’ buddies, is the longest tenured pastor in the city!

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

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 14 Comments

Sitting in a local truck-stop about midnight with some friends when a guy from another table came over to ours’. Keith was a truck driver from a town about an hour away. He said, “I could tell from overhearing you guys that you believe in God.” He went on to say, “I’m in a bad way, I need help.” He then began to pour his heart out to us. Turned out that his wife had left him for his best friend and he was about a low as a man could be. We talked with him for an hour or so, then prayed with him to receive Jesus.

I made it a point to call Keith at least once a week, which I did for a couple of months. He’d have a lot of bad days and a good one here and there. Then one week he called me. I vividly remember the call. He said, “You know you’re always calling me to check in and cheer me up, but today I’m having a really good day….and I just wanted to call and say thank you. I think I’m going to be OK.”

Tried to call him a couple weeks later, but no answer. I tried to call him at least a dozen times over the next month. I bumped into a longtime friend from Keith’s hometown and asked him if he knew Keith. He said that he did and then told me that Keith had been found dead in his truck about a month before of an apparent heart attack. My friend told me about his funeral and said that Keith’s folks had no idea of his decision to receive Jesus.

It was really rewarding to be able to call Keith’s mom and tell her about our midnight truck-stop meeting. You can imagine the peace that it gave her. I also got the opportunity to meet his son a few months later and tell him that his Dad belonged to the Lord….and would be waiting for him in heaven. I think of Keith often and how blessed I was to know him….even if it was just for a short time.

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 6 – Go to God First

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Kingdom people understand that they’re sons and daughters to the Father and their lives are being profoundly transformed as a result of that revelation. They’re people who are ‘growing up’ into their true identity. It’s a lifelong process of evolving into our ‘sonship’…..and we’re becoming more like Him all the time!

Another distinguishing characteristic of a ‘kingdom’ person is the resolve to ‘go to God first’ with the issues of our life. I learned this one the hard way. It’s so easy to decide to do something and then ask God to bless it. And, if you’ve never consulted with Him before about the details of your life….it’s sure better than nothing. But there’s definitely a better way. If it’s true that the Father has an intricate, detailed plan for our life it just makes sense to go to Him first and see what’s in His heart for us. We shouldn’t get in too big a hurry and jump the gun, so to speak. Remember, we’re learning to be led by His Spirit.…and there’s something to be said for ‘waiting on the Lord’.

I totally agree that there’s a delicate balance between waiting on the Lord….and moving out by faith. I sincerely believe that whatever you do with the right heart….God will bless. You’re His kid and He wants to see you do good. But if you want the ‘full blessing’ of the Father on the things you do, we should go to Him first.

Kingdom people do that!

A Father’s Day Reflection

June 22, 2015June 22, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Father’s Day, it’s nice to be honored for being a Dad! As I thought about what I’d teach on Father’s Day (which was yesterday), it became apparent to me that as dads go….I’ve had it pretty good. And while we didn’t grow up going to church, Cliff Taylor really had it together in how to be a great dad. So, in preparing my message for yesterday I wanted to approach it with three emphases. 1) A day to honor The Father. 2) Encourage dads to become ‘spiritual’ fathers. 3) Practical tips for being a great dad. As I remembered the extremely positive things Cliff Taylor (and Charlene Taylor too!!) did in raising my brother, Monty and me….it seemed that these traits would be pertinent for spiritual fathers as well…..and traits that God, our Father, possesses as well.

1) He took us; My dad took us with him anytime it was possible. *We learned a lot just be ‘being with’ him

2) He helped us do things; He made the things that were important to us….important to him…even when he couldn’t really afford it!

3) He taught us; We grew up on a ranch. We learned all kinds of things. We could do things at 10 or 11 that most men couldn’t

4) He was an example; Cliff Taylor was a great example of a man. The most important thing was in how he treated people.

5) He corrected us; He believed in correction! We’re better men, by far, because of it.

6) He believed in us; Somehow he imparted to us that ‘we could do it’

7) He was there; Well, he was literally ‘there’, but he was and still is ( at 86 yrs old) here when we need someone

8) He loved my mom; One of the best things a dad can do for his kids. Good job, Dad!

9) He protected us; There was never a time that we felt in danger when dad was around. Nobody messed with us.

10) He loved us; There was never a question. He said it…..and he showed it!

*God, the Father, is like that too!

Apply these principles with your natural children, and apply them with your ‘spiritual’ children and you’ll be way ahead of the game!

Oh, and incidentally, my Father’s Day was totally off the charts! My youngest son, Clay and his pretty wife, Chelsea announced to us that they’re going to have a baby in January!! What a Father’s Day!!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 2 – Communication With The Father

June 18, 2015June 18, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

It’s an important question and how you answer it will decide how fruitful your spiritual life will be. A ‘kingdom’ person is keenly aware of the ‘moving’ of the Lord in his/her generation. And they’re willing to accept their place in the Body of Christ to make a difference with their life.

Kingdom people have a genuine relationship with the Father and they communicate with Him on a regular basis. The Bible says that we didn’t choose God….He chose us! That’s pretty amazing if you think about it. God could be anything He wanted to be…..and His choice was to be a Father to us. Jesus came to reveal Him, as Father, to us. Even when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray He answered, “Pray like this…..our Father……” That’s Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, giving you and I permission to relate to, and interact with, God exactly like He did! If we don’t wake up to that reality we’ll miss much of what life’s about.

It seems that some people think it’s the Pastor’s job to communicate with God for them….but that’s not true. In fact, it’s ludicrous! Father’s have a driving desire to communicate with their children. Now, think about it; God invented this ‘Father’ stuff and He’s a lot better at it than we are. I’m a dad to 5 awesome kids. They’re all pretty much grown up now but I still love to communicate with them. I like to hear what they’re interested in; I’m concerned when they’re going through trials; I care about every area of their life. I don’t want to intrude but I do want to help them and their families in any way I can. Well as much as you can agree with those things….God’s more interested than I could possibly be! Your pastor is important but remember, your Father wants to talk to you! Kingdom people communicate with their Father!

“Known”

March 26, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

One of the things that frequently comes my way as a pastor is the performing of funerals. It’s kinda amazing what the Lord has done; when I was a young man I’d avoid going to them at all because of the feeling that it left me with. But soon after I was in the ministry I got my first request to do one. I immediately thought, “There’s no way!” Even though I said yes, I wasn’t sure I could do it. But I found that the Lord had given me grace to do it and I made it through the first one. Since that time I’ve done right at 350 more funerals. It’s always an honor to be asked to do a service but it carries with it a good size load of stress. But I figure, compared to the grieving family….I’ve got the easy part.

I recently got a call from the funeral home to do a service. I didn’t recognize the name of the woman but I said yes, anyway. I was sure that I’d know someone in the family but after reading the obituary I, again, didn’t recognize anyone. I met with the family the next day to plan the service and I was sure I’d know at least one of them. Nope, didn’t know any of them, either. It was apparent that the family didn’t have many resources; the cardboard casket was just more evidence of that. On the day of the funeral, I asked the funeral director if he knew this family, to which he said, “No”. I told him that I didn’t know them either, to which he replied, “Well, they know you!” and “They specifically asked for you!”

I can’t explain in words how that made me feel. It’s one thing to be ‘known’ in the company of the ‘elite’, and I guess I have a few acquaintances in that small crowd. But it’s a totally different thing to be ‘known’ in the community of the downtrodden! I can’t remember when anything left me feeling more honored than that!

What Are You Saying to Yourself?

March 24, 2015April 30, 2017 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

I don’t think it’s just me; I think it’s most of us. We have these little conversations in our head fairly often. I call it ‘inner talk’. It might be about something we’re concerned or worried about. It might be about a decision we’re needing to make, or it might be about our relationship with someone or any number of things. At any rate these little conversations have the ability to influence our lives in profound ways.

I think the key thing here is to know when this ‘inner talk’ is productive and when it isn’t. I know, for me, that I can get pretty worked up over things and I can move from calm and collected to discouraged or worried in just a short period of time. There’s a lot of times I go to bed with my mind on something and wake up during the night and engage in inner talk with myself. And most often it’s not very positive. It’s amazing how quickly I can go negative with these little conversations. It can leave me with an uneasiness and from time to time it can cause me some pretty major anxiety.

Here’s what I’m doing to remedy the negative thoughts:

1) Prayer; when we pray, faith is released...and when faith is released my perspective starts to change. I’m a lot more optimistic if I’ll just discipline myself to pray when I go negative with my inner talk and thoughts.

2) The Father’s ‘got my back’!; The Book says that “nothing can separate me from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus”. So, whatever’s going on, I can trust that He’ll help me through it.

3) I’m More Than a Conqueror!: It’s just a fact that we’re going to have tribulation in this life but we’re destined, by Him, to overcome. So maybe, just maybe, there’s some redeeming value to this trial I’m going through.

*I don’t exactly have this one mastered yet but I’m working on it! I’d be interested in your ideas of how we can better deal with our ‘inner talk’.

PS- I do believe we can use these little conversations to speak life into our situations if we’ll just make our ‘inner talk’ positive and uplifting!

“I Yub Oo Too Daddy”

March 5, 2015April 7, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I’ve learned so much from my kids about my relationship with the Father but this one is priceless! Saying “I love you” has been a regular, consistent and heartfelt thing around our house since Julie and I were married 38 years ago, …and it still is today. We were only married a year when Clint was born and our lives have been rich, as parents of 5 phenomenal kids.

I’ve found that God is faithful to instruct us in whatever situations we find ourselves in. But being a parent offers, maybe, the best scenario of being in the ‘school of life’ and for learning from Him.

When one of my little boys (I’ll withhold his name so as not to risk any chance of embarrassment) was just beginning to learn to talk I’d catch myself 10-15 times a day telling him “I love you”, to which he’d reply, “I yub oo too, Daddy”. First off, I do love him….but the Lord got me to thinking about it. And it became apparent that the thing that I enjoyed the most about it was that I loved to hear him tell me in his unique little way that he loved me too.

The Lord showed me that my little boy had absolutely no idea, whatsoever, what the word ‘love’ meant. And that for you and I and our understanding of love compared with God’s concept of love is exactly the same. Although we’re learning…there’s still a great distance between our understanding of love…and what love means to Him! He doesn’t just ‘have’ love….He is love!!

Here’s what I learned;

1) When you tell someone that you love them….it means to them what love means to them!

2) So when my little toddler said, “I yub oo too, Daddy”, it meant to me what love means to me! *That’s why I loved hearing it as much as I did. We have a need to be loved….and hearing it is important.

3) So, (It gets better!) when you tell the Father that you love Him…….it means to Him what love means to Him!!

4) So, as our understanding of love grows, and even if there’s a vast difference in our concept and His….keep telling the Father you love Him because I believe He really likes to hear it!!

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!

“Loosen Up, Sandy Baby!”

February 18, 2015April 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

I don’t know if you’ll remember that particular phrase or not, but I sure do, and it makes me laugh every time I think about it! John Riggins, a great pro football player, said that to Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor at a Presidential Gala back in the ’80’s.

John Riggins was a Kansas University, All-American running back who went on to the NFL’s Washington Redskins where he was named NFL’s MVP in 1983 and later inducted into the National Football League Hall of Fame. He was a great running back and a very colorful character, to say the least! Invited to a big DC party along with a bunch of other ‘big whigs’, John proceeded to drink………a lot! Sitting across from Justice O’Connor and apparently noticing her high-society looks and maybe a remark or two in his direction, John says, “Loosen up, Sandy baby!” It made the national news. John ended up asleep under the table (probably passed out) during the President’s speech.

I like John Riggins even though he might’ve went a little far with his drinking on that particular night. But I think all of us could stand a good-size dose of his advice to Sandy! Life is serious, I mean really serious. And it brings with it all kinds of things to stress about. I’m like you…I can get so caught up in that kind of stuff sometimes that it can really get me down.

Worry is not healthy and it fights directly against our faith. I have to continually remind my own self of that. Statistics say, and looking back it’s been true for me as well, that about 75% of the things we worry about never happen anyway! That just says that we’re wasting a lot of valuable time not fully enjoying life. I’ve been guilty of that, but I’m trying to do better…..and I think I am doing some better at it. As many times as the Lord has rescued me, I should know as good as anyone that He’s got my back! If we’re going to get any real enjoyment out of life we’re going to have to learn to take John’s advice and ‘loosen up’!

Who knew that John Riggins’, “Loosen up, Sandy baby” would be so prophetic?!