Relationships

Shift Happens!

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

 Well, I bet that got your attention….for all the wrong reasons, too, no doubt! Lol. I’m not talking about the bumper sticker that you’re so familiar with, although there is some common ground between that and what I’m writing about today.

I was having a conversation with a young guy about a week ago. He’s a very sharp young guy…and one that I’d consider a ‘son’ in the Lord. He has tons of potential, and for his age displays a lot of character and maturity. I often think about how far ahead of the ‘curve’ he and a bunch of other young ones, are….compared to where I was, spiritually, in my mid to late ’20’s. It’s truly a blessing to see…and to know that I at least have had a little bit of influence with them is extremely rewarding.

He’s at a ‘juncture’ in his life; not a bad place at all but a place where he really doesn’t know exactly what to do. It’s the Lord that has brought him to this place….and it’ll be the Lord that’ll direct him from here. I do appreciate these young guys ‘leaning’ on me at times like this but I’m determined to never take the place of the Lord in their lives. And, while, many times I know exactly what decision they should make….I nearly always think it’s best to let them…and the Lord flesh it out. It seems to work and I really think the Lord likes that scenario a bunch better. But the most important thing that happens is the person learns to put his dependency on the Lord…..and not on me. That’s very, very healthy!

Times like these form and shape young believers (old ones too!) into their true identity. That’s where the title of this blog comes into play. When we’re faced with an issue, a problem or a dilemma and we arrive at the point of decision….there’s a ‘shift’ that takes place. The new understanding brings us into a ‘new’ place, a new point of perspective; we automatically begin to see things different. And in more ways than one….everything changes!

So, roll with it! And, keep in mind that anyone who’s serious about following the Lord is going to face a lot of times like that. It’s just a normal part of ‘the journey’. So the next time you see the ‘other bumper sticker’, let it be a reminder that ‘Shift Really Does Happen’!!

If you’re interested in one of my very favorite topics, “Hearing the Lord”, you really should read these:

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 1

“What’s The Lord Telling You?” Part 2

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

You’re Better at Hearing the Lord Than You Think You Are!

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The Parable of Pedro Flores Pt 2

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It would sure help if you’ve seen Lonesome Dove. I joke about Lonesome Dove all the time, telling people that they’re not ’rounded out’ spiritually until they’ve seen it several times. But, seriously, it’s a great movie. Larry McMurtry’s a great writer any way you look at it. But, even hardcore Lonesome Dove fans may not know there are actually four books in the Lonesome Dove series. The first, Dead Man’s Walk (1996), chronicles the lives of the young Texas Rangers, Augustus McRae and Woodrow Call. Comanche Moon (1998)  covers the ranger’s middle aged years. Lonesome Dove (1985), the later…almost over the hill years. And Streets of Laredo (2000), the sequel and last in the series. I highly recommend them all if you liked Lonesome Dove. Interestingly enough….I’ve read those…. but never actually read Lonesome Dove. (I have, however, watched it 9 times!)

I recently wrote “The Parable of Pedro Flores”. *(Click on link to read) It’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie. But there’s another little part of the scene that I was reminded of that just kinda ‘tops it off’. The person who reminded me is a good friend and a ‘lawman’ cut from much the same cloth as Gus and Woodrow. (You know who you are, DM) But, the culmination of that whole scene happened when Gus & Woodrow stole the herd of horses back from Mexican bandito, Pedro Flores, in the middle of the night. Flores was as surprised as he could possibly be at all the commotion taking place when there in the darkness Gus appeared horseback and the two made unmistakable eye contact. It was then in the midst of the chaos that Gus, not fifteen feet away from Flores, tipped his hat in true Texas fashion, …..and in doing so implied to Pedro….“Got you again!!”  And, as good as Pedro Flores was at stealing and pilfering…..the Rangers were better!

Again, I see parallels with our spiritual life. Our adversary, the devil, is a formidable foe, indeed. But armed and equipped as you are he’s just no match for you. We’ve been given ‘authority’ over all the power of the enemy. He knows that….but sometimes we don’t know it, or act like it. I agree that it’s nothing to be arrogant about, that would surely guarantee our defeat. But maybe you should, when things seem the darkest, remind yourself of just ‘who’ you are and, with a profound confidence (in Him!), tip your hat to the enemy like Gus did Pedro and make your way on back home with your ‘stuff’!!

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Tragedy in Dallas: What Can I Do? Part 2

/ Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

Serious times here in the good ‘ol U S of A! The tragedy in Dallas is the most recent in a seemingly unending nightmare of mass shootings. It comes on the heels of another hate crime and terroristic catastrophe in Orlando. Omar Mateen, a Muslim ISIS influenced loyalist, entered a gay bar two weeks ago, heavily armed. He killed 49 people and wounded another 53 before he was killed by a member of the SWAT team. It’s just now coming to light and being reported that Micah Johnson, the Dallas shooter, had strong ties to Islam, himself. Radical Islam is a term that we’re hearing almost every day now. But it’s a term that our President refuses to utter. I think we all know why!! It’s a problem that’s growing by the day and something must be done immediately to close the door.

Racial tension is at a fever pitch, the most intense that I can remember in my lifetime. If it wasn’t for knowing the Lord has our solutions it’d be extremely discouraging. I’ve thought about how we should respond as humans, as Americans….but more important as Christians. Here’s a few practical things that each of us can do that I think’ll make a difference.

  1. Pray! It always makes a difference. As you pray your level of faith will rise.
  2. Take it to the Lord. Inquire of the Lord ‘how’ you should pray. When you do that your prayers will be strategic.
  3. Get the facts. There’s so much false and conflicting information out there by the media that it takes work to find out the ‘actual’ truth.
  4. Be an agent of positive change. Each of us has a ‘circle of influence’. We can influence those around us in a positive way.
  5. Watch your mouth! This one may be just for me! It’s so easy for me to go negative with my mouth. It’s not good….it doesn’t work!
  6. Be careful with your social media comments and responses. *Everything your read on FaceBook is NOT true! Don’t treat it as such!
  7. Pray for and Support law enforcement. Now, more than ever they need our support!
  8. Use your ‘voice’ – The larger your audience – The greater your responsibility. Speak truth; speak with maturity.
  9. Don’t take the ‘bait’!  – Love instead! Lots of ‘race baiting’ out there right now. Be wise!
  10. Stay the course! This is not an overnight fix. Don’t get discouraged, don’t throw in the towel.

As believers it’s our responsibility to bring ‘light’ during these ‘dark’ times.

Let’s make a difference!

This is not a conclusive list. I’d be interested in your own thoughts. Let me hear from you!

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Tragedy in Dallas: What Can I Do?

/ Andy R Taylor / 5 Comments

What a nightmare in Dallas! Police officers taking to the streets at a ‘Black Lives Matter’ march to protect the people’s ‘right to demonstrate’,  when the unthinkable happened. A lone gunman (supposedly) from an elevated position shoots eleven and kills five! Purportedly because he was upset by a couple of recent incidents where black people were killed by white cops.

This scenario has become all too familiar in our country. It’s a phenomenon that was virtually unheard of a generation ago. I remember as a kid when the guy went up in the tower on the University of Texas campus (Aug 1, 1966) and began shooting. Before the day was over, Charles Whitman, an engineering student, had shot forty-nine people, sixteen of them fatally. (starting earlier in the day with his wife and mother) Then there was the Post Office shooting in Edmond, Oklahoma. (Aug 20, 1986) A disgruntled worker entered the post office and began shooting. In roughly fifteen minutes twenty people were shot….and fourteen of them died.

These tragic events have become all to common in America. They’re happening at such an alarming rate that, as a culture, we don’t have time to recover from one to the other. Adding to the problem is the perception (maybe just my own perception) that the current administration is determined to fuel the flames of racial tension. There are a number of things that must change if this trend is going to be turned around. I’m certainly no expert, ….but I care, and it’s something I think about. There’s some practical things that we, as individuals…and Christian individuals more specifically, can do. But, first, a few things that would certainly help the dilemma.

  1. As a society we need to come to the realization….and the conclusion that “All Lives Matter”, and then flesh it out! As simple as that seems….it’s not being done.
  2. It seems that there’s an agenda to divide us all. “A house divided can’t stand”. We need to resist the temptation to be divided
  3. There needs to be more ‘voices of reason’ rising up among the black community. It’s just my opinion but there needs to be more Ben Carson, Allen West, David Brown (Dallas Police Chief) and David Clark (Sherriff, Milwaukee)….and less Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan.
  4. Responsibility in the media; Stop politicizing every. single .thing.! Stop giving airtime to race-baiters and hate groups.
  5. We need the help from the highest office! Racial tension is the highest since the 60’s! My opinion again, but not only are we not getting help…Obama is adding fuel to the fire.
  6.  The church needs to ‘rise up’!  We should be the voice of truth and reason during these uncertain times. The answers and solutions for the world’s deepest problems should come from the church! It’s gonna take a lot of help from the Lord to sort this one out! *We can’t be uninvolved!

I’ll write in Part 2 the things we can do as individuals. America has been the greatest nation on the planet. We’re at a juncture. What we do here will determine our fate for generations. It’s that important!

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A ‘Week at a Glance’

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Here’s a quick look at my posts from last week. If you happened to miss them, you can ‘binge’ read all of ’em in a matter of a few minutes.

*(Click on any highlighted link to read)

Dependently Independent!  – Some insight into the reality that, by grace, we’ve been given ‘liberty’ and my opinion as to what we should do with that liberty.

Did NOT See That Coming! – My thoughts on Kevin Durant’s decision to leave OKC

Have a Nice Day, Lord! – You’ll like this one! Helping the Lord to ‘Have a Nice Day’

The Parable of Pedro Flores – Spiritual insights from the movie, “Lonesome Dove”

“Cowboy Christmas” – A glimpse of what I was doing 35 years ago. A couple of pics, too.

Lives Matter! – A ‘re-post’ from May of last year in response to the recent events in Dallas

If you find the posts helpful, please share them with your contacts. Please go to www.andyrtaylor.com and click the “Follow” link. …..and as usual Thank You for taking the time to read my blog!

AT

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Have a Nice Day, Lord!

/ Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

It’s been a real adventure raising 5 kids. We had Clint, our first, only a year into our marriage..and the parental learning process began. Parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you’ll do in your life. We’ve enjoyed every minute of it even though there’s been plenty of things to work through with each of them. I will say, looking back, that the years of raising kids goes by incredibly fast.

We have thousands of great memories from those years. One of those memories is when we started praying before meals. We’d often take turns and let the kids if they were willing, pray a lot of the time. I’ll never forget how one of our boys, who was about three at the time, often prayed. I’d help him get started and then he’d take it from there. He had just a little lisp at the time and his prayer would go something like this: “God, Bleth Mom and Dad, Bleth my brotherth, bleth MeMaw and Papaw….and uh…..have a nithe day, God!” It was about the sweetest prayer you’ve ever heard. I can’t help but think the Lord, Himself, loved the prayer and especially the part where He was told to, “Have a nithe day.” He probably doesn’t hear that too often.

I was thinking about that recently and I made a little Top-10 list of the things that should help the Father to have a ‘nithe’ day: 

  1. Get to know Him….No, I mean, really get to know Him! *He wants to be relational with you. Interact, and relate to Him as Father!
  2. Receive His ‘gift’! *Salvation is free……Receive it!
  3. Find your place/Discover your destiny! *You’ve been gifted so you can be a functional contributor to the Body of Christ. Get in the process of finding out how you’re gifted!
  4. Gravitate into your ‘sonship’! *He has handpicked you to be His son/daughter. Make the most of it….and keep it simple!
  5. Be ‘who’ you are! *There’s no one like you. Don’t try to be anyone else!
  6. Use your faith! *Learn to be led by the Holy Spirit!
  7. Get along! *Be a peacemaker! Dad’s love it when their kids get along!
  8. Get back up! *Everybody gets knocked down….not everybody gets back up!
  9. Be a ‘learner’! *It’s a lifetime endeavor. Make every day a day to learn!
  10. Be ‘free’! Jesus died for us to be free; free from sin…free from the Law! Enjoy your freedom!

Don’t forget…..He’s already extremely proud of you and He wants to see you succeed in every area of your life! And, maybe sometime in your prayer time, you can even tell Him to “Have a nithe day”!

You might like these, too:

Good Ground Grows Good Weeds, Too!

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

Hell Fire, and Brimstone!

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Hell fire and brimstone; that’s the term some use for preaching, or ministry, that threatens the listeners with the dangers of hell if they don’t turn from their wicked ways. It’s a style of ministry that, sadly, still finds its way in churches today. I’m not sure what the proponents of that kind of preaching think its merits might be. Personally, I don’t think much good comes from it. But you know, some people will make a decision based on their fear of hell, I guess, and I’m sure that decision is as valid as any other. It’s certainly not my style, and it’s not in any direction I’m headin’ towards.

I had a conversation a few years back with someone who commented about how much he liked that kind of preaching. He went on to say that people out there that are living in sin need to hear it in that ‘turn or burn’ terminology so they’ll, out of fear, run to God! I kinda got the feeling from this guy that he fancied himself to be pretty holy, and righteous, and that his own personal approach with his friends not walking with the Lord was the “hell fire and brimstone” method. I really wanted to ask, “Well, how’s that workin’ out for ‘ya?”, but I didn’t! But, I can make a pretty calculated guess…...It ain’t workin’! It also makes me wonder if the guy ever spends much time with the Lord at all.

The worst thing about that kind of ministry is that it conjures up a totally inaccurate image of Who God is, in the first place. That’s a pretty serious mistake, if you ask me. Here’s the thing; You and I will ‘portray’ to the world the “God we know“. That’s just another good reason that each of us should connect relationally with Him as Father. If He’s been portrayed to you by one of these HF & B preachers you’ll believe He’s mean,‘unappeasable’ and out to get you. That would be a gross misrepresentation, to put it mildly!

The gospel needs to be presented in the ‘right’ way! It is, after all, “The Good News”! As we connect personally, and relationally, with the Father we’ll find the Truth that the Bible talks about.

It’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.

Check these out:

You Got to Me Too Late!

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

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It Was a Great Answer!

/ Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

If you’re not familiar with our Camp of Champions, you should check it out. It’s just about the most unique church camp you’ll ever bump into. It’s a rodeo church camp. There’s a few others out there but I’d estimate that ours’ is the biggest of its kind anywhere. This was our 14th year and as usual we had participants from about 8 states. It’s for boys and girls age 6-16 who have their sights set to participate in Jr. rodeo. In the 14 years since the inception of the Camp of Champions we’ve had several national junior rodeo champs, high school rodeo champs, college champions and even a PRCA world champion!

Instructors for the Camp of Champions is a virtual “Who’s Who” in the rodeo world. There’ve been too many world champions to mention who give their time and energy for a few days to help these kids in their respective rodeo events…but they’re also ‘champions’ in their walk with the Lord. Rodeo instruction takes place in the daytime and there are tent services at night with the instructors doing testimonies and most of the ministry. In the past 14 years there’s been well over a thousand young people who’ve given their lives to the Lord without any ‘pressure’ from us! We believe that the Holy Spirit is good enough at what he does that we don’t have to try to manipulate or frighten kids into making a decision. Jesus didn’t do that…..so we’re not going to do it either! 

I learned a long time ago that you don’t have to convince kids that God is real…..or that He’s good! They already know…..and they already believe! But during our camp recently I was reminded again of just how much the Father has already done for us to enable us to believe. It was on the last night service of the camp. There were over 80 boys, and about twice that number of parents, instructors and helpers under the tent. I was closing out the service when I asked a couple of really simple questions. “Do you believe in Jesus?” It was unanimous! I think every kid and adult in the tent responded with a loud, resounding “Yes”! I then asked the question, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” …..and it was unanimous again. But, this time, not one single person answered, I mean, total silence! It was 100% quiet! And, it suddenly occurred to me that, that was a great answer!! 

Here’s my reasoning; The Bible is clear that we’ve all been given ‘the’ measure of faith. It’s the same quality of faith that God used when He ‘spoke’ the world into being. It’s faith to believe in Jesus, His Son, even when we can’t even tell you “why”. I heard someone say it this way one time; “I just know down in my ‘knower'”! It’s that deep, God given, assurance of the reality that He exists….and that He’s good!

So, if you can say you believe in Jesus but you just can’t answer why…..That’s a great answer!!

Maybe you should tell Him, “Thanks”!

Check these out, too:

The Thing About Unconditional Love

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

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Anyplace With You

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It was just a couple of weeks ago. I had bought Julie tickets for a Barry Manilow concert. Now, not one thing against Barry Manilow….great songwriter, great artist…..and as it turns out….not a bad performer, either. But, he’s just not up at the top of my list of entertainers that I would pay much to see do a “live” performance. It was the day of the concert and one of the girls she had asked to go with her, couldn’t. Then she called another of her friends who couldn’t go, either. I desperately suggested another person or two. I may, or may not have, even prayed about it! *(okay, I did! “C’mon Lord….help a feller out!) So, then, my number came up! She text me and said, “Well, it looks like it’s you”! I text back, “You think I’ll be the only ‘guy’ there?” She replied, “Probably!”

We had a great drive up to OKC. I always enjoy Julie. But, surprisingly, I found myself enjoying the trip and even anticipating the evening ahead a lot more than I expected. I did, however, leave my ‘man card’ in the car for fear that they’d frisk me at the door and confiscate it from me. But, seriously, I had this thought, “You know, ….anywhere with Julie…..is better than anywhere else, without her.” I’m not trying to be ‘gushy’ but it’s really true when I think about it. Well, the concert was a lot better than I anticipated. I did actually enjoy it! *Keep that to yourself if you don’t mind!

I think I also learned a ‘spiritual lesson’ from that trip. When you step back and think about the bigger picture….it’s actually true in our relationship with the Father, too. It’s inevitable, we’re going to go through a lot of tough circumstances in life. No one’s immune. At this stage of life it seems like a ‘no-brainer’ to me; Given the choice, I’d easily choose to be going through the hardest thing in life than to be sitting in the ‘lap of luxury’ without Him!

“Anyplace (or any situation in life, no matter how hard,unpleasant or painful it might be) with Him……is better than any other place without Him!” 

 

Disclaimer: Now, for those wondering, …..I do have my limits. I did skip the Luke Bryan concert due to another self-scheduled root canal (same with Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Florida Georgia Line and a few others). I’m tellin’ ya’, it’s hard to get a dentist to do a root canal on a Saturday night,…especially on a tooth that doesn’t need it!

Check these out….and pass ’em along to your friends:

God Moves Through ‘Influence’ ……. Not ‘Control’!

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

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Livin’ It Up

/ Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

There’s a phenomenon, I guess you’d call it, that I’ve observed down through the years. And it seems to have it’s effect just about every time….on whoever it’s applied on, or practiced with. It’s the thing of giving honor, or not giving honor, to someone. The conventional way of thinking is that when someone does something noble or noteworthy that we then honor them for their behavior. Makes sense from a logical standpoint. But, I’ve also seen that when we honor someone above their achievements that they nearly always without fail…..rise to a higher level of behavior, or performance. There’s plenty of people who would argue with that line of thinking but you can’t argue with real, genuine results! And again…..you get positive results nearly every time you do it. It seems to work in whatever venue it’s exercised in, whether in your own family, the workplace, the church, friendships or even with just casual relationships.

It works! But, the opposite side of the coin always seems to work, too (‘or not work’, might be a better description!) . When we don’t give that honor…..or when we ignore the actions of those that we interact with, or have a low opinion of them…..they will nearly always lower their behavior to that level, as well. It just does something to a person’s self-esteem. You can probably think about the times that you’ve been honored, ……or dishonored, maybe even overlooked and remember how it made you feel. I think something very profound happens when we give honor…..even before it’s earned.

I’ve said many times that in, being a pastor, it’s a lot more important for me to teach people ‘who they are’, than to teach them ‘what to do’. For me it’s obvious; when people begin to understand ‘who’ they really are (from God’s perspective)…..that’s when the behavior begins to really change….and it’s always a change for the better! He’s put an extremely high value on you, even called you His own sons and daughters. That makes me want to live up to my true identity!

People have a tendency to live up (or down) to the opinion you have of them.

If You Love Someone….You Should Tell Them!

It Feels Good To Be “Believed In”!!

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