Prison Prayer Project

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

It has been nearly 20 years since the city of Sayre, Oklahoma began to explore the possibility of constructing a prison here. Not knowing the will of the Lord about that we just prayed about it at our regular Wednesday morning prayer time. One thing led to another and the idea became a reality. Construction started on the facility a mile east of downtown and finished up a couple of years later. All along, as we prayed about the prison, we asked the Lord to place ‘His’ people here. We prayed, amidst a lot of other specific things, that the upper-level management people would be born-again believers.

Construction had been completed but after a few months there were no inmates. Complications came up in the negotiating process. One morning during our Wednesday prayer time the Lord gave me a vivid vision of myself and a team of people praying inside the prison facility. I didn’t think much about it….but the next two Wednesdays’ I saw the same vision in my mind’s eye. I was thinking by then that it was definitely from the Lord. Just about the time our prayer session was over I got a call from a person at the prison who went to church with us. He was calling for another person, an employee, who was having some personal difficulties. He asked if I could come out to the prison and pray with the person. I agreed. I drove there and as I parked my car I said, “Lord, if You’re in this thing of us praying over the prison…put me in the company of the people who can make that decision.”. As soon as I went through the 2nd door….I came face to face with Rick Hudson (who I’d met only once a few months before), the Warden. He was flanked by the Assistant Warden and the Chief of Security, the top three positions in leadership there.

I said to them, “For three weeks in a row at our Wednesday prayer time the Lord has given me a vision of us bringing a team of people in here to pray over the prison. That’s probably against every rule you have….but if you would want us to…we’d come in and pray over every square inch of the facility.” They didn’t give me any indication one way or the other if it might happen. I left there thinking, “I shouldn’t have come across so abruptly.” I figured I had probably ‘scared’ them off. About 10 o’clock the next morning I got a call from the Assistant Warden and she said…..“We want it to happen.”! Amazing!!

I handpicked about 15 of our most faithful, serious pray-ers and met with, and instructed them about the project. We would meet in a couple of days at the church where we’d pray for about an hour and then we’d drive the 3 miles to the prison for the project. We all fasted that day and we went into the facility about 6 o’clock that evening.

There were only a few people inside the prison since there were no inmates. We started in the office area and prayed over every square inch of office space. We went from there to the ‘pods’ and prayed over each pod and every single cell in each place. We prayed over the meeting areas, the mess hall, the solitary confinement areas, the showers…..etc. There was not one single area inside the entire facility that wasn’t prayed over.

One of the guards that was in charge of leading us through the facility began to confide in one of our people that at a point in his career as a prison guard he had to shoot someone (who later died)…..and he didn’t believe that God could forgive him. They assured him of God’s forgiveness and ended up praying with him to receive Jesus as his Savior.

We were in the prison more than 3 hours….and when we entered the last room (a meeting room) there was a tangible sense that we had done all that we were there to do. There were some very prophetic things that the Lord spoke to different members of our team that night. Some of those things have already been fulfilled but there are many others that have yet to happen.

It was really an amazing project….and one that the Lord, Himself, had initiated. As we left the prison we were encouraged that there would be some amazing things happen inside those walls in the years to come. It’s probably something that’s never been done in any prison facility on the face of the planet……..ever!

**Incidentally……We prayed that there would be a contract with someone within a week to start receiving inmates. And the negotiations with other states for inmates that had reached a stalemate for several months…somehow miraculously ended!! They secured a contract with Wisconsin within a week!!

We have learned that if God says it….and we cooperate with what He’s said…..stuff happens!!

If you like this blog post, you’ll love these too:

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Party at the Prison

VIP #7 Rick Hudson

Critics……..There’s One On Every Corner

September 25, 2015January 16, 2019 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

It doesn’t matter if you’re the soccer coach for 5-year-olds, a member of the city council, or the Pope….you’re going to have critics. I’m not talking about the professional critic that writes his assessment of a Broadway play for a newspaper, or one who publicly talks about the latest Brad Pitt movie. No, I’m talking about the ‘amateur’ critic; you know, the ones you and I encounter almost every day.

It’s just one of those, kind of, unpleasant facts of life. It just seems inevitable that if you’re doing anything that’s public or anything that really matters that there’s going to be someone ‘standing around’ criticizing either, what you’re doing…..or how you’re doing it. These criticisms can come in many forms and some of them can be quite vicious.

I know, in doing what I do, that character is extremely important. And the criticisms that come my way that strike at my character are the hardest to deal with for me. I learned years ago that anyone can make any kind of accusation toward you. The accusation might not have a single shred of truth to it…..but there always seems to be those out there who want to believe the worst about you. Below are some things I’ve learned in over 25 + years of being a target of criticism:

I’ve learned to look at myself and see if there’s any validity to their accusations. If so, I’ll need to adjust!
It’s taken a while but I don’t get as upset as I used to when I’m criticized. It’s just part of the ‘deal’!
I’ve learned to pray for my persecutors; Very hard at first, but I know it’s ‘right’! This helps me….more than them!
I’ve resolved to not get too stirred up by someone who talks ‘about’ me…..but won’t talk ‘to’ me!
These criticisms seek to distract us from what’s important. I try to get my focus back ‘on’!

As much practice as I’ve had……I’m still far from perfect. We should look to Jesus; He’s the perfect example when it comes to enduring criticism and persecution!

One of my very favorite quotes about criticism:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt

God Loves You, And There’s Nothing You Can Do About It!

September 23, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

There’s not a truer statement! But there are millions out there who, for some odd reason, think differently. And to compound the problem there’s the over religious, self-righteous, doctrinal police, church guy telling everyone that God’s mad at them. That’s the result when people read their Bible but have no actual relationship with the Father. That person has no understanding of the grace of God.

I was just talking to a friend a day or two ago that I hadn’t seen in 4 or 5 years. He said that he’d been in a hard place. Upon the death of his father several years ago he blamed God for it and turned his back on Him. His exact words were, “God, just leave me alone.” But what he found after a few years of being mad at God…….was that the Father just loved him more! And somehow He loved my friend back into relationship with Himself! ……..that’s the God that I know!

Have you been mad at God? I know a lot of people who have been mad at Him at one time or another. It’s understandable. Some of them have been mad at Him for years. And for the most part, their anger has resulted from something that they believed God mishandled. There’s everything from, “God, why did you let my mom die?” to “Why do you make my life like it is?” What would you think if I told you that God can ‘take’ that….He really can. And, in some strange way, I think He understands. After all, ….He made us! But what’s amazing is that He never, ever lets that affect His love for you in an adverse way. Much to the contrary; I think it’s like my friend experienced….He’ll just end up loving you more.

There’s nothing you can do to diminish the Father’s love for you…..not one degree! You can be mad at Him, you can cuss Him, you can even tell Him you hate Him and turn your back on Him. But He’ll still keep on loving you……and there’s nothing you can do about it!

“Opportunism” Is Not a Good Thing – But Have You Thought About It From This Perspective??

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Opportunism is not a positive word; not a positive thing. Wikipedia’s definition: the conscious policy and practice of taking selfish advantage of circumstances – with little regard for principles, or with what the consequences are for others. Therefore, an opportunist is someone who takes advantage of someone else’s misfortune….and for their own gain. That’s not nice!

But I have another perspective to think about. In fact, we’ve been practicing it to some degree for 20+ years. An ‘opportunist’ sees someone going through a bad time and they lurk around to see how they can personally capitalize, benefit or profit from their calamity. But what if we were to take a more positive position?? What if, when we see someone going through a bad time, we were to reach out to those people and, rather than take advantage of them, do whatever we could do to help them in their dilemma?

At one time we actually had a person at Trinity on a part-time salary to do just that. He was very good at it too. His name was James Daniels, or JD as we all called him. He had an uncanny knack for noticing people who were going through trials in their lives. He could quickly discern what their actual needs were and did whatever he could, whenever he could, , with whatever resources we had, to help. (JD passed away a few years ago) Instead of just waiting around for people to come our way for help we were actually being aggressive in searching those people/families out. It seems like just something that the church should naturally do!

Of course, it was a huge ‘difference maker’ in the lives of the affected families.….but more than that it gave them a ‘good taste’ of church and even more important, the kingdom of God. Oh, and we’d supply the help that we could with absolutely no strings attached. We think that’s how Jesus would do it.

Imagine how different the world would look if we would all think that way!! And maybe, just maybe the world would change how they think about the church….and it’s people!

I say, “Let’s all be opportunists”.…..but from a kingdom perspective!

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

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

It seems like it’s just a universal trait of humanity; this learning stuff the hard way. I was re-reminded of this a few days ago when my littlest grandson, Maverick, got his most recent knot on the head. He’s a year and a half old and the cutest little guy you’ve ever seen. (a little partiality here, but you understand!) He had two wrecks in the span of about 4 days that put two good-sized nicks in the ‘ol noggin’! The first one happened when he tried climbing up on a big heavy chair made from a old style tractor seat. You can imagine how heavy that was. Well, he got up about one step and the chair tipped over backwards with him and the edge of the heavy seat caught him right under the left eye. Miraculously, it missed his eye or it could’ve been really bad. Off to the ER they went to get him tended to. We were out of town when it happened but I “Face-Timed” Cole & Kelly (his dad & mom) later and got to talk to Maverick, himself. It was just an hour or so after they got home from the hospital. His eye was swelled shut but he was already in a good mood.

The other wreck happened as he was playing with the front yard gate at his house. It’s just a little 4′ gate made out of inch and a half square tubing. He was just having fun pushing it all the way around one way….then all the way around the other way. He built up a little confidence and got a pretty good run at it pushing it around. Well, you know, every swinging gate has a ‘stopping place’…..and Maverick found it…with his little forehead! I saw it coming from 30′ away but no way to get there before it happened. Immediate tears and a fifty cent piece size knot on his forehead reminded me again of how our lives go sometimes. Five minutes later he was running and playing again!

As much as we try and help our kids and grandkids avoid those kinds of things…it just seems like a fact of life that quite a few of our lessons are going to be learned that way. We could only wish those kinds of hard lessons ended with our childhood….but not to be true. It even seems that as adults we’re determined to defy logic, intuition and common sense, sometimes, to learn those lessons.

The good news is that “experience is a great teacher”!! Nothing like a hard lesson to help us not to do it again! And, you know, the Lord will let us just run past the wisdom, foresight and instruction of the Holy Spirit if we’re determined to. I’m trying to do better. I’ve had all the “lessons learned the hard way” that I really want. I think I’ll spend more time trying to listen to the Lord….and pay attention to what He’s saying to me!

**Disclaimer: Being a ‘Taylor’ might make one have to learn more than their fair share of ‘hard lessons’!!

Day #9 of the “Zombie Apocalypse”!!

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

False alarm!! I don’t watch those Zombie shows….doesn’t interest me in the least. So, why the blog title, you ask?? Because I look exactly like those Zombies right now. My eyes are nearly swelled shut, the whites are blood-red. They look like two pee holes in the snow!! I’m flat-out scary lookin’!

Here’s the story: I went to bed Saturday night a week ago fine, woke up the next morning with my right eye swelled nearly shut. Wasn’t too painful, just itched a lot. My regular doc was out of town for the week so I went to my regular eye doctor. Prescribed some antibiotic drops and I started on them immediately, said to come back in a couple of days if I wasn’t better. I’ve had ‘pink-eye’ before and the antibiotic drops knocked it out nearly overnight. Not this time! Two days later….twice as bad. On top of the eye problem I had funerals to do on Wednesday and Thursday. Called to try to get worked in at my eye doctor…..he was gone and out of the office for the rest of the week!

By day 5 it was now in both eyes and getting worse. A lot more painful and not able to see very good at all. Talked to my doc on the phone and he prescribed an oral antibiotic. I figured that would do the trick. Two days of that….still getting worse! By then it was the weekend. Can’t get much done on the weekend. Couldn’t make church on Sunday, totally miserable all day. It felt like someone was gouging me in the eyes all day long. Well, as you know it was Labor Day weekend! Not seeing the Dr on Monday. I’m scheduled to see a couple of them this morning, day 10.

All this eye stuff got me to thinking about some of the teaching I’ve been doing lately. 1 Corinthians, chapter 12 talks a lot about the physical body, comparing it to the ‘spiritual body’, the church. All our ‘body parts’ are important, in fact there’s not one single of our body parts that aren’t extremely important….and needed. I’ve never had much problem with my eyes but when my eyes are adversely affected…it severely affects how my whole body functions. Now, think about it….you are also a ‘body part’ in the Body of Christ. If you’re ‘under the weather’, (like my eyes) the whole Body is affected in a negative way. Or, if you’re just not functioning (doing your part) .….you’re affecting how the Body operates. It’s a win-win when you ‘get in your place’ and start to do your part. You win…..and the Body wins!

So, if you see me in the next couple of days and I look a little scary…..don’t run. It ain’t a Zombie! It’s just me! Throw up a prayer if you think about it….and I hope to see you soon! **I hope to SEE anything soon!! lol

$$$ – Being a “Thousandaire” Might Just Be Better Than Being a “Millionaire”!

September 3, 2015February 10, 2022 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

It goes against logic, I know. But after 60 + years of observation….I think it’s true. Now, for starters, I haven’t yet had the experience of being a millionaire….but I’ve been a ‘thousandaire’ for years. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve dropped below the qualification limit a few times down through the years…..especially during my illustrious rodeo career. But for the most part I’ve be a steady thousandaire.

I’ve noticed the last few years as I’ve gotten older that I don’t need as much ‘stuff’ as I use to think I needed. All those things that we ‘needed’ and thought would make us happier……didn’t! I think it’s part of actually growing up and maturing and learning in part, what’s really important in life.

I’ve observed throughout my lifetime those who had lots of money. Even had friends growing up whose parents were very well off. There’s nothing at all wrong with that. In fact it’s to be commended in most cases. It’s America; we can do just about whatever we want to do. And for those who really find their niche and do well financially, it’s a very good thing. I did notice that some of the rich kids didn’t try near as hard at sports than some of the less fortunate.They had enough athletic ability, alright,…..but the ‘try factor’ was lacking. It really showed up during my rodeo career. It’s a broad statement,….and not always true, but the rich kids weren’t nearly as gritty as those who had nothing to fall back on.

The human spirit is an amazing thing. We’re created to conquer and to succeed. Everybody loves the story of those who overcame extreme odds to succeed in life. It’s a very good thing to ‘have’ to get up and go to work and put in a good day…every day. It’s good to learn to manage our finances and resources and to live within our means. We can do a lot more than we think we can….but if it’s always been done for us….we’ll never know.If we never have to really ‘try’, we might just not ever do it.

I recently told a friend that, “This time next year I’ll have 9 grandkids”. He jokingly said, “You’ll never be able to afford Christmas”...to which I replied, “I’ve never been able to afford Christmas yet!”(We raised 5 of our own!) But, you know what?? We’ve had great Christmases for, going on now, 39 years! We have somehow survived….just being ‘thousandaires’!

Paul said it in the Bible. “I’ve been hungry and I’ve been full; I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. I’ve learned to be content in whatever state I’m in”. He’d found the ‘secret’ to true happiness and contentment. His ‘joy’ was in the Lord!

I’m only a thousandaire but if family and friends and relationship with the Father were measured in money……I’d be millionaire many times over!! I’m really, really rich in the things that matter most to me!

The Most, “In Your Face” Verse in the Whole Bible!!

September 2, 2015September 2, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it or not. I have. The Bible is full of timeless wisdom from cover to cover. There are plenty of verses that challenge our humanity……but none as ‘in your face’ as this one: “Love Your Enemies”! Whoa! Now, that’s out there. In fact is’s so far out there that most of us never really seriously consider whether or not it’s true because it goes ‘so’ against our natural tendencies.

I’ve said many times before (quite a few times in my blogs) that the greatest challenge for the church…..and the greatest challenge for us as individuals is whether or not we are loving like He did. I get all kinds of feedback when I write about it. Some agree with me when I say that He wants us to love like Him. It’s my opinion that it’s the #1 priority of the Father for us love like He does. Some, however, don’t agree. Their argument is that there’s no way that we could love like He does. It’s a logical argument considering the magnitude of His love toward us. How could we possibly match that kind of love??! Well, I believe, He wants us to do just that! We most likely have opportunities right now to to practice up on.

If we are going to love like He does there are a couple of things to consider. These couple of things will give us a very clear indicator of ‘where’ we are in the process of loving like Jesus. 1) Matthew wrote in his gospel, “What good is it if we just love those that love us?”, “Even the tax collectors do that.” So, one of the ‘acid’ tests of our love is whether or not we’re loving those that don’t love us. You know, it’s like one of those “You Are Here” signs at the mall. How we answer that challenge is an accurate read on where we are where our love is concerned. 2) “Love your enemies”. I mean, nothing tests our humanity any more than the mandate to do this. And while, to do it is a good thing for your ‘enemy’.….you have more to gain than they do. Could it be that it’s more for you than for the other person?? I think it probably is.

While all the things we do in obedience to the Lord are important, I don’t think any of them are as important as “how we love”.”Love your enemies”! It’s in your face, alright…..but it’s undeniable proof that we’re becoming ‘like’ Him!

Party at the Prison!

September 1, 2015September 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Seems like an unlikely place to have a party! But it can be done…and was done. I was invited out to the Northfork Correctional Facility a few days ago by Jim Taylor. The prison is located in my hometown, Sayre, Oklahoma. The Northfork Facility is about 15 years old and populated with inmates from California. Incidentally, the contract with California is expiring and they are now in the process of transporting inmates back to their home state.

Jim’s been faithfully going out the prison once or twice a week for, now over 15 years! There’s been a lot of ‘fruit’ because of his efforts there. There’s no telling how many inmates have come to know the Lord as a result of Jim’s diligence.

This day was a special day...and I’m grateful that Jim invited me to be a part. There were 5 guys that we were going to baptize! We went in about 8 am and gathered in the room with about 30 inmates where they have their church meetings. I was impressed, right off, by the positive atmosphere in the room. The attitude and demeanor of the guys there was pretty amazing. I’ve been in plenty of churches that didn’t have as good a feel as the room in that prison did!

After a few minutes of meeting the guys there Jim asked me to say a few words. I was reminded of how the Lord spoke to me nearly 20 years ago before the prison was even there. When the city started talking about the possibility of a prison in Sayre….we started praying. We had no idea, at first, what the will of the Lord would be concerning a prison but we just kept praying anyway. The Lord spoke very prophetically to us about the prison….and how there would be a move of the Spirit there that would be documented by national news organizations. All that hasn’t been fulfilled as of yet….but it’s definitely in progress.

After the baptisms several of the guys got up and gave short testimonies. They were all sincere, heartfelt and ‘right on the money’ as far as Scriptural content. All in all it was a great time….and proof, again, that the Lord is not limited in who, how or where He does what He does!

It was definitely a ‘party at the prison’!!

It’s ‘Atmospheric’, ……There’s No Question About It!

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Some time back I taught 150 some odd messages on the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I saw, by teaching ‘systematically’ (verse by verse), so many profound and life altering things in the process that I’d never seen before. It changed me….obviously for the better and I believe it changed the entire Trinity Family.

One of those things that became apparent was in the way that Jesus related to people; how He talked to them and how He loved them. But I began to notice a pattern with Jesus. And as important as the ‘words’ were that Jesus spoke I became convinced that more often than not….it wasn’t His words that made the difference in many of the stories recorded in the gospels. There was something in the atmosphere that was the difference-maker!

One good example was when Jesus came by Matthew, the tax-collector. Jesus was just walking by and said, “Follow Me”. And Matthew dropped everything and did just that. What would cause Matthew to do that? It seems like an easy question for us, being that we know Who Jesus was….but Matthew didn’t have the advantage of knowing that like you and I do. Jesus was already a controversial figure and the entire population was ‘polarized’ as a result of Who He was….and how He did what He did.

My opinion on this is that the atmosphere wherever Jesus went was 100% charged with “agape”, unconditional love. It was an atmosphere void of any condemnation, whatsoever! Everybody hated and despised the tax collectors. Could it be that the reason Matthew ‘followed’ Jesus is that he felt, not only ‘accepted’ in that moment, but ‘valued’ as well (probably for the first time in his entire life!)?? I believe so! His encounter with Jesus changed his life forever……just like a similar encounter will change your life forever.

The ‘atmosphere’ around Jesus was ‘inviting’. It ‘drew’ people in and that’s why He always had a crowd of sinners and tax collectors around Him. That’s what agape does! That atmosphere around Jesus is exactly the atmosphere that’s being produced around you!! But it can only be produced by our deepening relationship with the Father. It’s nothing you can ‘work up’. But it’s a natural by-product of our connection with the Father.