Self-Esteem

Party at the Prison!

/ 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’!!

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The Day The Squirrel Went Berserk…..!

/ Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

You’ve surely heard that  ‘ol Ray Stevens song. If not you really should. (Click here to watch/listen) It’s a funny song about a squirrel getting loose in a church service and the chaos that ensued. Ray Stevens is a funny guy anyway and he does great job of singing this hilarious song.

Well, the song was funny enough, and to think something that bizarre could actually happen is ludicrous to consider. But it did! It actually happened at our place. About 10 years ago we were having some night meetings Jack Taylor was preaching here. It was Monday night in November. The weather outside was brutally cold….down in the teens. There was a lady visiting that night who didn’t go to church with us. Nobody knew but she had a little pet ‘sugar glider’. I’d never heard of one, either! But a sugar glider is a little squirrel that some people get as pets. Nobody knew about the squirrel but her.

It was so cold outside that she didn’t want to leave the little varmint in the car for fear that it’d freeze to death so she put it in her purse and came into the church service. I guess she started getting concerned about whether or not it could get enough air in there so she unzipped her purse just a little. Well after the little squirrel warmed up a little and decided to go exploring.

Well, it was, no problemo……..that is until the squirrel ran up a lady’s leg and then on up her back. She let out a blood curdling scream that could’ve broke glass a half mile away. She was up and doing all she could to get that crazed animal off her! I don’t blame her one bit! I looked across the room and saw something on her back and the first thought that went through my mind was….“What the hell is THAT?!!”

Kenny Drake, who was close to the action, picked up something to whack the thing when the squirrel lady started screaming, “Don’t kill it, don’t kill it!!”. “It’s my pet!” Kenny backed down…..reluctantly, I might add. The lady gathered up her little sugar glider, put it back in her purse and we went on with the church service. I don’t remember much Jack said after that….and I doubt if anybody else did either!

That’s the true story about “The Day the Squirrel Went Berserk”!! So the next time you hear Ray Stevens sing that funny little song….you can tell ’em, “That actually happened”!!

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

/ 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.

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Childlike ……. Childish, Two Totally Different Things!

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

I mean….vastly different!! A child can be both and it’s really no big deal. It’s even expected for little kids to be childish in the way they think and behave. After all, they’re new at this thing we call life. And, any parent will tell you that it’s a process; it just takes time to grow them up, and mature them in their understanding and in the way they think, reason and act. One of the mistakes most of us parents have made is to expect too much of them at too early an age. Well, you know, we were new at this parenting thing ourselves and it’s a pretty long learning process for us as well. But we can get better….I can personally vouch for that.

It’s one thing for a child to be childish….but it’s an altogether different situation when adults continue to be childish. To be childlike seems to be a trait to be desired, at least from a Biblical standpoint. Jesus talked a lot about children. He instructed in one place, “in malice be children”. The nugget there is that children naturally have clean hearts. Their hearts haven’t been polluted with the negativity and junk that the world throws at us. A ‘childlike’ faith appears to be the very best faith, the purest….and the most sincere and authentic. Childlike is good!

There was a problem in the early church. Paul addressed it more than once; “I’d like to feed you solid food….but you’re still on milk”. The problem exists today, and maybe to an even greater degree. Immature believers seem to stay in a ‘me-me-me’ mode. It’s always gotta be about them. I have plenty of patience for someone who’s new in the kingdom and making immature statements and mistakes. But my patience runs pretty low for those who’ve been around for a long time and still act like babies. They’re nearly always the ones who cause the trouble with their complaining, gossiping, backbiting and whining.

We’ve decided around our place (Trinity Fellowship) that we are going to expect it of one another to go ahead and ‘grow up’. The entire demeanor of the church, worldwide, would change if everyone would decide that. And maybe just maybe….the outside world would begin to respect us. Until we grow up….we really don’t deserve it!

Get over your childishness! We’ll give you enough time and grace for that. But I hope you never get over your ‘childlikeness’!!

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Drug Court

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

It was a major blessing today when I went to the Beckham County Court House to celebrate one of our favorite little girls graduating from Drug Court. Katie Crowdis is just like family to us. We’ve know her since she was 8 or 9 years old. Her dad, Dennis, is a very good friend of mine. And like a lot of us…Katie made some choices down through the years that weren’t very beneficial to her. But over the past couple of years she’s turned it around dramatically….due in large part to support and encouragement from family, friends, mentors, peers….and the Lord. Katie has two beautiful little kids, one a 4th grader…the other a 2nd grader. She’s a great little mom and is really gaining ground in reclaiming back her life. We are extremely proud of her! Today was a big day!

It was my first time to experience the nuts and bolts of Drug Court and all I can say is that I’m extremely impressed. I think it’s a great program. I don’t know a lot about all the details but my understanding is that Drug Court is their last chance to ‘get it together’ before going to prison. They’re held to a high degree of accountability but there’s no messing around….if you don’t comply….there’s consequences.

In all there were about 40-50 participants there today. I knew maybe a dozen of them. The atmosphere was very positive and the support among the group for one another was overtly obvious. About 5 of the others who were moving a level up in the program, stepped up and read a letter they had written to the Drug Court Team. The letters were all sincere and heartfelt. One was particularly touching to me. Barbara T. talked about her previous disdain for God and how she blamed Him for her situation. But she continued in her letter how that she pressed in with Lorna Pennington, the Drug Court Coordinator, about the Lord….and how Lorna encouraged her to develop a relationship with the Father. She did that and everything changed! *(as it always does!) I can’t remember hearing a better testimony and I found myself blotting some tears.

I’ll bet the Drug Court Program is doing good in every county in Oklahoma….but I can’t imagine a better team anywhere than the one we have here in Beckham County! Props to Judge Michelle Roper, Drug Court Coordinator Lorna Pennington, Eric Easter….and probably a few more that I’m not aware of…for your supporting, encouraging and affirming,  Y’all are doing a stellar job! Thank You!

Everybody wants to make a difference with their life and work and y’all are gettin’ it done! Y’all really are The Dream Team!!

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

/ 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!!   

AT

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

/ 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!

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Trials…….They’re Just Part of the Deal!

/ Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Life is full of ups and downs, that’s for sure. No one really has a problem with the ‘ups’….least wise I haven’t heard anybody griping about them. Nope, it’s the ‘downs’ that we don’t enjoy all that much. But, really, it’s just a fact of life that we’re going to go through some extremely trying times in the course of our lives.

The trials of life can really take a toll on us. In fact there are many out there who are experiencing some big-time ill effects from the hard things they’ve had to endure. And in some of those cases…..they just can’t seem to break out of the pattern. There’s no way I’d minimize the seriousness, and hopeless state, of those trapped in a life of discouragement and defeat. We’ve all had the pressure and temptation to stay there ourselves. But, what if those trials of life were somehow beneficial to us over the long-haul? What if there is some redemptive value in going through the tough times? And, just what if those unpleasant circumstances were a whole lot better for us than we could ever imagine?

I believe it’s a high possibility that these storms of life can have some extremely positive effects on us if we’ll respond in the right way. I’m no expert here. I’ve flunked more of life’s tests than most. But I can honestly see how those hard things have helped me in the long-run. Your question would be…..“How’s that?”.

I’ve learned that my first response at the start of a trial should be…..to run to the Father. It’s not always my first thought (sometimes I have to have someone remind me!)…..but it’s always the right thing to do! Running ‘from’ God never works. Running ‘to’ Him always does! I’ve made a short list of why/how these hard things can be vital to us as we grow up in the Lord.

1) When we reach the ‘end’ of ourselves we’re more prone to start to put our trust in the Lord. That’s a very ‘good thing’!

2) Our faith gets tested. *God doesn’t test us so He can find out how strong our faith is…..He tests us so that we can find that out!!

3) We mature through the trials of life.

4) We learn patience and obedience through the tough times.

5) We learn, firsthand, that we really are ‘more than conquerors’!

The list could go on and on

James wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…”. By faith we can face our challenges and be encouraged that we’re going to be better than we were. And what’s more important…..we’ll be more like Him!

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Where Do I Belong? – *How to Find the Right Church

/ Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

This is a very important issue for us all. More important, in fact, that you might think. And many times it isn’t really approached with enough seriousness and deliberation. The truth of it is, the Lord has ‘written down’ the sum of your days, (Ps 139) which just says that He has meticulously planned out every detail of our lives. With that in mind it just makes sense that ‘where’ we’re called to grow and serve is of extreme importance.

Most people in the Bible Belt going to church today are going to church where Grandma or their parents went. There’s nothing at all wrong with that scenario if it is, indeed, where the Father wants you to be. And if that’s the case, go at it full blast! But, what if it isn’t?! Then what?? I think we stand a good chance of missing our destiny if we don’t find where we really belong.

Finding where you belong could very well be a process….but it’s well worth the effort. Of course you want it to be a place where the Bible is being taught….and not ‘watered down’, and Jesus is being lifted up. I’ve listed some things that I think will be of value to you as you seek to find where you belong.

1) This issue needs to be prayerfully and carefully considered. Ask the Lord to direct you.

2) Is it just church as usual….or can you feel that something ‘significant’ is happening there?

3) Is the church having an impact in the community?

4) Can you feel ‘life’?? (or does it feel lifeless?) You can feel the tangibility of spiritual life….or the lack, thereof.

5) Are there opportunities to ‘connect’ relationally?

6) Does the church have ‘vision’? *Very important…..Are they going ‘somewhere’?

7) Do they encourage you to relate to God as Father? *If not…..move on!!

8) Are there opportunities for you to ‘get involved’? *If you’re going to fulfill your destiny, this is non-negotiable!

9) Does it feel like ‘family’? Do you have a ‘kindred spirit’ with the people there?

10) Do they ‘value’ you as a person? This tells you a lot about a church!

11) Is the Holy Spirit welcome? *Are there opportunities to be prayed for and ministered to?

12) Is the church reaching the poor? *It was an important thing to Jesus!

13) Are they speaking your ‘language’? *Can you relate to the message?

14) Does it feel like ‘Home’?? *You’ll have a feeling like, “This is where I belong”.

This should help! Now it’s up to you!

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Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 10 – “In the Game” not “On the Bench”

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading the series, “Are You a ‘Kingdom’ Person?”, you have probably decided by now which side you’re on. If not….keep reading and you’ll be able to clearly decide before the series is completed. Kingdom people are ‘in the game’, not ‘on the bench’! Organized religion doesn’t always work very good. I’m not trying to criticize, just making an observation based on quite a few years of experience and reflection. One of the undeniable things I’ve observed is the unwillingness of people in the Bible-Belt to get involved in their church. Oh, I know, there are some who do….but overall it’s just a very small percentage of the ones who do. For the most part it’s their mindset that, “that’s what we pay the pastor for”. That mindset is rampant but it’s about as un-Biblical as you can get! Therefore, it doesn’t work over the course of time.

On the other hand, kingdom people are ‘in the game’! They look for areas in their church that need to be ‘shored up’ and they’re willing to ‘step in’ and lend a hand. They see it, and approach it, as a ‘family’ business. In fact, that’s a great way to look at it. They take responsibility. They don’t stand around complaining about what’s not being done or criticizing the few who are actually doing something. No, they’re not willing to see this organism, called the church, flounder around when it should be flourishing! In my experience, it’s always the folks on the bench that do the whining, the murmuring and the complaining….all the while….never making a difference with their own life. That’s just the way it is…and it’s always been that way to a degree. If it’s ever going to change we’ve gotta start doing it different. And, THE, place to start is to get off the bench and into the game!

Kingdom people are ‘in the game’!!

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