Spiritual Fathers

Virtual Reality

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

We only started hearing that term around ten years ago. Now we hear it fairly often. “Virtual Reality” is a term given for ‘an artificial environment experienced through sights and sounds generated by a computer that mimics an actual experience’. The technology has come a long way in a short time and is advancing at warp speed. You can, with the computers help, fly a plane or a helicopter without ever leaving the ground, or even take a visual trip through the human body. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?!

But as amazing as the technology is……when I hear the term, ‘virtual reality’, it makes me want to give my own definition. My definition is simply this: “Almost real”.It appears real. It feels real. It can cause the same emotions and reactions as the real thing……but it’s just not real!

We should be careful these days to make sure that the church is not just a church of “virtual reality”! Most everyone wants their church experience to be without problems, snags and negative happenings of any kind. That’d be great with me too……but it ain’t reality!! The truth of the matter is that there’s all kinds of problems in any church. As people…..we’re pretty flawed (sorry if that hurts your feelings!), and in our process of being ‘renewed’ we make all kinds of mistakes and blunders. And when we come together on Sunday, there’s a whole house full of messed up people. 

We could try to fake it (…and most do!!) and act like we don’t have a problem one,……but that would be “Virtual Reality”, almost real. Or…..we could see it, and live it out, as it really is. You can always look around the room (in church) and find somebody more ‘messed up’ than you. Although most of the time when I do that….I can’t seem to find anyone that fits the bill! But you know what?? It’s REALITY!! 

Next time you go to church (hopefully that’ll be soon) and look around and everything appears wonderful, meticulous with everything just ‘oozing’ perfection, “Heads up!!” …….you’re experiencing “Virtual Reality”. If, on the other hand, everyone is obviously far from perfect and both you and them have problems that look like they’re too big to overcome……

Congratulations!! You have found the “REAL THING’!!

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

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

He’s ‘omnipotent’,  ‘all powerful’; He can do anything He wants to do…anytime He wants to do it. By His own words the Universe maintains perfect balance. He speaks and the mountains quake, the tides ebb and flow and all of nature, itself, responds to His voice. No army can stand against Him; He’s invincible…..I mean….He IS God and this stuff is easy for Him!

But as powerful as God is…..He doesn’t seek to control us. Don’t get me wrong…..He could, He just won’t. It’s just not His style. It goes against His nature as a Father. If He did it that way there would be no need for faith. It wouldn’t be the same. And you know what the Book says, ‘It’s impossible to please God without faith.” The good news is that we have an incredible quality of faith. It’s a faith that He wants to see come to full fruition. 

Now, when it comes to influence…..I think He’s all about that! In fact He’s ‘so much’ about it that He’s given us His Spirit to show us what to do every single step of the way. Think about it this way, if you’re a parent it makes sense to use a measure of ‘control’ with your kids while they’re infants. In fact it’s vital. Even through our adolescent years, some control is necessary. After all, we are growing up but not ready to take on the world yet. It could be disastrous. But God….the consummate ‘Parent’ knows just exactly when to begin to release us into a free-er state of responsibility and maturity, It doesn’t at all mean that we’re independent of Him. Much to the contrary, those who are growing to a deeper level of maturity find themselves being more dependent on Him….and His Spirit for direction and guidance. If we’re sensitive to His Spirit in us….we’ll know what to do in every situation….but He won’t make us do it. It’s our call as to how we live it out.

He wants us to come into the ‘full’ revelation of our ‘sonship’ and then begin to live our lives from that point. In all reality, we’re ‘partnering up’ with the Creator of the Universe. Our lives will then begin to take on the extreme value that He’s placed upon us. It’s all about influence….not control!

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‘Nymphin’ on the Big Horn

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

At least that’s what us ‘professional’ fly-fishermen call it! Actually just kidding. I’m not a pro. Matter of fact, I probably don’t even qualify for ‘amateur’ fly-fisherman status. But I have been nymphin‘ on the Big Horn…..River, that is…..in south-central Montana, ’bout an hour and a half south of Billings. I was invited by my good friend, Ty Bean, from Hobbs New Mexico along with nine or ten other church leaders from Idaho, Washington, Texas, New Mexico….and me from Oklahoma. Some of these guys I know and a few of them I met when I got there. It’s an exceptional bunch of guys; strong leaders but ‘real’ people, humble, authentic and focused.

The Big Horn River is said to be one of the very best trout fishing spots in the world….and after fishing it for three long days, I believe it. We went out with professional guides. These men know their stuff and volunteer their time for these trips. Brian Carpenter, a true visionary, had a dream of bringing people like us in, giving them an opportunity to unwind, relax and recharge while doing some great fly-fishing and relationship building. He started The Refuge Foundation (click link FMI) a few years back and has a full schedule of guys coming in throughout the fishing season. It’s a top notch project.

I’d never fly-fished before. I learned a lot of stuff! ….Like how to cast, mend and strip the line. Then there’s fishing with ‘dry flies’, ‘streamers’ and ‘nymphs’. It’s quite a learning curve for a flatlander like me but it was truly a great time. I’m already looking forward to fly-fishing again sometime in the future.

Fly-fishing is kinda like a religion to these guys that do it all the time. I mean, there’s definite, clear cut, code of ethics about the whole thing. I learned some of that when I caught my first fish, a brown trout……about a 15 inch ‘er. All our fishing on the 13 mile trip down the Big Horn was ‘catch and release’. After taking a picture of me and my fish I just ‘chunked’ the trout back in the river. He made a good sized splash and on we went. Nobody said a word….but later Ty, in his extremely polite and gentle way explained to me that…..in trout fishing we don’t just ‘chunk’ the fish back out in the river. Nope….there’s a right way to do it. You just hold the fish underneath his belly and slowly lower him into the water being ever so gentle with him and then you just kinda wait until he slowly swims away. Hey, you live….you learn. But I’m guessing there’s a nice little brown trout out there somewhere on the Big Horn receiving counseling, and encouragement from some of his fish ‘brothers’ regarding his four foot belly flopper into the river.

It was a great week and one I won’t soon forget. The friendships are strengthened and I got home re-charged. My guides, Dan, John and Larry were THE very best! Great guys, expert fish finders and best of all…..kingdom men! I’ve never had an experience quite like ‘nymphin’ on the Big Horn!

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“I Ain’t No ‘Fortunate Son'”

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

John Fogerty, who in my opinion possesses the greatest rock and roll voice of all time (he actually does a pretty mean job singin’ country too, ‘click’ the highlighted link to watch some JF ‘country’), wrote that song in 1969. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it at #99 on the“500 Greatest Hits of All Time”.  ‘Click’ here to watch Creedence Clearwater Revival perform “Fortunate Son”. You’ll still hear it played often on classic rock stations coast to coast. The song did ruffle the feathers of the establishment (‘click’, for why?) back in the day.

I like the song, and just about everything else Fogerty has done,….but I do take issue with the title, for you and I, in light of what the Father has done on our behalf! Of course John wasn’t singing anything about his/our relationship with the Lord…..but if he was….. he would’ve definitely changed the lyrics to, “I Am A Fortunate Son’!! It would be much more appropriate knowing what I now know!

The very word, ‘gospel’, means “Good News”….and right up there at the top of the list of good things we’ve been ‘given’ through Jesus, is the reality that God, the Creator of the Universe, has hand-picked you and I to be His own sons and daughters. We should stop and think about that one for a minute. If we ever get the real revelation of that……it’ll transform every single area of our lives. We’ll stop trying to ‘earn our keep’, so to speak….and start to live from what’s already been done for us. We’ll begin to understand the incredible ‘value’ that He has placed on us. And maybe….just maybe we’ll start to see ourselves like He sees us.

John Fogerty sang, “I Ain’t No Fortunate Son”, and I get it. But you and I…….well, we ARE Fortunate Sons (and Daughters, if you will)! God, the Father, picked us out as His very own! When we grasp IT, nothing will ever be the same!

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we might be called ‘sons’ of God”  1 John 3:1 KJV

*If you enjoyed this one…..I think you’ll like this one too: 

“Only ‘Daddy’ That’ll Walk the Line”

Don’t Look Before You Leap!

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Totally goes against logic and reasoning, I know. But for those of us who are trying to follow the Lord by faith…it makes all kinds of sense. You see, we’ve been ‘given’ an incredible quality of faith. We’re apt to never find that out if we’re always looking before we leap. And even though our quality of faith is all that it’ll ever need to be, if we stop to take a long, investigative look at every single thing…..I fear we’ll talk ourselves out of a lot of things that the Father wants to do with,….and through, us!

What if Noah would’ve ‘looked’ before he leaped?? Here’s a man building a boat longer than a football field……in a place where it’d never even rained before! It’d be a little awkward down at the ‘ol lumber yard ordering all those materials and trying to explain your project to everyone! It’d be easy to talk yourself out of that one, huh?! And what about Moses?? OK, you’re standing on the banks of the Red Sea with 3 1/2 million people or so……Pharoah’s army is closing in….and they ain’t happy…..and all you have is a ‘stick’!!? Lookin’ ain’t gonna work……leapin’ is!!

OK, if you’re going to make a major financial investment, build a new home or start a new business it does make sense to ‘look before you leap’. But if you’ve heard the Lord (or even ‘think’ you’ve heard Him) I wouldn’t spend much time ‘looking’ ……no matter how uncertain it might appear. And, if you’re not careful you might just talk yourself out of something the Lord wants to do with your help! I think it makes sense to go ahead and ‘leap’!!

Got’s not looking for people to ‘play it safe’.….there’s enough of them already out there! He’s looking for someone to believe Him at His Word and exercise the faith that they already have. When that happens…..His kingdom comes….right here on Earth just like it does in Heaven! The world is waiting for people like that…….and so is the Lord!!

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If You See God “Wrongly”…….You’ll Never See Yourself “Rightly”!nzzz

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

There aren’t many discussions any more important than this one; Who is God? Big question, to say the least. And my fear is that God has been grossly ‘misrepresented’ in our world. Mainly by those who know ‘about’ Him…..but don’t really actually ‘know’ Him! It’s a huge problem if you ask me….and it needs to be fixed ASAP!…..not only for each of us as individuals….but for the whole world in general!

There are a hundred good reasons to connect with the Father relationally. It’s really what our lives should be all about. It’s the answer for everything that ‘s wrong. It’s the ‘cure for mankind’. When you ‘connect’ relationally with the Father you begin to find out “Who” He really is! But if we never do connect in that way we’ll always have a ‘secondhand’ perception of Him.

If you only see God as “Judge” you’ll always be somewhat ‘fearful’ of Him. You’ll always be mindful of your failures and all the things you’ve done to ‘let Him down’. And you’ll be scared about what He might say to you on that ‘final’ day! I have plenty of conversations with people who have made this their reality. They see themselves as not really ‘measuring up’. It’s a ‘wrong’ perception!! It’s not a little wrong, ……it’s a long way from the actual Truth! You see your self ‘wrongly’ ……because you are seeing God ‘wrongly’!

The only way we’ll ever see ourselves ‘rightly’ is when we start to see God for Who He really Is……and that is as a Father. The next step, then, is to begin to interact with Him at that level……as a son or a daughter. Now listen….it really does have to go beyond acknowledging Him as Father; it must be relational or we’ve totally missed the point. Don’t make it hard!! It’s the easiest thing there is for a child ………to naturally relate to his/her Dad. 

When you see God for Who He is, you’ll start to see yourself just like He sees you!

            You’ll see yourself ‘rightly’!!

            You’re gonna like what you see!

            I guarantee it!

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A “You Can Do It” Atmosphere

/ Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Its a great place to be…..that’s anyplace where there’s a “You Can Do It” atmosphere! I’ve seen it a lot of times down through the years. I first saw it in our home growing up. My Mom and Dad did as perfect a job as could have been done for my brother Monty and myself. They believed in us and they taught us to believe in ourselves, too. ….And somehow I think it gave us a big ‘leg up’ in believing in other people as well. I have found that that one thing can be the ‘difference maker’ in the lives of other people……just to have someone who really believes in them.

I was so impressed a month ago when I went to the Beckham County Drug Court. (That’s when I came up with the title to this blog) It was amazing from my perspective. The Drug Court Team with two of ‘our own’, Lorna Pennington, Drug Court Coordinator and Eric Easter, part of the Drug Court Team and even Judge Michelle Roper had such a “You Can Do It’ atmosphere that the 50 or 60 people in Drug Court felt like they were going to make it. I left there that day feeling like they’re going to make it too! There’s just something about that ‘atmosphere’ that exudes, “you’re going to make it”!!!

It’s an atmosphere that we ought to work to create anywhere that we’re going to be. In fact, you may be the only one in your office or on your team, or in your restaurant that believes it….but if you’ll ‘represent’, it’ll be contagious and the productivity will automatically go up! Something just happens when you believe the best in people. Contrast that with an atmosphere where your best is ‘never good enough’ and see what you come up with. The difference will be remarkable.

The Bible says emphatically that we’re ‘overcomers’, and ‘more than conquerors’! If that ain’t a “You Can Do It’ atmosphere I’ve never seen one! When you cooperate with the Holy Spirit just about any kind of odds can be overturned. The results might be nothing short of miraculous!

Represent!! You Can Do It!

If you like this  blog post….you’ll surely like these too!

*(Click on highlighted link to read)

“It  Feels God to be Believed In!”

“Drug Court””

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“I Keep A Close Watch On This Heart Of Mine”

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

 You probably recognize that line….it’s the first line in Johnny Cash’s song, “I Walk The Line”. (Click on the link to see Johnny sing it ‘LIVE’ in San Quentin) I found it really interesting that Johnny wrote that song in just 20 minutes, backstage, before a show in Gladewater, Texas, in 1956. The song went on to be a #1 hit….and remained #1 for 6 weeks. You’ll still hear “I Walk The Line” regularly on Classic Country stations nationwide……..60 years later!

But that first line has some profound ‘spiritual’ implications if you’ll think about it. Solomon, regarded by many as one of the wisest persons of all time, said it this way, “Guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life.”. There’s no doubt about it, one of the greatest challenges of our entire life, is to maintain a ‘pure heart’. Even Cash’s song eluded to that very fact. Everything we do and say, and every thing we ‘are’, for that matter, is directly governed by our heart. Not the body part that’s beating in your chest right now…..but the soul and spirit part of us. That part of us that makes us ‘who we are’!

Guarding our heart starts with a raw, unadulterated honesty with our own selves. That seems to be the hardest thing for some people….but it’s needed for all of us if we’re to get an accurate ‘read’ on our heart with our motives and intentions. You can be sure that everything imaginable in the world is working against us to pollute our heart. The Bible talks extensively about our ‘being conformed into the image of Jesus’. If you’ll stop and think about it….God doesn’t care if we look like Jesus; He doesn’t care if our voice sounds like His. But He does care that our heart responds to the events…..and people in our lives like He did. It’s our ‘heart’ that the Father is determined to conform to be like Jesus’.

Where do we start? We can only start by being honest with ourselves. Then we should ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our thoughts, attitudes and behavior that needs to be adjusted. Nothing to get frustrated about…it’s a lifelong endeavor. But we can ease the discomfort some by cooperating with the Lord. You can do it……so “Keep a Close Watch on That Heart of Yours!”

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Prison Prayer Project

/ 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:

*(Click on the highlighted link to read)

Party at the Prison

VIP #7 Rick Hudson

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

/ 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:

  1. I’ve learned to look at myself and see if there’s any validity to their accusations. If so, I’ll need to adjust!
  2. 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’!
  3. I’ve learned to pray for my persecutors; Very hard at first, but I know it’s ‘right’! This helps me….more than them!
  4. I’ve resolved to not get too stirred up by someone who talks ‘about’ me…..but won’t talk ‘to’ me!
  5. 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