Spiritual Transformation

We Oughta Get Our Ducks in a Row!!

/ Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

We really should! And we oughta do it now! I mean the quicker we get ‘our ducks in a row’ the better off we’ll all be in the long run! Getting our priorities in order has to be one of the most important things we do in life. If we rightly align our priorities everything just runs smoother. It’s really not that hard to get them in proper order but millions of people never do. It’s a challenge to keep them in order….but it’s do-able.

If we’re going to actually get the most important things first we really have to start with our spiritual life. The Bible encourages us to, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you”. I was already about 30 before I began to understand that principle. In the past 30 + years since then it has been proven to be true over and over again. In fact, I often encourage folks, “Ultimately your whole life is only going to be as good as your spiritual life”. 

So, how do you bring order to your spiritual life??

1) Trust Jesus as your Savior; If you ‘believe the story’ of Jesus you already have the faith for it. “You didn’t choose Him, He chose you”. That’s what the Bible says…but you do have to agree with that and respond by faith.

2) Join a group of believers; I really think this needs to be prayerfully considered. If the Lord has your entire life already planned out, then the church you’re supposed to be in seems to be a pretty important factor.

3) Let the relationship develop; God is your Father. Keep it simple. Engage, interact, communicate.

4) Find your gifting; the Lord has ‘gifted’ you in certain ways.

5) Find places to serve; Get involved so your gifts can benefit the ‘whole’ Body.

6) Stay faithful; It’s a marathon, decide to be in it for the long-haul.

There’s other things to consider, but if you do these things to get your spiritual life in order you’re well on your way to getting all your ‘ducks in a row’. 

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Lady Gaga, Little Monsters & Jesus!

/ Andy R Taylor / 32 Comments

It’s been about three years since Julie and I, Cameron and one of her friends went to a Lady Gaga concert in Oklahoma City. (I’ll wait a few seconds for those of you so righteous that you just sucked all the oxygen out of the room!I)

On the way to the Chesapeake Center where the concert was to be held there were picketers….Christian picketers…..a lot of them, displaying their signs and banners “, “Lady Gaga is the Devil”, “God hates gays”; “You’re going to hell!” …. you know the typical unconditional love stuff that we’re so known for!

An interesting thing that I did not know was that Lady Gaga’s loyal followers are known as “Little Monsters”. They dress up in some of the wildest, most bizarre costumes and get-ups that you could ever imagine. It’s like Halloween on steroids! I’ll have to admit, it was a little out of my comfort zone! But the show was unbelievable; I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lady Gaga, whether you like her or not, is an extremely talented young woman. She can sing, she can dance, she can play the piano. She can do it all!

But there was a point three quarters of the way into the show that I did NOT see coming! House lights out, she’s in the spotlight lying on the stage. She says,  “Jesus, …. up there in heaven, …. all those people outside tell me you don’t love me…..but I know that’s not true! I know you love me, and I know you love all these “Little Monsters”, too!” And the bigger part of 20,000+ young people cheered as loud as they possibly could. I had a big lump in my throat; I could barely hold back my tears.  And I wondered if anyone had ever told many of these “Little Monsters” that Jesus really does love them. Oh, I know they’ve been told they’re no good and that God’s mad at them. They’ve been reminded of that over and over again but you could tell that they so wanted her words to be true! And I think, somehow, they believed it.

If the Father can’t depend on the church to tell the ‘good news’, He’ll use Lady Gaga, or anyone else He chooses, to let all us “Little Monsters” know how much we’re really loved!

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Tell Your Story!

/ Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

The word most often used is ‘testimony’, but that’s always felt a little too churchy for me….and what drives me even further away from that word is that the system has produced ‘professional’ testimony givers. Anyone who has come a ways with the Lord has a story and every person’s story is significant and important in many ways.

Julie and I have raised 5 kids and as they were growing up what worked with one might not work with another. So, as a parents we had to stay on our toes to learn the different personalities of each child and find out how to best discipline and love them. Being the Father that He is God knows just exactly how to nurture each one of us and while our stories may have some similarities, every single one is unique in its own profound way. These stories need to be told, and they need to be told for several reasons not the least of which, they bring life, hope and encouragement to those who hear them. I’m not just saying that they need to be told at the church house. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but I like it better when they’re told at the golf course, the hospital or the restaurant, …..and only as the Lord opens the door! 

Your story is important because it reveals how God rescued you and set you on the right path. There’s a whole world out there that needs to hear that. And, I don’t think they need to hear it from some professional testimony giver as much as from someone who’s nervous as heck about talking about it. I’m not, and I don’t think the Lord is, looking for professionalism as much as He’s looking for ‘real’! Real goes a long ways these days and there’s not much of it left around the church. But you and I can do our part! Your story is important! No one can tell it but you, and no one can refute it. Your life is the ‘stamp of validation’ of your story. It brings life to the Gospel, and it gives people ‘hope’!  Tell it!!