What’s Love Got To Do With It?

July 24, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

I’ve always liked Tina Turner. Well, way back in the day it was Ike & Tina, but you know that whole story. I just caught a piece of her song from 1993, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”, on XM a few days ago. And I thought about that question and how it relates to the church of the 21st century. There are plenty of challenges facing the world today; plenty of challenges facing us as Americans….and plenty of challenges facing us as individuals. But as I see it (That’s the title of my blog, “The Way I See It”...and if you’re not already a “Follower”, you should be!) there’s no greater nor more important challenge, especially for the church, than….”Are we going to love like Jesus did?”.

Today the church in America has it all; Majestic, million-dollar buildings to hold churchgoers; Sound systems that cost into the thousands; Worship teams that exude professionalism; Expository preaching/teaching using the Hebrew and the Greek; Ministry teams that know how to get ‘er done….and lots of other important things. I need to say right here that I’m for all those things to a degree.….and as long as they’re not excessive but used in a way to bring honor to the Father and to bring everyone closer to Him.

But in the final analysis, those things are bound to dim in the light of the more important issue; How did we do at love?? Every time I say we should be learning to love like Jesus did I get plenty of ‘pushback’. Don’t have time to argue that point but if you disagree you can keep on fooling yourself and be part of the problem rather than part of the solution Lots of people argue that there’s no way we could possibly do that. I disagree. It’s not an easy one by any stretch….but because He encouraged it Himself….it’s doable. We should ‘wade-in’ with the opportunities that we have to love….right now!

So you ask, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

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We’re “A Work in Progress”

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

We’re being ‘conformed’ into the image of Jesus….individually, and corporately. At least that’s what the Bible says. By that we know that the Father wants to nurture us into spiritual maturity. When I look at ‘where’ I am today and then look at Jesus it becomes extremely obvious that I have a long way to go to be like Him. I’d say the Father has His work cut out for Him! But, take heart…..He’s in it for the long haul and there’s no doubt about it…it’s a lifelong process.

The tendency for us in the church today is that we reach a plateau and our spiritual growth and maturity just start to flatline. I’ve been pastoring for, going on, 27 years and I’ve encountered this more than I’d like to. Church people, oftentimes, don’t continue the maturing process. When that happens they stay in a mode of childishness….which causes all kinds of problems….both for them and the church, as well. Paul, in his letters, addressed this more than once, “By now you should be teachers…but you still have need for someone to teach you”. And, “I’d like to feed you solid food (the deeper truths), but you’re still on milk”. Those attitudes are prevalent in the church today and those stuck, by their own unwillingness to move on, in an infantile mode need to be told to ‘get off the tit, and grow up’!

Kingdom people, on the other hand, realize that they’re a ‘work in progress’. It takes a long time to be conformed into the image of Jesus. They learn to resist the temptation to just settle in and they won’t let themselves get comfortable in those ‘plateaued’ seasons. It does take some effort to rise above mediocrity…..but ‘kingdom’ people are willing to do it!

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

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 / 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!

By The Numbers

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

I was thinking a few days ago about what I do and just wondered how many times I’ve preached a message, how many funerals I’ve presided over, how many ‘corporate’ prayer meetings I’ve led, how many ‘ministry’ school sessions I’ve taught in, how many conferences I’ve spoken at, how many civic events I’ve been asked to speak at, how many marriages I’ve performed, how many different churches I’ve spoken at, how many ‘small group’ meetings I’ve led, how many youth camp services I’ve led, how many graduations I’ve spoken at, ordination services I’ve been a part of, etc. So, I thought I’d try to count it up. It’s a ‘ballpark’ guess at best and I’m trying to be conservative.

Sunday/Wednesday Messages: 2125

Funerals: 350

Prayer Meetings Led: 1144

Ministry School Sessions: 60

Conference Messages: 60

Civic Events: 35

Marriages: 100

Different Churches: 60

Led Small Groups: 100

Youth Camp Messages: 100

Graduations: 20

Ordination Services: 40

Misc.: 25

Grand Total: 4319

……in addition to that…..

Newspaper Articles: 550

Blogs: 125

Small Group Lessons: 100

Radio Shows: 85

How Are We Doing in ‘The Thing’ That Matters Most?

July 15, 2015July 18, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Our lives are important. I don’t think I have to convince you of that. But, have you thought about how important your life might be to God? As a Father…..and the One Who actually gives us life to begin with…..you’d think that He would place an extremely high value on our lives and how they’re spent. Life is a very precious thing. I’m aware of that more today, at nearly 62, than I’ve ever been before. I expect the realization of that truth will continue to escalate as we grow older. It’s almost unbelievable how fast the years go by.

As I stop and look both ways, to the past and to the future, I wonder if I have….and if I will, spend my days doing things that have any kind of eternal value. For me, that’s an extremely sobering thought. I really think the Father wants more for our lives than to for us to just take up space and end up in heaven. If we believe that He has a plan for our life we really should go after Him (ask Him) and allow Him to disclose the details so we can ‘get on with the program’!

But as I think of what really matters most only one thing comes to mind. How are we doing in our journey to love like He loves? Some would argue that there’s no way we could ever love like He does. It’s a valid argument. But I really believe that’s ‘the thing’ that He wants ,more than anything else, to produce in us. Oh there’s all kinds of things He wants to use us to accomplish but none any more important than this. I honestly believe it’s do-able….but not without His Spirit to help us in the process.

Deep down all of us would want to hear at the end, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. And I think that, of all the positive things we might do with our lives, it actually comes down to…..how well did I do at ‘loving’ people?

How well are you doing in ‘the thing’ that matters most?

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 8 – Doers of the Word

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 3 Comments

A kingdom person, in my opinion, see things different than your normal Bible-Belt church person. And, as a result of how they see things it totally changes their activity and behavior. They’re concerned…..and very aware of the Father’s plan for the world….but more specifically….His plan for them and how they fit into His big picture!

Kingdom people are ‘doers of the Word’! The regular church guy is more concerned with ‘getting fed’ than he is in doing anything with the Truth that he’s been fed! My experience in 30 + years of ministry is that the people who are whining about not being fed….rarely ever do anything with what they are fed! Babies have to be fed……adults feed themselves!

What does it mean to be a doer of the Word?? Well, for starters, kingdom people take it personal when the Bible says, “Signs and wonders will follow them that believe”, and “We were created in Christ Jesus for good works”, “Whoever believes in Me and the works that I do, he will do also” The regular church guy believes that stuff happened in Bible days but doesn’t really happen anymore. Makes me wonder, when did God stop doing those things?? Then there are others who believe the miraculous still takes place but believe that it is through someone else, somewhere else or at another time. But the ‘kingdom’ person takes it personally and believes it for himself/herself now. They also understand that you can’t just ‘go rogue’ with this stuff. Nope, they have a keen understanding that they must follow the lead of the Holy Spirit if anything significant is going to happen. But they also know that when they are led by the Holy Spirit and follow His lead in obedience that the ‘sky is not the limit’!! The stage is set for the miraculous! Kingdom people are ‘doers of the Word’!!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 7 – Committed to Relationships

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

‘Kingdom’ people are different, as I see it. They live and move and think on a higher plane than the ‘going through the motions’, bored, ‘waiting on Jesus to return’, kind of person. I sincerely hope that doesn’t hurt your feelings but if it does….maybe it would serve you well to read all the posts in this series and see if you need to make some adjustments.

Kingdom people are committed to relationships. In real estate it’s ‘location, location, location’. But in the kingdom of God it’s relationship, relationship, relationship’! Of course, our first…and most important relationship is the one we have with the Father. That’s the relationship that sets the tone for all our other relationships….and the one that gives us the validation that we all have need of. But after that all our relationships are important….probably more important than we understand. We might achieve fame and fortune; we might make a lot of money but at the end of our life we’re going to realize that what’s made our lives rich….are the relationships we’ve experienced. So, I’m sayin’ we need to adjust right now and give the value to our relationships that they deserve. Kingdom people do that!

Committing to relationships is a great idea but there’s no way around it….relationships are hard…they’re work. The greatest joy in life comes through our relationships, but some of the greatest frustrations are assured, as well. So, what do we do?? Since we’re committing to our relationships we must also resolve to work through the difficulties when they arise. We’ve gotta make the relationship more important than the problem. When we do that….the relationship will survive. And the real payoff is that the Lord will restore the relationship and make it stronger than it was before the offense.

If you’re a ‘kingdom’ person, you’re committed to relationships!

“Keith” – It Was a Short Friendship….But a Good One!

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 14 Comments

Sitting in a local truck-stop about midnight with some friends when a guy from another table came over to ours’. Keith was a truck driver from a town about an hour away. He said, “I could tell from overhearing you guys that you believe in God.” He went on to say, “I’m in a bad way, I need help.” He then began to pour his heart out to us. Turned out that his wife had left him for his best friend and he was about a low as a man could be. We talked with him for an hour or so, then prayed with him to receive Jesus.

I made it a point to call Keith at least once a week, which I did for a couple of months. He’d have a lot of bad days and a good one here and there. Then one week he called me. I vividly remember the call. He said, “You know you’re always calling me to check in and cheer me up, but today I’m having a really good day….and I just wanted to call and say thank you. I think I’m going to be OK.”

Tried to call him a couple weeks later, but no answer. I tried to call him at least a dozen times over the next month. I bumped into a longtime friend from Keith’s hometown and asked him if he knew Keith. He said that he did and then told me that Keith had been found dead in his truck about a month before of an apparent heart attack. My friend told me about his funeral and said that Keith’s folks had no idea of his decision to receive Jesus.

It was really rewarding to be able to call Keith’s mom and tell her about our midnight truck-stop meeting. You can imagine the peace that it gave her. I also got the opportunity to meet his son a few months later and tell him that his Dad belonged to the Lord….and would be waiting for him in heaven. I think of Keith often and how blessed I was to know him….even if it was just for a short time.

That Whole, “Greet the Brethren With a Holy Kiss” Thing, is Waaaay Overrated!

June 26, 2015June 28, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

It was otherwise a normal, great, Sunday church service. The house was full and the worship was right on. Well, nearing the end of worship time a guy in our church, we’ll just call John Doe, came up where I was on the front row. Now this J Doe is a peculiar dude….I mean really peculiar. He started to give me what I’d loosely call a prophetic word, although it wasn’t very prophetic at all. He meant well. Toward the end of his three minute prophetic utterance…..he kissed me on the cheek! Aaawwwkward! Besides that it was kinda juicy too! I did NOT see that coming!

Well, worship ended, I finished the service and as soon as church was over the Perry’s, Daryle, Carrie, Micah and Nate…and the whole Taylor tribe, 7 of us, loaded up and headed for Red River for a week of skiing and relaxation, like we did about every year for six or seven years. Daryle and I are in his pickup and the rest of the crew were all in our big ‘ol conversion van that was loaded down with food, clothes and kids. We were out around Borger, Texas and Daryle was noticing that I was uncharacteristically quiet. He says, “Hey Bud, what’s up?” “Nothing”. Well, he obviously knows me better than that. “C’mon now, I know something’s eating on ‘ya.” To which I replied, “John Doe kissed me!” He started laughing as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone laugh in my entire life! He did this for 50 miles; he’d start to try to talk and he’d bust up laughing again. He’s not laughing ‘with’ me…….he’s laughing ‘at’ me!!

Well, about two or three weeks later in a similar church service, all going good…and here comes John Doe again! But this time he heads straight for Daryle, who is also on the front row with about 300 people looking down on him. Well, ‘ol JD passed right by me this time! Yep, you guessed it…..he’s going to give DP one of those hokey prophetic words today. And, just like clockwork, about the time he finished up he gives ‘ol DP one of them real juicy kisses too! I mean, it was a good ‘un! I cannot describe to you the look on his face but he kinda looked like he was nauseated or sick at his stomach…..which in all actuality….I think he was! Can you imagine how much I’m enjoying this??!! I doubt it!

Well, after ‘ol J Doe headed back to his seat I made eye contact with Daryle and I said in a loud whisper, “You get you some sugar?!!” He never said a word! He did, however, still have that, ‘I’m about to throw up’, look on his face!

Do what you wanna do…..but for me….that, “Greet the Brethren With a Holy Kiss” Thing, is Waaaay Overrated! I’m guessing DP will totally agree!

Are You A ‘Kingdom’ Person? Part 6 – Go to God First

June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Kingdom people understand that they’re sons and daughters to the Father and their lives are being profoundly transformed as a result of that revelation. They’re people who are ‘growing up’ into their true identity. It’s a lifelong process of evolving into our ‘sonship’…..and we’re becoming more like Him all the time!

Another distinguishing characteristic of a ‘kingdom’ person is the resolve to ‘go to God first’ with the issues of our life. I learned this one the hard way. It’s so easy to decide to do something and then ask God to bless it. And, if you’ve never consulted with Him before about the details of your life….it’s sure better than nothing. But there’s definitely a better way. If it’s true that the Father has an intricate, detailed plan for our life it just makes sense to go to Him first and see what’s in His heart for us. We shouldn’t get in too big a hurry and jump the gun, so to speak. Remember, we’re learning to be led by His Spirit.…and there’s something to be said for ‘waiting on the Lord’.

I totally agree that there’s a delicate balance between waiting on the Lord….and moving out by faith. I sincerely believe that whatever you do with the right heart….God will bless. You’re His kid and He wants to see you do good. But if you want the ‘full blessing’ of the Father on the things you do, we should go to Him first.

Kingdom people do that!