When God Laughs - 6/6/12

I have yet to see a reference to God laughing in the Scriptures. Except for when He's laughing at the enemy. But, I've had this idea - for a long time now - that God just sits there and laughs at me. I mean, if I laugh at me, shouldn't He get to laugh as well? Yes, He is a jealous God. Yes, He is our Provider. Yes, He is the One crowned in glory. But, doesn't He also laugh?? Doesn't He enjoy His creation? Don't we bring Him joy, as a father receives joy from his children?

I made a short list of things that I do that make God laugh. Well, I assume that they make Him laugh. Maybe He also gets mad. I'd like to think, however, that He enjoys my silly blunders like I enjoy them. If not, I'm in big trouble.

1. I think He laughs at my neurotic list of idiosyncrasies. "Bryan, you can't step on the sidewalk cracks? Are you kidding Me right now?" I know! I KNOW! It's just that...well...I have to step carefully, otherwise my feet will feel uneven. "Bryan, if I could use My own name in vain, I'd probably do it with you."

I should probably be in therapy, but it would cost me too much money. If I went, I would have to have at least three appointments a week like Adrian Monk. I just don't see that ending well, so I hope that God enjoys the show while it lasts.

2. He probably thinks my list  of qualifications for a wife is insane. I always thought that it was a good thing to be specific when you pray. I didn't think it was too much to pray, "Lord, please send me a beautiful wife who will love and respect me (obviously mutual), who will pour her heart into me (obviously mutual), and who will join me in ministry." After He continually responded with, "Bryan, just be patient and I'll take care of everything," I finally got upset and changed my prayer.

When I began to pray, "Lord, just send me a woman with a hand-written note from You that says, 'She's the one,' so that I don't have any confusion about my future wife," I think He might have gotten upset. I mean, He never came out and actually said anything about it, but I'm pretty sure that He was upset. I tried the whole awkward-laugh moment and I don't think He bought it. So, we're still a little touch-and-go on that one.

3. I'm fairly certain that He shakes His head at my control-freak tendencies. I didn't necessarily think that it was control-freakish, but I've been told (obviously by others) that I might lean that way. I always thought that I was calm, cool, and collected. I learned, on several occasions (high school, college, post-college, post-post-college), that I'm not as cool as I thought I was.

Sometimes God says, "Bryan, even I don't know what's going on in that noodle of yours. I created you, and you are more perplexing that anyone that I have ever seen." I was fairly indignant at the comment, so I asked my mother, "Mom, I'm a fairly simple guy, right?" The explosion of expression and fits of laughter told me that she was siding with God on that one.

4. He often questions my choice in wardrobe. I thought that wearing red socks with my black slacks and green shirt was a pretty awesome combination. When He said, "Bryan, I think the entire church can see your red socks when you sit down to play the drums," I started to get a little concerned. It obviously wasn't enough of a concern to keep me from doing it, but He began to question my judgment.

I thought, if ANYone would understand, it would be God. I mean, colorful socks just make everything better. If you're having a rough day, red socks just brighten the mood. If you're in a bad situation, seeing some purple argyle can totally change everything around. So, to this day, I'm still not sure if they're allowed...biblically speaking.

5. I think He is weirded out by my food consumption. I didn't think anything about eating half of a block of mild cheddar cheese in one sitting, until my bro-in-law started laughing at me in the middle of Albertson's. Around that time, God began to talk to me about the condition of my heart. I thought we were just having the normal "conviction speech," but I think He was more worried about my cholesterol.

I've since noticed that I'm in the minority for eating cheese. I didn't think it was weird to just offer someone some cheese when they walked into my house. I thought I was being hospitable, but apparently that's more disturbing than anything. So, God and I are still in the process of that conversation.

It's the simple things in life, right? We should take time to laugh at those small and seemingly insignificant moments, rather than being so concerned over all of the things that could potentially go wrong with the day.

I hope that your life is filled with opportunities to share the love of Christ this week. Don't forget that you have been bestowed an amazing opportunity. Use it wisely for the glory of God.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

http://feedourstreets.com

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Don't Forget to Laugh - 5/30/12

This just made me giggle...

"...Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight...Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'He's alive!' Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate..." - Acts 20:7-12

Now, I've had people fall asleep while I'm preaching, but have yet to have someone plummet to their death! It's just so crazy to think that, because Paul wouldn't shut up, this man died. And then was brought back to life. And then they went and ate. It's as if nothing had happened. No big deal, this is how it goes when people hang out with us.

Sometimes I forget to just enjoy what's going on. I get so uptight and worried about doing something wrong, hurting people, or saying something inappropriate that I forget to just enjoy the moment. I mean, in the past two weeks, I've been the cause of three or four pretty epic accidents and all the while I'm thinking, "How on earth could that have happened??" But, we have to laugh, right?

If Paul could take someone plummeting to his death because of his preaching in stride, then I think that we can laugh about things that happen in life. There really isn't much else to do, but live life and allow God to take care of the rest!

I hope that your life is filled with opportunities to share the love of Christ this week. Don't forget that you have been bestowed an amazing opportunity. Use it wisely for the glory of God.

God's blessings on your life this week,

Bryan

http://thebtaylor.blogspot.com

http://feedourstreets.com

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Playing for Rascal Flatts

Not many of you know of my fame with the legendary group Rascal Flatts, so I thought I would regale you with my adventures.

It all started on a rainy summer day in Arkansas. I had just arrived in Little Rock and was greeted by my amazing friend Allen Pointer. We headed to the car, where we met Ryan Akers (affectionately known as "Intern Boy") and started off to Russelleville. As we were driving down the interstate, they related a story that had happened on the way to summer camp, in which every single bus was said to be the tour bus of Rascal Flatts. Apparently there were some girls that were "big fans" and couldn't stop talking about how the LOVED the band. So we decided during the car ride that I would act as the bass player for Rascal Flatts when we showed up for Sunday School the next morning.

Fast-forwarding to Sunday School the next day, I found myself slightly anxious, because, while I knew the band's music, I really knew little else about them. But, being the gregarious thespian that I am, I knew that I could play the role perfectly. So as Ryan walked in, I followed. He introduced me as Bryan the bassist for Rascal Flatts. He did it in such a way as to be sly and casual, but you could see it on the faces of both the girls and boys. The boys looked dejected, while the girls looked giddy and excited.

There were a couple girls (to remain nameless, although they know who they are - Brittany Tucker) who decided to bridge the gap and approach me. As I smiled and told them of our tour, I couldn't help thinking how WRONG this was, but how AMAZing it was. It seemed completely interesting to me that while they professed to be avid fans of the band (and owned, like, every, single, CD, on, the, planet), none of them actually knew what the bassist looked like.

Well, we went through the entire duration of Sunday School with none the wiser, except the adults. So I followed everyone into the sanctuary and prepared to meet my Maker at the altar for my sins of the morning. About this time, one of the girls came storming through the doors and walked directly up to me. From the look on her face, I thought that she was going to pin me to the floor and use me for kick boxing practice. With eyes that had been thoroughly moistened, she said, "you LIED to me!"

Needless to say, I felt a little sheepish. Especially considering that I was in the House of the Lord. With a completely stupid grin on my face, I tried to explain the "joke", but she would have none. There was to be NO consolation that morning. For the remainder of the service I sat awkwardly, wondering if she would ever forgive me.

I think, in the end, I might have received a slight smile, but that was about it. Fortunately, the church still stands and everyone has moved on about their daily lives. While the joke was extremely funny, I supposed that Sunday School is prolly not the best place to tell of the mighty adventures of the band...But, we live and learn, right?