tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64954699631827040162024-03-05T02:23:58.778-05:00Beth Brawley TaylorThoughts on life and leadership, with a sprinkling of humor.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-36440173111308469222011-06-16T22:41:00.000-04:002011-06-16T22:42:35.185-04:00Check Out My New Site...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"">Hellooooo!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is anyone out there???<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you still have this blog site in your reader or if you have stumbled across this site by accident, I have some news.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have recently launched my new website and I would love for you to head on over and have a look-see.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Click here and head on over to Beneath the Surface…we have a lot going on and you do not want to miss this…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.beneath-the-surface.com"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">www.beneath-the-surface.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.beneath-the-surface.com"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif""><br /></span></a></p>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-66346754165890729322009-11-18T10:26:00.005-05:002009-11-18T10:50:45.722-05:00So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehen Good-bye...<span style="font-family: verdana;">I am shutting down my blog for now, my friends, as I take time to consider the direction my writing will take. I appreciate every one of you who have joined me on this two year journey and I will miss you. Have a peaceful and joyful Thanksgiving!<br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-3114132777888994332009-11-12T08:58:00.002-05:002009-11-12T17:08:12.740-05:00Never Too Late<blockquote>"It is never too late to become the person you might have been." --George Elliot</blockquote><br /><br />I love days like today, days that are are cloudy, cold and windy. I love them because they make the inside of my house feel cozier, warmer and brighter. All I want to do on days like this is curl up under a chenille throw on my couch and read a good book and sip hot tea and luxuriate in the yummy goodness of home. And ignore my children and the ringing telephone and refuse to cook dinner and...<br /><br />Sorry. I got carried away.<br /><br />I do find it so odd, though, that when the circumstances of life mirror days like this, when the landscape of my existence is dark and cold and windswept, all I can see and feel is the outside. While the stormy afternoon only serves to magnify the warmth and comfort of the refuge of home, the difficulties of life often overshadow the warmth and comfort and coziness that can be found in the refuge of God. Why is that? Shouldn't the dark circumstances of life stand in stark contrast to all the light and comfort and protection of the home we have in the shadow of His wings?<br /><br />I think it is all part of this process of becoming, this learning to live in oneness with the Lover of our souls. It takes time. And it takes much stumbling and falling and then just as much getting back up and moving forward to<span style="font-weight: bold;"> change our perspective.</span> When Paul talked of being "crucified with Christ that I might no longer live, but Christ lives in me," (Gal 2:20) he was speaking of this divine perspective, this arduous journey from self-awareness to God-awareness. He longs to be that to whom our gaze is drawn when the storms come, that we might be identified with Him alone and not to the fears that threaten when clouds roll in and the winds pick up.<br /><br />It is a process. It is a journey. And it is never too late.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-82134082325472532402009-11-10T09:34:00.004-05:002009-11-11T11:21:31.959-05:00To Be Sure of You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM3PYGiRBYqatd6QlGqfwXilj7SFYryj7GMV-99BF9PpPrdlgH2dpNQIxQTp61VXGNGm_QMvGIErP_5aAdTU9hha-XDV4LED3VPumppTOdhNFz5hxXxyGwhYFIsEugWgt9Kt6ncOPbu0/s1600-h/pooh+piglet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM3PYGiRBYqatd6QlGqfwXilj7SFYryj7GMV-99BF9PpPrdlgH2dpNQIxQTp61VXGNGm_QMvGIErP_5aAdTU9hha-XDV4LED3VPumppTOdhNFz5hxXxyGwhYFIsEugWgt9Kt6ncOPbu0/s320/pooh+piglet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402510193621352690" border="0" /></a><blockquote><br /><span class="sqq">“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.<br />"Yes, Piglet?"<br />"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you.<blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote><span class="sqq"><br /><br /><br />Yesterday afternoon I was sitting alone in my bedroom, rocking and staring out the window, feeling rather sad and wondering why. My husband came into the room and stretched out on the carpet beside me. Putting his feet on the stool between us, he looked over at me and asked me what was wrong. I didn't have an answer so he just smiled at me and we fell into a long, luxurious silence. After a few minutes he asked me to put my feet on the stool so they would touch his. "I just want to feel you next to me. I need to know you are there," he said.<br /><br />With the myriad uncertainties in my life at this moment, it is consoling to be sure of what really matters....that I am loved.<br /><br />By my husband.<br /><br />By my God.<br /><br />Sometimes it just helps to reach out and be sure of it.<br /><br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-53774725926577865022009-11-09T05:30:00.003-05:002009-11-09T05:30:00.465-05:00Jesus and .38 Special<blockquote></blockquote><br /><h1 style="margin: 0pt; font-size: 12px;"><blockquote>“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” --Pericles</blockquote><br /></h1><br />The American dream is to own a piece of land to call home and build a life around it, raising a family and acquiring possessions. Nothing wrong with that.<br /><br />And yet...<br /><br />when we consider how Jesus lived, His stability was not found in possessions or a house with His name on the mailbox. It was not even found in an untarnished reputation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> It was found in relationships with the ones that He led and ultimately the One that He followed.</span> That is pretty simple.<br /><br />Things get complicated when we rely on the lives we build for ourselves to fill the void. Equity and assets are very nice but we must remind ourselves to hold on loosely (thank you, .38 Special!). And disappointment is inevitable when we depend on the absence of change to maintain our peace of mind. Some equate stability with unchanging circumstances when really<span style="font-weight: bold;"> stability comes from unchanging commitment to relationships, first to God and then to those people He puts in our lives.</span><br /><br />Starting over, bottoming out and reaching dead ends are not nearly as daunting when we can see and embrace the bittersweet truth of James 4:14, "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." With that in mind we can focus on our nearness to God and the deposit we make in the lives of others and let everything else fade into the periphery. Where it belongs.<br /><br />I want to live life like Jesus did...holding on loosely with open arms and an open life.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-58915481734269212532009-11-07T15:27:00.005-05:002009-11-07T16:31:14.453-05:00Being Spontaneous Makes You UglyIt has been eleven days since I last posted anything and I just have to say that my newfound freedom to be a total slacker...it is so freeing. Please know that I have not been wasting my time. I have been doing many important things, like staring out the windows, daydreaming and trying to figure out how to get my new Georgia driver's license without admitting how much I weigh. The folks at the Florida DDS are not near as nosy as they are here in Georgia. So I did what any self-respecting southern woman would do. I lied. And I don't care who knows it.<br /><br />They showed <span style="font-style: italic;">me</span>, though. The picture they took was unspeakably hideous. To be fair, that could have had something to do with the fact that my grossly infected left earlobe was bloody and swollen from twenty failed attempts at putting in my earrings. And the fact that I had food in my teeth and was wearing my finest pair of yoga pants with a t-shirt and sweat jacket. I am nothing if not elegant and well put-together. <br /><br />In my defense (like I need one...sheesh) I had no prior warning that a trip to the Georgia State Patrol office was in my immediate future. My husband just showed up and said, "Hey, let's go get our Georgia drivers licenses." That very moment presented me with the choice to be one of two things for my man: flexible and spontaneous or well-groomed and attractive. So I opted for spontaneity. I should only regret that decision for the next five years or so until it is time to renew the darn thing. My only request is that if you see me, do <span style="font-weight: bold;">not </span>ask to see my license. It will not bode well for you.<br /><br />Love,<br />Miss SpontaneityBeth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-18434696897254819542009-10-27T00:11:00.001-04:002009-10-27T16:44:57.159-04:00I Believe, Too<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DQuAKhI7ppGaPonrXCWs-hCylJ_nIiAkOhWkFJKCpkubC84Ip8IzScOC7sasx6U-hwoKXHJuNztHDHVt74fmTyO0E-W2eQQQOh3eUBJRkD-hJebZ6C40Hspp-UxKYuv3I9wPf-VpTjk/s1600-h/grace+of+God.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DQuAKhI7ppGaPonrXCWs-hCylJ_nIiAkOhWkFJKCpkubC84Ip8IzScOC7sasx6U-hwoKXHJuNztHDHVt74fmTyO0E-W2eQQQOh3eUBJRkD-hJebZ6C40Hspp-UxKYuv3I9wPf-VpTjk/s320/grace+of+God.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397367958214619986" border="0" /></a>I spoke with a friend today whose husband is stationed overseas on military duty. The anguish in her voice was palpable as she shared with me the burden she carries here while her husband, her best friend fights for our freedom across the ocean. With all my heart I wanted to make all her heartache go away, to bring her husband home so she wouldn't have to see the pain in the eyes of their four children as they live day after long day with his absence. I wanted to fix it so she wouldn't have to face another sleepless night in their empty bed, praying that he would still be okay when she wakes up in the morning.<br /><br />But all I could do was listen and cry with her, never once pretending to understand what she feels. And I prayed for His grace to surround her.<br /><br />God's grace is a crazy thing. It becomes to each of us whatever it is we so desperately need and it surrounds us and carries us when we don't see how we can make it another step. We just have to fling ourselves out there in it, letting it carry us wherever He wills. Easy to say. Hard to do. I pray His grace today to military families and I thank Him for a selflessness that I do not understand but that brings Him such unspeakable delight. I pray His grace for those who fight and defend and for their families who wait and believe. I believe, too.<br /><b><br /></b>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-48912474999826960722009-10-23T17:08:00.002-04:002009-10-24T09:24:09.359-04:00How About Some Friday Jumbles......on Saturday. It's high time I dazzled you with my randomness.<br /><br />--Living in the country is highly entertaining. This past week I watched my three sons lift a 25 lb dead armadillo onto a golf cart to haul off into the woods. Actually only my oldest boy lifted it. My middle boy alternately gagged and video taped his older brother doing the deed, while my younger boy just giggled and made puking noises. Being the highly supportive mother that I am, I stayed in the house, doubled over laughing as I watched from the window. I know, I know. I should write a parenting book.<br /><br />--For the first time in maybe twenty plus years I went into a Spencer's in the mall. I don't know what possessed me to do it but I came away with these two powerful truths: 1. Spencer's is the worst smelling store in the mall, hands down, and 2. Four letter words are more shocking when seen printed on a coffee mug. Feel free to take a moment and ponder this.<br /><br />--If you haven't tried the Double Chocolate Fudge Coca Cola cake from Cracker Barrel, I highly recommend that you get yourself there. Today. And I don't mean maybe. Abandon all thoughts of sharing this lusciousness with someone and just eat the whole blooming thing. You WILL thank me.<br /><br />--I hope you people have a wonderous weekend. We are taking our crew to see <span style="font-style: italic;">Where the Wild Things Are.</span> And there <span style="font-style: italic;">will </span>be popcorn involved. Holla!Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-45485518491456496272009-10-21T05:30:00.000-04:002009-10-21T05:30:00.408-04:00If You've Never Failed...<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >You've Never Lived!</span><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gZTVX21jPtc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gZTVX21jPtc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-48168116865553537672009-10-20T10:21:00.001-04:002009-10-20T10:21:36.884-04:00You’re Soaking In It!<p>Life as I know it has returned to a state of "normal".  I will make no attempts to define "normal", although I usually do enjoy defining the completely subjective because it helps me to bring order to my already cluttered mind.  I am attempting instead to experience moments of life rather than always trying to define them.  As founder and president of the Think Things To Death Society, this is nothing short of miraculous.  Now, where was I?  Oh, yes... <br />Normal.  We have moved to another state, put most of our worldly possessions in storage and are currently living in someone’s guest home for a loosely determined length of time while we catch our proverbial breath and wait on God to show us what is next.  I'm sorry, did I say normal?  I meant utterly ridiculous but utterly ridiculous is the new normal and so here we are, living on a gorgeous spread of land, complete with horses in surrounding pastures,  swimming pool,  tennis court,  basketball court, workout room, and a beautiful home with every creature comfort possible.  The sheets with the incredibly high thread count are, in my opinion, just the cherry on top.  And if there is a down side to all of this it would only be that there are around a dozen deer and elk heads hanging on the walls in the great room and I swear they stare at me when I play pool in my pajamas. <br />Oswald Chambers talks about being "put into soak before God".  The innermost life is where the real action is, after all, and there are times when God pulls us away from the shop window, where most church leaders live, to rec<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBkfvkVRIq9tvqjeT7ABQKzrfwfWK8wORS32rSViwBB8HJWf8DKNCRKed78FMJPsty9PwKab3JKMmdCo2NuutbaEwrN9_BoUjYCalzwGD8mziKYIk2bs5K5J1BmR0Wjl_hP1MxJYT4ys/s1600-h/madge%20palmolive%20ad%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="madge palmolive ad" border="0" alt="madge palmolive ad" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjuWgkXEBFCjoE19OAEAWON8BEbyhrIr3whIMmXclMrV-6yv5fUi4BFiJJsf4GyBpoTbNyuAT594CpjRZARnU3CO_OLzGto3MoBO5KzNl2yfPraZ5JSO2wn3Y7Ajy5vLlsNEMymKDC9M/?imgmax=800" width="224" height="244" /></a>eive, transform, and soften in the quiet solitude of soaking.  I am just amazed at where He has us now and so I will be here, soaking and hopefully transforming.  Softening...like in that Palmolive commercial from the 70's.  It is a good day when you can combine serious spiritual content with nostalgic television commercials.  That's why I am here, people.  That's why I'm here.</p> Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-59243024834441511702009-09-29T08:06:00.005-04:002009-10-04T15:45:48.996-04:00Goodnight House and Goodnight MouseIt is four days until moving day and all of our belongings are jumping into boxes by themselves while a roll of packing tape zips through the house, seeking cardboard that needs sealing. I WISH! Actually, it is all going pretty well and on schedule. It is sad how much I love those two words..."on schedule", but there it is and I cannot change who I am so instead I embrace my love of order and schedule.<br /><br />That being said, I did linger a bit in our guest room as I packed up the tangible remains of the life of my mother. For those of you just tuning in here, my mother lived with me for the final year of her life and this month marks two years that she has been gone. The day after her memorial service, I took all of her things that I wanted to keep and shoved them into a closet in our guest room and so it has taken me a little while to touch and smell each thing before putting it in a box. I gazed around the guest room that she called home for her final year of life and remembered so many conversations we had and thought of all the old black and white movies we watched together, and I wondered to myself if the empty place she left inside me would ever stop aching. I suspect not.<br /><br />My husband and I have lived in lots of houses in many different cities, a path we chose together nearly twenty-one years ago when we agreed to go wherever God said and pour our hearts and lives into others. But this is the first time I have felt sad about leaving a house. Some of our friends have had the experience of raising their families in one place, maybe even one house, and there have been times I have envied them. But just briefly. I love all the amazing people we have met and friendships we have formed by living in different places and, while this way of life wreaks havoc on your finances, it does bring heaven to your heart. Still, leaving this house hurts and I am trying to make time to feel what I feel, grieving a little over the ending of a season of my life that was searingly painful and deliciously wonderful all at the same time. How I am feeling reminds me of my very favorite children's story that my mother read to me when I was small, <span style="font-style: italic;">Goodnight Moon</span>. Each page shows the little bunny saying goodnight to different things in his room until he finally tells the moon goodnight. It is important to say goodnight to the the places and seasons and people that matter.<br /><br />Goodnight Lake City. Goodnight Christian Heritage Church. Goodnight house!Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-73119453891528395632009-09-25T09:38:00.002-04:002009-09-25T15:59:21.154-04:00When God Closes a Home He Opens a WindowLet me start by giving credit for my catchy little title to my friend, Tim Smith. His sense of humor...it is so choice.<br /><br />Now, down to business. If you are just tuning in, I have been chronicling our journey into the unknown and you can catch up by clicking <a href="http://bethbrawleytaylor.blogspot.com/2009/09/welcome-to-my-castlebut-watch-your-step.html">here</a>, <a href="http://bethbrawleytaylor.blogspot.com/2009/09/tale-of-two-citiestaylor-style.html">here</a>, <a href="http://bethbrawleytaylor.blogspot.com/2009/09/we-asked-for-this.html">here</a> and <a href="http://bethbrawleytaylor.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-am-i-telling-you-all-of-this.html">here</a>. We have been packing and praying, trusting that when our house closes in two short weeks we will not be homeless. Homeless was just not on our list of options. I am kidding of course, but my point is that we have been growing short on time (yesterday marked eight days left until moving day) and long on uncertainty. The amazing thing about following God is that even when circumstances appear uncertain, God is a sure thing.<br /><br />Every time. <br /><br />Just not according to <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> timetable, which we waved bye-bye to long ago.<br /><br />So...the night before last we received an offer to move our family into the guest home of some very dear people. Wow! This offer will afford our family an opportunity to rest, pressure-free, and to "lie beside still waters" so that He can "restore our souls." This totally confirmed that the Lord wants us in Valdosta, GA for this season of time that we know in our hearts is still transitional. There will be more ministry ahead for us and we know in our hearts that God has us in a holding pattern for now. And holding patterns are not so bad when you know Who is holding you.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-141762110811749392009-09-23T13:25:00.010-04:002009-09-24T09:51:56.176-04:00Why Am I Telling You All Of This?<span style="font-family:verdana;">So glad you asked...<br /><br />Those of you who know me personally are aware that I am anything but mysterious. I used to wish I could be an enigmatic, elusive personality that people were dying to figure out. Yeah...that's never going to happen. I wear my heart on my sleeve and my opinions on the outside of my mouth, which gets me in a world of trouble. Wide open though I am, there are places in my heart that are seen by invitation only, and I am particularly careful about displaying the details of my life during periods of transition.<br /><br />You see, my hubs and I have moved more than a few times in our almost twenty-one years together, and we have been the butt of more than a few jokes over the years. For so long the pain of being misunderstood overshadowed the beauty of knowing we had obeyed God. There were times I would forget that when it is all said and done, His delight in me is what counts.Yet somehow my heart has reached that wide-open place of acceptance. I have accepted who we are and the unconventional path He has called us to walk and I no longer look for the unexpected curves and contours of our life in God to mirror that of someone else. The virgin Mary would have never found another whose path resembled hers. And the truth is we are all "incubating" the life of Christ, but we must free one another to be the unique expression of that immense life, no matter how different from our own it may be. Oswald Chambers said this:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">“God puts His saints where they will glorify Him, and we are no judges at all of where that is.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">What utter freedom, what unending abandon there is in that truth. He decides for me. And you. And no two paths are the same. The community of believers should be like an art museum where we gaze with wonder and appreciation at the breathtaking differences in the lives of each believer.</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> And that is why I have opened this part of our life for you to see. I have written much about following Him at any cost and now I am giving you a peek at what that looks like for us and for our family, at least right now, at this moment. It's weird. It's unconventional. But it's real.<br /><br />What about you? What is God doing in you right now?<br /><br /><br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-11380949710847717252009-09-22T14:57:00.005-04:002009-09-23T13:23:59.621-04:00We Asked For ThisI told you in <a href="http://bethbrawleytaylor.blogspot.com/2009/09/tale-of-two-citiestaylor-style.html">my last post</a> that all of the strangeness in which we are currently living is something that we asked for. <span style="font-style: italic;">Yes, I did end that sentence in a preposition. I can't be held responsible for my behavior at this time. </span>You see, we have three sons, two of whom are teenagers, and we have been praying some big prayers for them. One year ago, the path of our life veered off into Timbuktu (figuratively, of course) and throughout this process we have asked God to show Himself to our boys in a big way. <span style="font-style: italic;">FYI-be VERY CAREFUL what you pray for!</span> Never, ever do I want to demonstrate small living, small faith or a small God to my own kids. I want them to taste the immensity that is God and His Kingdom so that they will become obsessed with following Him anywhere, anytime. <br /><br />And so here we are, stuck between the Rock and a God place, with no plan B. And we are watching, listening and waiting. These are perfect conditions for God to show up and show out. And my three sons are a captive audience for a God who never fails. <br /><br />Check back in soon. I plan to tell you why on earth I am sharing so much of my personal life in such a public way.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-73907201859842968332009-09-22T12:17:00.006-04:002009-09-22T14:08:29.773-04:00A Tale of Two Cities...Taylor Style<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjtASbfqppaUUhAsxvRvD3k4KDe11YzKSOHg1DuIs3YUP4-ttG-g2vjwrOLszrEz1loaU2xOkh2mdpr4BSOFGtamfAl4f56Kdmvn61xPbcu176fyhTMus-2VL7s2Gnxxi-qRw3x21ESI/s1600-h/wacky+clock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjtASbfqppaUUhAsxvRvD3k4KDe11YzKSOHg1DuIs3YUP4-ttG-g2vjwrOLszrEz1loaU2xOkh2mdpr4BSOFGtamfAl4f56Kdmvn61xPbcu176fyhTMus-2VL7s2Gnxxi-qRw3x21ESI/s200/wacky+clock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384355218072370114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The clock is ticking and we are fast approaching moving day. Our house is a flurry of cardboard, paper and questions and we are making every effort to move with calm assurance through a season that we do not fully understand in a way that honors God.<br /><br />So, here is where we are. My <a href="http://www.ednbeth.blogspot.com/">hubs</a> and I are considering two different cities and we are still not clear which one will be home. Truthfully, we need a miracle in the arena of housing and so we are waiting to see in which city God will perform this amazing miracle. And we now have...(you can hum to yourself while I count)...eleven days left until we have to move. We have less time than we originally thought because we realized we would have to move on a Saturday to have any help. Now, I realize how utterly ridiculous this must sound to most people and even our own three sons, who are used to us and the way God usually leads us, are looking at us like we have lost our everloving minds. But here is the thing...we asked for this.<br /><br />I would explain what I mean but I am running out of time! Check back for the next installment of what has recently become my "reality blog"....<br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-40605436303606003112009-09-16T11:02:00.008-04:002009-09-20T00:08:04.544-04:00Welcome to My Castle...But Watch Your Step<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFL5FiG7GrkccncA70q7rgIKch3oomt1ylH7qyCLeGcnvb3VauYr2ds4lhnUXgjHIlBqynxtipbq_q_kY-isBfYLNxJG6Ez39voBdfG8qpSxsg3OoZ7D4ajsK5uJzbVXLbtCYXXB8TYE/s1600-h/castle+bridge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFL5FiG7GrkccncA70q7rgIKch3oomt1ylH7qyCLeGcnvb3VauYr2ds4lhnUXgjHIlBqynxtipbq_q_kY-isBfYLNxJG6Ez39voBdfG8qpSxsg3OoZ7D4ajsK5uJzbVXLbtCYXXB8TYE/s320/castle+bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383394671997555938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Lately, I have been considering the blogs that I am drawn to, the ones that I will read regardless of my busy schedule. And do you know what they all have in common? In each one the author is putting him or herself "out there" and what they write is real and authentic and I can't help but find that irresistible. I'm not talking about the embarrassing kind of self-disclosure that makes you want to crawl under your couch and hide, like when you watch </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The Office</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. I am talking about a real person who knows they are flawed and yet they let down their humanity like a drawbridge, inviting you to cross over the mote of outward appearance to see what the castle is really like inside.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /> <span style="font-family:arial;">I have avoided writing about my own personal life in any real detail for the past year or so because it is hard to give someone a tour of a castle you hardly recognize. The past twelve months have turned out to be one of the most surprising years of my life. My husband of almost twenty-one years stepped out of vocational ministry to pursue a business opportunity which turned out to be a vehicle that God used to pull us off to the side where He could tell us some things we needed to hear. And some dreams I thought were finally becoming tangible seem to be drifting off in the big, gray horizon, and I have been standing on the shore like Tom Hanks in Castaway, talking to myself and hoping that someone would show up and rescue me. It has been a costly year for us in more ways than one and a year that has shaken the foundations of my faith. And it's not over yet.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Our home, that has been on the market for eighteen months, has sold and we are set to close in twenty days. That means we have to move in nineteen days. And we have no idea where we are going. I said we have no idea where we are going. I would like to point out that this is actually the second time that we have been all dressed up with nowhere to go so I am not freaking out. I am going about my life, teaching my sons, writing, accepting speaking opportunities when they come and packing boxes, all the while breathing in and breathing out, expecting that God will show up before moving day and tell us where the heck He wants us to go.<br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I have written a great deal about risk, adventure and the perils of shore-hugging but what I want to say today, at this moment in my life, is that I am feeling a little seasick. And if I have ever given you the impression that launching out into the deep is only exciting and never frightening...well, I apologize. Sometimes it just plain sucks (sorry, Sabrina). I just wanted to set the record straight. Because I am nothing if not honest and authentic, and while that may not make everyone comfortable, I can at least lay my head on my pillow at night and know that I have been real. And real is seldom easy, usually uncomfortable and almost always messy. Welcome to my very real and very messy life. I will keep you posted..</span>.</span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-57132991581580407352009-09-14T05:30:00.001-04:002009-09-14T05:30:00.137-04:00Hi, I'm Larry...This Is My Brother Darryl and This Is My Other Brother Darryl"<span style="font-family: verdana;">So, I have been contemplating my life. Where I am now....where I will be after our house closes on the 9th of next month...how on God's green earth we have come to be at this place where we find ourselves. You know, things like that. Just for the record, I have no answers. But I do see that I am going to need a little more flexibility in my life. So rather than have a regular posting schedule here on my funky little blog that is read by tens of people three times a week come rain or shine, I will instead be posting whenever the heck I feel like it. So there.<br /><br />I feel so rebellious, so dangerous, so....naughty right now! The idea of living life with no schedule!!! Okay, seriously, I need you to know that I will only be posting when I have something fantastic to say that is entirely fueled by my passions and not by a posting schedule even though this violates all the rules of growing a wildly successful blog. Fortunately for me, this blog of mine is not yet wildly successful so I can afford myself this freedom. If you do not already subscribe to this blog via e-mail or in a reader, please check out the right margin and do that now. You know you do not want to miss a thing here and I am just making it easy for you. No need to thank me.<br /><br />And by the way, the title has nothing to do with this post. I just like "Newhart" from the 1980's. Big perms, ugly sweaters with shoulder pads and Bob Newhart...what's not to love?<br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-22280262843494623652009-09-11T11:56:00.004-04:002009-09-11T13:01:37.495-04:009-11-01...If We Were to Ask God<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson<br /><br /><br />All of the ceremony of a day like today stirs us to pause and to remember...<br /><br />Where we were.<br /><br />What we were doing. <br /><br />How we felt. <br /><br />And all the needless loss of life that day.<br /><br />On this day each year, some will be overcome with thankfulness, forgiveness and hope.<br /><br />Others will still be nursing hatred and judgment and fear.<br /><br />If we were to ask God how He feels about what happened, I wonder what He would say. <br /><br />Because He is "I Am" and not "I Was" or "I Will Be", I think He would ask us to look within and see how we have allowed the tragedies of yesterday and the heartbreak of today to change us and make us look like a truer reflection of His Image. And although I am certain the events of 9-11-01 broke God's heart, I imagine that today He is more interested in whether or not His children are looking more like Him and if we are allowing His image to be reflected on the lost and the broken, the sick and the poor. <br /><br />These are the things I am thinking of today.<br /></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-57291689494093594442009-09-09T05:30:00.002-04:002009-09-09T05:30:00.261-04:00Most People are Crappy Listeners (or A Question We Should Ask God)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjKt-vZVdiN0V4etaU3HWkb3jyXYcMm_SHOvcxyN-SsbFx_uDDiWaOqIf4wMdjaIj8Jim66VGEqVQ3cNnVDoYqDOymfeY3ULxBHI3v9Zah4dFUz68C74k5TF51le4BKJaCDxscwnaes/s1600-h/listening_ear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmjKt-vZVdiN0V4etaU3HWkb3jyXYcMm_SHOvcxyN-SsbFx_uDDiWaOqIf4wMdjaIj8Jim66VGEqVQ3cNnVDoYqDOymfeY3ULxBHI3v9Zah4dFUz68C74k5TF51le4BKJaCDxscwnaes/s320/listening_ear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379213703691425906" border="0" /></a><br />Most people, it would seem to me, are crappy listeners who are excellent at talking about themselves and completely oblivious to their inability to actively listen to others. If this is a gross generalization, then please forgive my painting with such a broad stroke. I am sure there is a huge colony of people who are excellent listeners, expertly utilizing correct body language and conversational cues, that live in some remote corner of Montana and I just haven't had the pleasure of meeting them.<br /><br />And if most of us are poor listeners when it comes to our fellow man, then how must we behave when we enter the proverbial prayer closet? Pretty much the same, I would wager. So I ask you this: Have you ever gotten alone with God and asked Him this: "What do you want to talk about today, Lord?" (cue the sound of crickets chirping)<br /><br />I decided to challenge myself with this and I have been asking Him to take the lead in our time together. It is astounding what comes out of this type of interaction with God. It won't lower your cholesterol 20 points or shave ten pounds off of your waist, but it will increase your vision and improve your hearing. And your heart? Well, it will be more tender than you could ever imagine. Go ahead...ask Him.Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-65067761928378044222009-09-04T05:30:00.002-04:002009-09-04T05:30:00.513-04:00Friday Jumbles--From the Department of Completely Useless Information, I am happy to inform you that if you have had or are considering having your dog neutered, there is help on the way so that his self esteem need not suffer. Click here to read about <a href="http://www.neuticles.com/">Neuticles</a> if you are as concerned about your neutered pet's emotional health as I am about mine. "It's like nothing ever changed!"<br /><br />--Tim Sanders (oh, I do respect this man) has written <a href="http://sanderssays.typepad.com/sanders_says/2009/08/the-recession-is-over-in-this-house.html">another great post</a> on scarcity thinking in regard to the current recession. Take a minute to click over and read his words of life and encouragement.<br /><br />--I'm not saying that extended periods of transition and trying to sell ones house are stressful, but yesterday I gave one of my high school age sons his younger brother's math test by mistake. He was NOT happy with me, but I am happy to report that my ninth grade son is, in fact, smarter than a fifth grader.<br /><br />--And speaking of stressful circumstances, my dog Kramer...you know, the little fuzzball that throws up everywhere in my house? He had a seizure recently and , once I figured out he <span style="font-style: italic;">wasn't</span> break dancing, I rushed him to the vet where he immediately returned to his normal state and peed all over the examination room floor. It's all good though...the doctor assured me that if this keeps up, I can purchase pills that he will need to take <span style="font-weight: bold;">TWICE A DAY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. </span><br /><br />--Hope you people have a blissfully happy holiday weekend. I won't post on Monday because, well, if the postal employees don't have to work, then neither am I. I will be back on Wednesday. Holla!!Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-8222645732990474412009-09-02T05:30:00.002-04:002009-09-02T11:19:10.091-04:00In His Lap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPS9pXf2rkkM42vukam5mSpiNNtaO0xQr9GvV_1hWn0Fi_nWBcT1eTiiLXqSOq5kqwQrO9Y7N2MP2Jw-DVLI0q6HkUDagPt-qcYMoETl4Vy6iOMdyjAopZu9yNgQouBzkqD3gbcIAZv4/s1600-h/jesus_child.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPS9pXf2rkkM42vukam5mSpiNNtaO0xQr9GvV_1hWn0Fi_nWBcT1eTiiLXqSOq5kqwQrO9Y7N2MP2Jw-DVLI0q6HkUDagPt-qcYMoETl4Vy6iOMdyjAopZu9yNgQouBzkqD3gbcIAZv4/s320/jesus_child.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376679171658640834" border="0" /></a>When I was a child and it was my weekend to be with my daddy, I couldn't wait to get in his lap and feel his arms squeeze me close to him. Nobody could hug me like he did. The smell of his aftershave and the prickles of his whiskers on my cheek were medicine to my hurting little heart and I drank deeply every weekend that I spent with him, wishing that I could hug him every day. Little boys and girls need the lavish affection of their fathers.<br /><br />These past weeks, I trimmed away some of the distractions in my life for a while so I could pull in, narrow my focus and curl up next to God. I don't mean this to sound spooky- spiritual or religious. I just mean it for what it is...a little girl who needs more affection from her Daddy and the only way she knows to get it is to cuddle up next to Him.<br /><br />Somehow many of us become so swept away with the distractions of life that we forget how badly we still need to curl up in our Heavenly Father's lap and drink Him in. And sadly many of these distractions, some of them good things or, even worse, ministry things, become poor substitutes for what our souls desperately need...lavish affection from the only One who knows who we really are.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When was the last time you sat in His lap</span>?Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-67591707450333491602009-09-01T05:30:00.001-04:002009-09-01T05:30:01.061-04:00Hi...Remember Me???Yes, my friends, I am alive and well. Rumors of my untimely demise have been greatly exaggerated. I have, however, enjoyed a wonderful month of solitude...well, as much solitude as one can enjoy living with three sons. I have really missed all of you wonderful people though, and I am glad to be back. I can't wait to share all of my highly important and life-changing thoughts with you. I am sure you have slept little over this past month in breathless anticipation of what I might write. Okay, seriously, I really do have some things to say...just not today. I might possibly have let September slip up on me. Don't hate me for it.<br />I will be back on Wednesday, as usual. Have a splendiferous week!Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-8144860363943355312009-08-03T05:30:00.002-04:002009-08-03T05:30:00.332-04:00In The Stillness<span class="entry-author-name"></span><div class="entry-body"><div><div class="item-body"><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><blockquote>Nothing in all creation is so like God as stillness.<br />Meister Eckhart<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."<br />When I consider what it means to be still and to know Him as God, I think of the mysteries of the cocoon and the resulting transformation that takes place after a season of isolation, of darkness and of stillness. And none of this "cocooning" takes place quickly but over the course of time. To the casual observer it would seem that nothing is happening. Some may regard being still as idle, unproductive and wasteful, but nothing could be further from the truth. To be still before God is to silence the myriad distractions that life has to offer and to focus on the extravagance of simply enjoying His presence. It is possible in this unhurried exchange that our pressing questions might be answered, our deepest hurts healed and our priorities become realigned, but more often than not, those things just fade into the background and the nearness of God becomes all that we see.<br /><br />I believe we must be intentional in setting aside seasons to seal ourselves into a "cocoon" where we are forced <span style="font-style: italic;">into</span> stillness and <span style="font-style: italic;">away from </span>distraction. This doesn't have to happen in an isolated retreat setting. It can simply mean cutting out so much of the "excess" activity in our lives for a season. The sole purpose is to spend longer quantities of unhurried time with God, soaking in His Presence and becoming preoccupied with Him and Him alone. This is such a time for me. For the month of August I will not be spending time on Facebook and I will not be posting anything on my blog. I sincerely hope this won't kill my blog traffic and that you will all be here when I return in September, but regardless, this is what I need to do. I am really looking forward to the stillness and when I return, I hope to have some tasty things to share with you all.<br /><br />Happy August!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-14823948243217639222009-07-27T05:30:00.000-04:002009-07-27T05:30:00.598-04:00Everybody Needs A Little Time Away...<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am taking the next week off from my blog. I will be back on Monday, August 3rd. Hang in there with me, friends, as I try to catch my breath and figure out where to go from here. Have a great week!</span></span>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6495469963182704016.post-53002477575804835042009-07-25T05:30:00.002-04:002009-07-25T05:30:00.710-04:00Get Your Groove On<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-94JhLEiN0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-94JhLEiN0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Beth Brawley Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157351971656873986noreply@blogger.com1