Absent.

That’s what I’ve been from this. And I’m sorry. I want to post again. I want to challenge and encourage again. My mind is flooding with thoughts and ideas to expand upon. Also, I have a promise to hold to! The TayTheory list will be completed! It must! Anyways.. Stand by!

1 month ago  /  0 notes

Canine Bilingualism

You know what would be so fantastic? If canines could speak english and we could speak any of the many dialects that they speak. Gosh, that would be so rad. For the sake of this writing I will call the multifaceted dog language “canish.” (Canish here can include, but is not limited to, the dialects of the barks, the growls, the whimpers, and for the more feminine and feline-blooded of pups, the purrs.) I mean how amazing would it be for us and our canine companions to be able to truly understand one another? Life would be so much easier. So much quieter. Just this morning I was hanging out at my parents house, chilling with the newest Latham, Sammy the Maltipoo, and wishing so badly he could understand my wishes and demands to him. Here is the dialogue that took place between the two if us earlier and that indeed encouraged this blog:

Sammy: (upon hearing the garage door opening…) Rooooff!! Rooooooo roo roo rofffffffffff!!

Me: Sammy, its okay bud, no, shut up… thats just Austin coming home from lunch. Dude, seriously chill. (Sammy continues in his frantic panic of warning.) BRO, IT’S JUST AUSTIN!!

Sammy: Roooof, roooofff, rooofffff, ro ro ro ro rofffffffffffff!! (all the while hopping around on his hind legs in a psychotic dance.)

Me: Okay, wow, uncalled for, he’s your brother too, you know. We don’t bark at family. Geez.

Sammy: In approval to Austin entering the house, and in acceptance that he is indeed not a threat to the Latham Kingdom, raises his front right paw slightly off the floor in a bit of a sissy manner and turns his head slightly to left, directing an empty and puppy dog eyed glare to me almost as to say “why didn’t you tell me it was just Austin?”

Me: (Rolling my eyes in annoyance and brief frustration…) I did bro, I did. 

Oh, the complications and schisms that could be avoided if this language barrier didn’t exist…

Now, let us analyze this exchange of dialogue through the lenses of canine bilingualism:

Sammy: (upon hearing garage door opening…) Rooooff!! Rooooooo roo roo…

Me: (cutting of his frantic yelling…) Sammy, its okay bud..

Sammy: Silence.

Me: Thank you. 

Oh, if only, if only.

5 months ago  /  2 notes

Lesson #3: Love Till Your Bones Run Dry.

Love. What a powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful, powerful… (repeating)… force. Sorry for the redundancy there, y’all. Actually, no, I’m not. Because that is just the problem. We, as people, as selfish and me-centered thinkers, have forgotten just how powerful love actually is. Love is actually more powerful than powerful^8 (plus some.) Love is the greatest tool we as emotional beings have the privilege to. Love is the greatest bridge builder and the strongest wall breaker. It is the meaning of our existence and our very purpose is centered around the concept, the act, the feeling, the action of love. 

If you’ve read any other of my ramblings you know that I like to define the topic of that particular writing in the writing itself to enhance the meaning of what I may be blabbing about. So, I typically turn to Merriam-Webster dictionary (online of course, the actual book is a brick) and will do that now as well. Please stand by… Oh wow. I need you all to do me a favor. You’ve got to see this for yourself. Go to Merriam-Webster online (or any other dictionary reference for that matter) and search for the definition of love. Do you see that? How many entries found? I’m seeing 58 that the word love pulls up. Okay, but only these first two seem to just be love itself, not phrases and things that contain the word love. But wait.. even these first two can be broken down even further? Love: its a noun AND a verb? Okay, I can buy that. But nine definitions offered as a noun and four as a verb??

::Record Scratch::

Rewind, let’s back it up… Are we overcomplicating this? Love. Complicated? No, that doesn’t sound right. It shouldn’t be at least. Complex? Well, maybe… there are different kinds, for sure. Friends love each other, husband and wife love each other, father and daughter love each other, and all of these forms of love will be different, I’m aware of that. But, love itself should not be a complex idea or action. We have so complex-icated love. (Yes, I made that word up.) 

What happened to the simplicity? The easiness? The natural overflow of love? 

¹² ”This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” —Jesus

What do Jesus’s words teach us about this concept of love? Well, we see that love is an action. Love is an attitude. Love is service. Service. Service. This is Jesus’s definition of love, so it’s good enough for me.

Serve the ones you claim to love. They go hand in hand. They are interchangeable. This is what my third lesson taught me over the summer at Look Up Lodge: We have overcomplicated and simultaneously watered down what love actually is. We have overlooked its power and capacity to change this world. This I offer to you as my third TayTheory.

I was able to love on and serve some really stikin’ awesome kids, teens, and co-workers this past summer. It was my job. It was what I spent three months in South Carolina doing. But you know what I’ve realized now that the summer has faded into the past? I let it become just a job at times. I didn’t do it well enough. I “did” love. I “offered” service. Some of it was authentic. But some of it was artificial. And the artificial half, the artificial moments of love and the half-hearted efforts to serve my fellow staffers, are much regretted. I feel like I could have done a much better job of serving and loving these people who now mean the world to me. Looking back, I was selfish. I was stubborn. I was at times willing to help. I was at times willing to serve. But, gosh, am I beyond stoked that Jesus isn’t like me. He is always willing to serve, never ceasing to love. And He exemplified this beautifully to us. Jesus knew love. Jesus still knows love. Jesus is Love.

So what am I telling you to do? Be like Jesus? To be Jesus? Well, no, I’m not telling you to be Jesus. That’s impossible, I know. But, I am telling you to follow Him and harness His example and heart of love and service to the ones that mean the most to you. That’s what He did. The moments you waste in selfish ambition and “gain” are the ones you will regret the most. Trust me, I know. Don’t waste anytime. Don’t let moments pass you by. Spend time with the ones you love, or claim to love, and prove it. Serve them selflessly always. Love till your bones run dry. This, you will not regret.

5 months ago  /  2 notes

Lesson #2: By Yourself, Just Dread

SO, a few months ago I made a promise. One that I fell through on… again. (I apologize for that, by the way.) I wrote a post telling all of you wonderful people to be on the lookout for a series of lessons or theories that I learned and formulated over my summer at Look Up Lodge. I posted the first one. And fairly promptly. Its about that terrible little question that can really mess with our sanity. You know those two words that can send you spiraling down into an abyss of unknown torture… Yep, those are the words: WHAT-IF. It was a good post. I was a fan. You should read it if you haven’t already.

Anyways… wow, I’ve been rambling. With all of this said, here is my second TayTheory. Be Yourself, Just Dread:

If you know me and have seen me in the past five months, or are at all active in the social media frenzy controlling our lives, you know that I have a bit of a different hair style now than I did when I embarked to LUL for the summer. If you do not know me, or do not know what I am speaking of, let me catch you up to speed. I have dreads. I didn’t have dreads five months ago. There you go. All caught up now!

Why do I have dreads, you might ask? (And I was hoping you would.) Well, the purpose of this blog is to in-fact inform you of my reasoning and defend my decision in choosing to “dread it up.” So, because I am a big fan of the Socratic method, which really should be called the Jesusic method, for Jesus did use it best and before Socrates ever did, I will answer your question with another question: Why would I not have dreads?

You’re stumbling to answer, you can’t do it. And you should’t be able to. Its my hair, after all. Not yours. Why would you know what I want to do with my hair or be concerned with it? I wanted dreads because I wanted dreads. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to be different. I wanted a fun change, I wanted to experiment. So I did. And I’m happy I made that decision. You see, people follow “trends” to much. And I’m sick of it.

Listen, enough about me and my dreads. They are short, frizzy, white-boy dreads which are way sub-par on the scale of “dread goodness.” They are not what I want you to be thinking about when you close this page. Instead, I want you to be thinking about you. And your life. Your decisions. Your desires and the journeys that you wish to embark on. I want you to read this, believe this, and live this: the fact that you were created to be you. Not the girl on the magazine cover or the dude in the new epic man movie. You are you. So, be you. Stop striving for greatness and acceptance. Stop conforming to and following the wardrobe patterns that the movies, your school, or even your church are telling you that you must conform to to be “cool.” News flash: you were created by the God who invented “cool” with just as much intentionality, greatness, and potential as any of those guys on stage or any go those girls on the big screen.

Get dreads. Shave your head. Wear funky colored vests and pants. Get a tattoo. Act a fool. Laugh a lot.Bottom line: Be yourself.

You’re great. So go do great things.

Peace, 

Taylor

5 months ago  /  3 notes

Thankful for Buckets.

6 months ago  /  2 notes

I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror

War. What a horrific and life-less concept. Literally. Life-less. Piles of bodies in the battlefield void of blood and breath. Such a dark and evil process. Yes, the men who serve our country should be honored, respected, and thanked endlessly. Because we are free. Because our freedom is not free. It was bought at the very high price of our soldiers laying down their lives for our greater good. In this light, fighting in war is a noble and honorable deed. When it’s voluntary. When it’s for the good of your nation. But how many of you reading this would, when I tell you to close your eyes and envision a soldier serving his country with nobility and fearlessness, picture a child holding a machine gun on the frontlines? Yea, that’s right. You read me right. A child. On the frontlines. It’s doubtful that any of you would actually produce this image when prompted in such a way. A child? In war? “What an unfathomable crime,” you would say. Children belong on playgrounds, in libraries, behind coloring books, and playing with their action figures and dolls. War is a word not yet loaded into their vocabulary. Or that’s the way it should be, at least. And certainly the way it is here in the United States and other parts of the world. But not in Uganda. And not in parts of the Congo and South Sudan.

Welcome to a region of the world where a man by the name of Joseph Kony has completely destroyed the safety and security of childhood dreams. Where he uses the force and terror of his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to kidnap children to fight on his frontlines in which he destroys and terrorizes local tribes and cities in Central Africa. This terrorist group sweeps through villages in the cover of night killing innocent civilians and kidnapping hundreds of children. Kony and his army force these children to believe that the only way for them and their families to survive is for them to comply with their requests. Once a part of the LRA, the children are brainwashed to believe that if they try to escape they will be killed, if not by Kony and the army, then by God himself. It is estimated that since December of 2009, there have been 1,810 abductions and 966 civilian deaths by the hands of the LRA. Children who call these communities of Uganda, the Congo, and Sudan home are unable to sleep in security and often have to huddle together in abandoned buildings and shelters hiding throughout the night hoping and praying that LRA soldiers will not come for them. This should not be the life of any child. And no child should have to fight and kill at because of fear and control of a terrorist group. The LRA MUST be stopped. And there is a way YOU can help.

Invisible Children is an organization that exists to raise awareness of the atrocities taking place in areas like Uganda and the Congo and to bring Joseph Kony and his LRA to justice. Sure, we may not live in Central Africa, and most of us will never step foot there. And sure, the things that take place over there, no matter how dark and evil, don’t effect our lives here. But, I cannot sit still in the comfort and security of my apartment and simply shrug off the fact that innocent children are being forced into battle, abducted from their families, and being slaughtered at the hands of these power hungry deceivers. No matter how poor of a people or nation, no such a thing should be allowed to happen. Anywhere. Ever.

And that is why I have decided to be a part of the solution. That is why I have made the commitment to help end the longest running war in Africa. I am a part of the progress being made. I have a voice that is restoring peace to villages in Central Africa and protecting families and children from the LRA.

And you do, too. You can join me in being the solution.

By donating to Invisible Children you are helping the organization further institute and develop their Protection Plan, a five-stage plan to prevent future LRA attacks and restore peace and security to the people of Central Africa.

For more information on Invisible Children and their Protection Plan please visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com/protectionplan.

I urge you to take action and donate to this wonderful and life changing organization fighting for the triumph of human rights and justice. Give 1 dollar, 10 dollars, 100 dollars, whatever you can afford. Resist the temptation to buy your beer or smokes for this next week and instead give that money to the people in the world who do not even know what the simplest of peace and security is. Please. Believe that you can make a difference. Believe that your donation, no matter how small, can and will improve the lives and security of these beautiful and deserving people. I challenge you to donate at least five dollars by the New Year. You have over a month to look into it, save up some extra cash, and make a difference.

No child should have to fight in a war against their own people. And no child should be stripped of the security of sleeping in peace. We can make a difference. We are the solution to this conflict. So go ahead: click for yourself to find out more:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/protectionplan.

(All statistics were received from Invisible Children’s website. www.invisiblechildren.com)

6 months ago  /  1 note

Lesson #1: The Danger of the “What If?”

As promised, folks. Here it is. The first TayTheory (or simply put, lesson) that I learned this summer. Have a seat, buckle up, and enjoy.

We are about to discuss and explore the danger of the “what if?”.

To get started, I want you to put yourself in your “happy place.” Or, hop in your mental time machine and go back to a time in your life where you knew that where you were and what you were doing was totally and undeniably what you were supposed to be doing during that time. You know for certain that this is God’s plan for you right now. So, you’ve cranked that time machine up, right? Good. Step outside. Look around. Where have you traveled to? Maybe you’re back on a beach with your family, maybe you’re sitting with the love of your life in your arms cuddled up watching the summer hit film. Maybe you’re simply taking classes at your university or high school, but thats okay, because it is exactly what you need to be doing right now. Or maybe you’re on a mission trip in Nicaragua, or Jordan, or anywhere else in the world. Or maybe you’re working at a camp all summer. And you’re loving it. It’s the most incredible experience of you’re life so far. You’re half way through the summer and its been the greatest month and a half of your life. That’s where I found myself this past summer. When I step out of my time machine that’s where I am. At Look Up Lodge. Loving life. Loving “my job.” Thinking, actually knowing, that it was undeniably what I needed to be doing.

Now, let me make sure you’re still with me. You’re putting yourself back to a time in your life where you were confident in what you were doing. Or, maybe your pondering and placing yourself in the present. Because, as far as you can tell, the present is perfect right now. If so, thats okay. For me, like I was saying, in my mental time machine, I’m at Look Up. Loving it. It’s perfect. But then… My mind wondered. And in a split moment of my brain jumping to and fro, I am doubting…

::Entering into my brain, into my inner-dialouge::

Wait… Really? Am I really doubting that this is what I am supposed to be doing? I am? Am I really letting myself question my being here? Stop it, Taylor, stop! You know this is what the Lord has for you right now. You know that. It was so apparent. But… then again… what if I was back in Kennesaw? What if I was traveling and playing drums, doing that whole camp thing? That would be better money, yea, that’s for sure. And I love playing the drums. A whole lot. Gosh, I miss playing drums. Speaking of which, I’m going to be so out of shape with my playing when I go back in a month. I’m going to lose all that progress. I’m not going to get gigs! No! What have I done? I shouldn’t be here! I should be traveling with Gardner playing camps and playing at Grace every week. I should be working on music and taking classes. But, no, that’s not possible. Because I am here. At Look Up. And this is where I should be. Where I am supposed to be. And I know that. But, gosh I miss my friends. My roommates. And playing…

::Stepping back out of my brain now, out of my inner-dialouge::

So, you see the kind of circular, round and round questioning and debating my mind was in… And what I’m hoping is that you are realizing that this sounds familiar to you as well. Maybe as you stand right outside of your mental time machine in the place of your equivalence to my Look Up experience, you recall having the same ridiculous debate with your own self. I’m willing to bet that you have. Actually, I am certain that you have if you have ever asked yourself the all too powerful and painfully poisonous “what if” question. It’s inevitable. 

So, what did we learn from the recalling of my ramblings? That the “what if” is a very, very bad, dangerous, and scary trap that we should avoid at all costs. Simply do not ask yourself. What if this? What if that? What if here? What if there?

Just stop.

Be present where you are. Be attentive. Give your all to who you are with, where you are, and the mission you currently have. Because if you let the “what ifs” take root and grab your synapses, consider yourself worthless in the present moment. Take it from a guy who found himself removed from my campers and my fellow staffers this past summer on more than one occasion. I can not plead with you enough. Just do not ask yourself the “what ifs”. 

Your life, your demeanor, your attitude will all benefit from the absence of these pesky little critters. Trust me. Give it a try.

Focus, focus, focus on where you are, who you’re with, and why you’re there. Don’t look back. Never doubt. Live for today. Yesterday is dead and tomorrow doesn’t even exist yet. So why waste your thoughts on them? That’s dumb. And you know it. So stop.

I hope this was insightful and spoke some truth and awakening into your life. I promise if you apply this to your life, things are going to look up. Theres no other option.

Anyways, be on the look out for Lesson #2: Be yourself. Just dread. 

Peace people. With love.

8 months ago  /  1 note

Anyways, Back to Social Darwinism…

This blog has absolutely nothing to do with Social Darwinism. Not one bit. But, it does have everything to do with my summer. Summer 2011. It was a summer to remember, that’s for sure. Why, you might ask? Well, if only I could explain in words how much fun I had and how much life change I experienced this summer then I would try to write a blog about it… Oh wait… that’s why I’m here I suppose. Well, it’s worth a shot I guess. 

Ready,

set,

go…

I spent this summer in a wonderful and magical land known as Look Up Lodge. Heard of it? I hope you have, but if not, check it out. It’s a camp in Travel’s Rest, S.C. Located away from most of world, secluded in a little bubble of camp bliss, Look Up changed my life. For three months I lived there, worked there, and most importantly I grew there. I had the incredible opportunity to serve as a summer staffer where my responsibilities were numerous, not to mention stretching. I worked kitchen duties a couple meals per camp, I ran free time activities such as the giant swing, the zip line, the rock wall, and paintball games, I cleaned cabins when camp sessions ended, and I made a fool of myself on stage as many different characters (some of which still haunt me in my sleep.) But the most amazing element of my job this summer was that I got to lead a group of campers, ranging anywhere from little kiddies to seniors in high school, each camp in an epic quest to know God more. The Pirate team, the good ole’ Pirate team. That was us. Us meaning me and my amazing partner in crime and co-captain of the Pirate team, Maggie Griffin. Know her? If so, you’re blessed. If not, well, you should… She’s an encouragement and a lighthouse of love. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes. The Pirate team. Each session of camp, three to five days long depending on whether it was a kids camp or a teen camp, Maggie and I had anywhere from seven to forty campers assigned to us to be our “little pirates” for the week, though many were bigger than me. We hung with them, learned their stories (the best we could,) played games with them, made crafts with them, and led “application discussions” with them. And I just decided that this blog is dedicated to them. Just now. Because they were great. They changed my life. Reflecting back on my summer with them, which is what writing this blog was intended to do in the first place, I realize that these Pirates influenced me more than I realized. Sure, the goal of my job was to hang with them, love on them, and point them to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. And, thankfully, I can say I did that effectively. At least, I hope I did. But the cool thing about these relationships is that the interactions and exchanges that came from them were totally reciprocated. The pirates that sailed to Look Up’s shores over the course of theis summer spoke into and influenced my life more than they would probably think. They showed me how to ask, how to wonder, how to question, how to believe, how to hope, and how to desire for more. They taught me joy, taught me how to shine, taught me how to be myself and not live according to a cookie cutter mold that was never intended for me to be boxed in by. When they learned, I learned. When they were hurting, I was hurting. And when they were growing, I was growing. The Pirates have forever changed my life. And I am forever grateful to have had the privilege to serve them this summer.

So, here’s to you Pirate team 2k11!

Pirates: if you’re reading this, you know who you are. And from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you.

Now, I would like to present to my followers a series of lessons I learned this summer while sailing the oceans of Look Up with these wonderful Pirates. Here’s what I’ll do:

Below you will find a list of “theories” or “lessons” I sailed away with this summer finding valuable. As the next weeks unfold, I will try to write these thoughts and theories out as their own, separate posts. We should call them “TayTheories.” No, that’s stupid. Just call them whatever you want.

So, without further ado, I present to you the lessons I learned over the course of my summer at Look Up:

Lesson #1: The danger of the “What if?”.

Lesson #2. Be yourself. Just dread.

Lesson #3. Love till your bones run dry.

Lesson #4. Serve: Not just do, but feel it, too.

There they are, folks. I hope these “theories” and thoughts on my experiences and time at Look Up have spoken into your lives in big ways… I’m just kidding. For now, at least. I’ll explain them all further later on. Some of you care and some of you don’t. Either way, I’m going to write them, because learning these lessons has changed me as a person. So, of course I will put them in my blog! DUH! It’s the only proper response. If you don’t care, then don’t come back. I won’t notice. Of course I want you to stay, but…

Until next time, I love you guys! And once again, here’s to you Pirate team! 

9 months ago  /  1 note