"After the Storm"

By Scottie Taylor

This book is written to encourage people to keep their faith and lean on God's Word and his promises despite the difficulties, obstacles, and trials they may encounter. The word 'storm' describes a period when one is experiencing difficulty, adversity, or turmoil. This book reflects my personal life experiences and how I

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scottie Taylor Sr.
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987350720

Scottie Taylor

About the Author (Back Page)Scottie Taylor is the director of the nonprofit Safe Haven for Youth, established to encourage and empower at-risk youth by providing seminars, coaching, training, mentoring, and life skills. Scottie has over 30 years of experience working with youth as a coach, school and church mentor, church youth liaison, youth guidance volunteer, youth Sunday school teacher, referee, and youth development coach for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. He is devoting his time and efforts to helping at-risk youth develop into responsible and productive adults. He is the father of three and a grandfather of four.

Book preview

1

NO EXCUSES

I glanced at the picture of the man without arms or feet. He was on a Facebook page of a friend. The man used his mouth to paint a marvelous picture on a canvas. Above the picture was a caption with the big bold words No Excuses. Those two words got my attention. I thought if this man with no arms or feet can achieve his dream of painting, why couldn’t I accomplish my dream of writing my book about encouraging others?

I knew that I loved to write and encourage others. The thought entered my mind, What better way to do two things that I loved to do? This physically challenged man’s feat encouraged me to push forward. I wondered how many obstacles this gentleman had to overcome to become a painter. I imagine he was often told to try something more practical, or it was impossible to paint without arms and feet. I thought about how he persevered when people doubted him. My thought went back to the words written underneath the word excuse that said, Whatever your excuse is, it is time you stop believing it.

Those words resonated with my mindset of having no excuses for not writing my book, after five years of contemplating the idea. I then reflected on all the reasons I gave myself for not having my book completed. Excuses such as, I don’t have enough time, I am too busy with my job, I need to spend more time with Dominique, I am too heavily involved with church activities, I don’t have the capital to invest in the book, etc. I often tell my daughter Dominique that instead of making up reasons why she cannot do something, ask yourself the question, What must I do or what steps must I take to make this goal a reality? It was now time for me to practice what I preached.

I wrote down all the excuses I gave and then came up with solutions to overcome each objection. My first excuse was, I need to spend more time with Dominique. My solution to that problem was to have Dominique help me with the book. She loves to write, and she would get a kick out of giving me her input and correcting my errors. This would be something that we can have fun doing together. The other excuse was, I don’t have enough time. I can solve that problem by cutting back on the time I spend watching sports. The other reason, I am too heavily involved in church, was not a valid excuse. I always wanted to be a blessing to the body of Christ in whatever way I could. Writing a book encouraging others would be another way I could honor God. Those words in the caption came back to me, Whatever your excuse is, it is time you stop believing it.

I have always loved to write, but not in the typical way or typical writer’s style. Ideas would come and I would just write them down, usually on paper or whatever was available. Sometimes that might be a paper towel or a business card. I would mostly write poetry or short stories. This is an unorthodox way to write a book. This method of writing would take forever to finish.

Ever since I can remember, I was encouraged by my teachers to pursue writing. Often my work would be read before the class. I had a love for literature and reading. I read what I could find, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Richard Wright’s Native Son. I would put my feelings into writing through poetry and short stories. Few people knew of my poetry. This habit was not very popular with my classmates, especially the guys, and I was sometimes teased. However, I was never bullied because I had a reputation as a fighter.

Reading the Bible and meditating on the Word of God gave me peace during my chaotic moments. God would place ideas, words, and poems in my mind while I was reading the Bible. I would sometimes write a word or idea placed in my heart on a pad while reading scriptures or praying. Sometimes, the ideas would come during my morning walk and meditation time. I kept a pad near my bed when I prayed. At times, the word or idea would remain on the pad until the words to complete the work came. Other times, I would get an idea and immediately put the idea in writing until I was done. I often wrote poetry to take my mind off the turmoil surrounding me.

I prayed to God for direction. I told myself that if God wanted me to write a book, He would empower me to move forward, as He has blessed me with the ability to write. God’s Holy Spirit will lead and guide me. If our spiritual gifts are used to bless the body of Christ, we should have peace about the choice we have made. I am at peace about writing this book.

Whenever the idea of writing the book was no longer on my mind, I received confirmation to do it. My first confirmation came when I could not find my book notes. I had not written in the book for five years. I mentioned the book to Dominique. She asked me when I was planning to finish the book. I jokingly said, When I find my notes. I began to look for my notes. I could not remember where I placed them. After searching for two days without success, I stopped looking. On the third day, I became frustrated. I sat on my bed and prayed for help finding the book notes. I said, Lord if you want me to write this book, You will help me find my notes. I started dusting my room. A binder on my bookshelf was sticking out in clear view. I looked inside the binder and found my notes. I checked the bookshelf several times before to no avail.

I received my final confirmation about writing this book when I had my last conversation with my friend Sanford Sellers. We were discussing our love for writing, and he asked me to read him a poem I had recently written. This led to me reading him three poems. He then said, Scottie, you need to get your poems copywritten and get them published. I again made an excuse about having too much going on. He shot down each excuse and told me he would contact me soon to find out how I was progressing on the steps we discussed to get started. He said that he didn’t want to hear any more of my excuses. Sanford told me he would ride his bicycle and that we would talk the next week. Sanford passed unexpectedly two days later.

I heard about his death when I got on Facebook. After I recovered from the initial shock of his death, our last conversation about writing my book of poetry came to mind. The next thing I thought about was the Facebook caption that read, Whatever your excuse is, it is time you stop believing it. His encouragement and friendship inspired me to write the poem The True Definition of a Friend, which I will cover in a later chapter about friendship.

If I could encourage someone to put their trust in Jesus Christ and focus on the Lord instead of their problems when things are tumultuous, I am fulfilling God’s purpose for my life. I now realize that I was not going through these events by happenstance, but these adversities were allowed by God so I can help those going through the things I have experienced. I also believe that by writing this book, I am seeking to encourage those currently suffering to remain faithful in trusting and believing that God would see them through and work out things for their good. Matthew 6:33 states, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; all these things shall be added to you. The poem written below was written at a pivotal time when trust in God was all I had to bank on. As always, God was there to see me through.

Trust in the Lord

by Scottie Taylor

What is trust?

Is it confidence, assurance, or certainty in an outcome

A strong belief

What is the source of your trust

Will it give you what you need

Comfort, joy, or peace

How could you believe in something

That you cannot feel or touch

It’s going to take faith

And a whole lot of trust

You profess to be a believer

And brag that your faith is strong

But who do you turn to

When things go wrong

You might say all the right things

And fool even your closest friends

But there will come a time

When your faith will be tested

And you are at wit’s end

Just live long enough

You are going to find

Circumstances will happen

That will totally blow your mind

If you place your trust

In someone or something

Although their intentions may be noble

They will eventually disappoint

But God will never leave or forsake you

That is the kind of certainty that everyone wants

God is trustworthy

He will stick closer than a friend

He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore

And will sustain you until the end

He has delivered me

Time and time again

He is a present help in times of trouble

When no one else could help

He gave me reasons to believe

When I gave up on myself

Yet

You want to be self-sufficient

Because you’re used to taking action

But things are not turning out as planned

At least not to your satisfaction

You say to yield to God is hard

And it’s even harder to be still

But it takes faith to surrender to Him

And to unconditionally accept His will

To trust in the Lord

Is to have confidence

That He will do what He says

No matter what the situation

Believe that He will make a way

God’s promises are reliable

His word is the truth

It’s a lamp to sustain you in your old age

And a light to guide the youth

Man’s truth has errors

No matter how hard we try

There is just no assurance

I would rather trust in a God

That can never lie

And whose strength gives us endurance

To trust God is a good start

You must not delay

Do not be like the foolish rich man

And think everything is ok

Tomorrow is not promised to us

So choose today whom you will serve

But for me, there is no other way

For God and God alone is the answer

But only if we trust and obey

2

EARLY LIFE AND CHILDHOOD

"Footprints"

by Scottie Taylor

Our footprints represent the steps that we must take

To grow from infancy to adulthood

As an infant

I need someone else’s feet to guide my steps

For I do not know not how to eat, talk, or stand on my own

As a toddler

I began to take baby steps

Testing how secure my footing is

Seeing what is and is not acceptable

I am now learning more about the world around me

Yet I need guidance and correction

Without these boundaries

My footsteps would become unsteady

And I would later need help to stand on my own

As a teenager

My footsteps are now more steady

I walk with more balance in my life

I do not need my parent’s advice as much now

Leaning on my friends and others more

I am beginning to learn more about myself

I sometimes feel that my parents

Do not understand what I am going through

I think that I am mature enough to know

What steps are best for me right now

Besides, I feel as if they have never taken a step in my shoes before

As a young adult

I am taking independent steps

I’m beginning to map out my path in life

I know what I want and how I must strive to achieve it

I may or may not listen to those

Who made these steps before me

I know this step is a giant step

I am relying less on others now

And is beginning to stand on my own two feet

I know I may stumble or fall sometimes

I only hope that those that I trust

Will be standing behind me to catch me if I fall

As an adult

My steps are more secure

I am standing on my principles and belief

I have experienced the various stages of life

I have walked in other people’s shoes

I know what it feels like to need

Someone else to guide my steps

To take my first steps alone

To become steady in my walk

To stand on my own

I now realize that my steps were not mine alone

Others have stepped before and with me and

I need not stand alone

My footprints were marked before I was born

Because

A good man’s steps are ordered by the Lord

With the help of God and others

I will always stand strong

I was born on April 1, 1961, in Chicago to John Henry Taylor and Lillie Beatrice Taylor on the west side of Chicago. I remember little about my first year on the west side. We moved to the Robert Taylor Housing Projects when I was one year old. I remember my next nine years in the Projects as we come to call them. We lived in building 4947. We moved into the Projects in 1962. I have mostly fond memories of our days in the Projects. These were formidable years that shaped my way of thinking and taught me how to survive and strive in a tough environment.

Although the area was considered a low-income area and on a low social-economic scale, we never knew or were overly concerned about it as kids. We had a close-knit family and a caring and supportive community. Our family consisted of my father and mom, Grandma Virginia Call, and brothers (oldest to youngest), James, Robert, Dennis, Prentiss, and Floyd. My sisters were Sarah, Carolyn, and Rachelle. There were 12 of us in a four-bedroom apartment. The boys and girls each had a separate room. Mom and Dad had one bedroom, and Grandma Virginia had