Payton Taylor

@jasetaro @BenSasse AMEN

@BenSasse Almighty God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant, Ben Sasse, the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and his worries into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friends- This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die. Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do. I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers. As one of them put it, “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.” Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all. Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are. During the past year, as we’d temporarily stepped back from public life and built new family rhythms, Melissa and I have grown even closer — and that on top of three decades of the best friend a man could ever have. Seven months ago, Corrie was commissioned into the Air Force and she’s off at instrument and multi-engine rounds of flight school. Last week, Alex kicked butt graduating from college a semester early even while teaching gen chem, organic, and physics (she’s a freak). This summer, 14-year-old Breck started learning to drive. (Okay, we’ve been driving off-book for six years — but now we’ve got paper to make it street-legal.) I couldn’t be more grateful to constantly get to bear-hug this motley crew of sinners and saints. There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come. Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in). Nope — often we lazily say “hope” when what we mean is “optimism.” To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son. A well-lived life demands more reality — stiffer stuff. That’s why, during advent, even while still walking in darkness, we shout our hope — often properly with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears. Such is the calling of the pilgrim. Those who know ourselves to need a Physician should dang well look forward to enduring beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet. Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies of what’s to come doesn’t dull the pain of current sufferings. But it does put it in eternity’s perspective: “When we've been there 10,000 years…We've no less days to sing God's praise.” I’ll have more to say. I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape. But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9). With great gratitude, and with gravelly-but-hopeful voices, Ben — and the Sasses

We’re in another BNA Nightmare situation like 3 weeks ago. @WKRN @WSMV @DanielleBreezy (if you could forward to traffic dept lol)

Hey @WKRN , @WSMV, airport employee here, been waiting in an employee shuttle (that takes 5 minutes on a regular day) for an hour. Service roads are closed due to an accident. We’re in standstill traffic. Please help

“This Rock Is Getting Heavy” 💍 I walked into a write with @martijane and had been feeling all pressure of expectations. Expectations I put on myself and expectations from others #singer #songwriter #countrymusic

“Made of Matches” I’ve got a little surprise coming for this song soon. 🔥 #Singer #Songwriter #Nashville #Music #CountryMusic #NewMusic

A difficult day to be an #American. Corey Comperatore. Former Fire Chief Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania. Thank you.

Link to song in comments 10% of all streaming proceeds will be donated to @ProjectK9Hero #mwd #AmericaFirst #VeteransLivesMatter #ptsdawareness #BackTheBlue #thinblueline #MilitarySpouseAppreciationDay

Only 5 days away from release day. Make sure you pre-save it on your favorite streaming platform. @ProjectK9Hero #scars #mentalhealth #police #thinblueline #military #army #navy #airforce #coastguard #militaryfamily #bluelinefamily #ptsd #awareness

Have you Thanked a Hero today? Tag your Hero so I can thank them too 🙏 #military #police #firstresponders #Awareness #GratefulHeart 🇺🇸

Grateful 🙏

Tomorrow you might see a familiar face on the front page of @keysweekly in Key West for @KeyWestSongwritersFestival! Thank you to The Weekly Newspapers, Mandy Miles,@bmi, and all of the other incredible conchs who make this festival happen! #KWSWF keysweekly.com/42/music-maker…

@_alexandrakay gave us an unforgettable night of music in the #VBChsv #MARSMUSICHALL on her "All I've Ever Know: The Tour Chapter Two" with special guest @paytontaylorB! ✨ 📸 | Zach Birdsong

That feeling when the summer show schedule is starting to look fine 🤌🏻. Where should I travel to this summer to play a show? 📸: Zach Birdsong . . . . #nashville #singer #songwriter #acoustic #livemusic #music #supportlivemusic #country #countrymusic

"Concealed Carrying" May 10 2024. Pre-Save to your music streaming playlists here onerpm.link/ConcealedCarry… #military #firstresponders #ptsd #ptsdawareness

“Eve”- Shame is a powerful thing. I wrote this with @JamesLeBlancjr and Jen Stegall. So, here is a verse and chorus from me and my crazy hair (yes, my hair is curly underneath and straight on top if I don’t do anything to it). #singer #Songwriter #Nashville #Music #CountryMusic

Coming soon. May 10 2024. Presave here onerpm.link/ConcealedCarry… . • #newmusic #comingsoon #concealdcarrying #meantalhealthawareness #ptsd #ptsdawareness #veterans #firstresponders

HUNTSVILLE,AL - APRIL 19! I have absolutely loved discovering @_alexandrakay ‘s songs online the past year and now- I’m so excited to announce I’ll be opening for her at @VonBraunCenter #marsmusichall! TICKET LINK HERE bit.ly/AlexandraKayVBC 🎟️🤍 Get em quick! @PeachtreeEnt

Thank you for sharing 🙏

One month until “Concealed Carrying” goes out into the world. Give it a pre-save wherever you listen to music. Link in my bio. 🤍

@hauschen1 Thank you 🙏

@paytontaylorB I have pre-saved the epicness