Tag: future plans

Posted in Family, food, friends, Grace, gratitude, heaven, life, loving others, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful

Just Follow the Recipe

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

It sounds morbid but it’s not…I think.  My wife Judy and I have been married forever and that means we are not quite as young as we used to be.  Sometimes, to pass the time, we joke around and sometimes that includes what would happen if one of us was to uh, well, you know, pass.  So, I’ve always told her if she was to go first, I wouldn’t remarry…I would just get a dog.  I laugh and she laughs but then she always assures me that would never work.  She and I both know just how much I depend on her to do life.  I can clean house…kinda.  I can wash clothes…sorta…you know, all in one big load but there is one thing that I can’t do.  I can’t cook.

When she leaves town to babysit or whatever, the menu at the Taylor house changes dramatically.  If it is anything more than grits in the microwave, a sandwich, or a frozen dinner…we are in deep weeds.  So, the other day, when my friend David began talking about cooking, I started listening.  He is a great cook. On that particular day it was a smoked Boston butt with the fixings and a homemade, handmade peach cobbler with homemade ice cream.  Like I said…he can cook.

As we were talking about cooking, he mentioned that he had a food scale and instead of measuring all the ingredients, he weighed all the ingredients (in grams). So instead of a cup of flour you might have 283 grams of flour. He said that most recipes give the amounts in grams too. And, if you do this, it becomes easy to follow a recipe and if I could follow a recipe, I should be able to cook. Boom! The cooking problem solved, and I could still get a dog.

The big thing about the scale is that it is just more accurate.  A packed cup of flour is probably a lot more than a cup of flour loosely put in the cup.  Well, the more accurate the measurements are, the better the end result.  Are you tracking with me?  The scale is a game changer and guess what?  So is God. Just like the scale would help me stay on track with the recipe, so God can and will help me walk the path of life.  With Him, life isn’t perfect, but it is better…so much better.

The reason I am a terrible cook isn’t that I can’t read, it is that I want to change the recipe. I always figure if one cup of sugar is good…two would certainly be better.  If a teaspoon of cinnamon is good in an apple pie…well, two should be twice as good.  But if I had a scale and was willing to follow the scale…I could make a perfect pie every time.  And when I, when we, are willing to follow God in the recipe of life…we can cook up some good pies…trust me.

 I have grown to love something that is recorded in one of the Old Testament books.  In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I know that is written to the nation of Israel, but I also know the truth is written for every one of God’s kids.  So, as you are whipping up days and experiences in the kitchen of life, be sure and invite God to come along.  Follow Him and the disasters are fewer and farther apart.  When the dust from the flour clears, you can be assured that, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, fear, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, loving others, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Mary Sue & the Moon

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.” Psalm 19:1-2

It was an early start to a long day.  I was up early, which is pretty normal, but on that day a special member of our church was having surgery. Mary Sue, not her real name, lives in a group home and we have the privilege of having her as a part of our church tribe.  In a word, she is a blessing.  Her smile and sweet demeanor make every encounter a pleasure.  Well, Mary Sue, had an issue in her neck that needed to be fixed so surgery was required, and I wanted to be there to pray for her before she went back.  As I left my driveway that early March morning and turned west, I saw it. There, hanging in the predawn morning was a beautiful, almost full moon.  It wasn’t perfect…that would happen in a day or so, but it was beautiful.

As I drove the miles to the town where the surgery was being performed, almost due west, mile after mile, the moon continued to amaze me.  It was a soft orange color, and in the clear sky, nothing obstructed its beauty. It seemed to speak in soft tones of the majesty of the One who had hung it there.  As I looked, I couldn’t help but notice its slightly oblong shape though that in no way distracted from its beauty.  And then I thought about how we humans to various degrees are like that moon—not perfect but each of us created in the image of the Creator.  Each one of us, dare I say it, a masterpiece.

Well, actually I can say it because He already did.  In the letter that Paul wrote to a church in Ephesus and that now part of the New Testament part of the Bible, he wrote, “We are God’s masterpiece…” And that reminded of Mary Sue.  Some would say that she was flawed but God would beg to differ.  He would say that Mary Sue was one of His finest works.  He would point out her kind and gentle heart. He would revel in her simple smile and laugh. He would share how she was like that March moon, filled with breathtaking, eye-popping joy.  And, of course, He would be right.

Well, believe it or not, the evening of that same day, I stepped outdoors, and that same moon was back. In the course of just 13 hours, it had set and risen but now it was for all intents and purposes, perfect. It was amazing how much had changed in such a short time. The color was less vivid but the was now full and round—shaped by the hand of the Creator to a more perfect form.  And the good news is what He does for moons—well, He does for us too. One day, all the imperfections of this world will be a thing of the past. You just wait and see. Somewhere out there, there is a grand opening where the Creator says, “I’ve made all things new.”

Let me encourage you not to be discouraged about today’s imperfections—they are all temporary.  For now society looks at the Mary Sue’s in the world and sees flaws but there is Someone who sees perfection and that is the One who matters. I know it is hard to believe but He would like for you to get to know Him better. The Bible even talks about knowing Him as “Abba Father,” or Dearest Daddy and that happens not because we decide to be better, no, it happens when we decide to believe. That’s called faith—faith in His Son Jesus—who He is and what He did. Go ahead, check it out—it’s an amazing story.

Well, all that is good news for today but just wait and see what He has planned for the future. Just like that imperfectly round moon changed, so will the future. Don’t be frustrated, don’t be discouraged…there is a much better day coming.  They said the moon was going to be perfect in a day or so. Well, what I saw that morning, already was and what I see every time I see Mary Sue is too. Oh, and what God sees in His kids—yup, masterpieces.  He loves you, you know, and nothing is going to change that.  He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne