Tag: painting

Posted in forgiveness, Grace, gratitude, life, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Messes to Masterpieces

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 

Messes. Yup…been there and done that. All of us have made a mess at one time or another. Sometimes it is a spilt drink at the dinner table. Sometimes something slips from our hand and onto the floor. Sometimes we get way too much paint on the brush or roller and we go from masterpiece maker to mess maker. The old saying says, “We shouldn’t cry over spilt milk” and I get it but sometimes it is just so frustrating. But wait! A spilt glass of milk or a splattering paint roller is one thing but what if the mess is a broken marriage?  A broken heart? What if the mess costs you thousands or a couple of years of your life? You see messes can have huge consequences.

I’m glad to let you know that when there is a mess on aisle three there is someone who can clean it up.  I’m glad to let you know that there is someone who can take the mess on the wall and turn it into a masterpiece. The other day I was reading a story that is pretty amazing and the best part is that it is true.  It all happened over a hundred years ago when a group of fishermen were relaxing in the dining room of a Scottish seaside inn, trading fish stories. Well, one of the men gestured widely, depicting the size of a fish that got away. Accidentally, his arm struck the server’s tea tray, sending the teapot flying into and on the whitewashed wall, where its contents left an irregular and very large brown splotch.

The innkeeper heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen and into the dining room. With a groan of dismay, he surveyed the damage and sighed, “The whole wall will have to be repainted.” “Perhaps not,” offered a stranger. “Let me work with it.” Having nothing to lose, the owner agreed. The man pulled pencils, brushes, some jars of linseed oil, and pigment out of an art box. He sketched lines around the stains and dabbed shades and colors throughout the splashes of tea. What happened next was almost too hard to believe.

After an hour or so, an image began to emerge: a stag with a great rack of antlers. It was nothing short of amazing. Then, the man who had turned the mess into a beautiful picture, signed his name at the bottom, paid for his meal, and left. His name: Sir Edwin Landseer, famous painter of wildlife. And what was not obvious soon became so.  In his hands, a mess became a masterpiece. Wait…think about it. A.Mess.Became.Masterpiece. Amazing.

But here is something more amazing.  You see, in God’s hands this happens time after time after time.  As He works in the messes of our lives He can take the biggest mess and turn it into the most magnificent masterpiece rendering them as beautiful expressions of His great love. The result is our lives become a gallery of pictures—examples of the incredible wealth of His favor and kindness towards us.

So let’s be honest. Messes are going to happen and no that isn’t an excuse for sloppy living but neither does it mean we are worthless and hopeless. No, we are His masterpieces—trophies of His amazing grace. Each day we see examples of His creative grace that are always signed—I’ve got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, Integrity, life, loving others, Military memories, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

Mr. B

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8

It was a long, hard day.  When my wife and I lived in Warrensburg, Missouri we were renting a home in a still developing subdivision called Valley View.  We were just back from a three-year USAF stay in Germany, still newlyweds with only four years under our belt, and with a newly hatched dream.  While we loved the house we were renting, we, like so many, dreamed of owning our own home.  It was a crazy time economically as interest rates were running about 18 percent and inflation was at a record rate. And then a window opened.

The developer of our subdivision was a rough around the edges man named Mr. B.  We bumped into him around the neighborhood as he was still building houses. He planted a thought in our minds and hearts.  He said the government had a program that might allow us to build a house.  They would pay half the interest.  Well compared to eighteen percent, nine sounded pretty enticing. And before we knew, we were approved and a piece of land on Hilltop Drive had our name on it.  He let us add a few things like a bay window and a fireplace in the basement.  It added a bit to the bottom line, but they were worth it.

I’m still not sure if this was a wise financial decision for us.  It ended ok, and that’s another story, but it did cause some financial tension.  To help, he suggested I do some work equity and let me tell you…it was hard work.  I ended up doing all the painting and staining inside and out.  And for a guy who had never done anything like that—it was a challenge.  That’s another story, too.  There was also another opportunity to help with the financial tension.

Mr. B told me that he would be willing to let me work for him on Saturdays doing some basic labor.  He then said he would pay me $15.00 per hour.  Now that was good money back in 1983 so I agreed although I was way out of my comfort zone.  To set the stage, I was in the Air Force, that was my day job, I was pastoring a small church for a whopping $50 a week, that was my Sunday job, and now I was going to work for Mr. B on Saturdays.  Like I said…it was way out of my comfort zone.  So, Saturday came.

The work site was just down from our rental house, so I just walked over.  It was early in the morning and we were going to be putting up metal (as in heavy metal) forms to pour a basement for another house.  We had to lift the forms in place and hammer pins in place to hold it all together.  Well, besides dropping my hammer one time inside the forms, things went pretty well.  We called it a day about 4:00 pm…just in time for me to get home and start trying to write a sermon for the next day.  I was exhausted.  I bet that was at least one short sermon!

So, the next week I bumped into Mr. B and he had a check for me.  Finally, the fruit of my labor that Saturday was in my hands.  Based on his comment about $15.00 per hour and eight hours of labor, I was expecting a check for around a hundred dollars. Instead, I found a check for forty dollars and some change.  I was, uh, shocked.  I said, “Mr. B is this right?” He assured me that it was, and I said, “I thought you were paying $15.00 an hour.”  He chuckled and said, “Oh, I was only kidding about that.  We pay laborers $5.00 an hour.”  I wasn’t laughing.  In fact, as much as I liked him, I felt betrayed, like I had been ripped off.  From my view, one thing was promised, and another given. And that was my first and only Saturday working for Mr. B.

Betrayed and ripped off.  Have you ever felt that way?  Have you ever felt that way about another person?  Have you ever felt that way…about God?  Because people are broken and imperfect, just like us, there is a measure of understanding. It doesn’t make it any less painful but at least it sometimes softens the blow.  But what about God?  What about when it seems God doesn’t keep His Word?  That’s a tough one.

What I have learned over my years as a Jesus follower, and as a pastor, that when it seems we feel betrayed or ripped off by God it is because we have misread or misapplied His Word.  You see, His Word is full of promises, but we need to make sure that the promises were made to us and for us.  We can’t claim promises that were made to another person or group of people.  God made promises to Abraham that just aren’t ours to claim.

Too often, unfortunately, preachers, teachers, and ordinary people make promises on God’s behalf that God never intended or said.  And, when they don’t come true, well, we blame God and that is not right or fair.  I’ve been a Jesus follower for 45 years now, and I can tell you one thing—He has never failed me or failed to keep His Word.  He is a promise keeping God—when the promise is mine.  No, I’ve not always liked how things turned out or His way of working something out, but I can say I’ve never felt betrayed or ripped off.  He is a good God who is good at being God.  You can trust Him.

Well, Mr. B’s little joke was a hard lesson for me to learn but it was a valuable one.  His heart was good, but his sense of humor was not.  I’m glad my Dearest Daddy, the God I can call Father, has a perfect heart and His will and plan for me is perfect.  I know no matter what I will face, His plan is for my good and His glory—and that is good enough.  I can face today knowing, “He’s got this.”  Bro. Dewayne