Monday, July 19, 2010

are we there yet?


Are We There Yet? …Have you ever taken your children for a long drive on a hot summers day? Our long drives would be to look at a log house, or visit a company that builds log homes in their workyard. At the time the cry in our family car (a classic I might add…a 1988 Dodge Aries station wagon) was not, “are we there yet?” but, “not another log house Dad!” My daughter was so disappointed when the car finally died! In my research on different types of wood and corner styles, my personal choice would be red cedar, with a Scandinavian diamond notch joint system. Most Log Home Companies have a pile of logs in their yard off to one side. To me these logs look like reject logs. They have thick bark, twisted limbs, and large knotholes. This pile, the builder tells me is a special pile, that these logs are a work of art and are needed for that feature that only they were made for. You may be a little different. You might even have some years on you. Maybe your limbs aren’t as straight as they used to be, or your bark is getting a little thick. But you are that special piece that is needed, that special character piece in your family to bring some light. Or maybe you’re that one piece that is needed to bring some salt and flavor to your workplace or school. On my visits to some of these log yards I have learned how each individual log is made to fit perfectly with the log below it. I have watched how the master builder scribes a line the length of the log, transferring the shape of the bottom log to the new log on top. Then it is rolled back with the scribe line facing up. This allows the builder to trim the unwanted material. This process is done several times until the new log fits just right. As I have watched and learned over the years how a log house comes together, I have come to appreciate that this type of construction is really an art. Have you ever felt in your spirit that something didn’t fit just right? That maybe there was some work to do in some area of your life? It’s like someone is whispering in your ear, “You need to take care of that, you need to say something, you need to offer some compassion to that situation.” Only you know what the whisper is. Only you know what needs to be trimmed, what work needs to be done, to be restored, to fit Just Right.

Matthew 5:13-15
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15 Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. (NLTranslation)

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