On Woodworking

 

I had the privilege of visiting a friend over the weekend

And getting to work with her master-craftsman husband on a bookshelf.

We started from large planks of wood,

Measured and cut boards,

Sanded them,

Trimmed them,

Squared and clamped them,

Glued them,

Screwed them together,

Made and placed little screw-hole covers,

Sanded again,

And finally blew off the sawdust.

I now have a super sturdy small bookshelf that I only need to coat with polyurethane

And then he’ll be ready to go.

I’m calling my bookshelf Ray, Jr.,

In honor of the man who built him.

 

The part that I helped most with was the sanding.

(I’m not yet trustworthy with sharp, cutting power tools).

Ray The Woodworker has an electric sander that

He can hook into his Shop-Vac for zero visible waste!

Ray made sanding look easy.

It was not!

The wood resisted being ground down,

And the sander tried to run away on its own.

I had to stand with both feet firmly planted on the ground

And press down with all my strength to control the sander.

Once under control,

The sander did all the work!

 

What’s really odd is that when I was doing the sanding,

I couldn’t see the difference in the wood being sanded.

But when I watched Ray do the sanding,

I could immediately see where he’d smoothed the wood.  

 

I think this is how it is with life sometimes.

When we’re in a process of transformation,

We can’t always see the change.

Sometimes, we resist the change.

Sometimes, we must keep both feet firmly planted on the ground in order for the change to occur.

But if we keep ourselves open,

If we persevere,

And if we allow ourselves to believe the voices of those encouraging us in the process,

Then we will see our rough edges made smooth

And witness our inner beauty shining through.

 

I would not trade my experience with Ray The Woodworker for anything.

He freely shared his love of his craft with me and

Made for (with) me something I will always cherish.

 

May we each be as kind to one another as Ray was to me,

And may we listen to one another’s voices of encouragement

In times of growth and change.

 

Amen.

Unnecessary Requirements

 

I recently filled out an online application that required my signature.

I filled it out at least ten different times—

On my computer, on my phone, with Edge, with Chrome, at home, at school, during the day, at night—

But when it came to the signature block,

The application wouldn’t work.

I tried signing with the mouse.

I tried signing with the touch screen.

I tried refreshing the page.

I did everything I knew to do.

But nothing worked.

All I got was an error message. 

So I contacted my contact at the organization,

And she contacted the IT person,

Who lifted the signature requirement,

And sent me a different link to the application than I’d been trying,

Then, and only then, was I finally able to complete the application!

This process lasted for four days.

It was frustrating.

But it was resolved…

After I had the right link…

And an unnecessary requirement was lifted.

 

I think sometimes in churches we place requirements on people

That are unnecessary.

And I think sometimes in churches we give people misinformation that

Leads to impossible frustration.

Do we do it on purpose?

Usually not.

But if we aren’t careful,

Then I think we can over-require and mislead people

Right out of the doors of the church.

 

I’m thankful that I had someone kind, capable, and willing to work with me when this piece of technology failed.

 

Likewise,

May we be a kind, capable, and willing people who intentionally work with those whom the church has failed.

 

God: Thank you for perseverance. Thank you for creativity. And thank you for lifting unnecessary requirements that keep people out of your Love. Amen.  

Prayer Puzzles

The 75% off sale at Barnes and Noble got me. It sucked me into the possibility of buying gifts for considerably less than I could buy them anywhere else. And so I bought. Books. Bud vases. Games. Puzzles. Mugs. Cups. And more.

I’m planning to keep most of the gifts for special occasions: birthdays, beginning of the school year,anniversaries, Christmas, etc. I’ve even updated my “Gifts Purchased But Not Yet Given” spreadsheet so that I won’t forget what I have to give.

But I’ve already given away one of the gifts and prepared another for the giving. My friend Ke is the recipient of both of these gifts because they are butterfly themed and butterflies mean a lot to her. They are a symbol of transformation and hope for what it is to come.

The first gift was a cup. She lit up when I gave it to her. She asked me to place it where she could see it and declared that she was going to use it.

The second gift is a puzzle. My aunt, mom, and I began putting it together last Tuesday night, and my mom and I finished it Sunday morning at 2:10am. My mom declares I wouldn't let her go to bed, but I think she willingly stayed. Puzzles can suck you in! I literally slept, ate, and worked on the puzzle all day Saturday. Nothing else. And with each piece of the puzzle, I prayed for Ke so that when the puzzle was complete it was full of both beauty and prayer. Now, we only must glue it before presenting it to Ke.

I’ve heard of a wide variety of prayers groups. Of quilting groups, crocheting and knitting groups, blanket-making groups, and others. Yet I’ve never heard of a puzzle group. But why not? Why not choose a specific puzzle for someone who needs prayer—something that holds meaning for the future recipient or something generic if the intended recipient is unknown? Why not gather together a group of persons to work together to create something beautiful—to fellowship together in community while forming a tangible prayer? What’s more? You don’t have to be crafty whatsoever to put together a puzzle. Puzzle making uses different skills than crafting—different parts of the brain—and so it could reach a different demographic of people.

I’m away in the mountains this week. I’m acting as chaperone and worship leader for a 3rd-6thgrade children’s camp. I can’t do anything more with the puzzle while I’m away, yet every time I close my eyes, I see the beautiful picture prayer that my aunt, mom, and I worked together to create—often giving each other a high-five when we finally placed a piece—and I smile…knowing that it was pieced together with prayer and love for a friend whose life has deeply blessed my soul.

In The Image of God

Last night, I had the privilege of leading Bible study for the 2012 Camp La Vida summer staff. In an attempt to introduce WMU’s new organization for young women, myMISSION, I used the myMISSION curriculum for the study. Last night’s theme was “In God’s Image: God as Creator.”

I always enjoy reading the Genesis 1 creation story. I love how the story paints the image of God speaking the world into creation (talk about the power of words!) and I love how each day ends with God declaring God’s creation good (talk about the inherent worth of each individual!).

As we read the story together last night, I was struck by the order of it all—how each day began and ended and how God took God’s time creating it all (talk about the need for order and structure and time!). I was also struck by the language used for God’s creation of humankind—the language of God, “making,” “forming,” and “blessing” humankind—the language of humankind being created in God’s image.

Throughout the study, we focused on this notion of God creating us, forming us, imprinting a bit of Godself within us. We discussed how, as God’s children, our lives are to reflect the image of the one who made us.

Toward the end of the study, the writer, A.J. Jordan, asks participants to read Romans 1:20…For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20 NIV).

She goes on to say: “I have always read this verse and immediately assumed that when Paul mentions God’s qualities being seen from what He has made, Paul was talking about the mountains, the ocean, the sunrise, and sunset—the nature side of creation. What if even more than those things, Paul is referring to the pinnacle of God’s creation, His image bearers—us?”

What if…

What if more than the beautiful bio-diverse mountains, lakes, and streams that I was surrounded by last week—or the vastness of the ocean or the uniqueness of wild animals—Paul is talking about humanity in these verses? What if it’s us in which people should clearly see God but us through which people are drastically turned away? What if people needed to know the attribute of God? Could they come to you and not just hear those attributes from your mouth but see them in your life?

Oh God, creator of space, time, and all things good…Forgive us, those you formed in your own image, for being destructive to your creation, and accept this prayer of desire to be a good steward of all that has been given me, including this life, so that others will see you reflected in me. Amen.

The Creative Process: You Matter

Three weeks ago, I was given a tremendous honor. I was asked to write a song for my friend Ruby Ann Jones Fulbright in honor of her life, work, and retirement from WMU NC. Most people call Ruby, Ruby Fulbright. But I call her Ruby Ann Jones Fulbright because I stumbled upon her full name when trying to write her bio for an event and I thought that her full name was lovely—and a more accurate representation of who she is.

To say that I was nervous about writing the song is an understatement. How do you summarize someone’s life and influence when it has been so rich and deep? How do you put into song emotions that are far beyond words? Yet I prayed for the freedom to write. And I wrote. And I probably wasn’t the safest driver in the world as I jotted down lyrics on a bank envelope because it was the only thing I had to write on in the rental that I was driving the night the song was birthed.

The creative process is beyond me. It is alive, organic, moving, and something that amazes me every time I experience it. I experienced it on birthing night when I began to put a piano part with the lyrics and the lyrics began to rearrange themselves for a better song. I experienced it when I went home and was told that I had to stop playing the piano at 1:30 in the morning and that what I was playing sounded like, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” and I realized I needed to change it to something else. I experienced it with a friend as she worked to design a canvas on which to give Ruby the words. I experienced it over the weekend when I asked my friends Allison and Jen if they wanted to sing harmony with me and a harmony part emerged that made the song so much richer than it had been just two hours before the song’s debut. The creative process is very much a spiritual process. And it’s so very beautiful and alive. And it’s so very…well…God.

I didn’t see Ruby Ann as we sang her song, but I heard that she was touched. I’m so very grateful. And humbled. And amazed…at our friendship…and our lives…and the journeying process that brought them together.

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“Ruby Ann”
2012

Your courage started young when you played underneath the sun
With your three brothers right behind
Following close
How could you have known then that those cliffs that you were jumping
Would reappear upon your journey
Later on

But when the time came you knew what to do
Take a leap of faith and trust God to
Guide you safely to the other side
On truth you stood, on God alone as guide

In your daily life you became mother, leader, wife
And it was easy to get lost
And forget yourself
Cause the world, it pulls you thin, demands your work and time and then
Leaves you to wonder if it all
Matters in the end

But oh you believe in me
When the world was dark your light helped me to see
The love of Christ and God’s will just to be
Oh you matter to me

How quickly years have passed and now the moment’s come at last
When you must do the hardest thing
You’ve ever done
Release your hopes and dreams, walk away from unstitched seams
Onto a future path that leads
To the unknown

But you will never walk alone
‘Cause love surrounds you like the love you’ve shown
The prayers, the grace, the hope, the peace, the quest for integrity
Are all coming back to set you free

Oh I believe in you
You’ve shined a light in darkness and guided us to
Hear God’s voice and stand upon God’s truth
Oh you matter to me

Yes, Ruby Ann, you matter...

Eels and Koalas and Polars, Oh My

Last week, I asked the question: What’s the ugliest or oddest animal you’ve ever seen? Armadillo. Opossum. Anteater. Roach. Nutria. Blue footed boobies…Those were some of the answers I received. As for me, one of the oddest animals I’ve ever seen is the baboon. I’ve always wondered why their bottoms are so big and red! :-)

My office is located on the same exit as Riverbanks Zoo. Because it’s so close, I decided to purchase a zoo membership and to visit the zoo as often as I can. When I go to Riverbanks, I like to visit the Brown Bears and hope that they’ll go swimming while I watch. I like to visit the Koala bears and watch them sleep. I like to visit the snakes because I feel as if cringing at their presence makes me stronger. And I like to visit the Sea Garden Eels because they make me laugh. The eels in the picture that I’m posting today are out way further than the ones at Riverbank have ever been. To me, they look like the little worm in Richard Scarry books, and they make me laugh as they poke out their heads and look around, stretching and reaching and exploring…but immediately retreating back into their holes if they hear a noise or sense a threat. I wonder if they ever get tired of their little holes and move or if they just stay in one place for their whole lives—popping their heads out and thinking about the tank around them but being too afraid to move.

Sunday, before returning to South Carolina after leading worship in North Carolina, I decided to visit the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro with some friends. I had been to the NC Zoo before but I hadn’t been in awhile. The NC Zoo is HUGE! But because we went during late afternoon, many of the animals weren’t out. Even so, it was still neat to walk around and to see the natural beauty of that part of NC and to observe the plants and flowers that never hide from their onlookers.

My very, very favorite part of Sunday's zoo trip, though, made missing so many other animals worth it: I got to watch the Polar Bear swim…and then I got to see him walking around after! I realize that Polar Bears are probably very dangerous, but if I could have gotten into the water and played with Mr. Polar Bear, then I would have done it. He looked so soft and fluffy and happy and playful that I just wanted to squeeze him. And he was so big! And his swimming and treading water motions were so human. And I was so extremely fascinated by his beauty that all I could do was stand and watch and prevent small children from taking my place. I know. That was not kind. But that’s how enthralled I was by the whole scene.

Sometimes it amazes me to think that the same God who created armadillos and roaches also created sea garden eels and bears…and me. But God did. Our God of amazing creativity is a God with both a sense of humor and a deep, deep appreciation for beauty. And today, as I reflect on my experiences at the zoo that is home to the funny eels and the one that has a cold pool for a polar bear, I am humbly grateful that I am part of God’s creation and that I get to share this earth with fascinating plants and creatures. What about you?