For the Birds

Working with wood is always an adventure. I wasn't sure if I was up to the task when my wife Jennifer suggested I might build a couple houses as Christmas presents. The task was even more daunting in that she made the request shortly after Thanksgiving. Over the years, I've learned a few tricks and shortcuts. But building multiple houses in less than a month? Of course, I wouldn't be working alone. Jennifer said she could help with some details, like painting. Yeah, right; there's nothing to paint before the house actually gets built. As only a person who loves you can ask, Jennifer convinced me it was not only possible but we could get it done.

Years ago, I had the privilege to have a teaching partner with whom a lot of woodworking ideas and techniques were shared. I remembered a time when he made 20 miniature typewriters as a gag gift. To make one at a time would have been way too time consuming. He figured out what the profile of a typewriter would look like and with several passes on the table saw had a piece of wood long enough to simply slice off short lengths to make individual typewriters. There was the solution. Just make a house profile on a piece long enough and then cut off the houses. By now you've probably figured out that we're talking about rather small houses here. The result of our efforts were about 30 houses of tree ornament size.

Our silly little project was the culmination of efforts of many people. The memories of working with that good friend in the wood shop all those years ago were revisited and like I said earlier, when one who loves you asks you to do something and assures you they will help, it would be foolish to turn them down. We are into the season when we celebrate Someone loving us so much that He gave us the ultimate gift. Because He loves us and because He is asking us to do something we think we can't, remember He promised to be with us always and nothing is impossible for Him. So don't be foolish. Listen to what He asks and get to it.

May your Christmas be blessed and the New Year be one filled with joy.

New Man in the Shop

One aspect of Out of the Woodwork that I find pretty delightful is having someone new come to the shop and show some appreciation for the potential they see there. When I first started opening the shop that my father passed on to me to others, one of the first people showing up was a man in his eighties named Joe. His attitude was attractive right away. He said on that first visit, "I've never done any woodworking. But I figure you're never too old to learn." Although no speed records for production were broken in the process, he has completed a couple nice pieces of furniture for his home. He has seen fit to set up a small woodworking area in his garage and comes nearly every week with a question about something he is doing or looking for a new way to help with something someone else is currently building. This past week he kept his place as "favorite student" by inviting a newcomer to his neighborhood to come check out the shop.

The newcomer had recently moved into the retirement community where Joe lives and after a short introductory conversation he

made a confession. "I feel kind of funny coming here." he said. "You see I flunked wood shop." We had a good laugh about that and the fact that perhaps the readiness factor just wasn't there all those years ago when that happened. He seemed to enjoy getting familiar with the shop and visiting with the folks as they worked on various projects. When he left it was with intentions to come back with some ideas for some things he might want to attempt. I hope he was sincere in the promise to come back and it would appear the readiness factor is now in place.

I couldn't help but think about this situation in terms of how we get second chances in life to do things that we either ignored or at which we failed. I encourage the good readers of this post to consider that this business of second chances is the exact relationship God wants to have with each of us. I never failed wood shop. But I have failed to do what God wanted me to do countless times. It is His grace that allows me to do anything including writing this silly little blog. When I realize how I've let Him down and say, "Can I have another chance?" He says. "Let's assume this is the first time." and another God shaped hole in my heart is filled.

What Follows Life?

Whenever a tree has to be cut down, essentially ending its life, the good steward asks an important question. "Do I really want to cut this tree, bearing in mind that it cannot be replaced in the span of a person's lifetime?" Counting the growth rings on the cut tree tells us how long it has grown in addition to indications of what conditions were like at a given point in time. Growth rings close together indicate slow growth, probably a time of drought or setback from disease or insect attack. Wider space between rings suggest good years of growth, plenty of water and good temperature for the particular species of tree. Although it is interesting and worth doing, counting the rings and speculating about what might have happened over the years in the trees growth should not occupy too much of our time. The decision, for better or worse was made to cut it down and considerations now must concern what the tree will become after that point. Sometimes the use and purpose for the tree is foregone. Sometimes the project that some of the lumber is destined for a few years down the road is already in mind. Often the only thing that is sure is that, although no longer living, the tree will continue in some way to benefit people.

So it is with you and me. One day we will cease to be living. (Sounds better than saying we'll be dead). But just as the tree lives on in a different form, so will we. In his wonderful book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey listed the habits that effective people exhibited. The habits were listed in the order that he considered they had to be formed to be best used. Habit one was: "Be proactive." Makes sense to me. You'll not be as effective if you just let things happen as you will if you make things happen. But habit number two is the one that I find most fascinating. Habit two asks that you consider what people who have known you will say about you at your funeral; "What will people who knew you well say about your life?" That's where the analogy between me and the tree comes into play. Just as the tree will have purpose after it dies, so does the effective person. Although we can look back at our "growth rings" seeing good times and not so good times. our concern even after death, must be, "What next?" Our promise in the Christian faith is that mortal life is not the end. Unlike the tree, we can choose much of our growing conditions and in so doing affect the value of our existence. Steven Covey died this year. The fact that you are reading about him would indicate he knew what he was talking about. Interestingly, among his examples of an effective person in a book written essentially for a secular audience, one of his favorites was Joseph of the Bible. Our promise is, "Do My will and be courageous, for I am with you.

An Old Fashioned Country Girl

She was a bit of a tomboy; just as soon be playing baseball as playing with dolls. But dolls were OK too. She preferred outdoor activity, swimming, sleigh riding, that kind of thing. She loved being competitive when it came to almost any game or sport. That is probably part of what led to the accident. The sled was going too fast and the corner was too sharp and the stone wall beyond was unforgiving. After months of hospital stay, the verdict: irreparable spinal cord damage, no more walking, wheelchair bound from now on. Carrying on would require help from others. But the greatest help, as always, comes from within. Accepting where God has us always is important and for her, knowing He had something in mind with her sudden change in how she was going to live gave her hope.

She was loved by a man who saw who she was and proposed because there was much more to this woman than her inability to walk. There was a spirit about her that he admired and wanted that kind of support if and when he returned from serving overseas. He did return to her, and the son that she bore him in spite of the doctors advice to abort the pregnancy since it would be life-threatening to carry a baby to term in her condition. That spirit her husband saw in her, supported by her faith gave her the courage to do what she somehow knew was right.

That all happened a long time ago. It is a true story. That baby born out of that brave young woman's decision to ignore the doctor's warning is writing the story seventy-one years later. Naturally, there's much more to the story. But for now, I say, "Thank you." to the girl who would not give up and the veteran who saw how special she was. Thanks Mom. She would have been ninety-seven this month.

Cutting Down the Schoolmarm

Working in wood requires that someone works in the woods. Whenever a woodworking project gets under way, it has been preceded by someone getting the material that is to be used from a tree in the forest to a piece that is dry enough and of an appropriate size. I am the third generation doing such stuff on the property my grandfather bought nearly a hundred years ago. His was the last generation to essentially live off the land. He was able to make some money by cutting ties and props for the coal mines in the Scranton area. His tools were axes and crosscut saws. By the time my father began working in these woods, the coal mines were no longer in need of timbers and the tools had become faster and mechanized. The chainsaw revolutionized the business of getting trees cut and local sawmills turned the logs into boards that eventually found their way into buildings and furniture. From my teenage years on, working in the woods was something enjoyable and although I've never made my living from it, there is some satisfaction in knowing that, had I chosen to do so I could have.

One of the things I learned along the way was some terminology particular to logging. If a limb broke off and stayed hung up in another tree as one was being felled, that limb was referred to as a widow maker. The possibility of that limb falling as the wind loosened it up gave rise to the rather appropriate name. Another term that I learned doesn't have so obvious an explanation. A tree with a double trunk is called a schoolmarm. The best explanation for that name that I have is that such a tree is likely to out smart you when you try to fell it. Recently my son and a couple friends agreed to assist me in the task of taking down such a tree near our church. There was much nervousness on the part of our pastor in that there were a few directions in which, if that tree chose to fall that way, the results would have been less than optimal. The tree came down just about exactly where we planned and the parts of it that were sound enough are now reduced to 2 by 8's that will eventually find their way into some useful product of the workshop. For this time we outsmarted the schoolmarm. But make no mistake. Just as each of us is designed a bit differently so are each of God's creations. The next schoolmarm may go her own way. If we are wise, we respect the individuality of people and trees and not fool ourselves about how much control we have on either.

Signs of Love

Being brought up in an area that has an abundance of natural beauty has been something I try not to take for granted. It is never a mistake to spend time outdoors enjoying the trees and critters that populate the area here in northeast Pennsylvania. So when my wife suggested that we spend a couple hours walking the trails at Bushkill Falls the other day, I agreed that the idea was a good one and although, as usual, there were several projects that competed for the time, we drove the two miles or so to what is arguably one of the most popular tourist attractions in The Poconos. Because of the cost to maintain the several miles of trails in the attraction the cost to visit has risen over the years to a point where I would rarely make the trip. However, the policy of management has been for some time that people who live in the area should be able to visit free of charge. The zip code on our driver's license proved to be all that was needed and we spent the next hour and a half descending into the beautiful gorge formed by the Little Bushkill Creek and, of course, climbing back up on the opposite side of the stream for the return trip. I am blessed to have a wife who is pleased when I do something like this with her and the adventure gave us an appreciation of the natural beauty that surrounds us.

Finding something new or out of the ordinary always makes an activity like this special. As you may already know, I have been active in The American Chestnut Foundation and am excited whenever I find a Chestnut tree that has not yet succumbed to the blight. When Jen and I had dropped down in the gorge to about the lowest point on the maintained walkway, there clinging to the steep cliff side was an American Chestnut. It was not very big, but it was definitely a healthy young sapling. I wondered how many people walked by that little tree not knowing what a rare thing was exposed there. I took it as a sign that the Chestnut is trying to persevere and that efforts to introduce a blight resistant strain is worth the time and effort folks are spending. Being able to still negotiate the trails, being able to do so with the one I have promised to spend my life with, being able to see signs of love by our Maker and for one another, for all this I am grateful.

Drying Out

Making lumber is a process that requires considerable time and energy. Being able to work through the entire journey from tree to finished product is something not many folks get to experience. One part of the process that many people might not consider is the need to get fresh cut lumber dry enough to use. When a tree is first milled (cut into boards), that material is as much as 30% water. For some purposes, it might be usable in that condition. If, however, you wish to make a piece of furniture that won't fall apart, the moisture content needs to get down to about 7%. That means stacking the boards in layers with strips of wood (stickers) between the layers and covering the stack with something to keep rain and snow off. After a year or preferably two, the stack can be moved indoors for final drying. Unless one has access to a kiln, the drying process simply takes a lot of time. The tree that's cut into boards today will likely be incorporated into a table, desk, or whatever a couple years from now at the earliest.

There are stacks of lumber as described above sitting around is several places on the property. The latest ones having just been topped off this week. This woodworking stuff in its entirety gets spread out over a long time, much of which is simply waiting for the wood to dry. As I got thinking about the nature of this process, it occurred to me that much of our lives are like the stacks of lumber, slowly getting closer to the point where they can be used in a purposeful way. I firmly believe that we are all in this world with a God-given purpose and when we figure out how He wants to use us, we need to prepare and use the talents and resources He has provided. In the meantime, we might find ourselves just like those stacks of drying lumber. We're getting closer to where we need to be in order to be useful. In order to do woodworking right, patience is required. We need to wait for the lumber to dry. As God prepares us, again patience is necessary. There's a good chance that some of the lumber I stacked up this week will be used by someone after my life is over. And that is another analogy between woodwork and Christian living. If we are concerned about others, we don't worry about drying only enough wood for ourselves.

ourselves.

Remembering Uncle Bill

If we are fortunate, we get to know some of our relatives in the generations that precede us. I consider myself blessed to have gotten to know my grand parents and their siblings, especially in the case of my paternal grand parents. Although they all died withing a relatively short time period I was a teenager and older by then and had at times lived with them. There is no telling how much what I learned in that time has benefited me and shaped what I have come to believe is proper living. Needless to say, their era was one of hard physical work and living off the land. My paternal grandfather had three brothers and two sisters and with the exception of his brother Fred who died shortly before I was born, I got to know them all pretty well, a blessing as stated earlier. Actually they were step siblings and between women of the same first name dying and remarrying cousins the genealogy even makes my head spin. But that's material for a future post when I work up the courage. In this post I want to remember Granddad's (Eli's) brother, or half brother or whatever the relationship really was, William J. Schoonover.

Uncle Bill was one of the most delightful men I ever met. Never, in my presence, did he have an unkind word to say about others. He and his wife Stella served for some time as the stewards at one of the local hunting and fishing clubs and later opened a restaurant in the village of Bushkill. That restaurant and the adjoining bar was a favorite watering hole for most of the locals and I was amazed that Uncle Bill was never too busy to listen to folks or lend a sympathetic ear to the stories that surrounded those patrons of long gone establishments like his. About the time his career changed from club steward to restaurant owner, he examined a piece of property that adjoined land my grandfather had purchased about ten years earlier and decided to buy it. When I inherited most of the land that had belonged to my grandfather I  was approached by Uncle Bill's children and asked if I would be interested in that beautiful piece of timber and swamp. That land along with what we already owned is, to the best of our resources, being managed and remains a rustic island in the middle of housing developments. I would like to believe that is the way Eli and Bill would have it

When he first examined that piece of property Uncle Bill, not unlike most of the old timers, sought out a nice Beech tree in the middle of that plot and carved his initials and the date in it. I knew that tree and had visited it quite a few times but the thought of it slipped my mind a few years ago when we contracted to have a thinnng timber cutting done in that area. I realized after the timber sale that that Beech tree had grown into a prize specimen and was so regretful that I had not said anything about it being spared when the trees were cut. The timber sale was over, the heavy equipment and log trucks were long gone when that awful feeling from the pit of my stomach surfaced with the thought that I had sold that historic tree. I tugged on my boots and headed out the half mile or so that would bring me to the spot where I might find only a massive stump where that tree had stood.The tree and my conscience were saved by the fact that "Uncle Bill's Tree" was within the wetland border that the harvester was obligated to overlook.

Just like you and me, trees are temporary. But just like you and me, they symbolize much more than their physical characteristics. Trees as well as other people are a God-given gift. We are asked by their Maker through His Son to love one another. I was so glad to find that tree that served as a reminder of the timeless ambitions we all have. Had that tree been removed, it would have been unintentional on my part but the damage would have been done. When we fail as Christians to love one another as we've been asked that too is often unintentional. I encourage any good person who might read this to carefully consider how grateful we are to be for all God has provided and the stewardship with which we are to treat it.

Bringing Back The American Chestnut

Before I was born (no smart comments about how long ago that was), the American Chestnut tree was pretty much eradicated by a blight that was introduced via imported Chinese or Japanese Chestnut trees. The natural range of the American Chestnut was large, Maine to Georgia and as far west as the Mississippi River. The Chestnut dominated the hardwoods in much of that range. In our state of Pennsylvania, it constituted 20% of all the hardwood trees. Efforts to combat the blight and preserve the Chestnuts was given a boost when an early advocate dubbed the American Chestnut the "Redwood of the East". Although never approaching the size of mature Redwoods, American Chestnuts did get large,some exceeding seven feet in diameter. The important point is that the value of these trees as a timber provider, mast crop, and just plain beautiful tree was almost beyond description. My father and grandfather spoke often of the sad decline and disappearance of something too good to be true. Not understanding just what the Chestnut Blight was, Granddad's explanation was that the Chestnut tree was so under appreciated that God took it away from us.

Over the last thirty years or so, The American Chestnut Foundation

has been working on a  breeding program to develop a blight resistant Chestnut Tree. Hoping that the original American Chestnut when crossed with a Chinese Chestnut would result in a tree exhibiting some characteristics of those giants of the forest and retaining a degree of blight resistance. It looks like the battle is winnable. By back crossing each generation of the original hybrids we are now working with and planting nuts that are 15/16 American Chestnut. The offspring from the trees produced from those nuts will be the beginning of the nut producers that may allow this grand tree to be reintroduced to the areas where it once thrived. My wife Jennifer and I will be volunteering at a small display this weekend at PEEC that will help educate folks about the foundation and the efforts to get back something that was once thought lost forever. Being part of the foundation has been fulfilling for us and the thought that our efforts will outlive us is delightful. Being grateful for what God provides is essential. It will be possible to have great Chestnut Trees, albeit hybrids, again only if He wills it to happen.

Good Business

In 1988, my father, discouraged with the difficulty of finding someone local to do saw milling for him, ordered a portable sawmill from a relatively new company in Indiana named Wood Mizer. A young man named Mike demonstrated just how portable the mill was by towing it to Bushkill from Indianapolis. Wood Mizer asked people taking ownership of a new mill to allow them to demonstrate the mill and advertise the event for prospective customers. It was a grand day. Dozens of folks showed up to see this machine in action and, of course, pepper the factory representative with questions about the workings of the mill. In appreciation for allowing the demonstration to take place, the new owner was promised $75 if anyone buying a new mill said they had seen it at the event. The skeptic would say, "Yea, right. That's really gonna happen," The kind of company Wood Mizer is was demonstrated several times when Dad would receive an unexpected check in the mail because someone had bought a mill and used him as a reference.

Although the original engine has been replaced on the mill , it is still going strong and just like so many things Dad left to me, both tangible and otherwise, it works as well as it did all those years ago. When I made the engine swap a couple years ago, I had some questions concerning the wiring configuration and, as always, the service department at the home plant was extremely helpful. In response to one of my questions the man on the phone said, "Just a minute. If Mike is out in the shop, he'd know the answer to that." Well, how about that? The same Mike that delivered that mill 25 years earlier, was still a faithful employee and still answering questions about these great machines. Somehow, I was not surprised. I've no intention of making this blog into a tool review forum and it's unlikely that any of my readers are in the market for a sawmill. However this is not about sawmills. It is about doing the right thing; like really meaning it when you offer to reward someone for helping refer customers. One of the originators of the Wood Mizer company recently stepped down and passed the CEO position or whatever it is called to someone else. I am pleased that, just like his predecessor

, the new head man uses references to God and expresses appreciation to Him for the opportunity to interact with and serve customers long after the sale. Even in the business world, it is possible to honor God. I wish more businesses did.

Even Trees Know

There is a big Oak tree that I need to cut. It is leaning over the driveway and it's just a matter of time until it falls over the road and will probably do so at a pretty inconvenient time. It has been fascinating to watch that tree grow over the last forty years or so and there is no question that the angle at which it is growing continues to overshadow the drive  almost imperceptibly leaning a bit more each year. There is much we can observe about trees and perhaps take some lessons in living considering how long some trees live even though, or perhaps because, they are unable to move from where they take root. Perhaps the fact that trees don't move around and keep trying to find a "better" place explains their longevity and the growing that continues if only primarily in a vertical direction. Trees just patiently continue to grow and accept whatever is done to them. If what is done doesn't kill the tree, it simply grows around the item that someone leaves hanging on a branch. You may have seen the photo of a bicycle completely captured inside the trunk of a tree.

We humans can certainly learn some lessons from trees. The idea of patiently growing even though there is something foreign that could be irritating us is a helpful idea. Having appreciation for our roots is another aspect of horticulture that we do well to accept. Knowing what provides true growth is another lesson we can learn by observing trees. That tree that I referred to in the beginning of this post continues to lean further west each year because it is on the east side of the driveway. The tree somehow knows that growth is provided by seeking light and, if you take notice, you will observe that trees along a road or stream grow towards the center because that's where the light is most available. God provides lessons for us constantly,even among inanimate things like trees. A healthy life for you and me is more likely if we take our cue from the trees; appreciate our roots, patiently work with what comes, and continually seek The Light of the World.

Thinking Like Wood Would

Almost all people I know who are proficient in woodworking are that way, at least in part, because they have chosen to become familiar with the material with which they work. In order to get desired results from wood, one must learn to think like a piece of wood. I know, I know. Wood doesn't think at all. What I mean by thinking like a piece of wood is the ability to know what that piece of wood will do if, for example, a chisel is driven into at a particular angle. Knowing how even inanimate objects react when acted upon enables a person to transform a tree into a piece of furniture. Being aware of the nature of the material requires some trial and error and allowing for those exceptions to the rule that are bound to occur if any amount of experience is gained. Some times wood seems to have a mind of its own.

The obvious analogy for this woodworking idea comes to mind when we change the material with which we work from wood to people. If I am to be proficient in working with people then I better learn to think like a people. I know, I know. Grammar-wise it should be, "think like a person." Here the analogy breaks down a bit because people really do think and what they think is extremely important if I wish to be helpful to them. Being helpful is required of anyone who would claim to be Christian. Being helpful is what is required when we are told to love one another. Knowing what someone is thinking before attempting to be helpful to them brings us right back to the woodworking example with one important difference. You may never have tried to make something of wood and therefore would have difficulty in thinking like wood. But thinking like a person is something with which you have plenty of experience. As we attempt to live out that great command to love one another, take time to know what those you encounter are thinking because, right or wrong, what they are thinking determines the material the Greatest Carpenter who ever lived asks us to shape.

Unintentional Nails

It was sawmill time again today and the threesome that has constituted the Friday crew for most Fridays this summer turned a log into boards that will hopefully become a useful item at sometime in the future. One of the great parts about sawing is that the inside of each log is different from any other. Sometimes there are beautiful surprises in store as the internal colors and variation in grain are exposed. Sometimes there are less than desirable surprises such as today when the unmistakable sound change occurred that let us know we just cut through something harder than the Red Oak that was being transformed. Counting in from the outside growth ring we determined that about 30 years ago someone had driven a couple roofing nails into what was then the outside of the tree, no doubt to attach a no trespassing notice. The blade cut poorly after the encounter with the nails and had to be replaced earlier than would have otherwise been the case. The whole episode reminded me once more of how we learn and find parallels between the growth of trees and the growth of people.

The person who attached that sign to the tree is likely no longer living. However the act of doing so affected the tree the rest of its life and affected those of us attempting to do something with it. The tree was wounded, albeit in a minor way. Slowly the tree healed and after some time fully hid the nails that had been driven in all those years ago. People also become wounded and not necessarily in a physical way, usually at the hands of another person. Just like the tree, although we tend to be less patient, we cover the wound and, to those that see only the outside, appear unblemished just as that log did when it was put on the mill. The old timer who put the nails in that tree meant no harm. He no doubt would be sorry to hear it inconvenienced anyone all those years later. I would suggest that we also mean no harm sometimes when we drive nails into someone in the form of hurtful words or actions. But just like in the oak tree, that hurt never goes away and even though time allows the hurt to be overgrown, it is there and affects the person. Take time to get to know the people God puts into your life. We have all been wounded and our wounds affect our actions. Loving others requires that we take time to find out about the nails they have endured and accept them anyway. After all we've been told to love others by One who knows more than most about surviving nail wounds.

In a Nutshell, Not

This past week, my wife Jen and I had the pleasure of taking a shift manning the display of the Pennsylvania Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation http://www.patacf.org/ that was part of Penn State's Ag Progress Days held annually in central Pennsylvania. The story of the American Chestnut tree is interesting, sad, and yet filled with hope depending on your perspective. At one time American Chestnuts accounted for 1 in 5 of all the trees in Pennsylvania. The legend was that a squirrel could travel from New Jersey to Ohio without ever leaving a Chestnut tree. The American Chestnut was an enormous tree, often exceeding six feet in diameter (the record was a monster fifteen feet across). Affected by a fungal blight causing organism imported with Chinese Chestnut trees in the 1800's, The mighty American Chestnut was gone by the early 1900's. The American Chestnut Tree Foundation is dedicated to breeding a blight resistant tree that can be introduced back into the great forests that it one populated with a range from Maine to Georgia. I am pleased that I am able to support this fine organization and would be delighted to speak more about the program. As you might suspect, there is much more to this story and the American Chestnut will be mentioned again here.

As with the Chestnut tree, there are any number of things in which we can invest time, money and energy. We all believe, at our core, that our lives should make some lasting effect that outlives us. It behooves us therefore to use our allotted time with discernment. The trees growing in our Chestnut orchard will, for the most part, die from the blight. But the few that do not will outlive me and hopefully provide the seed for the next generation of even more blight resistant trees. How we choose to treat the living things around us will have an effect that, properly done, will improve the world we all must leave. We leave this world to the generations that follow and we have the choice to leave it better than we found it. Taking care of the earth honors the One who provided it. His greatest work was people, you and me, we should be humbled by the responsibility with which we've been entrusted.

Just Under the Bark

When the weather cooperates, our Friday session of Out of the Woodwork spends the three hours or so running the sawmill and cutting the material that will eventually become useful projects in the wood shop. This past Friday was exceptional in that the morning was cool and although there were only three of us, four logs were turned into boards. The first cut made in turning a round log into flat boards results in what is called the opening face. I never tire of lifting that first bark covered slab off that face and seeing the treasure that was hiding in the log. It's difficult to know just what that log, which was once part of a living tree, is going to look like inside. Often, what appears to be a really handsome looking log turns out to be not so nice inside and, of course, the opposite is also true. Either way getting inside is necessary to know whether you have high grade lumber or firewood.

I got thinking about how we can't determine what might become of a log without looking below the bark. There is something very similar that happens in our relationships with people. Just like the logs in the log pile, people have an appearance that can be deceiving. Having just heard of the loss of one of my favorite actors, Robin Williams, I was reminded that what we see on the outside is not always a reflection of the inside. We owe it to the people that God allows to cross our paths, to look below the "bark". God already does this. He sees the inside and knows us from the inside out. My work on the sawmill has taught me to look inside in order to know just what

the log is like. I'm trying to do likewise with the people in my life as well. Naturally, this takes a bit more time than the rhetorical, "How ya feeling?" But people are God's greatest work and they are worth it.

Take Time to Sharpen

There are times when it doesn't make sense to keep on working because the tool you're using is just too dull. That's the way it was at Out of the Woodwork shop today. Although I had plans to move forward with a couple projects, the even louder than usual noise coming from the planer indicated that it was time to forego the work I wanted to do and spend the session removing, sharpening and replacing the planer blades. This is the way woodworking works. Sometimes the work stops to enable the work to continue more effectively.

The parallels between woodworking and living in general never fail to amaze me. Just as the woodworker needs to take time to maintain the tools that he or she uses, so do we need to spend time sharpening the tools that allow abundant living to be possible. The primary tools for living are a sense of right and wrong. We sharpen those tools by spending time sharpening that sense. Just as in the example of sharpening the planer, we have to stop doing in order to make doing effective. Living life abundantly is God's promise to us and His Word has all the sharpening equipment we need in order to make that happen.

I encourage all you good folks who may read this to take time to sharpen so that whatever you build is enabled by using sharp tools and righteous living.

If Jesus was a carpenter, that's good enough for me.

Let's Make Some Sawdust or Not

When my father died a few years ago, he left the woodworking shop that he loved to me and I have great memories of time spent with him in that special place. After a year or two of making minimal use of "The wood shop", it occurred  to me that although my son and I enjoyed working there, it was not being utilized as well as it might be.

The thought to open the shop to others who might want to do some woodworking kept weighing on my mind and heart. So "Out of the Woodwork"was born. What began as an offering to give folks some space, tools and instruction (if needed) to do woodworking, has turned into something much more.

While many useful things have been created for individuals as well as for the church I attend, a more important benefit has emerged. Some folks come and do almost no woodworking other than to help others working on various projects. What started out as simply a place to build objects has turned into a place to fulfill the God-given need for community. Some of the biweekly three hour sessions result in very little sawdust being made. But something more important happens in those sessions. Human connections are made. Folks get to know more about each other and caring relationships are the result. 

The purpose of this blog is to share some of the experiences from Out of the Woodwork and hopefully encourage those who might choose to read it to look around at where in their lives they may have the opportunity to provide spaces to allow caring relationships to develop. Hopefully there will be practical information as well as just good news stories of how we can build better objects of wood and better people through love for one another.