My dad and i used to LOVE watchin’ this show called “The New Yankee Workshop” … Norm Abram would come on each week and show us how to build beautiful pieces of furniture and, i’ll admit, we actually would TAPE the shows to watch them (this was in the time before DVR!) so we could see it because of my work schedule …

Why am i sharin’ this you wonder ?? Well, to give a shout out to ole’ Norm, but, also ‘cause once both of us got to a point where we could afford some of the tools that Norm used we started making some furniture (not nearly as well!) that was held together with more than duct tape and prayers … Through building some of this furniture, we were able to experiment with different types of wood, what is best for different projects, what is NEEDED for different applications, and, what will stand the test of time … It’s not a one size fits all ……….

Making coffee this morning and looking at a piece in our kitchen that i’d built 25 years ago for a specific task, it got me thinking about how God has gifted us with the exact same thing in the forms of ways to find Him.  Just as a breakaway bookshelf built for toddlers wouldn’t be the right application for china, a heavy oak cabinet wouldn’t have a place in that toddlers room.  A  loud contemporary church with flashing lights may reach some people in a powerful way but completely overwhelm others, where a traditional service would be the exact right fit …

In woodworking where there’s no “one right solution,” the same concept applies to both study and worship with the Christian community …

Just a thought from a guy that’s a proud elder of a church but isn’t afraid to visit others when out of town, has 3 bibles queued up in his Olive Tree App, and more species of scrap wood in his garage than he cares to think about 🙂

(ps, the clock was a piece done by my dad … He’s clearly the better woodworker of the two of us !!! He even placed the workings of the clock in the city i was born!)

Bible Verses

Exodus 35:20-35 / 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Questions

Did (or do) you have any special hobbies that you share(d) with your parents ??? Please share if you feel comfortable !!!