HANGIN' WITH THE CREATOR

1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33

“Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years to complete the construction.”

“How joyful are those who fear the Lord—all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!”

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life. Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”

Wow! It’s already Sunday evening, and I still have not put together anything for today’s blog. I’ve known, of course, for some time that I would need to do it, but it’s almost as if God Himself encouraged me to be a little less scheduled and slightly less obsessive about my writing today. I actually had a project that’s been waiting on me for several weeks. We bought a new storage shed for the lawnmower and yard tools. My project was to design and construct added overhead storage and shelves. The job was really beginning to gnaw on me, so I finally planned accordingly. I didn’t have to lead our Sunday school class, so I planned to take the whole day to get the task completed, as soon as I got my blog done. (Yeah, I was going to skip church.) But nothing came to me for the blog yesterday, and then the Lord got in the act. “How about you let me plan your day tomorrow, Tom, and we’ll build out the shed together in due time?” OK, I thought, I’m working on my obsessions. This is a good chance to see if I can relax about my to-do list a little. But, Lord, I need a blog entry, too. Could you throw me a bone if I --? “All in good time….”

I awoke fairly early. Time to blog? “Nope.” said God. “Why not go to early service instead? You can’t start using power tools yet, or you’ll have some angry neighbors. (The Spirit does have its practical side.) This way, you can put this dead time to use and still be home in time to finish that job.” So, we went to the 8:15 worship service. Home, Lord? “If you want. But you might enjoy just being in your class and listening, Tom. You haven’t been a student in a while, have you?” So, we went to class, and were just blown away by a missionary from Costa Rica. He was real, inspiring and bold beyond anything I’d ever thought of attempting. Most of us hung around afterward to pray over him and his wife. I do enjoy watching our prayer warriors do what they do best. All in all, it was a great morning, especially given my lack of expectations going in! Home now, Lord? “OK, Tom, home. We do have a shed to outfit, after all.” And a blog, Father, don’t forget that. I promised you, one entry a day for 365 days, remember? “I remember. But let’s tackle that shed first. I know that’s important to you, so it’s important to Me. Besides, you don’t have anything much to say in the blog yet, do you?” Well, there wasn’t much new meat in today’s Scriptures…. (I swear I heard Him chuckle.) Oh, not that I’m criticizing Your Word. It’s just that nothing’s hit me, yet. “Patience,” Christ answered. “I’d actually enjoy doing a little work with you. Yes, it’s the Sabbath, but I understand working around the house is how you play and relax, and I’d like to join you. It’s a beautiful day to enjoy, isn’t it?”

Finally, then, I donned my jeans and headed out back. I got all my man toys ready, laid out the wood and other materials and got started. There were some early technical glitches. I didn’t really want studs supporting the overhead area from the ground. They’d be in the way. “Why not suspend it from the rafters, Tom?” Great, idea, Lord. How? Everything’s turned wrong and the measurements don’t work. “Oh, you just don’t have enough of the right wood. Use two, not one, plywood sheets, and lay them crosswise, not lengthwise. Insert three extra studs underneath into the framing for more support. You can cut everything to fit, and I’ll bet we find a use for the leftovers in due course.” Pretty good idea, Jesus. How’d you see that? “I was a carpenter, you know.” Right; off we went to Home Depot, the Spirit and me. But still, I doubted we could really suspend all that weight from the roof. Toenailing wouldn’t be safe…. “One word: brackets.” Huh? How’d you know what I was thinking?!? Uh, I mean, what kind of brackets? “Right down that aisle.” Perfect! Those really will work, won’t they? I never knew there were such things. “Did I mention I was a carpent-“ Got it, Lord. ‘Nuff said. Time’s a wastin’!

I made it home in time for a late lunch. We caught the last five minutes of a great Spurs game. (San Antonio over the Celtics in Boston on national TV – Go, Spurs, Go! I wasn’t sure if Christ was a basketball fan, but then I figured He’s pretty much an everything fan when you get down to it.) Finally, we hit the shed. We worked all afternoon, me just knowing how to do new things even before I realized they needed doing. It was way cool, being creative. Finally, it got too dark to see. “But you’re not done, Tom. That would have infuriated you in the past. What’s up?” Hmm, not sure, Lord. But ya know, it wouldn’t stink if we could finish up together next weekend. I think I can squeeze out a few hours for it, and it shouldn’t take long, now. Would that work for you? “I’d like that very much. I miss the carpentry, and I really like being more involved with you, my son.” It has been fun, hasn’t it? “It has, indeed. See ya. Oh, and don’t forget that blog. I know you’ve been worried about not having anything to write, but you’ll think of something. I trust you.” Well, if you do, then I’m not gonna worry about it. You’re probably right. Something will come to me. Have a great evening, Lord. “I always do. But I won’t be too far away, just in case you get stuck.” That’s always good to know!

Sometimes, the greatest revelations come from the everyday. I just spent a day hanging with God. WAIT A MINUTE! I JUST SPENT A WHOLE DAY WITH THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE! And He enjoyed it as much as I did! Oh, my gosh! Even today’s Scriptures fit in now, Lord. How did you – oh, never mind! Wait ‘til I tell others about this. They’ll never believe it!