How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

The life of a carpenter is one of doing what so many of us dream.  It is making a living as an artist creating functional beauty.  Two thousand years ago this could not have been an easy occupation. 

All wood was naturally sourced because you had to find your own.  Your shop was environmentally friendly because there were no power tools.   Everything was all natural because there were no synthetics. 

This particular Carpenter left his shop and became an itinerant preacher.  He took his love for creation and transformation with him.   The love drove him to repair the world.  It drove him to give all to redeem it from it brokenness.  The world responded.  It nailed him to a set of rough-hewn beams to kill him.

How do we deal with a Carpenter King?  We kill him.  We reject him.  We malign him because he dared to love us with truth and compassion.  What I am supposed to do is follow him in every opportunity.

I must let him shape me.  I must become the image that he sees in my raw potential.  I must follow and become beautiful and useful. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Humble Honing

Greetings Dear Reader,

Wood does not speak.  It may communicate it beauty amidst plays of light and hue.  It may touch our spirit with is shape and the quality of its patterns.  Still wood does not speak.

It does not cry out when the carpenter saws away what is unnecessary.  There is no complaint from the wood as the carpenter uses chisels and planes to shape his creation.  The wood does not whine about the time it takes.  The piece being formed does not tell the carpenter how he should shape it. 

 One of the ways to follow Christ more closely is to realize that all that the Carpenter King does is to shape us into the beauty that he is creating.  He hones into what he has designed us to become.  He conceived us and is building us.  I need to always accept the honing of who I am with humility.   I need to give the carpenter his way and not think that I can avoid it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Large and Small Cuts

Greetings Dear Reader,

In every piece of wood that becomes furniture, finishing, or art there is cutting.  The carpenter must shape the wood to his design.  He must remove what is not useful to that design.

There are large and small cuts made in this refining.  It may be that the carpenter must reduce the lumber greatly from it rough form to form something small and useful.  It may be that to be useful the lumber must remain large and rough.  The carpenter knows what is needed to make the wood suitable to his purpose.

It may be that fine chisel work is required to make the work beautiful.   Turning and shaping may seem to be taking away too much.  The pile of shavings on the floor might appear to be much more than what is left of the piece.  The carpenter knows what to take away and what to leave.

In dealing with a Carpenter King we need to understand that we are the wood.  We will be shaped to his design.  The cuts may be large, small, or both.  The shaping might be speedy or take a lifetime.  All I have to do is be shaped. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Raw Lumber

Greetings Dear Reader,

I once saw a desk made of “Tiger Oak”.  “Tiger oak is oak that is milled into quarters at an angle to the growth rings of the tree. This method produces boards with heavy stippling visible in the grain. Tiger oak, also called quarter sawn oak, is used for cabinets, furniture and projects for which the flecked pattern of the boards is desired.”

The desk was bare.  In the fine polished surface the tiger stripes shown beautifully in the in the natural light of the room.  The desk is the most beautiful desk I have ever seen.  I had daily access to the office in which the desk resided.  I would often sit in the afternoons watching the sun play on the surface of the wood.

I would ponder the carpenter who had the vision to see what could be in raw oak lumber with which he worked.  He saw what he could fashion out of the wood.  He knew what could become with the proper cutting down and shaping back.  He knew he could create something strong and beautiful out of dead oak. 

This is how the Carpenter King approaches us.  We are dead wood.  Left to ourselves we will rot and decay.  The Carpenter has plans for us.  He sees the beauty and potential in our raw lumber.  He knows how to craft us into something enduring and strong. 

I must deal with the Carpenter King by allowing him to fashion me according to his design.  From rough sawing to planking to fine sanding and polishing he knows what to do for me.  He knows how to shape me and cut me. He knows how to bring out the natural beauty in me.  I cannot do it for myself. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Type Amen?

Greetings Dear Reader,

Carpentry is a simple beautiful art.  My Grandfather was a hobby carpenter.  He even continued to practice the art after a table saw cut his hand almost in two.  After the injury healed he had pins in his hand.  He could create beautiful things with wood, work, and patience.

I am trying to imagine how Jesus the carpenter would deal with social media and the technology age.  There is a web site, Coffee with Jesus that addresses this occasionally.  I try to use technology and social media for good things. 

There is a trend that some of my fellow Christ followers have adopted that disturbs me.  I believe that we should live our faith outwardly.  I do not hesitate to claim Christ and try to follow him.  I do not think that the trend to post something then ask for proof of agreement is wise.

It is not saying amen to a post or sharing it that spreads the Gospel.  In fact I think it makes us look foolish to those who do not understand the love and compassion of Christ.  I know that these posts are meant to be a good thing.  Some, however, go too far.

One cannot gain a blessing, money, or healing by participating in this modern form of chain letters.  In fact it wastes resources and time.  Every piece of data sent costs something.  Every post has a price.  When we forget that the Gospel like carpentry is a patient artful process we lose its beauty and grace.  The Gospel is the process of turning raw material into lovely useful things.  What better leader to follow than a Carpenter King?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

How Do We Deal with A Carpenter King ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

The life of Christ is filled with paradoxes.  An honest look at the man Jesus; his human side often helps me understand how I am to behave and be as I follow him.  It is in Christ that we find the ultimate example of what it means to be human.

We were not meant to have flaws and failures.  We are designed to be good, noble, and loving.  Perhaps a clear examination of the human side of our divine Brother can help.  Perhaps a better understanding of how to be a human and do what is right can make the journey easier.

Really nothing makes it easier but some things make it bearable.  There is something in carpentry that gives me insight into who Jesus is.  It gives me a better understanding of how to follow him. 

Please, Dear Reader, walk with me through some saw dust and shavings.  Reason with me as we have a look at the way we must deal with a Carpenter King.  As always I value your thoughts.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)