A Carpenter's Hands

I had my first successful experience with carpentry today. With an astronomical amount of help from my Grandpa, I built an entertainment center for my cousin Tom and his wife Stacy. It's to be a belated wedding gift and hopefully will last them a good, long while. Along with enjoying the day with Grandpa, I found the age-old trade of woodworking intriguing and fulfilling.

I'm not necessarily the best at that kind of thing, and I likely never will be. However, cutting, shaping, gluing, screwing, and nailing pieces of lumber until they come together as something useful is a hobby that I would like to continue. First, it's a practical skill that could prove invaluable one day. To guide and watch the transformation from wood to object, though, is satisfying in and of itself. With a handful of rough, plain boards, a good carpenter (such as Grandpa) can add just the right touches at just the right places to accomplish just the purpose he intends. There seems to be an aura of nobility to the craft, and the look of a finished product (art, some would call it) satisfies the carpenter's mind.

It's interesting to think that Jesus was a carpenter. We don't know a lot about his endeavors in the trade, but I think it's safe to say that he would have spent much of his pre-ministry days in the shop. In the Middle East in the first century A.D., there was no air-conditioning. Imagine the discomfort of the heat, the frustration of hand working everything, the pain of cuts, sore muscles... Yet through it all, Jesus shaped and molded the raw materials into the objects he wanted.

Jesus really is in the business of carpentry. Yes, he constructed whatever carpenters built in that age, but he is a carpenter of lives even more. We are all born rough. Sin has warped our souls, marking us with holes, gashes, and imperfections on every face. We're fit for nothing but burning, really. Jesus, though, is the master carpenter. Once we become His, we are subject to His work. Jesus paid the eternal price for us-though we were worth not a penny-and is constantly at work mending, shaping, and fitting the broken pieces of our lives into a work of both beauty and utility.

Why does he do this? God loves us. By taking us from nothing and making us into something useful, He proves that His desire is for us to be beloved objects of use, not just a pile of waste. Not only that, but a carpenter's talent is proved by His work. Although we will never be finished in this life, it takes unfathomable skill to make scrap into product. Our lives are to show His glory. For that, I am eternally grateful and humbled. Thank you, Jesus, for the work of Your hands.     

Coffee, Anyone?

It's been 15 days or so since I last blogged. I have no excuse-I've been home and everything. Laziness and relaxation are the only culprits I can think to blame. The longer I go between posts, though, the more I'm reminded of my love for writing.

The last few days have been simple and enjoyable, simply enjoyable I suppose one could say. As always, I've been learning small things in life, discovering little joys, and loving the fellowship with my friends and family (although there are some dearly loved family members that I have yet to see, SARAH ROZIER :))

Some small things I've learned:

     1. Home is wherever the family is.
     2. A puppy can be so stubborn that it would rather be dragged on its back than walk on a leash.
     3. Mom doesn't like chickens. "Aaron, if they peck at me... THEY'RE PECKING AT ME!!!!"
     4. I really do want to own a coffee-shop at some point in the future.

Concerning the coffee-shop, I discovered my love of that informal, relaxed atmosphere almost three years ago. I ran into some friends at JT's Java Cafe, a spontaneous hang-out occurred, and I felt completely comfortable and in my element. Since then, I've had a somewhat childish dream of eventually owning my own, but I've never believed that it had a chance of becoming reality.

On a recent bike riding trip with Mom and Dad, though, I decided that I really do want to own a shop one day. I have various reasons, but it all boils down to my love of fellowship and coffee. Last Friday, we (Mom, Dad, and I) were on a bike trail in Inverness, FL for several hours, which gave me plenty of time to think and daydream. Reflecting over my Cleveland trip, I realized that the best conversations I had almost all occurred in coffee-shops or coffee-shop like cafes. For me, there is something about those environments that encourages me to open up and allow conversation to flow. Whatever it is-the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, the relaxing vibe, the comfy couches-I thrive in it because friendliness and fellowship seem to naturally grow when I'm in its presence. I'm sure that eventually I'll encounter some coffee-shop visits that flop, but at least until now I have yet to have a super-awkward conversation when I'm surrounded with the buzz of coffee-thirsty patrons.

What better way to spiritually connect with people than in such a place? Coupled with my heart for the nations, maybe I'll one day be able to start a coffee-shop in a city with an international presence. I could reach out to immigrants and offer them job training and English lessons, start bible studies, have a platform for young musicians, potentially even start a church... The possibilities are numerous. I don't know ANY specifics, including when and where, but I have at least made a resolve to do it one day, Lord willing.

I still have a burning passion for international missions and bible translation. I haven't a clue how these passions that God has given me will work out or work together. Maybe I'll spend time on a translation project, then come stateside. Maybe the coffee shop will be in another country. Maybe God will lead me on Journeyman or another medium-term trip and afterwards bring me back. Maybe the coffee-shop is a retirement thing. I don't know. I've just learned that God is faithful, following Christ is an adventure, and obedience must drive our lives if we are to be the children that God intends for us to be. And as children of God, we never quite know what's in store for us next.    

Worship on the Rocky River

This week was mainly a recoup/preparation week. We took Tuesday off to settle back in from camp, created instructions for PowerPlant teams (NAMB's summer short-term missions program) on Wednesday, went to leadership development and an Indians baseball game on Thursday, and worked with Jeff Bodziony and Forward Church on Friday (worthy of an entire post by itself). Yesterday, we had another day off, and I went stand up paddleboarding for the first time ever. I am always amazed by the beauty of nature and its power to teach us about its Creator.

My friend Scott and I rented stand-up paddleboards from a store near the mouth of the Rocky River. The river is a shallow, swift-running river that flows through a valley on the west side of Cleveland. Resembling a typical river in Appalachia, it has some small rapids and is lined by striking sedimentary cliffs. After paddling upstream for a bit, we followed the river all the way down to its mouth where it empties into Lake Eerie. I traveled a little faster than Scott, so I managed to make it all the way before the time came to turn back. The sight that I encountered lead me into more sincere worship than any church service has in a long time.

There were no large boats entering the river, so for a few minutes I just stood on the board, bobbing gently in the waves and looking out over the vast expanse of the lake. The cliffs towered to my left, and on my right a jetty reached far out into the lake. The mere majesty of the sight took away my breath. My first thought: I wish I had my camera! My second thought brought me into worship. Once again, God used nature to remind me of eternity. More striking than the power of the waves, more beautiful than the sunlight bouncing off the water and cliffs, an eternity spent in the presence of God will be. We're so small, yet so blessed. Compared to the enormity of the cliffs and beauty of the lake, I was nothing. God, though, sees it fit to desire a relationship with me, to forgive me, to hold me. All I could do was stand in awe of our awesome God. One day, the Rocky River will fade, but the glory of God will last forever.

Nature holds a thousand mysteries and ten thousand wonders. We are blessed to have such a creative, loving God, who gives us with the beauty of a natural world.    

For anyone who doesn't know what stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is, below is a random picture of a man riding one. 

Stand Up Paddleboarding 

A Week in the Mountains

It has been a long, tiring week. That seems to be the story of the summer, but this week was exceptionally draining. We summer missionaries spent from last Wednesday to this Monday as camp counselors at Camp Ba-Yo-Ca in Sevierville, TN, serving as chaperons for a group of 100 students from Cleveland and Toledo. It was a mixed experience for me, an experience in which I encountered some unbelievably frustrating situations and some unbelievably rewarding ones.

Most of the frustrating situations involved younger kids who refused to listen to anything but their own desires, while most of the rewarding situations involved standing alongside teenagers as they began their spiritual journeys. I became friends with one guy in particular, Romella. His sincere curiosity about God and the bible refreshed my spirit, and his challenging questions pushed me to desire God's word more. Seeing his desire and occasional confusion, I realized that I need and want to know more about explaining scripture to others in a way that teaches them to study the bible themselves.

Along those lines, Stefanie, Scott, and I were responsible for planning and teaching a bible lesson for the Mt. Calvary Baptist boys, a group of about 20. Our trial-and-error approach (we didn't know we would be responsible for that until the day of the first lesson) was fun, and the whole thing was a learning process. In the end, I can sum-up with one word what I learned from this dabbling in education: involvement. At least with our audience of preteen to teenage boys, involvement was essential. Our most successful lesson was one in which we practically didn't "teach" (in the lecture sense of the word) much at all. Instead, we broke the group up into smaller groups, had them read different Old Testament stories of obedience/disobedience, then guided each group as they shared what they learned with the others. All we really "taught" was a wrap up lesson, connecting all of the themes of obedience/disobedience and showing how they related to our relationship with God. That took about 3 minutes. I wasn't sure how it would turn out at first, but I found out that praying for and trusting the Spirit to work has awesome results. It may not always turn out as hoped for or expected, but the most precious gold still comes out of simple, filthy mines.

It was amazing to see the mountains again. Man, I've missed them here in Ohio. God's power and majesty is displayed gloriously in those hills, and something about the clean air and rustic atmosphere refreshes the soul. Sometimes, we need to just take a moment to look at the beauty of the earth and let that blessed peace swell in our souls. 

As the Rain and Snow

Last week was less intense than before, but it was every bit as busy. City of Hope did a VBS with the help of a mission team from Kentucky, and two kids from the community were saved. Praise the Lord! City of Hope assigned two young, maturing leaders in the youth group to mentor the converts. Ben called the mentors "prayer partners," and the goal is to have the mentors and the learners grow by praying together, studying the bible together, and bonding together in love and spiritual accountability. I love the idea! Not only does it help the young in Christ grow, but it develops two future leaders of the church.

Wednesday, on the other side of the city, we helped Dan Graham's missional community group with the community garden they spearhead. Basically, the purpose of missional community groups is to meet together regularly, intentionally bonding in love while tangibly serving the city. Gateway West holds these meetings in place of Sunday evening services, to show that the great commission is fulfilled by going out rather than just inviting in.

In the garden, Daniel and I relocated a pile of debris and edged the sidewalk. Later, the whole missional community gathered in the garden, enjoyed lemonade and watermelon, and weeded ALL of the plots (regardless of whether it was one of ours or not). Looking over the garden, with some plants fully mature, others new babes, and still some not yet surfaced, I was reminded of Isaiah 55:10-11...

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven

and do not return there

without saturating the earth

and making it germinate and sprout,

and providing seed to sow

and food to eat,

11 

so My word that comes from My mouth

will not return to Me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please

and will prosper in what I send it to do.  

It is incredibly easy to become discouraged when serving God. More often than not, ministry doesn't move at the pace we want it to or accomplish the exact goal we want it to. Yet, if we truly trust God's word, we know that our obedience is making an impact. By living out God's word in deed and speech, we are remaining faithful to the promise that God provides the harvest. Because of our weakened bodies, we will become frustrated and tired- it's to be expected. However, when that happens, we are able to learn what it means to rest in Christ and to trust Him as the source of all success. Some results we may see grow to maturity, but others will remain underground for a future harvester to gather. As Paul said, God makes it all grow. 

We must be faithful to go out. Those who have a deep relationship with Him inevitably learn that love, obedience, and boldness is the key to true ministry. God's word will accomplish its purpose in due time. Until then, we trust and obey.