A MASTER CRAFTSMAN

By -

Grace United Methodist Church (Pequot Lakes)

After a couple weeks of being close to the Minneapolis area, it was time to get back out on the road. We planned to drive the few hours up to Pequot Lakes on Saturday because the weathermen were forecasting just a bit of light snow near the Twin Cities. As we loaded the vehicle last Saturday morning it was easy to see the weathermen had far underestimated. When it was all said and done there were about nine total inches of very wet and heavy snow blanketing the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs. We drove slowly while listening to the static filled broadcast of the Iowa vs. Northwestern football game and we arrived in Pequot Lakes early Saturday afternoon. Thanks be to God for His continued protection on the roads. With all the traveling on deputation we never want to take God’s protection for granted.

 I want to share with you another story of God’s protection and provision. Pastor Diane Ciesluk shared with us a bit of the history of the church building in Pequot Lakes. The church itself goes back many decades, but the current building is only about eleven years old. They started construction in 1999 and were in the process of completing the main entry way when a propane tank, used by one of the construction crews, exploded and set fire to the entry way as well as the education wing. As far as I know there was no one seriously injured, but there was obviously a lot of clean up once the fire had been contained. The church building today is beautiful and serves many needs of its members and the community. When I heard of the fire I figured they just tore down all that was burnt and started over with that construction. I found out as we were standing in the narthex of the church that much of the furniture in the church was made by a member of the congregation and constructed out of wood salvaged from the fire.  The altars, benches, and some chairs are absolutely gorgeous and show marks of a true craftsman.

I am sometimes quick to make the spiritual parallel, but in this case I think it really makes sense. Think about some of those things in your life that you may have thought were a total loss. Think about times when you’ve been burned. Then think about how God as the master craftsman can take those “scraps” and fashion something more beautiful than you could imagine. This is my challenge to you this week. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ON THE "FLIP" SIDE

By -
Image
This week I learned more about tortoises than I had anticipated. For instance, the plural of tortoise really is tortoises and not torti like I originally thought. There are some different answers floating around the web as to what the proper name is for a group of tortoises. A group of turtles is called a "bale" and some say this goes for tortoises as well. Other answers were a "herd" or "fleet". My personal favorite was, "a creep" or tortoises, named such for their slow movement. Listed below are some other interesting facts about these reptiles.  The key differences between Tortoises and Turtles Yellow Spotted South American Tortoise You may be wondering, "Why the sudden fascination with tortoises?", and I will tell you. This past week, Molly and I took a few days away from the city for our one year anniversary. It was a good time to get away and reflect on all of God's blessings over the past year. The place we stayed at ha...
Read more

BACK FOR GOOD

By -
This blog was started a little over a year ago as I (Bryan) sat on the couch in Gordon and Niki Elliott's living room in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and started to journal my experiences from my first trip out of the United States. We have certainly come full circle as I am writing this new post from the exact same cushion on the exact same couch in the exact same house in the exact same city. There is one key difference between then and now. I am no longer chronicling a tourist visit, but now posting updates as a career missionary with the plan to live here for a few years rather than just a few weeks.  TOP 5 Initial Adjustments to living in Bolivia 1. HEAT . As Gordon told one of the Bolivian pastors when he commented on how much I was sweating, "Iowa es muy frio" (Iowa is very cold). I am also the only red head I have seen here so far. Red head = fair skin. PTL for sunscreen. 2. LANGUAGE. We will be starting Spanish studies with a tutor in just a few weeks after Easte...
Read more

DONUT CHEESEBURGER?!?!?

By -
Image
I am sure many of you have realized that "The Canny Chronicles" have been few and far between. I apologize for this lack of updates and communication. Molly and I have been adjusting to married life as well as taking care of some medical issues for my mother (Brenda Canny). We would really appreciate your continued prayers in that situation.  Speaking of adjusting to married life...Molly and I are spending our first full day apart since being married 2 1/2 months ago. We did spend a full week living in separate dorms when we counseled at Red Rock Camp in Paynesville, Minnesota (3 weeks into our marriage), but at least then we saw each other throughout the whole day. I am currently typing this post from Oskaloosa at Rev. David and Donna Barner's house while my beautiful wife Molly is in Minneapolis at Duane and Jessie Erickson's house. We have been in my home town of Oskaloosa for a couple weeks and Molly returned to Minneapolis to gather some extra items before we sta...
Read more