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Advent in the Woodshop, Part 2
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ADVENT IN THE WOODSHOP - Part two, PEACE We continue our look at Advent through eyes of a wood turner. Last time we selected a chunk of wood in hope of a masterpiece hiding inside. Now it's time to chuck it onto the lathe. We start by trying to find the approximate center of the piece. No matter how close we get, the odd shape of the rough wood will cause the lathe to shake a bit as it turns. We ease the roughing gouge slowly toward the spinning wood and it jumps and jerks in our hands as the hardened steel comes into contact with the uneven surface. We carefully move the gouge across the surface with a steady grip but light pressure as the tool carves away the protruding wood until all of a sudden there is a change. The tool stops jerking and flows across the surface as smooth as a hot knife through a fresh biscuit. (You thought I was going say butter, didn't you? Shoot, I'm getting hungry. OK, back to the lathe...) The change we feel signifies the wood is now circular in shape and the real work can begin. Peace is like that. At first, when God starts to work on our rough edges, it can be jarring. But after a while we start to feel a peace that only faith and trust in God can bring. That doesn't mean God is finished shaping us. Far from it! There will still be rough patches, seasons of challenge, pain and suffering. But through it all, we know God's hand is on us even when we can't feel it. He never leaves us alone and there is no problem we face that is too big for Him to handle. As Horatio Spafford wrote, "Though Satan should buffet, though trials could come... even so, it is well with my soul." God's work in us is so much easier if we stop fighting Him. Peace comes not from our situation, but from our Savior. Click Here to Check our Concert Schedule! Check us out on Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/PhilandPamMorgan |
Phil & Pam Morgan
We're authors and musicians who loves to talk about faith & spirituality, arts & crafts, and music. Subscribe and join over 2,000+ newsletter readers every week!
Welcome to December! It snowed here in KC on the first, so that must mean the holiday season is officially here. In this busy time of year, we pray you take time to savor each moment and remember the great gift from God we celebrate with Jesus' birth. This marks the 25th year of our weekly devotions. Phil wrote the first one on December 28, 1999. (We'll include it below.) We've lost count, but over these 25 years, the number of devotions has climbed into the thousands. Our intention was to...
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