The Barn - Dun, Da, Da, Done

  Have you ever been faced with a task that at first became an positive opportunity and was soon revealed to be something completely different?  Maybe this task was more of a challenge than anticipated and something you had to stretch a bit, maybe a bit more... more, dig deep, and put yourself on the line to complete.  Despite all odds against you, people talking in one ear and matching that defeatist voice from within, you knew deep inside, i mean really Knew that you had to see it through even if it would cost you more in time, money and actual blood to finish what was started.  Yeah, me too.  Lol...  After a month on this "challenge" i am about a day away from finishing the work at hand and i have pulled off the job for a little bit to make billable hours and catch a bit of sanity and repose.

  When i started, i felt that "Finally" i was about to get a break and maybe not have to rely on the front yard garden for food - though that is not a bad thing (another lesson, another post perhaps), i had to step back, pause and regroup.  But each day has shown it's own path even if i happened to make plans for what might come of the day.  Man, and woman, make their plans and God directs their steps.  At first i was pretty thrown off, and understandably upset, though i know better than to open my mouth and let that out.  i learned to listen, observe, and most importantly to ask God what was going on, and what i should do.  He definitely directed my steps - mostly up and down a ladder a thousand times (so grateful Jesus is a Carpenter) - and He took care of me and provided just what i needed, just in time.  He also revealed to me the hearts of people, their motivation, and what was lying just underneath that thin facade, mostly rotten wood, hung nails, and no structure.  i would call this experience an eye opener in one respect and a faith builder, in a more important respect.  It also showed me that i was willing to give blood, sweat and tears for Jesus, and it certainly made me stronger Spiritually and physically. 
  It is a year of restoration for many of us - accept it and own it.  That means we have had to tear out the old, the rotten wood, the unbraced structure, the crooked and untrue and to tear it down to the bare structure at times so that we might rebuild on the solid foundation and set the Cornerstone, straight and true, perfectly plumb, so whatever we erect from this point forward is perfect.  It also means our eyes are open, our steps are directed, and we're not here as targets to be used any longer - accept that and own it.
  i just wanted to share that with whoever is still out there reading this blog and let them know to keep true to God, ask Him to direct your steps and you will be rewarded above and beyond material things.  He has your back, front, and sure footing even twenty feet up on a ladder in high winds.

Love and Blessings,

~ Anias (Chris, antbrother)

Building a Mystery - Welcome to My World ~ Ramble

300 climbs of a ladder per day build some strong legs with which to carry you.

i love reunions and catching up with old friends that have disappeared into the fray of the busy world around us.  Some have been separated from us for a time, and a purpose we often do not understand until we are reunited, others were always there, close to our hearts and minds and yet, The Lord has His purpose in separating us for a time as He needs, based on the divergent and unique path that each of us has been assigned to.  i had an awesome day today!!!  Awe inspiring and just humbling is the best i can describe.  i just got back from a three hour "chat" with my close friend Stephan. You remember the Deutsch Holzschnitzer, The Carpenator?  He's the one on the left.  Well, as i was walking back to the repair shop to pickup the new/old truck, Fury, that i was blessed with, i spotted his truck and trailer at a local Mexican restaurant. And The Lord said, "Stop by on your way back and say hello to your friend," ... Lol.   i did, and then we met again this evening and talked and talked and... reveled in the walk of the Spirit and shared much about the last five months that we have been apart.  i missed him, a real friend.  You see, we are at times separated for a reason as our time together has reached its conclusion, its purpose, and we are set on a new path of this amazing Spiritual walk, only to be reunited again and catch up on where we have been, what we have learned, and "What's Next?".  Such was the case with Stephan and i, as he is my Spiritual brother.  Although the outside circumstances may appear as if there was something between us, as a boss fires his apprentice, but the real reason was the unique purpose that God had in mind for each of us.  We had our time together and grew and learned from each other and it was time for him to awaken another sleeping soul and it was time for me to Simplify, Focus and Believe - and to learn some more stuff.

Drying work boots over bricks on oil heater. :)

  Stephan shared with me tonight that he had taught me all that he could and it was time for me to move on and to become that Journeyman, elevated from the apprentice and entrusted to handle my own jobs.  An important point that he emphasized was that i just don't need to question that i am capable of handling projects on my own accord.  This is a natural questioning when one is given greater responsibility.  Wise and experienced words from an equally wise and humble man.  So when you are faced with "fixing" or finishing some project in the wake of those that have come before with less pride, less anality (is that a word?) in what they produce, have confidence and let The Lord Jesus be the Carpenter and you be the hands and the feet.  :)

Speaking of feet, these cold, muddy days in the field have shown me a new way to warm and dry my boots after a long day in the muck.  The simple oil heater, like an old-timey radiator heater, heat the bricks that the boots dry on.  Wet feet in cold weather are not fun and also radiate through the rest of your body. 

Ok, so on to reunions.  Funny how 2013 has spawned a few more connections from friends of the past, some that i mistakely thought had written me off, or had been turned of by the Spiritual walk and talk.  But i was pleasantly surprised to find that they have had their own trials and tribulations and come through with a close relationship with Jesus.  i mean, what else really matters in this world and how else are we able to cope with all the world throws our way?  So i was very happy to re-connect with "said individuals", close friends of the past from my time in Atlanta.  i assumed wrong and will not do that again as it is not my place to judge others.

i think this synchronicity of multiple reunions is perfectly timed in each of our walks and acts as a catalyst to motivate us toward, "What's Next?".  And besides that fact, it just makes me smile and know that God is in control of all of it, all of what we experience through these seasons of our lives.  Man, i am wordy tonight, but i had a lot to say.

So, Building a Mystery, what is that all about?  i don't know specifically, that's why it is a mystery.  All i do know is that i have been led on an amazing journey over the last ten years, i have been re-educated, and learned much that is important toward these future times and know that when the time is right, this mystery will manifest itself.  i am just the hands and feet, i am now the journeyman, and i do not walk to the left or to the right, but i stay on the path and the course that has been laid in front of me - before the foundations of the world were established.  i do know one thing though.  i know the thoughts that The Lord has for me...

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 
  
Love and God Bless,

~ Anias