The Plumbline

I am finally getting time to reorganize the shop and begin some builds of workbenches, carts, tool storage, etc. This means a little here and there needs to be gone through, plans made as to how to accomplish the builds, and then the actual work of cutting the wood and putting it together. The last part is a little tricky in a small space, with only two hands, and with limited 'old lady' strength! Do you have any idea how much 3/4 inch plywood weighs? Now make some shelving storage unit that needs to be mounted on the wall and try to figure out how to do it with one hand to hold it and one to drive the screws into the studs! I have had to get pretty ingenious in my 'holding' work to get these things into place! If I were honest here, I should have 'phoned a friend' for help, but I didn't realize how much help I'd need until I was way into it. That is often the case in life - we get into it and THEN realize just how much help we are going to need to get t...

Desperation is a condition in which hope has faded and what is left is a deep sense of hopelessness, a compounded by a sense of just wanting to give up on it all. These are the times when we are just crying out to God, "Hey, are you listening here???" It is our heartfelt plea for God to answer us because we need help and help seems to be escaping us. There are times I think God has allowed me to get to the place of extreme desperation - of not feeling like I could go any further. He allowed it! He put me in a place where I came smack-dab face-to-face with the inability of my own talent, inadequacy of my own strength, or insufficiency of my own resources in order that he might become my all-in-all. When we get to the place we are relying on our talent, strength, or resources in an exclusive manner, God sometimes needs to put us in the place where we will realize how futile that self-focus really can be. I call out at the top of my lungs, "God! Answer! I'll do whatever...