Building Project

From the meticulous placing of survey stakes,

 

 

the first tentative scrapings of heavy equipment digging the basement,

 

 

concise placing of massive concrete blocks,

 

 

and synchronized pouring and finishing of concrete,

 

 

to the placing of floor, walls, and rafters,

 

 

giant crane lifting roof beams,

 

  

and complicated placing of the maze of wires, pipes, and septic components, the building addition to our church has become a reality. Did we truly envision how this would be?

 

 Throughout the entire process, each one has had to do their part.

 

 

First, the builders: individual workers - specialists in supervising, surveying, masonry, electrical systems, drainage, construction, roofing, finishing, ad infinitum - have needed to show up, prepared and able to do their job.

 

 

Then, the rest of us: also individuals with varying degrees of interest and ability to help in whatever way possible.

 

 

Some have the dedication, expertise, and time to devote many hours weekly to helping work on-site.

 

 

Others busily plan finishing work - painting, flooring, equipment, furnishings, sound system, and landscaping.

 

 

 

  Some offer encouragement, prayers, warm cookies, and smiles.

 

It has not all been a "piece of cake" because there have been unkind words, frowns, worried looks, and tense moments... sometimes more than just moments. Not all has gone smoothly or exactly as planned. Malfunctioning or missing equipment, incorrect materials, misunderstood information, unforeseen complications, and just plain "goofball" situations have a way of cropping up and muddying the waters, so to speak.

 

 

Flexibility has been needed - and will continue to be - to deal with all the messiness of this building project. 

 

I have no doubt that we will, ultimately, "get 'er done". I firmly believe that this group of people does whatever they set their mind to do; this building has been a looong time coming!

 

  

As summer passes on and the building proceeds towards completion, it is time for each person to ask themselves what more they can do.

 

  

In many ways, the completion of this building is really just a beginning. We each must seriously contemplate and plan for whatever we are able to contribute, whether that be money, committee work, physical labor, food, prayer, encouragement, and/or ideas and planning  for future uses of all this new space.
 

Someday in the future, each of us, our children, grandchildren, or friends will look back and remember this building experience.

 

  

All of the planning, money, blood, sweat, tears, satisfaction, and joy will be remembered as a major milestone in the history of this small church.

 

  

We need to be sure we are each a part of it now.

 

 

In life, any building project is uncertain, messy, challenging - yet exhilarating. Still, to change and grow we must build upon what is today until it becomes tomorrow. Blindly, or with determination, we must step forth in faith...

 

And exactly when will this building process be complete? Probably never - and that is a good thing.

 

In him the whole building is joined together

and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

And in him you too are being built together

to become a dwelling

in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:21-22
 

Beach Exploration: Rock

 

"Earth and Sky, Woods and Field,

Lakes and Rivers,

the mountains and the seas,

are excellent schoolmasters,

and teach some of us

more than we can ever learn from books."

Sir John Lubbock

 

Each beach is different, one from the other, but in a singular way they are the same. Where water meets land the shore is covered by sediment - sand, gravel or larger rock fragments. Sometimes mud. Here, amid loud roar of incoming waves and quiet hiss of outgoing tides, signs of the earth's vast history may be found - if one knows how to read them.

 

“I do not know how I may seem to others,

but to myself I am only a small child

wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge,

every now and then finding

a small bright pebble to be contented with.”

Plato

 

 

It begins with awareness, and then careful observation. Rocks and water have been here for longer than we can comprehend and the tug-of-war between them is ongoing and endless.

The tiniest grains of sand were once mighty boulders, which themselves were once part of the bones of the earth.

Dynamic and restless, this sphere shakes, buckles, and changes through the action of tremors, eruptions, and tumultuous weather.  Heat and pressure from inside shift and move huge chunks of rock upward, forming plateaus and mountains.

On the surface, wind and water are relentless, slowly wearing away the rock and moving it to other places. What began in the fiery bowels of the earth is worn down and its pieces eventually re-formed into layers of new rock.

With enough layers, enough weight, and enough time, much of the surface rock will be pushed back down into the earth where heat and pressure re-form it yet again.

Often, when this new rock finally emerges to the surface again, evidence of the mixing of different rock pieces is evident.

In the end, all is recycled - for the rock and the water have always been here, although the form may change countless times.
 

“River stones remain, while water flows away.”

Romanian Saying

 

They are here still, although we may pay no attention to their form or function. And here - at the very edge of the water and the land - life clings to both.

 

 

 

“When all the water has gone,

only the largest stones

will still remain in the riverbed.”

African Saying

 

 

"Water is fluid, soft and yielding.

But water will wear away rock,

which is rigid and cannot yield.

As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding

will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."

Lao-Tzu

 

 

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth.

The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water.

Even so, life is but an endless series of little details,

actions, speeches, and thoughts.

And the consequences whether good or bad

of even the least of them are far-reaching."

Sivananda

 

Truly, we are all connected...

Whatizzit? 3 Answer

Peg was correct - this large lower limb of a huge Douglas fir is covered with a number of different types of lichens. I thought the massive clump at the very end of the branch was particularly impressive!

 

Lichens are a unique type of plant, made up of both algae and fungi but resembling neither of those specific individuals. In the Pacific Northwest they are a valuable part of the ecosystem, absorbing water, supplying nutrients to the soil and food for countless animals. They also are a well-known indicator of air quality.

 

This photograph was taken on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. For more information on lichens there, please click HERE.

Whatizzit? 3

This one even had me stumped in the larger picture, until I studied it awhile and thought back to where it was taken. Not likely to find this just anywhere...

 

 

So, just whatizzit?

 

All the Trees Will Clap

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Psalm 100:1-2

 

 

Each spring, we spend some time up on Vancouver Island. The weather might be a bit more unsettled than later in the season, but the crowds and costs are less, so it balances out. We find the east coast of the island tranquil and inspiring, with miles of accessible beaches, mountains, forests, and streams to explore.

 

 

On those days when the clouds and fog lift, the view of mainland British Columbia is awe-inspiring; snow-covered peaks form a breathless backdrop across the waters of the Strait of Georgia.

 

 

Let the rivers clap their hands,

let the hills sing together for joy...

Psalm 98:8
 

 

Each day, no matter the weather, we spend some time out exploring. Two of our favorite hikes are through lush forests with deep canyons and fast-rushing streams.

Full to the brim with spring runoff, these waters gurgle, tumble, and crash their way over steep drop-offs and myriad boulders before leveling off and smoothly, but swiftly, flowing into the sea.

To be in their presence is beyond words - to be washed with their spray, enveloped in their roar, and dwarfed by their force is a truly humbling experience.

Because this engages all of our senses, we are led to contemplate just what and who we are, where we came from and where we will return to. We are reminded that there is intelligence and a power far beyond our comprehension.
 

... Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord.
Psalm 96:12

 

 

And the trees - as in any full grown or old-growth forest in this part of the world - are utterly spectacular.

Cedar, fir, hemlock, maple, madrone, and alder - each is unique and inextricably connected to the climate, land, and other living things both above and below the soil.  They purify the air we breathe by supplying oxygen and absorbing other gases we do not use.

The materials that make up their bodies provide us with wood, medicines, and many other products. We are only beginning to tap the knowledge of the breadth and wealth of their influence on myriad other species in the forest.

To see their various colors and textures, smell their distinct odors, and to hear the sound of the wind rippling through their branches is to witness a design and variety that is unfathomable and unending.

Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
Psalm 47:1

In our busy, self-serving lives, it is easy to forget our age-old connection to these things, but they remain essential to us nonetheless.

How wonderful to be reminded and to offer up our gratitude and praise for these priceless gifts!

 

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 

Isaiah 55:12

For more information on:
Englishman River Falls: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/englishman_rv/

Little Qualicum Falls:

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/little_qualicum_falls/