It’s October and it’s time to get the firewood in the garage. Today has been a beautiful day of sawing, splitting and stacking. I really enjoy it. There is something primal about putting up wood for winter. While it is not nearly as efficient as getting the basement fuel oil tanks filled it is so much more satisfying. It makes me feel tied to my ancestors. I guess now I need to go out and shoot a turkey for Thanksgiving. Yuk!
I have gotten to a part of my woodpile that has been there for three years. I would have used it sooner but two winters ago we had a terrific ice storm that brought down so much wood I left the woodpile for another year. Some of the wood has rusted and gotten soft. It will not last long in the woodstove. As I was looking at the deterioration I thought of I Peter 1. It’s an absolutely fabulous passage. Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, . .” There is no rust and no rot.
In the paraphrase The Message it reads, “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, . .” Peter knew what he was talking about. He knew Jesus so very well and he knew that since he had seen Jesus he had seen the Father. Jesus told him so and Peter had no doubts. Regarding this he wrote, “This is no cunningly devised fable. We saw it with our own eyes.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on October 4, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org