MY Dream

My blogging group (GBE:2) asked for a post with a "Dream" theme recently, and my friend Carl, at the shipyard, will not read my blog unless his name is mentioned.

Let's see what I can do to fill both commissions shall we?

Carl is a hooker.  He used to be a stager, back when I was a stager, while now I am a fitter, and before my son Josh, now working in the shipyard as well, had become a stager.  Oh, by the way, a hooker is a guy assigned to work with one of the many cranes attaching the crane's hooks to whatever needs to be lifted on or off a ship.  He also directs the crane operator to place the load correctly and safely.  Why?  What did you think I meant?

Carl, John (a fitter foreman), Josh and I sit together near the end of a long table in the lunchroom.  Sort of. Josh and I sit across from each other on the narrow wooden benches and play chess (Our arrangement is that Josh wins and I lose.).  John, being a foreman, gets to sit at the end of my bench and lean against the wall with his feet up on the bench.  Carl is also somehow special, so he gets to lean back against the wall on his side and put his feet up by Josh.  The only real problem with this arrangement (besides the obvious unfair leaning privileges enjoyed by only 50% of our group) is that Carl and John are both "low talkers" (remember why Seinfeld had to wear the famous "puffy shirt" on TV?) and their already small voices both sit removed from our small hearing by the additional lengths of their outstretched legs!  From across the room an observer might wonder why Josh and I do a lot of nodding down the table and shrugging shoulders at each other.

Carl shared the history of this arrangement one day (I think.  He might have been talking about the plight of the Borr's during their famous war for all I know!).  He said that my boss, Jake, used to sit in his spot, but when Jake was promoted and moved on to eat at a "desk", Carl grabbed the coveted leanable seat.

Carl (Yes, I  am putting his name at the top of each paragraph in an effort to keep him reading.) is probably special for two reasons.  Not only because he gets to wear a fancy reflective green hooker vest and bright orange safety gloves, but also because he subsists on a very special diet.  Carl drinks a Mountain Dew and eats a bag of Cheetos at every break, every day (Hmmm. Maybe those aren't orange gloves on his hands after all!).

Carl and John may both be promoted and move to desk land some day.  I can see it all now:  I will take Carl's coveted spot, and lean back against the wall!  Josh will sit across from me in John's old place.  He may or may not lean back, and he may or may not put his sloppy feet up on the bench by some poor fitter, but when we play chess, I will win, Josh will lose!!

I say that if you're going to dream, dream big!






By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

Stretching Question Five...of FIVE!

Every day in the shipyard workers gather in manageable groups of a few dozen, generally separated according to the various trades, and "stretch". Along with dozens of other fitters, and a contingent of invading welders, I stand outside in whatever weather is beholden and go through a series of ligament warming, muscle waking and bone bending exercises designed to prepare our bodies for a safe and productive day.

During this grind, one of the leaders begins to ask us some of the FOUR questions we should ask ourselves throughout the day.  A QUESTION FIVE always comes to my mind on these occasions.  Finally, I am now getting around to expounding on this question.

Please read about QUESTIONS ONE ,TWO, THREE, and FOUR before going on.

MY QUESTION FIVE:

"How can I do whatever I do today for the glory of God?"

This question is based on an important Bible verse found in First Corinthians chapter 10.  Verse 31 says:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the                                 glory of God.

Yes, the shipyard's FOUR QUESTIONS are all important, and worth thinking about during the work day, but one might argue that they (and many others) are wrapped up and covered by my QUESTION FIVE.  How could I mistakenly hurt myself or my partner or our equipment or waste time, if I am deliberately working to honor my God all day long?  

This reminds me of the fact that the further people move from God's simplest instruction to "love your neighbor as yourself", or even away from His basic 10 commandments, the more detailed and picayune our self regulating rules must become.  In the wake of the Sandusky abuse case, Penn State just came out with new rules for the whole collegiate staff.  Now, each member is officially required (contractually!) to be sensitive and care about others!    And Florida now legally requires allegations to be reported to authorities instead of a school staff trying to deal with them in house. Oh good! (Perhaps the authorities will actually make a difference instead of as the courts did in Brookfield Wi. where a man actually violated a restraining order and killed his wife and two other women in a day spa.)

If only Mike McQueary or Joe Paterno or Graham Spanier had my QUESTION FIVE in hand, or, God's verse 31 above in mind, when deciding what to do about what was going on in the locker room.  Not to mention the self control possibly gained by Sandusky himself if he were committed to following Paul's teaching to the Corinthians.

But should I, for consistency sake, convert QUESTION FIVE to the same negative format used in the other questions?  Something like:  "How can I do everything I do today without ever considering God's foundational role and vital importance in my life?  Yes, I think I should.  For consistency sake (if not for brevity), and to make it much easier to demonstrate how we typically and actively disdain God's rightful place, or apathetically ignore His relevance every day.

So while you are stretching out that spine to one side and then the other, ask yourself QUESTION FIVE today.

"How can I do everything I do today without ever considering God's foundational role and vital importance in my life?

I could be planning how to spend my paycheck instead of noticing that the crane is swinging a load over my head.

I could think about my coming sandwich while my partner's pant leg bursts into flame.

I could let my grinder fall and break another $10.00 wheel. 

I could be thinking about where I'm going to hide until break time today.

I could stand and listen, even though I can tell the joke being told is about to go raunchy.

I could turn and walk away, even though a guy just mentioned his looming divorce.

I could ignore the guy eating his lunch all alone, again.

I could be ashamed of the Gospel, pretending that my life as a believer makes no difference.

I could complain about the long day, the weather, the boss, management and/or my wife.

I could decry Mondays and celebrate only "hump days" and Fridays.

I could make sure Saturdays and Sundays are all about me.

I could focus on myself for the rest of my life, and still hope to commune with God comfortably for eternity.

[Ouch.  It was way too easy to come up with these answers to QUESTION FIVE!]

What does "glory" mean anyway?  Not bright lights and angels singing.  Glory means weight.  To give God glory means to recognize and proclaim that He is IMPORTANT.  That His existence has MATTER, or does MATTER.  

I check my various pockets in a little patting routine before I leave the house every day:  Cell phone? Pat; Wallet? Pat; Keys? Pat.  And I perform a conscious survey of the rest of my VITAL requirements:, boots, proper clothes, LUNCH BOX.  These are all weighty considerations, because I can't get to, get into, or perform my work if one of these is missing.  But most importantly, do I have the right attitude ready?  Instead of being anxious, am I trusting God?  Am I dreading another day of hard work, or looking for opportunities to serve and minister to people God loves?  Will I come home worn and selfish, or ready to bless my family with grace?  Will "whatever I do" be an affront to my God, or lift up His name?

  

By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?