The Nature of Building OR A Bun in the Oven

Having been a carpenter for many years now, I think I know how to build a few things.

A 'turn-key' house.

INGREDIENTS:

1 big hole in the ground

1 truck load of forms for basement footings and foundation

1 or 2 truck loads of cement (preferably cement trucks)

4-8 truck loads of rough lumber and sheeting for framing walls and floors (depending on house size)

1 truck load of trusses

320 Mountain Dews (no need for Diet MD, it's so darn hot/cold out there you'll burn off the calories either by sweating or shivering) or Hot Chocolates

1 truck load each of windows and doors, insulation, and drywall

15 miles of 14 gauge wire and piles of fixtures, outlets and switches

8 miles of plumbing pipes and 1 small truck load of fittings

1 bunch of change orders, cost overruns, mistakes, and miscellaneous debates

1 truck load of kitchen cabinets and finish trim

1 boat loads of nails, screws, glue and duct tape (could be tricky if lot is not located near a navigable stream)

1 or 2 truck loads of paint, appliances, flooring and hardware

41 pounds of ham sandwiches and granola bars

1 big mass of accrued knowledge and skill

1 front door key

DIRECTIONS:

Work like a dog in all kinds of weather, unloading all those trucks.

Attach each item to another item using the connectors (nails, screws, glue and duct tape), for several months.

Eat sandwiches and drink beverages

Stop suddenly when front door key unlocks front door**

Go home and complain that you're getting too old for this and you wish you were a brain surgeon because then at least you're fingers would be warm

**I would be more specific, but I don't want to give too many more secrets away

Other things are easier to build. For example:

A Baby

INGREDIENTS:

1 little embryo (the bun)

1 super cozy place to dwell (the oven)

DIRECTIONS:

Wait for 9 months with Motherly patience and discretionary ingesting
Trust God to do His thing
In a matter of hours, do more hard work than 5 carpenters building a giant house do in a year.
Be delivered!

So much for 'building'. If the Mom takes care of herself as well as she should anyway, an amazing little living creature will be produced in less than a year! In fact, even if she must work tirelessly at other responsibilities, even if she is somehow malnourished and hurting, chances are her baby will grow and develop despite the loss. This is because someone else is doing the actual building, inside of her!

This part of psalm 139 is David's description of what goes on. God 'knitting me together' is one of the most vivid pictures in scripture.

One Grand Bun (Son)
In One Grand Oven 

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

And then some things are virtually impossible to build (but I think I know a way)!

Pumpernickel Bread

Serves One  (unless you are prone to share)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pumpernickel (whatever that is)

1 bread (preferably something yummy like doughnut bread)

DIRECTIONS:

Beat pumpernickel until it is essentially small enough to blow away.

Play 'air bake' which is like 'air guitar' so you are kind of like pretending you're baking.

Apply invisible and imaginary pumpernickel fumes to doughnut.

Call it pumpernickel bread.

Enjoy!