Updates

It is not easy to stay current with the latest tools and products in woodworking.  If one is to have any chance, he or she will need to invest time in the process.  Necessary ingredients include magazines, conversations, and research.  The process requires discipline, a willingness to see things from a different perspective, and an ability to listen to others.  Even with effort, new perspectives, methods, and equipment will always exist outside of one’s vision.  It is impossible to keep up with everything going on.
 
Ironically as important as staying current is, it is not the complete answer.  In order for any idea to be useful, you have to do something with it.  Great ideas are just ideas, until one applies them to an opportunity.  Useful tools are useless, if they stay in their original wrappings, untouched.
 
The key lies in the combination of staying current, being open, and putting things to work.  I wonder if I realize how far this equation extends.  Am I willing to take this same approach with my work?  Could I use this strategy in my understanding of God and Divinity’s role in my life?  Are there any limits?
 
God’s advice brings us to a moment of decision.  “Be alert, be present.  I'm about to do something brand-new.  It's bursting out!  Don't you see it?  There it is!  I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.”  (Isaiah 43.19)  You will see things differently, if you are willing to let the Spirit guide. 
 
The question, then and now, is what will I do with this update?  Will I put it to work?  Am I willing to be open to what might happen?  Can I let the Spirit guide me into a new experience?
 
I find myself wondering how to fasten a work of art in a stucco wall.  My research included the web and talking with people that have more experience than I do.  A quick trip to Home Depot brought the opportunity into focus.  The only step that remains is putting things to use; true on many fronts.