Skip to main content

The Life of a Front Porch


I've been at my family's cabin in NC this weekend doing some maintenance. My main job was to strip the deck for refinishing. In so doing we found layers of paint that brought out layers of life spent there. We decided not to sand all the paint away, but to leave a distressed look. The following will be posted in a frame on the porch. Incidentally, if anyone wants to rent the place you can find it here. It's a quaint, affordable getaway in Western NC with a creek in the back and Pisgah National Forrest land behind that. It's a little bit of heaven on earth. Anyway, here's the story...

Well, actually it’s my second life. In my first life I was flooring in a hundred year old pool cabana in Columbus, Georgia. After a time the pool was gone, and it seemed I was destined for dilapidation and disrepair. But a man named Bill changed all that. He tenderly dismantled me and brought me here, Stoney fork Cabin in North Carolina. During some recent maintenance my true colors were revealed, and they tell the story of my life. Some have found as many as nine layers of paint in various places. Some of those are from my last life (I haven’t been a blond in years). These are the ones that tell you about this life.

Bright Green is the color of grandchildren running past…
a grandfather making bows and arrows from sticks
and twine and teaching the art of building dams in the creek…
a grandmother making play dough from scratch,
and snacks with peanut butter and honey…
and older children coming in from camping in the woods.

Shades of Brown are the colors of beloved partners moving into their autumn years…
welcoming the day with devotion…
entertaining guests from Priests to missionaries, strangers, and friends…
and welcoming family in need off retreat from a world too busy for them.

Grey is the color of remembering loved ones whose lives have past.

The Wood Grain engraved with my history remains as an invitation to you. For your story is now part of mine…
Come and rest your weary bones (Matthew 11:28).
Come if you need a space to consider a new life (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
Come if you want to play in the woods and the creek (Psalm 104:24).
Come and welcome others to join you (Hebrews 13:2).

Search to see how many colors you can see! You may just find your own…

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Co-mission-ing

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." – John 21:15-17 [Sermon preached at FPC in Abbeville, Louisiana  on the occasion of the commissioning of Leigh Petersen–Rachal as their Pastor.] In preparing for this sermon I did what I have done in other times of need. I called Leigh. Truth be told, I was calling in response to her expression of care for my needs with my upcoming move, and it dawned on me that I was at

What Makes A House A Home?

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 • Luke 1:46b-55 If you are struggling with the idea of whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, especially during Advent, I’ve got a new one for you. What about Merry Almost Christmas? That is the title and the chorus of a song written by a friend of mine. It’s a song about the blessing of the time before Christmas, the time that we in the church call Advent (which doesn’t quite have the same ring to it), and it’s a song about celebrations, reunions, and homecomings. Of course, the classic of that genre is “No Place Like Home for the Holidays.” Admittedly that one has been a little tender for me this year with my household divided as it is geographically. Having my family here today reminds me that home truly is where the heart is. It does make me wonder though, what makes a house a home? With a quick search of the question, I found a survey of homeowners in the UK from 2018 which showed that about a third of those that responded think of the place they

Epiphany Box Challenge

Isaiah 60:1-6      Ephesians 3:1-12      Matthew 2:1-12 After reading the scriptures I put a blindfold on and find my way back down from the pulpit to the floor level of the sanctuary. Some of you are wondering why in the world I have a blindfold on. Some will recognize the “Bird Box Challenge” that is going viral. For some unknown reason people who are otherwise competent and reasonable are putting blindfolds on – sometimes to their great peril – and completing normal tasks without assistance. This is, of course, modeled after the movie, Bird Box, and it should be noted that an international media corporation has issued advisories against it. It makes about as much sense as those warnings on hair dryers that tell you not to use them in the tub. This is the world we live in, and here I stand as a testament to it preaching to you in a blindfold. For those who have not seen the movie, I can’t say that I recommend it. It’s violent and nasty, but it is also a statement