Sound Words (Page 25)

Building Basics: Routine Maintenance The best way to preserve a structure is routine maintenance. Ignoring minor issues allows them to grow into major issues. That leaking shingle will allow water in to saturate the drywall on your ceilings. Loose siding is a pathway for moisture to penetrate walls, resulting in the perfect environment for termites and rot. Cracked mortar around a foundation block will allow water into the basement. All tiny issues but they provide a conduit for your home’s…

Building Basics: Level and Plumb Having good plans and a site with solid footing, the home builder can begin to construct the walls that complete the foundation. In our cold climate it is customary to pour a footer below the frost line and use concrete blocks to build a wall that forms either a crawl space or a basement. Placement of the first block in the first corner is crucial. As the blocks are placed, they must be perfectly level…

Building Basics: A Solid Foundation Countless hours of my high school years were spent in the drafting lab. After the obligatory twelve weeks of mechanical drawing freshman year, I immersed myself in architectural drawing for the balance of available shop and study periods. It is gratifying to create a set of plans from footer to final elevation. That pales to the satisfaction of having an enduring structure built based on those plans. Sadly, many grand structures fail because of an…

Lessons from 2020: Fellowship is Precious Pondering all the difficulties imposed by pandemic over the previous year, the greatest loss appears to be that of fellowship in public worship. Never have we been more isolated from each other as saints. The separation does teach profound lessons. We can now empathize with the plight of the sick, the elderly and the shut-in. We can identify with the discouraged and weary. We can truly appreciate the blessing of fellowship. Each return to…

Lessons from 2020: Adversity Magnifies Blessings The adage that “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” is deeply rooted in our culture. The premise is true. It often takes loss to recognize blessings. Ingratitude is so deeply seated that we call this the “Entitlement Culture”. Children are raised to believe that society owes them an education, a living wage and everything else they desire without effort, without expense and without expressing gratitude. Loss and adversity run counter to…

Lessons from 2020: Citizens of Heaven Loyalty is a desirable trait. Patriotism, loyalty to country, is admirable. Betrayal of country is treason. Loyalty is determined by law. The punishment for treason can be imprisonment or death. Christians are intensely loyal to country. This is because Christians are first loyal to God. It is by God’s authority that nations are established and governed. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and…

Lessons from 2020: Trials Reveal Character My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4 NKJV). Considering trials as a reason for joy is a daunting challenge. Rather than resent unpleasant experiences, one must understand that there is always room for improvement. Additionally, keep in mind that it is the…

Lessons from 2020: I Am Not in Control Reflection is a valid tool for self-improvement. The root of reflection is the casting back of light, heat or sound. Think of an echo reverberating from a deep canyon or the stylish person smiling back at you from the vanity mirror. With the proper medium one can, over time, perfect his or her yodeling or improve his or her image. It is the same with the inner man. Choosing the correct medium…