When God does something, he does so with excellence: creation, the 10 commandments, the design of the temple, the provision of Jesus Christ to be our Savior. When God gives a person an assignment, God gives essential directions and expects excellent results! God may not let us know the total picture – but we do know the next step to be taken. This is true when it comes to daily living – and to special assignments.
Excellence is the very best a person can do. God expects us to do our best….not someone else’s best. As we work we can know that God is with us, that He believes we have the ability to do His work, and that He will provide the necessary resources. God does not even hint that our assignments will be easy, without opposition, without fatigue, without being stretched.
Noah is already “passing” the “righteous living” assignment. And now Noah is given an additional assignment. “make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. “This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.” Genesis 6:14-16.
The directions are not extensive: here is the job…here are the basic directions…and do it right or your boat will sink! God knew Noah could handle the job. That Noah’s assignment was difficult goes without saying.
Deerfoot Lodge work weekends begin on Friday evening and continue through Monday afternoon every Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekend. During this time 55-90 volunteers come and go, each with different work and leadership skills. As each person must complete a “registration form” a week before they arrive, the DL facility manager knows arrival and departure times, skill levels, and projects on which each person does or does not want to work. As most volunteers come every work weekend, the DL facility director knows them well.
There are typically 15 – 20 projects to be completed during the weekend work including cutting trees, splitting wood, building a log cabin, pine paneling a room, repairing the screening on camper cabins, replacing a building’s foundation, mowing grass and food preparation.
The greatest challenge in planning for each work weekend is to select the right person to head up each project – and then to select the right people, and the right number of people, to work under his leadership. Hours are spent on this people placement challenge.
Each crew leader knows the project for which he is responsible, has his essential directions, his time frame, who his people are, where the needed materials and tools are located – and the knowledge that he is expected to do his work with excellence!! “John, will you and your crew convert this staff cabin porch into a kitchen, and build a new porch. Charlie, will you and your crew handle the pine paneling of Eagle. Nick, will you and your crew split the logs in these three locations and deliver the split wood to the office, Founders Lodge, and each staff cabin – remember to deliver the right size wood for each location. Brent and Paul, take your crew and continue to work on building the log cabin….aim to have the rafters in place before the weekend.”
The challenge for each person is real. Friendships develop, great food is enjoyed together – and the Breaking of Bread service is special to the believing community. About 2000 hours of labor enhance the facility – and thus the ministry of Deerfoot Lodge: Building godly young men in a Christ-centered community of wilderness camping”.
God’s standard of excellence is our objective. We are always to do our work with excellence, whether this be splitting wood or caring for a person in need. As we do our work, let us remember that we live/work In Partnership With God, a privilege indeed.