I am not handy. Not even a little bit. However, at the same time I am disinclined to pay through the nose to have something installed that can – potentially – be accomplished by following 28-pages of directions (so long as it involves neither plumbing nor electricity).

Consequently, the new Murphy bed that arrived last week is now assembled, its cabinet is securely fastened to the wall, and the past 48-hours of my life are now accounted for.

But I couldn’t have done it without my new friend Fred (although I’m fairly sure Fred could have done it without me!).

Rebekah and I were quite deliberate about choosing a smaller house to move into (there’s no way two people need 2100 square feet for everyday living), and the new Maul Hall is the perfect fit for the way we live. But then we realized it’s still important to have somewhere for guests to sleep. The idea of putting in a Murphy bed turned out to be the perfect solution.

What I didn’t count on was how complex a task it would be, that the 28-pages of instruction would be written in some kind of Klingon dialect code, and that it would take one skilled carpenter (Fred) plus a helper (me) two full days to assemble and install the sucker!

But now the work is done, and the feeling of satisfaction on completion is probably greater due to the amount of work it took to complete the task.

METAPHOR: There’s a ministry metaphor wrapped up somewhere in the Murphy bed, and I found myself thinking about it during an excellent conversation I had this morning over coffee in downtown Wake Forest.

We’ve been settling in to Wake Forest Presbyterian Church since late August (Rebekah’s first Sunday was August 25), and already the congregation and the community feel like a perfect fit.

But life from this moment forward involves a lot more than unpacking the boxes. finding places for all the furniture, and then sitting on the deck sipping tea while we wait for the leaves to turn. Now we have the privilege of getting to know these wonderful people, listening to the hopes and dreams, sharing the vision, praying together and being open to the work of the Spirit, ready to feel the breath of God…

And we have; and we are; and we will.

I felt it this morning, the breath of God, when I sat at a sidewalk table at the Wake Forest Coffee Company with another one of my new friends, Dan. We talked about life, and faith, and about connecting other men with the kind of passion for being disciples that we share.

This time the instructions are a little clearer, and they’re not written over 28 mimeographed pages in some obscure Klingon dialect. Here are a few of the words:  

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Amen, and amen – DEREK