Drew Boswell

a place for us to share ideas, talk about life, and learn together.

A Man and His Tools

A Very Dirty Room 

This past Thanksgiving I traveled to the family farm where I grew up. One afternoon during the break I found myself exploring an old tool room in one of the barns used to house various equipment and agricultural apparatus. The room was covered in a layer of dust, dirt, and smell of wet earth. From the natural light spilling into the dusty room I could see that spider webs hung from every outcrop and crevice in the room and if was evident that no one had stepped foot in this room for some time, perhaps years.

After an initial glance of the room, and fumbling around to find the naked light bulb suspended from the ceiling, I found the switch and turned on the light. It was there that I saw boxes of fencing staples, a Christmas tree (still in the box), and car bumper, various empty containers, and random tools scattered here and there throughout the room. I first found a rust covered wrench, then a screwdriver, and then some tool that I had no idea what it did; all were covered in dirt, dust, and rust.

At the discovery of these few tools, I emptied a handy five-gallon bucket of junk and began to gather all the tools I found stuffed here and there, all throughout the room. I had a new project in mind; I was going to clean these tools and see how they would look with a coat of oil on them. In total, there are various screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets and drivers, and other random mechanical tools. I asked my Uncle what he thought of my project, and he said, “Drew, do whatever you want with those old tools.”

Remembering My Grandfather

As we talked I learned that most of these were my grandfather’s old tools. In my family, many Christmas and birthday presents were tools. I remember my first toolbox, set of screwdrivers, wrenches, etc. So this collection of tools represents many celebrations of my grandfather’s life. I could imagine him opening the various sets and gathering them in his toolboxes.  They are a tangible symbol for a philosophy of life. The men in my family build and fix, they do not tear down or corrupt. They gather their sons and grandsons around them to build things together.

Tonight, I spent my free Sunday evening cleaning up all those tools. As I cleaned the tools, it felt as though I were bringing the tools back to life (their potential anyway). Tools, in my life represent potential. The men I admire are builders and fixers. Some men destroy and tear down (which is easy), but the ones I admire make the world a better place by building homes, picnic tables for families, kennels for animals, or beautiful furniture (which is hard work). Tools represent the potential to do something good, to help others, and to make the world a better place.

The men who make a difference fix what is broken and repair damage. Life is better when they are around, and a tool is close by if not already in their hand.  There are many men who gather tools their whole lifetime and then pass these tools on to their children. Why? Because tools are what we use to build and fix things, and they want their sons to do this as well. This is why a man may keep an old worn out tool on a shelf, because of what is means to him.

There’s Always Potential 

Truth be told, I am a horrible craftsman and mechanic, but there is always potential because I own the right tool for the job. I love to learn a new skill, and most of the time I do this helping other people. Who knows, perhaps one of my sons will be a master craftsman with a tool that I keep in good condition and place in his hands. He may see me helping someone else with a particular tool that he will use that same tool to help someone else in the future.

PS-If you are wondering what to get me this Christmas, I have plenty of sockets (straight, deep well, and articulated), drivers, wrenches (open and closed), screwdrivers and some weird pliers with a spring tip that I have no idea what it does (I am guessing it has to something with brakes on a car). But any other tool would be awesome.

Three Types of Friendships Men in Ministry Need

 

Coffee at the Cracker Barrel

Ministry will inevitably take its toll on even the strongest and mature of men. Eventually, every person who seeks to do ministry in Christ’s name will undergo temptations, trials, and ministry circumstances that will change them. Life has a way of being a blessing and a curse at the same time. In these times, God is always working in the life of His disciple – always.

I met with a new friend this week who shared his heart with me (it was deeper than the cursory sports, weather, jokes, etc., topics); he was feeling beat down and was discouraged. He is a man who has a huge vision to do things for God, but has a host of obstacles laid before him that seem to be a blockade to his ministry. As we talked over coffee and “the Old Timers’” breakfast, I realized that he just needed someone to talk to. In ministry it is not always easy to find someone who you can bear your soul to. Trust is something that is hard to come by.

As a leader you can’t honestly speak openly with those whom you lead; they may doubt your integrity or ability to make decisions. You can’t talk with your spouse about truly weighing issues because a man tries to protect those he loves (especially his wife). So who does this leave in a minister’s life? If you invest a majority of your time in your ministry, church, and family, there is little time left to invest in a friendship with someone. Therefore, many in ministry are lonely and left feeling all alone.

I have been blessed by God at my new place of ministry, but was especially blessed this week with finding a friend in ministry that I can walk with in friendship.

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Those in ministry need
three different types of relationships with other men. [1]

1. The first type of relationship that men need is a “Paul.” This is a person who realizes that they are consciously investing their knowledge and experience into another person. Every ministering man should submit themselves to the guidance and wisdom of a mentor. This “Paul” will take you with them on their ministry journey, and will coach you in yours.

This person is someone you esteem and respect for his many years of faithful service to Christ. This relationship can be “official” and structured or spontaneous and casual – but the important thing is that you have someone who you highly respect that you can bounce ideas off of, ask hard questions of, and can model your life after.

The apostle Paul regularly took people with him on his missionary journeys. Who is a “Paul” that can coach you in your ministry?

2. The second type of needed relationship is a “Timothy.” No matter how long you have been in ministry you have learned something that you can pass on to someone else. We must invest ourselves in the lives of other men in ministry to help them to be a success. The apostle Paul refers to Timothy as, “beloved and faithful son in the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:17). This was a relationship of spiritual father to a spiritual son.

And in Acts 16:3 we see that Paul desires to take him along as a traveling companion. I have been extremely blessed by God with the ability to have gone to seminary and have completed my doctoral work. But even more important than that are the ministry experiences that seem very common among my brothers, like high school Bible questions – you have heard them all after a while. [2]

There are ways to deal with change, unruly people, mean people, etc. that in ministry are the “tricks of the trade.” I was also blessed early on in my ministry to have had some men who allowed me to journey with them in ministry and I learned a lot about what it means to love people and shepherd a flock from watching them in action.

3. The third type of needed relationship is a “Barnabas.” In Scripture, Barnabas’ given name was Joseph, but the early church called him, “Son of Encouragement” or Barnabas. He traveled with the apostle Paul and in most cases was equal in their role in the church. It was Barnabas who originally brought Paul into the church and gave him the “ok.”

They traveled together, and even argued over who they should take (i.e. John Mark in Colossians 4:10). The main idea is that these men were equal in standing, ministered together, and were a source of encouragement to each other.

You are not going to argue with your mentor, or your protégé, but you will with your comrade in arms; you have enough love and respect to confront him when he is wrong. In some circles this is called an accountability partner. This is a friend, who also is in ministry, that you draw strength from, and give encouragement to.

All three of these relationships are needed in a minister’s life, and none will develop unless some effort is made on your part to move the relationship forward. So, pray first, and ask God to make these relationships clear to you and then make some effort to build these friendships.

 

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[1] I recognize that women also serve in ministry. Since I am a man, I can not honestly speak to what a woman needs in ministry. Men and Women are worlds apart, and I am just now figuring out what I need in ministry. Not, only that, but we are talking about “feelings” so give me a break.

[2] Questions like, “where did Cain’s wife come from?” or “if God is so good, then why does he allow so much suffering?” or “what about those who have never heard of Jesus or the gospel?”

Who Owns Your House? Luke 20:9-18

Luke 20:9-18 tells the parable Jesus gave of the owner of a vineyard who went away and how the tenants desired to wrongly own the vineyard themselves. In order to maintain control of the vineyard they abuse messengers sent by and even kill the owners son. As with all parables, we must be careful not to push details of the story too far, but the main idea is that the owner of the vineyard has the rightful claim of the vineyard and that the tenants are wrong in their desiring to own the property. The parable points back to the Old Testament and how God’s prophets were sent to the Israelites and the world and their ultimate rejection of these prophets. It also points to Jesus’ ultimate (as the Son) death at the hands of the religious leaders and sinful mankind.

Luke 20:9-18 “9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant2 to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”’

But there is a common question that I have encountered in ministry that this passage helps us to understand. In conversations with non-believers and discussions of the Bible I have heard something like “if God is so loving why would he tell the Israelites to kill everyone on the land they were conquering?”

The root of the answer is “who has rightful claim to the land?” God created the world, and as Creator it is His (Genesis 1:1 ff.).  He created man and sent them out (as His followers) to “fill the earth.” His original design was for the world to be filled with those who bear His image to reflect His character and bring Him glory. But sin came into the picture and whole nations rejected the One True God and followed false gods.

God also, in His mercy and love, sent prophets among the nations to warn them of the consequences of their rejection. So by the time we see passages like 1 Chronicles 21, Deuteronomy 3, Joshua 6, Judges 21, and 2 Kings 10 these nations are not innocent. They have all rejected the One True Creator God, and as the owner of all, God had the right to take certain land from one group of people and give it to another group of people. Also, in many cases Israel’s conquering and killing was a judgment upon these pagan nations. This same judgment would also come upon God’s own people when they apostatized throughout the Old Testament.

The Holy/Promised Land (as was the entire planet) was a place that was to be dedicated to the worship of the One True God (the Creator). So when the owner of the “vineyard” demanded that they give him a portion of the harvest (worship, praise, tithes, adoration, etc.), we can see how evil it is for the tenants to reject the messengers and even kill his son. God owns everything in all of creation, and yes, even you (for you are wonderfully and beautifully made). Our choice is to accept this as God’s Word lovingly and mercifully warns us, or reject it and face the ultimate consequences of trying to claim something that is not rightfully ours.

 

Hypothetical Questions and the Bible

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

I usually don’t like to deal with hypothetical questions because they tend to smack of past ethics classes or some late night college conversation, and ultimately they don’t take us very far. But allow me to indulge in some hypothetical questions regarding the creation account. We are told in v. 28 that God tells Adam and Event to “fill the earth.” What was God’s original plan? What if Adam and Eve had not sinned in Genesis?  What would the world look like, specifically, would the family unit be different?

Hypothetically, it would be Adam as the Father who would have a son, who would have a child, and so forth (assuming no one sinned). There is no change so far; these sons and daughters would marry with no need for “incest law” or fear of genetic problems.

Adam lived to be 930 years old (Gen. 5:5), but had he not sinned then he would still be alive today. Where would all these “children” live?  How would it be different since heaven is where the believers go upon death, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21 ff.) in the future – How does Genesis help us to understand the family?

  • In a sinless hypothetical world there are still families (perfectly designed to produce children) – How many children would they have?
  • These families are all related and live all over the earth, perfectly living in harmony together.
  • Together they would work to have dominion over the earth.

If Adam had not sinned ‘Edens’ borders would expand to encompass the world. Would the fruit of life be exported? Does this fruit have seed? Could it have been harvested among the nations?

  • In heaven people do not have children nor are they given in marriage (Matt. 22). But in this original utopia marriages would have lasted for eternity in Eden. How long would children have stayed at home before they were married and began families of their own? This is a reminder that children are a temporary stewardship, and we are not eternal “owners” of our children.

But here is the ultimate question, “how long would it have taken to “fill the earth?”’ They are not given the follow up command “and when it is full, stop.” If we assume eternal reproduction, eternal pregnancy, and no complications in Eden, Adam and Even would still be having babies. These children would have children, who would have children (exponentially forward). Surely, it would not take too long before the country sides would have turned to cities whose buildings would have reached the stars all over the earth.

Is it correct to say that God gave a command that He knew would not (or could not) be followed to its ultimate fulfillment? The earth has finite space, but the ability of a sinless mankind is capable of exponential growth. Eventually, there would be no more space. As mankind increased in number, the amount of earth to fill would have decreased. Eventually, the earth would be “full”  but mankind would have lived eternally. Would reproduction have been a temporary phenomenon?

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As with all hypothetical questions we are left with no answers, only supposition and “educated” guesses. God has however given us what He desires for us to know about Him & His plan in the Bible.

Just because we don’t know how it would have been done doesn’t mean that it could not be done. Remember that the Bible does tell us that we are “fallen” and that our entire being has been corrupted by sin (Genesis 2-3). For as many people read the creation, fall, redemption, and restoration story of the Bible they are “full” of questions and it seems that these questions go on exponentially. Since there are only so many pages of the Bible, we are given the information we need. God always has a plan, and even if we don’t always know how He will accomplish it, He will do it. We must acknowledge our fallenness and His love and perfection.

 

 

 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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