Gene Laratonda's Blog

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. His contractor was sorry to see such a good employee go, and asked him if he would build just one last house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed but his heart was not in it. He resorted to bad workmanship and using cheap materials.

When the carpenter finished his work, the contractor came over and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “I appreciate all the hard work you’ve done for me all these years and I’d like you to have this house as a token of my gratitude.”

The carpenter was shocked! If only he had only known he was building his own house, he would have worked much harder! Now he owned a house that wasn’t built very well.

We should think of ourselves as carpenters, and our lives here on earth, as our house. Each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, we must build with care! It is the only life we will ever build. And what we do here will count for eternity!

Our lives today are the result of our attitudes and choices in the past. Our lives tomorrow will be the result of our attitudes and the choices we make today! Let’s proceed with caution.

Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?  “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. (Mark 6:1-3)

Some try to explain this verse away by changing the meaning of carpenter. Some feel that this verse is not true. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and to say that this verse is false is to call God a liar.

In his own hometown the people knew him as the carpenter. This makes sense because Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph, was a carpenter:

“Is not this the son of the carpenter? (Matthew 13:55)

The scriptures suggest that Jesus, as first born son, followed the trade of his father. So from the time of a young man to the time of his ministry (33 years of age), Jesus was indeed a carpenter. A builder. How fitting for the master builder of the universe! Jesus was fully God, working miracles and living a sinless life, and fully man, doing the menial work of a day job as a carpenter. For those stuck in lackluster jobs, remember to look to Jesus as a model of a humble servant at work in an low-rate job.

The early church writer Justin Martyr wrote, “He was considered to be the son of Joseph the carpenter; and He appeared without comeliness, as the Scriptures declared; and He was deemed a carpenter (for He was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among men, making ploughs and yokes; by which He taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life)”. [Justin Martyr, a 2nd century Christian writer writing in  Dialogue with Trypho the Jew]

Let’s consider the City of Sepphoris (Modern day Zippori), situated a mere four miles from Nazareth. It was the largest city in Judea outside Jerusalem. Herod the Great had made it his Galilean Capital, but when he died in 3 BC his three sons were in Rome to confirm their inheritance. While they were absent a rebel leader named Judas attacked Sepphoris. The Roman legions soon crushed the rebellion, burning the city and enslaving the inhabitants. When the sons returned from Rome, Herod Antipas determined to rebuild the city, and he initiated a great building program that lasted for 20 years until he moved to Tiberias in AD 26. Jesus was about nine years old when the work began, and obviously much labour from Nazareth was employed in the work, including Joseph and his apprentice Jesus.

Joseph of Nazareth: Lessons from a Carpenter
From Jack Zavada

As a carpenter, Jesus must have learned many tricks of the woodworking trade from Joseph. While tools and techniques have changed a great deal over the past 2,000 years, three simple rules that Joseph lived by still hold true today.

1 – Measure Twice, Cut Once
Wood was scarce in ancient Israel. Joseph and his apprentice Jesus couldn’t afford to make mistakes. They learned to proceed with caution, anticipating the consequences of everything they did. It’s a wise principle for our lives, too.

As Christian men, we need to be careful in our behavior. People are watching. Nonbelievers are judging Christianity by the way we act, and we can either attract them to the faith or drive them away.

Thinking ahead prevents a lot of trouble. We should measure our spending against our income and not exceed it. We should measure our physical health and take steps to protect it. And, we should measure our spiritual growth from time to time and work to increase it. Just like the timber in ancient Israel, our resources are limited, so we should do our best to use them wisely.

2 – Use the Right Tool for the Job
Joseph wouldn’t have tried to pound with a chisel or drill a hole with an ax. Every carpenter has a special tool for each task.

So it is with us. Don’t use anger when understanding is called for. Don’t use indifference when encouragement is needed. We can build people up or tear them down, depending on which tools we use.

Jesus gave people hope. He wasn’t embarrassed to show love and compassion. He was a master at using the right tools, and as his apprentices, we should do the same.

3 – Take Care of Your Tools and They’ll Take Care of You
Joseph’s livelihood depended on his tools. We Christian men have the tools our employer gives us, whether it’s a computer or an impact wrench, and we have a responsibility to take care of them as if they’re our own.

But we also have the tools of prayer, meditation, fasting, worship, and praise. Our most valuable tool, of course, is the Bible. If we sink its truths deep into our minds then live them out, God will take care of us, too.

In the body of Christ, every Christian man is a carpenter with a job to do. Like Joseph, we can mentor our apprentices–our sons, daughters, friends and relatives–teaching them the skills to pass the faith on to the generation after them. The more we learn about our faith, the better a teacher we’ll be.

God has given us all the tools and resources we need. Whether you’re at your place of business or at home or at leisure, you’re always on the job. Work for God with your head, your hands, and your heart and you can’t go wrong.

On the jobsite it seems that there are two more popular tape measures. The Stanley FatMax and the Craftsman tape measures are found in more tool pouches than not. So which one is the best one? It’s all about personal preference, but I will explain the pros and cons of each of these two great tape measures.

Stanley FatMax

The strongest pros for this tape measure are:

• 1-1/4″ wide blade (25% wider) with 11′ of standout for extra and easy to read graphic

• Specially designed, hook grabs on side top or bottom

• Stainless steel wearplate protects case from being cut by by blade

Note:  Stanley came out with a FatMax Extreme which touts a 13′ standout. This is done by increasing the curve of the blade. Unfortunately because of the increased curve of the blade the the specially designed hook loses the clearance needed to hook on the top. What is more important to you, two more feet of standout or hooking with the top of the hook?

UPDATE: (1/11/2010)
“we have added a larger hook to the FatMax Xtreme 25′ tapes.  These should be out in the market now.  If they are not in your area, please ask your local Home Center to special order for you.”

Thank you,
Stanley Tools Customer Care

Craftsman

• Limited Lifetime Warranty
  If the case, brake, spring or whatever else other than the blade breaks for any reason whatsoever you can return the tape measure for another one.

Note:  Craftsman increased the curve of their blade and added a plastic coating to the top of the blade but are still propogating the tape measures without these improvements. Search and ye shall find.