Prodigal Ponderings — culture RSS



The Heart of It

My wife never ceases to amaze me. This past Sunday we went to our home church and worshipped together; afterwards we were part of a group of hundreds who packed Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child (check this outreach ministry: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/…/). On our ride home my wife asked me to turn the car around after we passed a homeless man standing on side of the Interstate exit. She said the man just "looked so sad," so we went back, shared with him the love of the Lord and ended up driving him to get something to eat. After dropping the man off my sweet wife was in tears because of the hurt this man was experiencing. I was reminded of...

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Election Day...... Prodigal Pondering

Election Day is tomorrow, and after months of endless insults and disclosure of improprieties Americans will decide who will lead our country over the next four years. This election is unprecedented in that it includes the 2 most unpopular presidential candidates in the history of our country; so the proper question would be: why are  these our choices?   I am not advocating for support of a third party, fourth party or any other party or person, my question is: why don't we have  better and more palatable option?  Is it perhaps that people are so sick of politics that no one wants to run for office anymore?  Think about it, who wants to expose every part of their life...

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Post Festival Musings

This past weekend was The Prodigal Carpenter's first experience participating in a Festival or Artisan Fair.  For anyone who has undertaken one of these, we don't have to tell you the amount of hard work that goes into preparation, facilitating, and post event handling.  We learned a lot from our "initiation" into the outdoor market world.   1  Nothing replaces personal interaction with potential customers.  The feedback was invaluable.  It was affirming to have so many folks express admiration for the quality and craftsmanship of our products and admire what we do.   2. Know your Target Market.  Handcrafted items of high quality are not produced inexpensively They take time, craftsmanship and quality materials. Consequently they're not what everyone is looking...

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Fall Artisan Festival.............Taking the Plunge

My wife and I are participating  in a local artisan festival this weekend, so there have been a multitude of "bases" to cover in preparation.  Nothing done well comes easy ......... and we hope do this well! Being "new" to it, however, we've made list after list over the past couple of weeks in an attempt to not leave any critical task unaddressed. Those who've taken the "entrepreneur" plunge understand...... business licenses, tax numbers, business cards, payment processing, packaging  etc. etc.   Meanwhile the work in the shop goes on..... Artisan Boxes Wooden Culinary Utensils...and Cutting Boards Sanding, Gluing and stirring up Sawdust:) The results are piling up......                                                                                                     We're looking forward to some...

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Accumulated Wisdom..............Applying What We "Know"

It seems we are creatures always searching for the newer or better way of accomplishing things. Without this drive, humankind would have missed out on a multitude of inventions and most of our lives would be vastly different, and yet…………. . We applaud ease and comfort and efficiency, while in our pursuit of these we arrive at stress, discomfort and schedules that are fraught with impossible agendas. Give us a time saving appliance and we’ll find 3 more tasks we can fill the redeemed time with. In the spiritual realm this dynamic manifests in the way we accumulate “truth”, fail to consistently apply it and push on in our alleged quest of “deeper” truth.   That pseudo-journey is ultimately as futile...

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