This past weekend our town, Libby, Montana, hosted its 9th annual “Clash of the Carvers” competition. This year we had twenty of the world’s top chainsaw carvers here to display their amazing talents and make their finished products available (by direct purchase or by auction) to the public. Our daughter, granddaughter and husband (and two puppies) came from Oregon to enjoy the event and were successful in bidding on a “bear bench” (which didn’t fit in their car to take back to Oregon!).  

     The competition begins on Thursday and goes through noon on Sunday.   The carvers work on one major item but also have several “quick carve” competitions. It is very fascinating, and impressive, to see them start with a big bolt of Ponderosa Pine and turn it into a very realistic-looking finished product. There were the usual bears, fish and eagles, but also full-size figures of Native Americans, Rocky Mountain Sheep, and novelty figures such as a bear or moose riding in a canoe!  

     We enjoyed getting to see them make the first saw cuts on their blocks of wood and trying to guess what the finished product would be. In most cases it took a while to get an idea what they might be carving.  Pretty simple process–just remove the wood that isn’t part of what they wanted the final figure to be!  Simple in theory, but unless you have their abilities and experience–and the right tools–the marvelous finished carvings would never have happened. 

     I couldn’t help but think about one of Positive Life Radio’s “positive thoughts” this past week–“Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using that creativity is our gift to God.” Well, our Creator indicates in His Word what His goal is for those who put faith in Him for salvation through Jesus Christ and His work at the Cross. The Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that it is God’s purpose to “conform us to the image of His Son” (Ro. 8:29).  The process (which is called “sanctification”…I Cor. 1:30; Heb. 2:11),is much like the carving away by the chainsaw, removing what doesn’t belong, so that Christ, who comes to live in us through the Holy Spirit, shows through. Paul describes the process in II Cor. 4:8-10: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body.” Earlier in his letter, Paul said that “we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18). 

     This “transforming” process (removing the chips!) isn’t always very enjoyable. The author of the book of Hebrews speaks of it, writing: “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? …He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness” (i.e., become Christlike) (Heb. 12:5-10). 

     At times during the chainsaw carving, big chunks were cut away and then there were the times when details were worked out and the progress seemed pretty slow. In our spiritual growth (sanctification) as believers, the same is true. I am reminded of a chorus we often sang at church and Bible camp, “Little by Little.” It went like this:

           “Little by little every day, little by little in every way, Jesus is changing me.

           Since I made a turn about face, I’ve been growing in His grace, Jesus is changing me.

           Sometimes it’s slow going, but there’s a knowing, one day perfect I will be.” 

      Each of us, if we know Christ as Savior, is “work in process.” God, like the chainsaw carvers, is patiently working toward the final product–conformity to Christ.  As each of us looks into our own lives we probably wonder how God can pull that off, but we have the assurance of Phil. 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” when we will “stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude. 24 cf I Cor. 1:8).  Until then, “Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet!”    Ruth (Bell) Graham had them write this on her gravestone: “End of Construction. Thanks for Your Patience!”  I love it!

     After church on Sunday we went over to the site of the “Clash of the Carvers” to see their major projects in finished form just before they were put up for bid at the final auction. It was pretty hard to believe that each had started from a piece of wood 16-24″ in diameter by 5-6′ long!  What a transformation!  Well, that will be true one day for each of us who belong to the family of God. 

Forever His,

Pastor Dave N

P.S. How are you using your God-given gift of creativity to serve your Creator?