The radial saw operator was cutting wood to needed lengths and widths. Folks were standing about waiting for some of those sawn pieces. My crew had finished assembling a few of the larger all-wood set pieces and now had nothing to do until more wood arrived.
We were supposed to be building the set for our annual musical. If we didn’t get it built, the actors were going to be singing Camelot tunes on an empty stage!
The bottleneck was that saw.
With almost every piece, the operator had to stop and back out the blade. It was getting stuck part way through. Pieces were getting damaged and had to be thrown out. The process was slow—and getting slower.
Into this situation stepped Mr. Starnes, our drama instructor. He took it all in with a long glance and then walked straight over to the person running the saw. They spoke for a few seconds, and then, together, removed the saw blade and replaced it with another. Mr. Starnes then walked away. When he came near, I asked him about it.
“We’ve used this blade too much,” he said. “It’s grown dull. I helped Jimmy put on a new, sharp blade. We’ll get this one sharpened.”
It was as simple as that. Sawn wood production increased, pieces began to flow out to the various working groups, and we were soon all re-engaged—turning wood into dreams.
In Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 7 is “Sharpen the Saw.” Mr. Covey explains it like this: A man sawing a tree says he's too busy to take a break and sharpen his saw. As a result, he is eventually unable to cut any part of the tree because the saw blade has become too dull to function as intended.
Habit 7 is not about saw blades. It’s about renewal. Covey says we need renewal in four dimensions: physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional.
If that rings a bell, it’s because it sounds a lot like something you may have come across in the Bible. In fact, Covey’s “habits” are remarkably similar to Biblical guidance. Habit 7 aligns perfectly with the commandment to take a weekly Sabbath day, to pause for a day of renewal, to wait upon the Lord. And take a look at Philippians 4:8 in the Thanksgiving Day readings for great examples of how we can “sharpen” our life walk in multiple dimensions.
Those should be reason enough for us to make this habit a part of our lives. But if more is needed, we can find it in this week's Matthew passage. Jesus tells his disciples to: “Be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him."
We must prepare if we are to “be ready.” Since no one except God knows the day or hour of the return, we need to heed that exhortation. One way to do that is to set aside a day each week to recharge and renew.
But consider all of the dimensions reflected in this week’s scriptures. They all give us the opportunity to “sharpen” those essential areas of our lives. After all, as I learned all those years ago building sets for Camelot, you really can’t be productive with a dull saw.
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PHOTO: Adobe Express
The Pause That Refreshes: some thoughts on the Sabbath and a little Coca-Cola history
https://www.bufordcoc.com/the-pause-that-refreshes/
Covey resources related to Sharpening the Saw:
https://www.franklincovey.com/courses/the-7-habits/habit-7/
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As is our practice, DaySpring’s Lectionary breakfast will not meet the Friday morning after Thanksgiving Day. Included below are the links to the scripture readings for Thanksgiving and the First Sunday of Advent.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving. See you in December!
Blessings,
Steve
*Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414
READINGS FOR
THANKSGIVING DAY, USA (NOVEMBER 27, 2025)
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=87
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_ThanksgivingDay.pdf
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 100
Philippians 4:4-9
John 6:25-35
READINGS FOR
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=17134&z=a&d=1
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Ax_FirstSundayofAdvent.pdf
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:36-44
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