Behold, I stand at the door …
Dear Friends:
Perhaps some of you may recall a famous painting of Jesus, standing at the door (our heart’s door) and knocking. The door in that painting was a Roman-arched door with no handle on the outside. That painting was the inspiration for the south entry door of The Refuge, which arrived on site today (20 February). I had drawn up a rough sketch of the kind of door we wanted, and Mark, our craftsman-contractor had said, “I can build that door”. Since we wanted a uinque design - a raised cross - the door had to be hand-crafted. No such door was comercially available. And so, for the last several months, working on it little by little, Mark finally completed the door just in time to be placed in position as the south stairwell is installed.
Robbie & Jim “standing at the door” prior to it being installed at the south entrance.
This door is no ordinary door. First it is wider than most doors (42 inches) and far heavier (over 300 lbs). It is made from one of the large Douglas Fir stumps that we saved when we excavated. The wood is more than 225 years old. It was that old when it was felled, which we think was about 80 years ago. The raised-embedded cross is made from beautifully figured big leaf maple, also from a tree that we felled a couple of years ago, and likely over 150 years old. The Black Walnut wood on the outside (and cross on the inside) was obtained locally but we don’t know how old that is. It took our boom truck to lower the door into place.
The door, being one of the three entry doors into the lodge, with its embedded crosses on both sides, will be a reminder to all who pass through it, that this lodge is dedicated to the service of Our Lord Jesus Christ - and a further reminder that our spiritual life was made possible by just such a cross.
This shot shows the door being swung into place by a crane. Alan is steadying the door.
Since the door will be surrounded by stone facings, this southeast corner of the main lodge will have a decidedly medieval European look. The window will be barred (in medieval fashion) but with stained glass. Wrought iron lanterns will hang on either side of the door.
Mark (who handcrafted the door) and Alan about to set the door into place.
So, the arrival and installation of “the door” was kind of a big deal around here. We thought we’d share it with you.
A warm & sunny day in February - Dave & Diane Gibson & Robbie on Refuge balcony
More next time, from The Refuge. Robbie & Jim Edgren
Robbie with Dave & Diane Gibson on the balcony of the master suite