Inspiration for a Man Cave

By Fred Ash

When Jesus taught, he used illustrations from everyday life, farming, sheep herding, even dish washing. Inspiration for a Man Cave follows that example and provides a series of 100 daily readings based upon real life experiences that men enjoy--fishing, cars, building, gardening and sailing--and relates these to biblical teaching. This book inspires men to look around them and see that God speaks to them everywhere.

The author, besides being a pastor and an editor of Christian magazines, is also an avid fisherman, boater and gardener who also likes cars and woodworking.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Aug 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781400325382

Fred Ash

Fred Ash (BA, BEd, MDiv) has served more than 40 years in ministry as a pastor, an editor of Christian publications, and a teacher. He has written for several Christian magazines and is the recipient of literary awards from the Canadian Church Press. He is currently serving as the Director of Pastoral Care at Glenmore Temple, a church operated by The Salvation Army in Calgary, Alberta, where he lives with his wife, Shirley.

Book preview

Inspiration for a

Man Cave

Inspiration for a

Man Cave

Fred Ash

© 2019 by Fred Ash

Inspiration for a Man Cave

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version. Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked MEV are from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019935213

ISBN 978-1-400325368 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-400325375 (Hardbound)

ISBN 978-1-400325382 (eBook)

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Foreword

This book is for men.

When we get together at our favourite coffee shop, we like to talk about man stuff—carpentry, cars, fishing, sailing and sometimes gardening, among other things. We are not eager to brag about the fact that part of our weekend was spent in church. This book starts each day talking about those topics that men like and draws spiritual lessons from them.

Inspiration for a Man Cave shows that God speaks to us men in the ordinary, everyday activities of life. As Christians we are doubly blessed because we have the best of both worlds—the here and now and the world to come.

I started these devotional thoughts by reflecting on what I did each day. For example, I build a backyard shed from scratch and thought about how God builds our life and the life of the Church. I like to fish and I thought of how Jesus called Galilean fishermen to be fishers of men. I planted a garden and thought of the parables of Jesus in which he talked about wheat and weeds.

Most of us are not theologians. That’s OK. But we should at least be spiritually minded. We can reflect on life and listen to what God is saying to us as we drive our cars, repair our houses, walk in the parks and engage with our families.

Inspiration for a Man Cave is meant to encourage you to listen for God in your day-to-day activities and then to begin a life of reflection, linking the word of God to your daily living.

Fred Ash

Acknowledgements

Writing even a small book like this requires the help of others. I want to say thank you to the many friends who encouraged me to assemble these thoughts into a format that other men could enjoy. Encouragement goes a long way, and without it this book could not have been written.

Special thanks to Ron McInnis in Sechelt, BC, whom I have never met but who supplied me with some of his pictures of vintage cars and trucks. His photos are amazing.

Thanks also to my friend Stan Walker of Barrie, Ont., for his advice relating to all things mechanical and for supplying some pictures from his classic car club.

Thank you to my wife Shirley for taking pictures of me during our many activities together on land and in water, and for sharing in so many common interests.

Thank you to my photographer son Jeremy Ash who supplied the cover photo for this book.

Thanks to all those men who allowed me to share in so many fishing and boating adventures with them over the years.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Sheds

1. Plans

2. Laws

3. Cost

4. Site

5. Material

6. Teamwork

7. Foundation

8. Floor

9. Frame

10. Walls

11. Roof

12. Shingles

13. Door

14. Paint

15. Trim

16. Organize

17. Mistakes

18. Improve

19. Enjoy

20. Help

Gardens

1. Seeds

2. Location

3. Preparation

4. Flowers

5. Vegetables

6. Plant

7. Transplant

8. Water

9. Care

10. Weeds

11. Rabbits

12. Protect

13. Fertilize

14. Replant

15. Support

16. Butterflies

17. Thinning

18. Groundhogs

19. Failures

20. Harvest

Boats

1. Types

2. Boaters

3. Experience

4. Purchase

5. Port

6. Mast

7. Sails

8. Keel

9. Rudder

10. Lines

11. Compass

12. Lights

13. Fenders

14. Lifejackets

15. Lighthouses

16. Charts

17. Anchor

18. Buoys

19. Motor

20. Crew

Fishermen

1. Calling

2. Love

3. Species

4. Methods

5. Opportunity

6. Cost

7. Lures

8. Bait

9. Line

10. Offshore

11. Patience

12. Persistence

13. Faith

14. Courage

15. Knowledge

16. Enjoyment

17. Fishing Trip

18. Bonding

19. Seasons

20. Rewards

Cars

1. Licence

2. Choice

3. Value

4. Cost

5. Brand

6. Motor

7. Sparkplugs

8. Filters

9. Oil

10. Coolant

11. Colour

12. Tires

13. Brakes

14. Lights

15. Windshield

16. Dashboard

17. Safety

18. Security

19. Accessories

20. Mirrors

Inspiration is all Around You

PART 1

Sheds

1. Plans

Ashort while ago, I decided to build a shed in my backyard. As I reflect on this modest construction project, I realize that there are many lessons to learn from such an experience, not the least of which is learning how to use some of the power tools I collected over the years but was not able to use much because of constant employment-related transfers.

Lesson one: you have to have a plan. Before you buy lumber, purchase nails and accumulate shingles you have to have a plan. You can’t just start building not knowing what you are going to build, or where. I have a very small backyard, so I had to downscale my dream shed to one about 7 ft by 6 ft. For such a small shed I did not want to purchase expensive plans, so I went on the Internet and downloaded free plans. Even then I had to change all the measurement to fit what I could build in the space available. Following the plans I made, I now have a shed that is perfect for my backyard.

The same is true in life. You have to have a plan if you are going to accomplish anything worthwhile. You can make your own plans or you can ask God, the Master Builder, to direct you. The choice is yours, but since you’ve never built a life before, I recommend getting the best advise available.

Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV)

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

2. Laws

Ibuilt my shed a few months after moving to a new city. Not knowing all the by-laws of the community, I thought it best to phone the city hall to find out what the local regulations were relating to building a shed in my backyard. Did I need a permit? What restrictions were in effect? What were the regulations I had to follow? I was told that if my shed was less than 11 ft high, I did not need a permit. The one restriction was that the shed had