My mentor in stone

Adrian is my mentor in stone.

It all began in a city somewhere in Asia. Can’t tell you where.

I was feeling stressed at being away from home in a foreign culture surrounded by lots of people. We stepped from a bustling market through a door into another world—a small garden, a pond, a paved courtyard. As we sat down and ate our lasagne I was struck that such a confined space could create an atmosphere of sanctuary. I thought, I’d like to build a place like this one day.

That was about eighteen months ago. Finally I decided to do something about it.

So I rang Adrian up. He’s a friend of a friend. A landscaper. I figured Adrian could build me a courtyard and we could extend our mortgage. He helped me see how my dream could become a reality. Some raised garden beds, dry stone walls to retain them. Paving to replace the lawn.
I got excited.

Then Adrian looked told me,
“Steve, I’m not going to build this courtyard. You are.”

“Adrian, I don’t know how to pave and I don’t know how to build dry stone walls!”
“Then I’ll teach you.”

That’s what he’s done. Adrian pops in for an hour and shows me how to build dry stone walls. How to choose and shape the stone. How to lay it.

When I first got started I was ready to toss it in. I’d laid my first two courses of stone and then rang Adrian.

“Mate you’ve got to come over. I’ve made a mess of it!”

Adrian pops over and tells me my wall looks great. He’ll be back when I’m ready to learn how to lay the top stones.

I haven’t had so much fun in years.

I’ve learnt to build my stone wall. I’ve grown through the experience—new skills and the confidence that comes from tackling a challenge I didn’t think I could master. But I could not have done it without Adrian’s belief and empowerment of me.

What Adrian has done for me, CRM does for leaders. My job is to empower leaders who multiply healthy churches all over the place. I can’t do their job for them. But I can help them see that they have it within them to change the world.

I love it.

By: Steve | 08/08/05 | Steve's story | Trackback | Comments [RSS 2.0]

6 Responses to “My mentor in stone” »»

Bruce

Comment by Bruce | 08/08/05 at 4:14 pm

Very impressive Steve! Looks fabulous
Brigid Walsh

Comment by Brigid Walsh | 08/08/05 at 5:02 pm

Onya, Steve. My late husband and I have worked a lot in stone in tropical Australia. My part was in the collecting. In Mount Isa, he did a wonderful stone wall. He would lay it in the cool(?) of summer evenings – one or two stubbies or cans in hand which, when emptied, would join the other reo and get cemented into the wall. He paved at least half of the back yard. All in a wonderful local stone which we had free access to. It was a sort of red slate is the best way for me to describe. In later years, we did the floor of a garden room and terrace on a rural property between the rainforest and the Pacific north of Townsville. This time there was no free access to wonderful flat stone – we collected stone from the side of the road as long as it was a reasonable size and had one flat side. Some years after he died I returned to my beloved Barkly Tableland, this time Tennant Creek. I built a low level dry stone wall with some large wide flat stones on top for sitting on. These stones are still in Tennant but in the wonderful tropical garden of a dear friend. My husband I didn’t have a wonderful Adrian although an architect neighbour was an admirer of Joe’s handiwork. Your time with Adrian must be a wonderful experience – to share this momentous task with an expert. We just practised and looked at wonderful works of stone and tried to learn from looking. The thing I believe you will learn Steve – and I look forward to hearing your comments – is about the stone itself. The stone as a microcosm of creation, of the planet: the way it splits, the face or faces it presents, the way it is placed or made to fit. We speak often of our Lord as the cornerstone – but we are in a world where most of us have lost the skills of working with such a natural product. Stone is quite different from the conformist uniformity of brick which can be laid row upon row and the skill is in how many are laid in a day. Sure judgment is needed with respect to mortar and experience needed in how much ‘mud’ on the trowel but stone…. That requires judgement, experience, skill – and feeling. A beautifully laid wall or building is an inspiration. There is something nostalgic and warm in its very being. Somehow – within us – we remember.
Little Brufer

Comment by Little Brufer | 09/28/05 at 6:46 pm

Looks good. Where are the garden knomes? If it’s a ‘rock’garden what about some large speakers for heavy metal amplification?

Where is the BBQ? Have you thougt about visiting relatives and their potential need for the tender ministrations of a spa? I think not!

We will be watching your progress with interest and considering the theraputic value of this new space you call ‘rock’garden.
Steve

Comment by Steve | 09/28/05 at 7:30 pm

Dear li’l brufer, no need for Gnomes. You’ll do.

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[...] function init(){ if(!document.getElementsByTagName)return;var anchors=document.getElementsByTagName(“a”) for(var i=0;i My mentor in stone What does it look like? [...]
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Pingback by » Back to the wallSteve Addison’s blog » World Changers | 11/13/06 at 11:13 am

[...] I’ve had the walling bug ever since my mentor Adrian taught me how to lay stone. Since finishing the last project I’ve been dreaming of a water feature: a fish pond beneath a solid stone wall. Maybe a waterfall effect or perhaps just a small fountain. According to Adrian, the problem with the waterfall idea is that the water hits the cracks between the stone and goes everywhere. Hard to trap it in the pond for recycling. But I digress. [...]

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