Life Matters - April 23, 2025
Dropping 4’x8’ sheets of roof sheathing in place can be a tricky business. Once the bottom row is done the rest of the rows can be done faster. A sheet is set on edge against the top edge of the preceding row, within a ¼’’ of where it needs to end up in lengthwise position, a foot is brought forward to hold the bottom edge at the same time as the top edge is dropped into place on the rafters, it is then kicked into place sideways; and presto! It gets nailed, and on to the next one.
But on September 27, 2011, at about 4:30 PM there were a few factors that complicated matters a bit. A lot, as it turned out. It was a steep roof. An 8/12 pitch, to be exact. I was working alone, which was against precedent and protocol.
My sons had offered to stay and miss Tuesday evening Children’s Ministry, but I had insisted that I could get the sheathing and shingle underlayment done by myself before dark. I had wanted them to go but now…well, I had better hurry… I wanted the roof covered for the night as I had taught the boys to never leave a reroof job with a roof uncovered. Even if the weather looks good, as it did on this day, you never know, weather can change quickly.
We were installing 7/16’’ OSB sheathing over existing roof boards to cover the gaps and imperfections. In one way the boards made the jobsite safer as there was no danger of falling between the rafters, but in one crucial way the boards made the work less safe as the possibility of air pockets under sheets being dropped in place increased the danger of the bottom edge coming up, thereby losing contact with the top edge of the preceding row and begin its inevitable slide downward.
The danger, of course, wasn’t just losing a piece of roof sheathing. The greater danger was having one’s feet knocked out from under him and with that loss of balance also lose the ability to stop a downward slide with, or horrors, on top of, the fast-descending roofing sheet.
We had a telehandler with a scaffolding setup but the 5’x21’ scaffolding only had a 5’ end at the edge of the roof as I was trying not to tear up the customer’s yard. ‘’I should probably move it but I don’t have time’’ lurked in the back, attempting to come to the fore, of my mind. I had a lot of other subjects on my mind that day, knowing that I had taken on more responsibilities than I had time for. I was on the job when I was needed in the office. Work schedule was pressing in. The winter months were fast approaching. My wife needed communication. My children needed communicated with. The church I pastored needed pastoring. The world needed revivals begun by the Christian church. There was missionary outreach. Youth Bible School. Meetings for church leaders besides regular church meetings. How to relate to the ever-changing landscape of digital technology? A need for Christian authors was being pressed upon me… Who could take on some of my responsibilities to free up time for communicating and writing? In my preoccupation I was taking risks I don’t usually take…
It was a setup for disaster and disaster wasn’t long in coming. A skilsaw to cut sheathing along a diagonal - ‘’if I slip I can fall onto the diagonal’’- place a sheet against the top edge of the preceding row - drop it in place - right foot comes forward to hold the edge - left foot slips on a bit of sawdust and an air hose…I have no memory of falling…a subcontractor’s son found me laying in a fetal position on a 4’ by 8’ sheet of roof sheathing 22 feet down from the edge of the roof. I had been starting on the 4th and last row of sheathing so I must have slid 12’ then a 22’ freefall to the ground. A fall I have no memory of.
Does finding me lying on roof sheathing mean the bottom edge kicked up as the top edge was dropped toward the roof? Probably. Did the sudden descent of the 4’x8’ sheet knock my feet out from under me? Very likely. Did I land on said descending sheet? Possibly…if I did I must have rolled or scrambled off while it slid as I do have a faint memory of struggling to regain balance. My next memories are hospital experiences… Of not knowing what happened until being told upon emerging from a coma 3 weeks later…
All of us need The Great Physician—Jesus Christ, our Lord and only Savior—to continually help us in keeping a proper perspective on life—which is an eternal perspective—that steadies our thinking, lightens our path, puts purpose into our steps, and focus onto our goals when in harmony with The Ultimate Goal.
A Constitutional revival sweeps across America even as the left-wing political party (the misnomered Democrats) teeters on their heels. As some blame ‘’the messaging,’’ others blame each other. So far none, that I know of, have called for a solid foundation for “the messaging” to be founded upon. Whether that call ever comes, or is even heard, may make the difference in said political party getting help at the policy “hospital” or in its being taken to the “morgue.” The morgue beckons, as what they call “the resistance” (to the Trump administration) builds, underscoring that ancient maxim, ‘’Those who don’t stand for something (worthwhile) will fall for anything.”
In the meantime, all could be ripening for a spiritual revival to sweep across ‘’the land of the free and the home of the brave.” May the church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rise to the occasion, even as we intercede for it from a place of trusting prayer, and an unflinching loyalty to God and His Word; speaking the Truth in Love. Revival begins with us.
Life Matters!