Redeemer

Incredible piece and beautiful representation.

-- Dale

Wow!!!!!!!! I am in awe. What a day to post this masterpiece. May God bless you always and in ALL ways.

-- Gary, Huntsville. May you live as long as you want and not want as long as you live.

this brought a tear to my eye Ken. Beautiful in every way.

-- 3rd generation craftsman ~ www.passionforwoodworking.com

I have to say that this is a truly nice carving. Having said that, Easter or not, I don’t think the description should remain, and posting it seems to be an attempt to get attention. Attention in which I guarentee you will be controversial. I ask right now in front of everyone that you remove the material out of respect of EVERYONE on this site, for you believers are not the only ones that frequent the site. Thank you.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

A very good carving hands are a very difficult subject for drawing or carving.well done Kenneth.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Well done. That should get some people thinking about the empty cross and what He did for each one of us.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota

Kenneth, you have been given some amazing talent and you are putting it to good use. It is an inspiring piece in the representation as well as workmanship. Thanks for posting this.

-- Cody Crisp - http://www.ruggedcrosswoodworks.com

I would like to quote what one LumberJock posted here a while back:
I’d like to think that I have a vision. The vision is much like those of others…..To make something beautiful from wood. I will go through much of my life with this vision, passionate, hoping that no matter what I can still follow through…and in the end there will be my vision, alive, waiting for the world to see.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota

Fantastic carving. I can see why you were in a hurry to finish and take it with you. I agree with Jim about the difficulty of this carvring.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Ron, Nice quote. LOL. Maybe I’m Jesus. HHHMMM, A carpenter. That’s me. Had a vision. That’s me. Can turn water into wine. Well I prefer beer. Cheers.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

Great piece. How big was the material you worked with? The only basswood locally is in very small measurements. Can you get it in very large sizes?

-- Don't tell her I'm in the shop!

Thank you for sharing your gift for the glory of God . . . and those wonderful words of life.

”I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:16

-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Great work Ken, a great contribution to the son of God who created us all, Kolwdwrkr included, wether he wants to acknowledge God or not. I always notice that he is the first to complain of our belief in God and our RIGHT to acknowledge Him in our work and who we all owe our talents to. Please leave your posting just the way it is. And to Kolwdwrkr, since you like to mock God and our belief in Him, and your obviously checking back on this posting, if your right, you got nothing to worry about when you die, if your wrong, you’ve got everything to worry about.

-- Dan Wiggins

What’s happening here is almost enticing. I’m not going to say anything further though out of respect for all of you about the religion, whether it is against rules, etc. We all have our opinions and faith, and apparently the rules here are bogus anyway so have at it. May this be your place, this post, to post all your religious relic and I will pass it. I want to say before I go again to the OP, very nice carving.
To quote the famous Dennis Leary, star of FX’s series “Rescue Me”—“Goodnight Assholes”
Happy Easter

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

Kolwdwrkr – Your “goodnight” is way out of line, shows no class whatsoever, you just lost all respect I have for you other than I will say and never deny the wood working talent you have. You could have let this go, but obviously full of hatred towards religion, and any of us that do believe in showing our love for God. Funny, that you then wish a “happy Easter” to us. Why do you bother to observe this holiday? To Kenneth, I’m sorry for replying here on your site of your work, and I thank you for your beautiful piece you’ve shared with us.

-- Dan Wiggins

Dan, Learn my points, learn who I am, before you bash what I believe in. This post has nothing to do with what I believe in. It has everything to do with the fact that there are RULES to follow simply because not EVERYONE here is a christian and has the same faith. It is simply about RESPECT for fellow jocks, and if Christians believe that this is OKAY to do then that’s a bummer because I don’t think I can respect people that don’t respect me. You really should watch Rescue Me before you take it out of context. It really is the best show on the planet.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

The posting rules say no religious discussion unless it is a religious wood project; therefore, the content of the post should be considered appropriate for this project. If He hadn’t given His only begotten Son, there would have been no cross of significance 2 millenia ago. He did, so, the rest is history.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Martin Posts—
no politics/religion – although we respect everyone’s views on politics and religion we have found from past experiences that it’s in the best interest of our online community to avoid such discussions unless they are directly related to woodworking (ex. discussing woodworking project from the church). There is simply no better and faster way to derail a topic than to bring in religion/politics. Let’s talk woodworking here ;)

Topomax, I could agree if Ken would have ended it at “This cross is a representation of what Jesus did for us.”
But to go into a rant about all the other stuff is against the rules. It does not explain how the piece was made etc. It is in essance “Preaching”.

There is no way for me to get my point across because your beliefs keep you from understanding the situation at hand. You are angry with me that I said that this topic should be removed, and feel as though I am trying to take away rights that you have to believe in what you do. However, it is not my intention to tell you what to believe in, what faith, etc. I am merely trying to stress that there are rules against this simply because there are people that may see this as controversial. I was told that I may get attacked further for my thoughts on the matter. That’s fine. Just remember, there are a lot of people away from the computer because they are busy with family, friends, etc that haven’t seen this, and may have used other tactics to attack it. I am not attacking the faith, the topic, or anything of that nature. I am attacking the fact that it is clearly against the rules.

I also want to appologize for my “asshole” comment. The comment is made on a Comedy that I like to watch, and the context that I used it in was intended to mimic that humor. I do not believe that people here are “assholes”, but merely stranded on an Island with their own opinions, becoming defensive when someone tries to visit that Island with other beliefs. This site is here for the world. That means that everyone will have their own views as to what they feel is right or wrong. I feel this is wrong, you feel it is right. I feel as though I have the right to have the ability to post my feelings about it here, which in turn caused the controversy at hand, thus is the reason for the RULE to begin with. I realize that this is very difficult for some readers to understand because they have it in their minds that I have no faith or religion, so I am an outsider and am completely wrong.

I stated before I was under fire that I truly believe the carving is very beautiful and has every right to be posted here. I do not believe that the OP had to go into great detail about the religious aspect. We get it, it’s a cross with Jesus’s hand reaching down. If you don’t understand the carving you have other issues. The carving speaks for itself.

I want to ask this, as I have before, what your opinions would be if I posted a Satanic carving with Lucifer slashing Jesus on the cross, and then went on to say that “Lucifer, our savior has come to save us from the wrath of god” or whatever those people may say. What would you do then? You would attack it. This is a hypocritical world, but it still has rules none the less. If you believe truly that you would pass the post without commenting then maybe we shall see, as I love to take on new challenges ;-)

Again, sorry for the rude comment. I am not trying to make enemies, but what can you do.

(for the record, my posts are never directed at any one person unless I state a name. The word “You” refers to every reader)

I want to request one last thing. If Martin reads this and chooses to keep the OP’s original post in tact, I ask that he remove all comments posted here and repost it as a clean project so we can all post our positive feedback of the carving without controversy, and re-write the rules to stress that religious Projects may contain any religious phrasing and writing, but forum topics and blogs shall not contain religion.

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

kolwdwrkr,

I’m not angry with you or anyone else.

The Quote from John is simply an explaination of the hands in the carving. There is no preaching anywhere in the Bible. It simply states history and /or situations showing the consequences for certain actions.

If you post a carving of Satin slaying God, no I will not attack it.

Martin, as moderator will enforce his rules and regulations as he intended when he wrote them. Each of us do not need to raise a public “stink” for every violation we think we spot. A simple PM to Martin should take care of the issue if there is a problem.

I would like to apologize to Ken for his post of such a fantastic work becoming a “kicking post”.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Hello to all and thank you for all of your comments and input.

The reason I included scripture was because it and so many others like it are what inspired the piece. It would be similar if someone was inspired by a poem or a philosopher’s writings and created something and gave the credit due to them. I won’t and can’t apologize for it. If the powers that be want to remove this post, or edit it I will hold no malice against them or those who oppose my original post.

Kolwdwrkr,
I respect you as an artist, as a person, and even respect your opinions. I look forward seeing more of your work.
Thank you.

LocalMac,
The boards I started out with were around 8 inches wide or less. I had to glue two boards for the vertical beam and two for the horizontal beams. The boards started out a little longer than 8 feet and I did not see any longer than that. Basswood glues very well and I don’t think you can find wide pieces normally.
Thank you.

Savannah505,
Don’t worry about apologizing to me your entitled to your opinions as well. You might want to check out 1Corithians chapter 13. I have had to read this and others like it a lot lately.
Thank you.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

All said, & done, you have created a beautiful piece of art.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

WOW! Great project! Great description! Great inspiration! I really love how you handled yourself on this post. The tolerance you showed when not attacking when attacked it truly Christ-liked. Thanks for your work and the example.

-- Watch live video from our shop. http://wwbeds.com/live.htm

Absolutely a great job and to post on such a great day. Thamks for the post.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

Wonderful! Please leave the description. I am truly humbled by your response

-- Rob — I've cut it off twice and it's still too short!

I was interested when I saw the photo but was quite surprise when I saw the second photo. I had the scale completely off. This is a very large project. Beautiful work and I look forward to seeing much more!

Well, this was fun to watch…...Now back to my carving of Muhammad driving a plane into a building :)

JC

-- Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -Carl Sagan

I love it !!! its truly a Master Piece = the topic and craftsmanship are outstanding.
When I see this it brings Hope, Love & Peace to my heart.

That being said Martin Please be advised Kowldwrkr is the ONLY one who raised a stink about what Topamaxsurvivor has said? I personaly don’t find anything wrong at all in what was said so I”M VOTING TO LEAVE IT AS IS!!!!! Please do not remove this great posting .

Kolwdwrkr awhile back you wrote an apology about Venting your frustrations on LJS…. MOST are sympathetic to the bad luck you’ve encounterd in life . Seems to me you brought it on yourself so there’s no one to blame but yourself… in other words… you made your own bed now lay in it quietly please!!! As you are one of the first to complain when you see something In your mind is out of place and might be breaking some small rules.

Also you watch way to much TV (and negitve TV at that).
You can say what you will !!! try to apologize and justify it, but I took offence to being called an A—H—- you my have gotten that Quote off the TV But when you quote someone you are in turn saying it yourself .

-- Rj's Woodworks,San Jose & Weed Ca,

Sorry I ment to address the issue about what Kennethirdime had posted = NOT what Topamaxsurvivor commented on …:oP

-- Rj's Woodworks,San Jose & Weed Ca,

Beautiful work..you just amaze me

-- Doris Oakwood Ga

Wonderful Kenneth. Carving and the commentary that went with it.

Rocky
Redding, CA

-- I know the Creator of wood......Yeah, I'm a name dropper. : )

Outstanding work. I bet your church is really proud of it.

-- Gary, DeKalb Texas

Thank you all for your encouraging words, but please stop the rock throwing.

Thanks again,
Kenneth

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

Very moving piece. In a time where I can use some inspiration.
It is true that some Christians tend to use their belief to judge. I read in “Mere Christianity” that the biggest sin is pride or vanity and that is exactly what got Lucifer into trouble.
This piece reminds me that I need to be redeemed on a regular basis. I hope to see more inspiring works like this.

-- Edward

Thank you Eddy.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

Amazing thanks for posting.

Woody.

-- Woody, UK

Wow Kenneth, that piece was incredible and thanks for the stand you took for Christ by not removing your caption under the pics.

-- Favorite saying to work by "It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!"

Thank you Walt33.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

Kenneth, you have created a very beautiful work with your hands. I can see the love and dedication that went into making this extraordinary peace. To show your love towards god and people will not go unnoticed. God smiles upon all his children, for there love and dedication. Unfortunately, there will be some who will dislike what you have done, but they are few in numbers. Let’s not focus on them, but rather on your build. I am truly blown away by the realism of you work. God bless you Kenneth and all His people!

-- I will not preach, nor will I be silent.

Thank you PokieOne, and God Bless you too.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

Wow! A truly great work of art and a real inspiration. Thanks for showing us what is possible.

-- Dale Manning, Carthage, NY

Thank you DaleM.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

i dont do religion but this has got to be the most stunning pieces of religous art i have ever seen and i thank you for sharing it with us

andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

Thank you Pommy.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

That is one heckova fine introduction, man. Seeing that in the sanctuary on Sunday was a serious eye-opener. And then to find out that the craftsman was part of our church and then meet you was awesome.

All you guys are missing out not having seen it in person. That carving is incredible.

Thank you Pooka, it was great meeting you too. I look forward to seeing more of your work, and maybe collaborating on something.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

Sure thing! Gotta make something cool.

KennethBirdine,
I want to congratulate you on such a fine piece of art. It’s truly magnificent. The detail in those hands is simply stunning. I gotta believe Pooka, I’m sure I’m missing alot, not being able to see it in person. The piece is truly an inspiration, and I’m glad you shared your inspiration for it. My Avatar was an inspired oil on canvas piece which my father painted. His inspiration came from St. John 1-5 and the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. His painting which you cannot see well here, has very realistic hands as well! I’m curious. Your God given talent is grandly evident here! Congratulations again.

Sincerely,
Kenneth McGinnis

-- woodbutcher north carolina

Thank you woodbutcher.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/

That is an amazing carving. I am curious, did you carve all that “wood grain” on the cross surface also?

-- Ed

Thank you RedShirt013, and yes everything was carved by hand.

-- http://www.kennethbirdine.com/