OMG! I interviewed Jesus and Mary for my podcast, Born in the USA: Unloving American Attitudes. They spoke for nearly 3 hours about the emotional injuries and positive character traits common to Americans. They also emphasized how other Western countries possess many of the same issues as the US and are following in its footsteps. Plus, pilgrims, the Founding Fathers and much more!
I started Carpentry school in Australia in January 2024. It’s been a wild ride.
Carpentry has brought up some issues I was mildly aware of, but didn’t realise were so bothersome. Some of those feelings are:
-Ashamed of Being a Woman: Feeling inferior to men generally, noted especially in regards to physical strength. (Not sure if this true at this stage) -Most Men Think I’m Trash: Believing that most men feel women are inferior and definitely don’t belong on a building site, or even in carpentry school. (Not sure if this true at this stage) -Wanting Men’s approval through my work: Wanting to prove that even though I am a woman, and therefore inferior, I will work really, really hard for men to make up for my gender. (“I’m not so bad….for a woman”)
Year One
The first year of school was a mix of me being super pissed about having to feel the above feelings, fearing power tools, and wondering if I was an idiot for even trying to be a female carpenter. What was I thinking?
I shot myself with a framing gun (don’t worry, it wasn’t deep), angry cried in the campus bathroom several times, and generally felt frustrated. Those times I did have bathroom tantrums were a good choice. When I didn’t do that, and instead seethed in class, it must have been very unpleasant for my teacher and classmates.
The framing gun and I are on friendlier terms these days.
During that first year, I also had a placement (internship) with God’s Way (GW), Divine Truth’s (DT) non-profit arm, designed to put DT teachings into practice. GW provided an environment where I could talk openly about these feelings with my supervisors, which was really comforting. I felt safe there. I had tantrums there as well, but in the bush instead of a bathroom. My supervisor was mainly Corny, who was generous with his knowledge of building/carpentry, as well as spiritual matters.
On the Drill Press during my Placement for God’s Way!
Year Two
In early 2025, I started my 2nd year of carpentry and got a job with a local builder. I was no longer in the comfy bubble of GW. Right from the start at my new job, I got my ass kicked physically. I questioned if I had “what it took” to be in the building industry. However, I also felt more at ease due to the fact that with a year of experience under my belt, I was much less afraid of power tools and much more confident in my abilities. I started to see that I liked building. It’s honest work that provides an essential gift to people: a place to live! My boss was very experienced and knowledgeable and gave me lots of feedback, some of which echoed Corny’s.
Around the same time, I attended one of Jesus and Mary’s (Main teachers of Divine Truth) talks in Murgon, QLD. It was all about God, and putting him/her first in our lives. Jesus gave the attendees homework:
List the feelings about God: What does God think of me and what do I think of God?
Ask ourselves: how much do I want to feel the above feelings?
Pray for the truth of what God’s feelings are and what God’s true personality really is.
I really hated this homework. Here were my initial answers:
God is a bossy, distant man who doesn’t think much of me outside of wanting my adoration.
I don’t want to feel these feelings at all.
Ok, I’ll pray, but I don’t have high expectations
I did the homework, and it sucked, meaning it was very painful. I did end up feeling a little, which surprised me considering my answer to #2. But I realised that the way I feel men perceive me, especially in a male dominated environment like a carpentry school or a job, closely resembles how I think God feels about me. So, my attraction to the carpentry trade is a perfect opportunity for me to sort out my issues with God. And it may seem obvious, but I realised that most of these feelings stem from my relationship with my Dad.
When I shared what I felt when doing my homework at another GW event, I found a lot of women related to what I said. My hope that in being transparent in my journey as a woman in a male-dominated industry, it may help other women and men in their own journeys with gender stuff.
Posing with the first Sawhorse I made at school.
From what I’ve heard, God doesn’t feel women are inferior to men nor does he feel that only men can be good carpenters. At this point, I don’t feel that is true. But I am growing faith that if I’m brave enough to keep going on this path, and even more importantly, feel whatever arises as I do so, I will have a chance to get to know how God really feels and what God is really like. As in, maybe God isn’t a bossy, distant egotistical man I’m desperate to get approval from. Maybe God loves me, not in spite of being a woman, but because he created me to be a woman and is happy and proud of that creation. Seeing God in this new way seems very far off to me at this point, but we shall see how I go.
PS: Jesus has recommended this Padgett message about the differences between the genders that I found helpful. I fell asleep the first time I read it, and I find it very confronting. So definitely worth a read!
My intention is to share what I’ve learned (mostly intellectually) from Divine Truth along with my experience growing up in the US. I hope to shine a light on my country’s biggest unloving issues as I attempt to deal with them myself. The first episode is about entitlement.
