One of my favorite art classes that I took in college was in ceramics. I guess the main reason was the chance to learn how to mold clay into a piece of art. There was always a fascination at a young age with being able to make a recognizable object out of a lump of clay.....mainly play-doh. But, here was a chance to learn how to mold clay......real clay. I would even get a chance to "throw" a pot on a wheel. (That's just some artist lingo to make you think I knew what I was doing) It was thrill for me to sit at the wheel with a lump of clay in the center and using a combination of force and control to begin the process of creating a pot/vase. Whether it would have any real use would be revealed after it was fired and glazed.
I always think about that ceramics class and "throwing" pots when I read in the scriptures how we are described as clay in the hands of the potter. And, I can see how we are that lump of clay until God takes us and places us on His wheel to mold us and shape us into what He wants us to be. Just like an artist, He has a plan on what He needs to do to make us useful for Him. I know it seems like it is all up to God how this all will turn out, and in the area of art, the clay is pretty much totally controlled by the potter. Once it is on the wheel, it stays there till the potter is finished. This is where the difference is.
It takes quite a bit of force for the potter to turn a lump of clay into a piece of art. Sometimes, it takes a lot of force for God to turn us into His piece of art. The difference in us and the clay is that, when we feel like it is too much force; too hard on us; too difficult for us; too painful to bear....we choose to get off of the wheel.
Oh....for the strength to stay on the wheel and allow the Creator to finish what He has started in us; to feel His hands as they shape and mold us from the inside out; to feel His force on our lives as He lifts us higher and higher...... making us His work of art.
People will be able to look at us and know that we are His because we were willing to stay on the wheel.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
others
I was reading in a book by Eric Rees the other night, and he was commenting on the Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10. I've heard about this man in messages, studied about him in Sunday School lessons, and I have even taught about him to youth at a summer camp. And, you know how, even if you are familiar with a story in the Bible, and you think you have heard every angle that could be presented on the topic......there always seems to be a new view point. That was the case in my reading.
The Good Samaritan is all about being a servant; simple as that. We are called to be servants as we follow Christ. He is our example of how we are to live our lives. I guess I just didn't consider the importance of our mind when it comes to being a servant. Most of the time...we focus on our heart and we want to have a servant's heart to help us be a servant. But, our mind? Eric Rees says that he has heard it said, "The body never goes where the mind has never been." He goes on to say that if our mind is set on serving others, then that is how we will respond to others. We need to be aware of how we can serve at all times. Serving others must be in our mind at all times.
I have come to the realization that for "serving others" to always be on our mind, then it needs to have a place of importance in our mind. If serving is something that we just think about from time to time, maybe when prompted by a message at church, or a commercial on TV, then it is not important to us. How important is serving to us? .......to me? Are we ever saddened when we can't serve someone, or miss an opportunity to serve somebody in need? Or, do we look for a reason not to serve? Does our mind start to calculate how much time this will require, or how much it my cost us?
And when that happens, we will realize what is important in our minds......our self. We become more concerned about "our" time and "our" resources (money). Where do the "others" fit into our mind? The "others" need a place of importance, and that place can only be seen as important if we have the mind of Christ; who said that He "did not come to be served, but to serve." The "others" were always on His mind. He gave His life for the "others".
That makes us all................."others".
The Good Samaritan is all about being a servant; simple as that. We are called to be servants as we follow Christ. He is our example of how we are to live our lives. I guess I just didn't consider the importance of our mind when it comes to being a servant. Most of the time...we focus on our heart and we want to have a servant's heart to help us be a servant. But, our mind? Eric Rees says that he has heard it said, "The body never goes where the mind has never been." He goes on to say that if our mind is set on serving others, then that is how we will respond to others. We need to be aware of how we can serve at all times. Serving others must be in our mind at all times.
I have come to the realization that for "serving others" to always be on our mind, then it needs to have a place of importance in our mind. If serving is something that we just think about from time to time, maybe when prompted by a message at church, or a commercial on TV, then it is not important to us. How important is serving to us? .......to me? Are we ever saddened when we can't serve someone, or miss an opportunity to serve somebody in need? Or, do we look for a reason not to serve? Does our mind start to calculate how much time this will require, or how much it my cost us?
And when that happens, we will realize what is important in our minds......our self. We become more concerned about "our" time and "our" resources (money). Where do the "others" fit into our mind? The "others" need a place of importance, and that place can only be seen as important if we have the mind of Christ; who said that He "did not come to be served, but to serve." The "others" were always on His mind. He gave His life for the "others".
That makes us all................."others".
Monday, July 20, 2009
be God's
Several years ago I bought a black t-shirt with two simple words written in white across the front of the shirt. The two words said……”be God’s”. I purchased the shirt for different reasons, but mostly because it looked cool. And, it would make people take a second look at what it said. Over the years I haven’t thought too much about the shirt. I still will get it out and wear it from time to time. But, recently (as in yesterday) this simple phrase has resurfaced in my mind; not because it is cool, but because it tells us all something we need to remember and know.
I was reading in Ephesians the other day and I came across this passage in 2:8-10. As I read Ephesians 2:8-10, I saw a short phrase that defined the entire passage for me. That phrase is “For we are God’s”. This passage means that we have always been His. He has had a plan for us from the very beginning of time. His plan was to first, save us; and to save us by His grace …His Son …His sacrifice …His plan. This would have nothing to do with our abilities or skills, because if it had, we would brag about it. Pride would cause us to make something of ourselves, and not who God created us to be; His. This grace, this love that Christ has for us, was given freely; it is a gift. What allows us to receive this free gift is our faith; our faith that Christ has shown His grace to save us because we are God’s. We belong to Him and have always belonged to Him.
God has placed great value on us by saying that we are His workmanship, handiwork; masterpiece. He has created us to pattern the life of His Son. He has been preparing for us to do for others what His Son also did; to show grace, love, and mercy to everyone we meet and to tell them about our God who loves us so much. What better to know than the realization that God has always considered us valuable to Him; so valuable that He bought us with the sacrifice of His Son? He has prepared us by giving us the examples set by His Son to help us live for Him. And, we can do all that He has planned for us to do, “for we are God’s”.
So, as we walk out of the comforts of feeling safe and secure inside the church walls, and venture into the world that God has prepared us for; remember, that in all of our circumstances, whether good or bad, God is in control. He values us. He has plans for us. We are His own; sons and daughters. I believe that it is time we acted like His children. All we need to do is....
……be God’s.
I was reading in Ephesians the other day and I came across this passage in 2:8-10. As I read Ephesians 2:8-10, I saw a short phrase that defined the entire passage for me. That phrase is “For we are God’s”. This passage means that we have always been His. He has had a plan for us from the very beginning of time. His plan was to first, save us; and to save us by His grace …His Son …His sacrifice …His plan. This would have nothing to do with our abilities or skills, because if it had, we would brag about it. Pride would cause us to make something of ourselves, and not who God created us to be; His. This grace, this love that Christ has for us, was given freely; it is a gift. What allows us to receive this free gift is our faith; our faith that Christ has shown His grace to save us because we are God’s. We belong to Him and have always belonged to Him.
God has placed great value on us by saying that we are His workmanship, handiwork; masterpiece. He has created us to pattern the life of His Son. He has been preparing for us to do for others what His Son also did; to show grace, love, and mercy to everyone we meet and to tell them about our God who loves us so much. What better to know than the realization that God has always considered us valuable to Him; so valuable that He bought us with the sacrifice of His Son? He has prepared us by giving us the examples set by His Son to help us live for Him. And, we can do all that He has planned for us to do, “for we are God’s”.
So, as we walk out of the comforts of feeling safe and secure inside the church walls, and venture into the world that God has prepared us for; remember, that in all of our circumstances, whether good or bad, God is in control. He values us. He has plans for us. We are His own; sons and daughters. I believe that it is time we acted like His children. All we need to do is....
……be God’s.
Monday, July 13, 2009
wash her feet
Are you familiar with the account in the scriptures where Jesus begins washing the feet of the disciples? Peter is appalled that Jesus would stoop to such a lowly position and he refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet, until Jesus explains to him that unless he lets Jesus wash his feet, then he can have no part in following Jesus.
I've heard a lot of messages over the years on this event in the life of Jesus and his disciples. But, I would have to say that the one speaker that brought this into reality for me was Rev. Larry Jackson. You may not know that name, and neither did I until he spoke at a Promise Keeper's event in Knoxville, TN several years ago. What I learned that afternoon, along with 40,000 other men was, that to wash someone's feet.....you needed a servant heart much like the heat of Jesus. And as a husband, that servant heart would cause you to out serve your wife. Rev. Jackson challenged every man in attendance to ask God for His servant heart; to return home as a new man, and to out serve his wife. The first step would be to wash her feet.
I had made the trip to TN with several men from church, and we had a good time going and coming back from there, but you could sense that each one of us was anxious about what was going to happen when we got home. We had been instructed by Rev. Jackson not to tell our wives what we were doing. But, to sit her in a nice chair...... get a bowl of water and a towel.... then return and wash her feet. Only after washing her feet could we explain what we had done, and why.
The closer I got to the house, the more anxious I became. Could I do this? Would Karen understand? Will this really make me the man I need to be in her life and in the life of my kids? I had it all planned out. I walked her toward the living room to sit her in a nice chair, but she stopped me. She told me that she had listened to the entire event on the radio while I was away. Then she told me the most humbling thing that I have ever heard.
I didn't need to wash her feet............again.
I've heard a lot of messages over the years on this event in the life of Jesus and his disciples. But, I would have to say that the one speaker that brought this into reality for me was Rev. Larry Jackson. You may not know that name, and neither did I until he spoke at a Promise Keeper's event in Knoxville, TN several years ago. What I learned that afternoon, along with 40,000 other men was, that to wash someone's feet.....you needed a servant heart much like the heat of Jesus. And as a husband, that servant heart would cause you to out serve your wife. Rev. Jackson challenged every man in attendance to ask God for His servant heart; to return home as a new man, and to out serve his wife. The first step would be to wash her feet.
I had made the trip to TN with several men from church, and we had a good time going and coming back from there, but you could sense that each one of us was anxious about what was going to happen when we got home. We had been instructed by Rev. Jackson not to tell our wives what we were doing. But, to sit her in a nice chair...... get a bowl of water and a towel.... then return and wash her feet. Only after washing her feet could we explain what we had done, and why.
The closer I got to the house, the more anxious I became. Could I do this? Would Karen understand? Will this really make me the man I need to be in her life and in the life of my kids? I had it all planned out. I walked her toward the living room to sit her in a nice chair, but she stopped me. She told me that she had listened to the entire event on the radio while I was away. Then she told me the most humbling thing that I have ever heard.
I didn't need to wash her feet............again.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
"connect the dots"
Do you remember "connect the dots"? I use to love playing that game in puzzle books. You would look at all these dots on the page and just know that if you connect them all in the right order, you have a finished picture. But, not until they are all connected.
I believe that in our churches we are challenged to connect the dots when we serve in a ministry. We look at what we feel God is leading us to do, but we can't fully make out what will be the end result. We ask ourselves over and over if what we decide to do will make any difference in any one's life. Then, we begin the journey. We usually start with some simple pictures that aren't too hard to figure out, and once we get comfortable with those, we step up to the more challenging "connect the dot" pictures. These take a little more time to finish....with a little more concentration.
We have all been called into a ministry of service for the Lord, and we are all at different levels of competence when it comes to connecting the dots. The more we try to follow the example of Jesus and His ministry of serving, the more the ministry requires of us. We are asked to turn the page to the hard picture puzzles; to step out of our comfort zones and step into a ministry that requires a servant-heart ability to connect the dots. When we do this we will see that we are being challenged to step outside the ordinary and seek to do the extra-ordinary that will require much of us.
Those dots will take us to the hurting, the lost, and the dying with a servant-heart filled with compassion and love to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and love the overlooked. We will begin to see a completed picture of what the church is suppose to be; a reflection of Christ.
I believe that in our churches we are challenged to connect the dots when we serve in a ministry. We look at what we feel God is leading us to do, but we can't fully make out what will be the end result. We ask ourselves over and over if what we decide to do will make any difference in any one's life. Then, we begin the journey. We usually start with some simple pictures that aren't too hard to figure out, and once we get comfortable with those, we step up to the more challenging "connect the dot" pictures. These take a little more time to finish....with a little more concentration.
We have all been called into a ministry of service for the Lord, and we are all at different levels of competence when it comes to connecting the dots. The more we try to follow the example of Jesus and His ministry of serving, the more the ministry requires of us. We are asked to turn the page to the hard picture puzzles; to step out of our comfort zones and step into a ministry that requires a servant-heart ability to connect the dots. When we do this we will see that we are being challenged to step outside the ordinary and seek to do the extra-ordinary that will require much of us.
Those dots will take us to the hurting, the lost, and the dying with a servant-heart filled with compassion and love to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and love the overlooked. We will begin to see a completed picture of what the church is suppose to be; a reflection of Christ.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
in the garden
I was doing one of my class assignments last week. We had been asked to select a song from a song list and answer questions about different things written within the song. I already was picking out a certain song that I was wanting to use, but when I clicked on the song list that was provided........they were all hymns. I won't use the word "old" because I don't like to hear that word so much myself. There were seven hymns to choose from. They were "Holy, holy, holy"; "When I Survey"; "Be Thou My Vision"; "Whiter Than Snow"; "Throw Out The Lifeline"; "Bringing In The Sheaves"; "In The Garden". Not your CCLI Top 25, but that last one.... "In The Garden" has always had a special place in my heart.
Every time that I hear it sung, I can't help but think of my mother-in-law. She loved this song. If there was a Sunday night with a "Hymn sing", she would always request it. Why? I was never really sure, but I think her mother loved the song as well. If I had to guess, I'd say that maybe the imagery of spending time in the garden with Jesus is a lot like spending time in the garden with a dear friend. You would talk, laugh, share stories and remember whens. It may be hard for some people to understand how special that time in the garden really is.
Both of my grandfathers had gardens, and they worked in them all the time. Growing up, I looked forward to be out in the garden with them. (It was a good excuse for coming home covered in dirt) Those days of planting corn, peas, okra..... My favorite was planting potatoes. I mean, you had to get down on your hands and knees to do this. Papaw would drop the sliced up potato in the row, and my job was to make sure that was turned the right way. Not sure if it really mattered to the potato, but I got to get down on my hands and knees and just crawl along and cover the sliced potato with the dirt. Good stuff. We'd get through and sit under a shade tree and drink a Coke. He'd give me 25 cents, help brush most of the dirt off of my jeans, and I'd head home.....a farmer. I learned a lot from my Papaw in the garden. Hard work doesn't kill ya'. The job isn't done until you finish.
Sometimes the work in the garden took quite a while, and as I got older I didn't look forward to it as much. It wasn't smething that I wanted to do. Now, I hear this song.....
"And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known"
Looking back...I wish I had "tarried" a little longer in my time with my Papaw. When it comes to our time with Jesus........in our garden........ how long have we tarried there?
Every time that I hear it sung, I can't help but think of my mother-in-law. She loved this song. If there was a Sunday night with a "Hymn sing", she would always request it. Why? I was never really sure, but I think her mother loved the song as well. If I had to guess, I'd say that maybe the imagery of spending time in the garden with Jesus is a lot like spending time in the garden with a dear friend. You would talk, laugh, share stories and remember whens. It may be hard for some people to understand how special that time in the garden really is.
Both of my grandfathers had gardens, and they worked in them all the time. Growing up, I looked forward to be out in the garden with them. (It was a good excuse for coming home covered in dirt) Those days of planting corn, peas, okra..... My favorite was planting potatoes. I mean, you had to get down on your hands and knees to do this. Papaw would drop the sliced up potato in the row, and my job was to make sure that was turned the right way. Not sure if it really mattered to the potato, but I got to get down on my hands and knees and just crawl along and cover the sliced potato with the dirt. Good stuff. We'd get through and sit under a shade tree and drink a Coke. He'd give me 25 cents, help brush most of the dirt off of my jeans, and I'd head home.....a farmer. I learned a lot from my Papaw in the garden. Hard work doesn't kill ya'. The job isn't done until you finish.
Sometimes the work in the garden took quite a while, and as I got older I didn't look forward to it as much. It wasn't smething that I wanted to do. Now, I hear this song.....
"And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known"
Looking back...I wish I had "tarried" a little longer in my time with my Papaw. When it comes to our time with Jesus........in our garden........ how long have we tarried there?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
soaked
Last week I went to Niagara Falls with Karen. We went to the Canadian side. Okay, there were 22 other people with us on this trip. But still.....to me, it was a trip to Niagara Falls with Karen.
I had heard people talk about going to Niagara Falls, and I had seen countless pictures, but I was overwhelmed by the shear power of seeing the Falls and listening to the majestic roar. This was incredible! Karen and I would just stand there and look at the Falls. Of course, we took pictures and videotaped the whole thing, but just to stand there and look and listen...we never tired of doing that. We spent a lot of time at the Falls. We went down an elevator and walked out on a platform at the base of the Falls. The sound was deafening and exciting. We even went down through some tunnels to get in behind the falls. You could get within feet of the rushing wall of water. As crazy as it may sound, we got on a boat (The Maid of the Mist) and rode it right up to the Falls. You couldn't hear the sound of the boat's engines.....just the roar of the Falls. The force of the water crashing down from about 200 feet made for a very bumpy ride. And yes, we were soaked. This was an amazing adventure. Would I go back? Oh, yes.
I happened to be thinking about that trip this evening and I was remembering how awestruck I was at the sight and sound of the Falls, and I couldn't help but wonder if I would react the same way in God's presence. Would I make an extra effort to get even closer to Him? Would I find a way to try and reach out to feel Him? Would the force and power of His majesty keep me back, or would I surge through the turbulent waters to get as close as I could, to be soaked by His love for me?
Everyday, we are given another opportunity to draw closer to God; another chance to reach out and take hold of His hand as He guides us through life; another chance to know His love when everything is crashing down around us. Do we just look at pictures, or listen to others talk about God? Or, do we make the effort to get to where we can feel His majesty and be soaked by His love for us?
I had heard people talk about going to Niagara Falls, and I had seen countless pictures, but I was overwhelmed by the shear power of seeing the Falls and listening to the majestic roar. This was incredible! Karen and I would just stand there and look at the Falls. Of course, we took pictures and videotaped the whole thing, but just to stand there and look and listen...we never tired of doing that. We spent a lot of time at the Falls. We went down an elevator and walked out on a platform at the base of the Falls. The sound was deafening and exciting. We even went down through some tunnels to get in behind the falls. You could get within feet of the rushing wall of water. As crazy as it may sound, we got on a boat (The Maid of the Mist) and rode it right up to the Falls. You couldn't hear the sound of the boat's engines.....just the roar of the Falls. The force of the water crashing down from about 200 feet made for a very bumpy ride. And yes, we were soaked. This was an amazing adventure. Would I go back? Oh, yes.
I happened to be thinking about that trip this evening and I was remembering how awestruck I was at the sight and sound of the Falls, and I couldn't help but wonder if I would react the same way in God's presence. Would I make an extra effort to get even closer to Him? Would I find a way to try and reach out to feel Him? Would the force and power of His majesty keep me back, or would I surge through the turbulent waters to get as close as I could, to be soaked by His love for me?
Everyday, we are given another opportunity to draw closer to God; another chance to reach out and take hold of His hand as He guides us through life; another chance to know His love when everything is crashing down around us. Do we just look at pictures, or listen to others talk about God? Or, do we make the effort to get to where we can feel His majesty and be soaked by His love for us?
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