tonight was awesome.

I'm still basking in the glow of being totally used by God. Talk about 'clay'. Wow. I'm so excited for how youth service went tonight. Our students were totally tracking and God filled in all the gaps in my outline just so. It was a ton of fun. Worship was really phenomenal too! Rob just addes 3 girls to the team and tonight they really got it. Rob and I just nicknamed them the "Rob-ettes", it really added a lot of dynamic to worship.

I could not locate a potters wheel. sadly. But I did drag a 25 lb brick of potters clay to a table in front, lit from above. Had chunks divided and packaged with the verse as an object lesson. Worked with the clay in my hands as I spoke. It was so fun. I may not be able to sleep tonight from the left over buzz. :) So here it is.



More Than Mud

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

We can learn some things from this verse:

1.) God is our Creator. (the Potter is a creator)
a. Our Creator, literally.
i. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
ii. God formed us from the dust of the ground, but you are more than mud! You are clay.

2.) He is your Daddy. God is more than just our biological father, more than only present at conception.
a. Looking out for your best interests.
b. Correcting you when you are wrong.
c. Teaching you the ways of life.
d. Providing for your physical needs.
e. Loving you (far more perfectly than any earthly father could)

3.) He is the Potter.
a. He has a master plan in mind.
b. He’s creating us for an intended purpose.
c. He has the tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to bring about the desired result.

4.) We are the clay.
a. I did some pottery in high school and recall a few interesting things about clay.
i. It’s very temperamental. Requires a specific moisture level in order to be malleable.
2.) Too wet, and it will fold in the process.
3.) Too dry and it will crumble.
4.) Same with you and me.
a. Too much of the world in us, we crack and fall.
b. Too separated from the world and we lose our effectiveness and fold into ourselves, useless to God’s plan for our lives.
ii. Clay is never unsalvageable.
2.) Too wet, give it some air and let it dry.
3.) Too dry, add water.
4.) Needs to be wedged to avoid air bubbles.
5.) Even when you heat the clay in the oven and bake it, harden it, it’s still capable of being ground down into dust and re-wet. Clay again.
6.) Time, moisture, and the Potter’s touch restore clay to the original intention.
7.) You and I are the same. We are never beyond the Master’s use for us.
iii. Clay is malleable.
2.) Outside forces have great impact on a piece of clay. It is easily conformed by circumstance.
3.) Our lives were meant to be shaped by God, but often times run into other damaging circumstances, making us less effective for God’s purposes.
iv. Clay does not get to determine it’s final purpose.
2.) God determines our purpose. We don’t get an opinion about the final product of our life. When we take our purpose into our own hands, it gets messy and falls apart.
v. The process of being shaped is difficult.
2.) Sometimes even painful. Think about the wedging process. Clay has to be wedged to avoid being shattered in the final process.
3.) Worth the effort. It’s the only way clay will ever be anything more than a lump of wet dirt.










5.) Altar Call
a. Outside forces shaping your life other than God?
i. Give yourself back to Him. Visualize placing your clay in His hands.
b. Selfish pride making you too brittle for God to use you?
i. Spend time talking to Him, soaking up His presence, allow yourself to be softened to Him.
c. Taking your purpose into your own hands rather than consulting the creator?
i. Revisit His purposes for your life. Think about His will, rather than yours. His ways are higher than our ways.
ii. Maybe you are just now realizing that you are clay? You are nothing on your own. You need a saving touch to make your life meaningful.


(I expounded a lot from these points, added some illustrations and some humor, but mostly God just filled in all the cracks)