Writing is not life, but I think that sometimes it can be a way back to life (Stephen King)

Ceramics Pt. 4 - Shaping

At first thought, maybe ceramics seems like an art that requires just your arms. However, that is truly not the case. The pedal, directed by your foot, controls the speed of the wheel. 

[There is such a thing as a kick wheel, which requires even more movement of the foot to literally get the wheel to spin. I work on an electric wheel.]

Sometimes, I find myself completely focused on my hands, that I forget that the speed of the wheel affects how my hands are touching the clay. If you are pulling and the wheel is turning too slowly, the piece is bound to be off center. If you are shaping and the wheel is turning too fast, you might put an unfixable dent in your clay. The speed matters!

Well, I find that this dandy little lesson translates directly into my life. I have two speeds: turbo & dead. I like to go FAST. I like to go, go, go & get it all done. Then there are times where I don't get out of bed for like a week. I am very much an extremist. As I seek to find more balance in my life, two dear friends of mine (mind you, they don't know each other & talked to me on separate occasions) gave me Tortoise & the Hare advice: 

slow & steady wins the race. 

I get very impatient when it comes to things that I would rather just get done. I get overwhelmed easily by a long to-do list, but I am finding that sometimes there are things that require you to sit and wait. You have to let the process happen. I deposited my check, so I want it to automatically usable money to pay my tuition bill, so I can then start moving in my things to my apartment. UM, hello. These things take 3-5 business days. Patience. Slow & steady. What is God thinking about all of this?

I hope He admires my passion - my passion to do things well and to give all of my heart into anything that I do. However, God is THE perfect example of patience. God is love & love is patient. ¿HELP?

Knowing that patience is quite the noble trait, I often get very discouraged that I have like..... none. But this morning as I looked through the Bible to stories & verses that point to patience, I began to realize that I am not alone. The Bible is filled, and I mean filled, with accounts of people who wanted things to be on their own time. They wanted to hurry up & get things done. They wanted to see the work of their own hands & feel like progress was made. Well, that's exactly me. 

Habakkuk 2:3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

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Jeremiah 18:2-4

 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

As I am just a practicing away, I face the mountain of steps that it takes to complete a product of ceramics from start to finish. Each little part, so crucial to the end product. I am afraid. One hiccup (literally or figuratively... HA!) has potential to ruin a piece -- if you're being small-minded, that is. Ruin it or create it? Some of my most treasured pieces have come from me sitting down - thinking I knew what I wanted to make - and then being flexible when things didn't quite go as planned. A mug with a top too thin... turned into a vase with a beautiful detailed top. A bowl that was too thin in the middle fell apart, and now I have a really nice place to put my rings in a smaller dish that is wavy & aesthetically pleasing. 

As I think about my own life, I relate to the clay. The failed project clay. I think my perspective comes from previous pain. I really would not be who I am or how I am without going through the "WOOPS" moments that can oftentimes create such a beautiful piece of pottery. If you're going through a WOOPS, if you're suffering the consequences of a WOOPS, my friend, there is hope beyond comprehension for you. Perspective takes time. Don't lose heart, because our God is a redeemer. 

Isaiah 47:4

Our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

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{getting rid of the excess}

James 1:21 "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."

I have spent the last few days moving into my apartment for my junior year of college. This is the first year I have not lived in the dorms, which is quite an exciting change for an INTJ like me!!! I was not cut out for dormitory living.

One of my real anxieties about moving everything I've ever owned to a small, shared apartment was AM I BRINGING TOO MUCH STUFF? I really had to cut back and reevaluate how I am living. 6 bags and counting, headed to be donated & recycled, I am left in awe. I do not feel emptier. I do not feel poorer. I do not feel like I am missing something. 

Because it was a hard lesson to learn as I carried in boxes upon boxes upon boxes out to my car and then out of my car all by myself. I literally felt the weight of owning & hoarding as much stuff as I do. So, what are the necessities?

Well, hygiene things, a fantastic closet of shoes, some teacher sweaters................

but before all of that.....

Jesus, give me Jesus.

Not that having all these things is necessarily wrong (a creative type like myself might never know when you are going to need those pair of ripped jeans to upcycle into something fabulous), but if I don't want to fall into the trap of being dependent on these things. 

Jesus, give me Jesus.

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 {perspective}

What I love about this picture is that it gives me the bigger picture. I want to know that what I'm doing now will be worth it later. Pictured, there are three finished pieces, one in my hands, and a piece that refused to stick to the wheel, so I had to set it aside for a while. And so it is. There are different stages and processes in life. Currently, I am working to become a teacher. I just entered my junior year. I feel so close, and yet, so far away from being in my own classroom. I want to know that all the late nights of lesson plans I put in now will pay off later. The answer might be simple to a well-rested, clear-minded professor. To me, the weary college student? IS IT WORTH IT? Yes. 

I am certainly not a finished piece, and I think I am being pulled and stretched to reach my own capacity. At some point, I may wear thin and break, but then - even then - there is hope of redemption. I can be remolded, reworked, reshaped into the teacher I am called to be. Maybe we are all just at different parts of our processes. If ceramics does one thing, it helps me appreciate the process -- the slow, arduous task of reaching your full potential. I am clay in God's hands. And if I go through the fire and things don't go exactly right? There is 

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1 Thessalonians 4:11 -  and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,

Ceramics Pt. 3 - Tools

As much as I like to just use my hands to shape the clay, I have been learning to use tools more and more. They are there to help! There's a pointy piece to trim some heaviness off of the bottom. There are tools for texture and tools to score the clay. There are sponges to clean it up and smoothing tools to rid your piece of fingerprints. Tools are helpful, and I just forget to use them. Now, when I set up my wheel, I put them right in front of my face so I don't forget. Sometimes, the tool is the trick for the piece that is good but not great. Lesson here? I don't know? Look up! 

There is obviously many tools in this basket, but the camera is focusing on the tool that is used to scratch the clay to score it. There is a process called "slipping and scoring" which allows a potter to join two pieces of clay together. First, you have to score the clay. Scoring the clay means to scratch some Xs on the surface area where the two pieces of clay will conjoin. This allows for grooves to be filled with slip (which is watered down clay that acts as glue). Then, you can smooth the two pieces to look like one. Two become one..... a Boys Like Girls song. Also, in the Bible. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

9 Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Now, I don't have a boyfriend, and I'm not married. I don't even have any prospects at this point. I have my wedding dream book, and I have friends who are getting married. I have friends who have recently gotten married. It's there. I'm 20, and it's a prevalent thing. I am thinking about it, dreaming about it, and praying about it. There have been days that I wonder if I'll always be a lone wanderer, yes. But, I think I will come to find someone who I want to share my life with and invite that. So, maybe not a lesson right here and right now, but it's in there. There'll be a day when slipping and scoring will speak to my little heart that's in love. If God uses ceramics to speak to me even then, may I have open ears and and open heart to listen and obey. 

Ephesians 5:31 - "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."

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As you can see, having a towel on my leg is necessary for me as I throw. Mark (of whom I am an "apprentice") says it's because I use too much water. He is constantly nagging me about my overuse of water, which is breaking down my clay. To that, I say "PSHH!" However, these pictures were taken in the same day, which means I went through at least two towels. Woops!

This part gets forgotten sometimes. I throw the towels in the basket, and when I come back, they are clean, washed, and folded. They are ready to be used again. But there is a process that is going on behind the scenes. I don't see it, but I witness its effects. I notice it. 

Same goes for our hearts, I suppose. When Jesus captivates and cleanses us, we aren't the same. We are washed white. We are new. We are redeemed from our mess, and we can still be used. 

Some days I'm the clay.... Some days I'm the towel. 

2 Peter 3:14 - So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

This tool is simply a piece of wire with handles. It is used to cut a piece of clay off the lump, and to cut the finished piece off the wheel. It is crucial at the beginning and end of the process. 

In the beginning, the wire helps separate the clay to be thrown from the rest of the block of clay. 

6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

(Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

I am no Bible expert. Let's make that clear. I (think I) know that this is about the Israelites, God's chosen people. They weren't chosen, because of anything they did. They were chosen, because they were loved. Same goes for me/us. As redeemed children of God, we are set apart. We are a treasured possession. 

(once chosen, then wedged, stuck, centered, opened, shaped, and cleaned up..... then it's time to take it off the wheel to dry out.)

When you are ready to take a piece off the wheel, you turn off the wheel, so that you don't bump the pedal and off-center your piece. Then you wet your hands, so they don't stick to the clay and pull on it too much. You slide the wire as flat to the bat as possible, and then your gently glide your piece to the edge of the bat. You quickly jump it to a drying rack! It's a frightening process (more on that later)...

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

(Romans 12:2)

The tool here? It is again setting the clay apart. It has been redeemed and transformed. It is not like the rest of the lump anymore. Now, it is ready to be dried and tested in the fires of the kiln. Come what may. 

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This tool is a pliers with a piece of wire clamped on the end. It cuts a nice handle out of the block of clay. This tool is fun to use, because it's a shortcut. Mark (my "not a teacher" teacher) designed it. Now that I don't have to rely on pulling a handle, I can spend more emphasis and time on other parts of my pieces. 

Here's the thing. Get creative! Our great God has equipped us with able-minds to think, create, advance, work, and succeed. 

I made a comment to Mark once, that humans like to create, because we were made in the image of our Creator. This turned out to be a wonderful conversation. Not an argument. Not a sugarcoating. A wonderful pull and tug of the big questions of life.
"Who is God?"
"Are we all gods?"
"I just want peace and love."
All of these things played a part in that conversation.

Genesis 1:27 "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

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Here is a part of the process that is minor but important. When I go home for the day, I wrap up my clay. I want it to stay wet, moldable, and usable for the next time I sit down at the wheel or the table. I have to make sure I plastic wrap it well and then put it in my air-tight container, so that it will remain soft in the hands of the potter.

John 15:4 - Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

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This tool is simply a sponge tied to the end of a stick. You can't have water sitting in the bottom of your piece while it dries, because it will create a crack in the bottom - making it useful for only holding pencils. 

This tool always, always, always reminds me of Jesus and his bitter suffering for me on the cross. What he went through - for me. 

 

John 19:29 - A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.

Ceramics Pt. 2 - Centering and Opening

Plop down and enjoy! 

Centering....This used to be a very challenging part of the process for me. (If you're thinking.... right at the beginning?!?! You're thinking right.) The issue is that if this part is wrong, the rest of the piece will be difficult to work with. You have to speed up the wheel, keep the clay wet so your hands don't stick to it, keep your elbows on your knees, and push the clay to the center of the wheel. (Side note: I was at the studio this morning and while typing this very post, I can feel the soreness in my arms start to set in....). It can happen very fast, and sometimes it takes minutes of struggle....... but there's this glorious moment, when your hands stop moving and the clay is perfectly spinning inside of them. It's centered. You're ready. You have to very carefully take your hands off the clay at this point, trying to remove them evenly. The slightest movement can throw your clay off-center. 

Psalm 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

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Opening. Also, a very particular part of the piece. You have to steady yourself. I think I forget to breathe when I open my clay!! It's a quick motion. This is the step I usually throw off the balance of my piece. I will go too fast or neglect water, so then the cylinder looks like it's doing a hula dance. Not good, people. So here's what I've learned: 

Matthew 15:18: "But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them."

Love your piece! (See the heart my hands make?) Same as we walk with God. I get myself all centered and straightened out and doing all of the godly things, and I open my mouth and the real me comes out. I only look good from the outside. I need to envelop myself with the love of God, because until that is my identity, I will continue to fall again and again (and again). I am foremost, God's child, loved and adored. The only way I will be able to be spreading love is if I'm so filled up by God's love, I overflow. "...my cup overflows." -Psalm 23:5 You can't produce it within yourself. You can't make it up. You just bubble! 

1 John 4:19 says, "We love because he first loved us."

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PULLING! This is my favorite part!!! 

I distinctly remember my high school art teacher complimenting the way in which I was catching on and really pulling (literally, ha!) off a piece all by myself! Sincere words of encouragement from her lips were not rattled off without emotion. She is the kind of person who says what she means. I like that about her. So when she said, "You're becoming a real professional. Next time you'll have to do the class demonstration." I was bursting with satisfaction.

 

Psalm 40:2 - He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

    out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

    and gave me a firm place to stand.

He lifted (pulled) me out of the slimy pile of clay! It's like the clay has no idea what's in store for it. Wedging, yes. Sticking, centering, and opening, okay. But pulling. This is the repeated motion of lifting the bottom to the top. Clay pieces tend to be heavy, but have the potential to be light if you pull well. Beginners (aka me) have pieces that are very bulky on the bottom. That needs to be pulled!

This. This is where I am today. I am being pulled. I been reworked and re-centered a few times around..... and here, I stand. Out of the pit. On Christ's firm foundation. 

What are the next steps for me, oh Potter?

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Trimming the top is an overlooked, yet important step. 

If your top is wobbly or off-center and you continue to pull, you will keep pulling into the off-center position. Trim that piece that's wrecking the rest of your perfectly good piece and .... waaaalllaa! 

 Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

This is funny, because eventually the pot will go through a firing in the kiln. Jokes!

Okay, but really. As an older sister, I do think about the impact I make. Is it things I do that really influence the many young ones that look up to me?  What about my peers? What about - yes - people that are older than me? 

I DO worry about these things! I've felt and others have witnessed the transformation of my heart. But what about people I don't know so well? What about strangers? What about my parents? How do I get them to see the evidence? See that the overwhelming, pursuant love of God has captured my heart. See that I run to Him for my identity now, not to things of the past. See that I want to be better. See that I want to learn more about my relentless Savior, and that I want to be more like Him. See that in my weakness, I am strong. See that in my failure, I lean on Him who is perfect. 

How do I live a life like that????????????

Patience. This week, God has whispered the word "patience" to my heart. I have none, basically. I am going to learn. I know it. Here's the process. I will be pulled, shaped, fired, and reworked (if necessary). This is a season of patience. And I must learn. 

I am ready. I'm nervous. I am fragile. But, as I slowly pull the clay from the bottom to the top, I have to let the clay smooth in my hands, 2, 3, maybe 4 times before I move up. It's a slow process. Patience in this step pays off. It's vital. 

Romans 12:12, "....be patient in tribulation..."

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Isaiah 45:5 speaks here, "I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no GOd. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,"

So the piece is centered and opened and I was pulling. It began to wobble. My strong, sturdy hands (for the sake of the comparison....) hold the walls upright. I bring back balance and order. The vase doesn't know it, but I just saved it from toppling over! 

Isaiah 45:9 says, "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does you work say, 'He has no hands'?"

I'm in the midst. I have a curvy spine and a chemical imbalance. I have eating issues and eyes that can't see. I just want to throw my hands in the air, and say, "God, why did you make me this way?!" I do. I really do. But I am the clay, and HE is the Potter. Though on Saturdays in the studio, I am the potter. In life, I am the clay. So, what do I do with a piece that is frustrating? I keep working on it. I don't give up. I pursue its potential, because I know the beautiful pottery that can come of even an off-center piece. I work at it. And so it is with me. 

God pursues me. He won't give up. I'm gonna be a beautiful vessel (of His love). His mighty hands are holding my life together. His hands are holding me. He loves me - how I am. He sees the potential in me. He wants to soften my heart and mold me into a light for Him in the darkness of the world. 

These things are true for me, and they are true for you. 

He's relentless. 

The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8)

 It wasn't something you did. It's what he did. God made a promise and kept it. He said He would do it and He did it! We are not Israel, but we are bought with a price. God does the same for us. With His mighty hand, He redeems us. Why?

 He does it, because He loves us. 

That's all there is to it. It's a mystery to me, why a perfect God would love a broken, wayward sinner like me. But it's a beautiful mystery. Maybe I don't need to understand every angle of His love. I need to receive it. I need to receive it, fill up, bubble over, and share it. That's how it goes. 

He's creating me to be a vessel that overflows.