Clay in the Hands

It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. The older we get, the more rapidly time seems to move. One of the things this special time of year prompts for me is a time of intentional reflection. I have a series of questions I spend time with, evaluating the past 12 months – the good, the bad and how to grow from each.

The beginning of a new year also breathes a sense of hope and anticipation into our lives as we think about all the possibilities of the coming 365 days. The reality is that January 1st is just another day – it follows December 31st and precedes January 2nd. But there is a unique expectation assigned to this day by virtue of the fact that it marks the first day of a new year.

So we take some time to reflect and we look forward to what is to come.

2020 was a year to survive. 2021 was a year for life in a holding pattern – uncertain about how to move forward. 2022 was a year of stepping into life again and discovering what “normal” looks like now (I’m not sure we have quite conquered that feat yet).

If you have been a follower of my ramblings here for years, or you just stumbled onto Clay In The Hands, you will notice that the last post here was in March of 2020. The reason for the gap is as you would expect – but the experience of life and ministry through the pandemic will be the subject for many posts to come.

So what will 2023 be for us? The word to Isaiah, centuries ago, fits for us today – chapter 43 verse 9 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland.”

Part of that new thing for me is this outlet. It is time for me to pick up a tried and tested tool again. I will be posting here two or three times per week – wrestling with life and faith and how the two can never be separated. So check back here regularly or simply subscribe to receive posts to your inbox.

What new thing is God going to do in you in 2023?

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Yesterday, my sermon was built around the idea of passion – specifically the passion to follow Jesus and serve him with our all.  The apostle Paul encouraged each of us in his letter to the Colossian believers to serve Jesus with everything we have – our whole heart.

I was reminded after our first service that the heart was considered, by the Hebrew mindset, as the essence of a person’s being.  When we think of our hearts we should think of the inner-most parts of our being – the seat of our emotions and consciousness.

As we live our lives in worship to Jesus from the very depths of our being – with our hearts – we should do so with the clear understanding that the greatest joy we will experience in this life is the giving of ourselves to our fullest ability to his purposes for our lives.

God created you on purpose for his purpose.  You are no mistake.  One of his greatest desires is for you to experience fulfillment.  This comes through a vibrant relationship with him in which you are all-in, whole-heartedly committed to living your life for him.

You can do this!

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We all go through ups and downs in life.  Some days are good and we feel like we are on top of the world.  Other days we feel like no one knows we exist and the world just keeps dumping junk on us.  The goal becomes having more days in the first category than we have in the second.

But as one who follows in the Way, you know there is something more than just good days and bad days.  You know it – – but sometimes you need to hear it.

So . . . listen!

GOD LOVES YOU!

There is nothing you could have ever done or will ever do to make God love you any less or any more than He always has!  

This is a statement I use very regularly with our church family.  Today, I offer it as a reminder to each of us!

Be blessed today!

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I had breakfast with a couple of leaders in our church this morning and one of them related a story from this past weekend.  It would seem that as he and his family were vacationing at the lake, his phone made its way into the water.  Since cell phones do not work nearly as well once they have been submerged in water, he found himself in need of a new phone.  So he made his way to the store to get a new one.

The reason I am sharing this story this morning is his experience has spiritual application.  When he received his new phone, he simply logged into his account from the new device and all his content – stored in the cloud – immediately began to make its way onto his new phone.  Because his important data was stored in the cloud, he did not loose anything to the death grip of the lake water.

There is a distinct similarity between this experience and our spiritual lives.  When we store up what is important to us on site, we are exposing what is important to us to all the elements of this earth.  But when we store our treasures in heaven, then all those things are safe and secure.  In other words, we need to look at our priorities?  Are we seeking to make a name for ourselves here and now or are we more concerned with pleasing the Father and storing up what is important to us in heaven.

At some point, death’s grip will take hold of us and all the things we have worked for on earth will be of no significance.  The only thing that will matter at that point will be what we have stored in heaven.

I am thankful that God gives us the opportunity to live our lives in such a way that we know our efforts are not wasted when they are spent on what matters most.

Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where lake water cannot destroy!

Be a blessing today!

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Have you caught a glimpse lately of how hopelessly connected we are to technology?  We rationalize it by thinking to ourselves that we are more productive (and in some ways, maybe we can be) or we suppose that we are more present in the lives of our friends and family.  But a quick look at friends and families gathered at tables in a restaurant may suggest otherwise.  It is not difficult to observe people sitting together and all be on their phones.  Being present means actually being present.

As I was reading this morning in 2 Corinthians 3:18, I was reminded that when we set time aside to think about God, something powerful happens.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

When we disconnect and focus our undistracted attention on God, he continues his transformative work in us – redeeming us back to the persons we were created to be in the first place.

If we are going to live into the promise of the fulfilled life, then we must unplug.  It is crucial to create space in our lives to sit and contemplate God and his glory.

So today, find time to unplug!

God will make good use of your time!

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I have been told by more than one person around this great state of Texas that I am blessed with THE best view of any pastors’ office in the state.  I tend to agree.  For a west Texas boy who grew up on a beach with no water, being able to sit at my desk and see water and watch ships coming and going is like nothing I could have ever imagined.  I am blessed!

Some days, the view is clear and I can see to the other side of the bay.  The sky is blue and the water is beautiful.  The gulls float and hover and an occasional sail boat glides in and out of my view.  It truly is a picturesque scene!

Then other days, like this morning, the skies are overcast and the haze prevents seeing more than a quarter mile into the bay.  There are ships coming and going but I can’t see them.  There is activity happening on the other side of the bay, but without having those clear days, there would be no concept of life beyond the mist.

Our lives are like this in many ways.  God blesses us with vision when we are paying attention and we have moments of clarity.  We can see what God has for us and we can set steps in place to help us carry out his call on our lives.

It is that clarity that motivates us on those days when the vision is not as vivid.  There are days in our lives when we reach a point of wondering why we are doing the things we do.  On those days, remember the vision he has given you to be the best Jesus follower you can be.  Hold to the passion that comes from clarity.

God does have a plan for each of us.  He has created you completely and utterly unique – –  just like everyone else!  You are the only you on earth and God has special plans for you.  Pray for profound clarity of his calling for you.

As I finish this post, I turn to the window – – it looks like things are clearing!

Be blessed!

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