Reflecting Him...A Review on Prayer

I have come to the end of my Bible study, Reflecting Him, by Carla McDougal.  I'm kind of sad!  It's like coming to the end of a remarkable book.  You love it because you've made it through, but you're kind of sad to see it end.

I have more than one review left, however...there's just too much to share!  In week five, Carla talks about prayer as she goes through the rooms of her house. Regarding the kitchen, she says:  "God desires our prayers to be thorough, as if we were helping to prepare a feast. You know, the kind that requires cutting, chopping, measuring, stirring, heating, cleaning, etc.  When we seek the Lord with all of our heart, He will guide us in how to pray.  When we labor in prayer, it requires our time, energy, devotion, stillness, love, selflessness, and listening skills." pg. 94, Reflecting Him.

Now I don't know about you, but that's a Bible study for 10 weeks right there!  My goodness what a power packed paragraph!  I have spent time making a meal like that...chopping, measuring, all that.  And that's not easy for me with my hands. 

I suppose really getting into laborious prayer isn't easy either.  But things that come too easy in life aren't appreciated, in my humble opinion.  My Momma always told me to pray specifically.  Not like "God bless so and so", but to really pray specifically for that person and their needs.  If they are going to a job interview, pray that if it is God's will they will have favor with the interviewer.  That they get the job if that is their place in God's plan.  That they wake up refreshed that morning, that traffic isn't a nightmare, all the little details.

One more thing I must mention:  During this week I came across a footnote in the Life Application Study Bible (which I highly recommend) from 1 Kings 8:  "For 480 years after Israel's escape from Egypt, God did not ask them to build a temple for Him.  Instead, he emphasized the importance of His Presence among them and their need for spiritual leaders.  It is easy to think of a building as the focus of God's presence and power, but God chooses and uses people to do His work.  He can use you more than He can use a building of wood and stone.  Building or enlarging a place of worship may be necessary, but it should NEVER take priority over developing spiritual leaders." (emphasis mine)

Can I get an AMEN?!?  Our ability to communicate with God and make Him the center of our lives has nothing to do with "buildings of wood and stone."  I know this is a tender spot for me, and I guess I'm a bit up on my soap box, but as Carla McDougal talks about in Week 5 of Reflecting Him, your HOME is your prayer sanctuary.  It is far more important to know God and seek Him while He may be found than it is to make sure your church building in spotless and shiny. 

I just wish people would really understand what is important.  Feed the hungry.  Take care of the widows and orphans.  That's His message.  That's my message.  It should be ALL Christians' message, denominations aside, fancy buildings aside, fancy clothing aside, money aside:  we are CALLED to take care of the least of these. 

And it all starts in your home.

Reflecting Him by Carla McDougal

Oh, the importance of light in our lives, in our world, on our planet. Carla shares a perfect analogy:

"A month after Jake's birth, I awakened in the middle of the night to an immense pounding pain that ignited every nerve in my body. I quietly tiptoed to the bathroom to use the medicine I knew would provide immediate relief. As a thoughtful wife, I decided not to turn on the light because it might wake up my husband, Fred. I reached into the drawer for the tube of medicine, applied it liberally, and then staggered back to bed. Not thirty seconds later, I felt a fire ignite in my lower regions. Instantly, I realized the "hemorrhoid medicine" I had used was actually a tube of Deep Heat!" (pg 64, Reflecting Him)

Obviously, if Carla had turned the light on, she would have seen her error before it was made. In our lives, if we are in the Light, we can see the error of our ways before we get burned.

There are so many ways to compare the Son and the sun...Here are just a few:

Just as the sun is the center of our universe and our source of light, just as the sun governs the day, so is Jesus the center of our souls, and the Source to light our way.

Just like we would die without the physical sun, so would our souls "die" eternally if we didn't have Jesus in our lives.

In the spectrum of light, visible light is the portion that can be seen by the human eye. The following are elements we cannot see: cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and radio waves. If we based what we knew about the sun on only what we could see, we would not have the fullest understanding of physical light. (Reflecting Him pg. 73)

The same can be said about Jesus. Some of the things He does we can see in our lives...miracles happen around us every day. But there is SO MUCH MORE to discover. So much to be understood that is unseen about the way Jesus works in our lives. Think of what we would miss if we were content to accept only what is seen!

One more interesting point from these two weeks of study: Have you ever realized that vegetation on earth was created before the sun? We all know that plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, and that photosynthesis is the key to their very existence. So why did God create vegetation before he created its life-source?

Ponder this: plants were created with an unmet need: the sun. I believe that we as human beings are also created with an unmet need: the Son. And God in His infinite wisdom and mercy provided the source for both.

I am in week 7 of 10 in this study, and I'm telling you, I will be sad to see it end. I highly recommend this study to anyone...you will learn so much! More reviews to come...I'm not done yet!

Reflecting Him...Another Review

I wasn't going to do a review on week two, because after all, you need SOMETHING to find out on your own when YOU do this study, right?

But Carla uses an analogy that is SO perfect, I just have to.

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:15

Carla shares an experience where her son opens her kitchen pantry door and comes out running from a horrible stench. When she goes in the pantry, she almost gags the smell is so strong. She covers her face with her shirt, and gropes around in the area of the smell. What she finds is a bag of potatoes. She grabs them, runs out of the pantry, through the kitchen and out to the garbage.

ONE rotten potato ruined the whole bag, and not only that, stunk enough to stink up 2 rooms in her house. Once the source of the stench is removed, clean air can once again prevail.

On page 52 Carla says, "I realized an odor has the power to draw people to it or send them running...Notice...the kitchen pantry didn't produce [the] aroma. The processes taking place inside the pantry generated the smells. This could also be a picture of us as Christians. We are the pantry, and what is produced within us will either draw people to Jesus or turn them away."

This is POWERFUL stuff. Have you ever sat down in a group setting, church, a movie theatre, anywhere people sit in rows....and the woman who sits directly in front of you has enough perfume on for the entire crowd? SHE is not the source of the offense, it is her perfume.

What kind of "aroma" are YOU producing? Are you grumpy and cranky all the time, yet tell everyone you're a Christian? Or are you pleasant even to those who are not?

I'm not saying you have to paste a plastic smile on and say "Everything's fine" when it's not. That's more offensive to ME than an unpleasant odor. But we represent Christ to the masses, and if I see someone who I know is a Christian and they are miserable and mean, I'm going to wonder what kind of God they serve.

Just something to think about as you go through your day.
In other words, don't be a stinky potato!

The Potter and Clay Reflecting Him

Today we conclude the FIRST week of review of the marvelous study "Reflecting Him" by Carla McDougal. This is probably the biggest "aha" moment for me in a long time.

Let's pickup with our resident pottery expert Cynthia Bonner: "Every piece produced is unique and never exactly the same as the previous ones. All pottery creations are indeed individual creations...The potter shapes the vessel by applying pressure inside and/or outside the walls as he lifts. Remember that with every pressure action there is a reaction in the clay. The walls may move in or out depending on the pressure made by the potter's motion. He may throw a bowl, plate, vase, bottle, or pitcher; he may form a pedestal at the foot of a pot, a belly in the center or a neck at the rim. The pot's shape depends on the clay's capabilities and the potter's skills." (Reflecting Him page 24, emphasis mine).

Now a couple of Scriptures:

Isaiah 29:16

New Living Translation (NLT)

"How foolish can you be?
He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay!
Should the created thing say of the one who made it,
“He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say,
“The potter who made me is stupid”?

Isaiah 45:9-10

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁹ “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’
¹⁰ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”

I specifically chose the New Living Translation because one of the questions Carla asks in her study is in regard to the tone of the passages. I felt that the NLT practically answered the question by itself!

When I read the passages that way, I thought of all the times that I complain about myself. About having a difficult life sometimes. About having Myasthenia. About having a trach. About being short even!

And then I think, "Who do I think I am? Who am I to tell the Creator of the Universe, the God that split the Red Sea wide open...the Almighty Himself, who am I to tell him He made me badly?" How selfish!

Do I wish I was 5'9, and thin and healthy? Sometimes. But God's purpose for me is FAR more important that any desire I can have. If this is the condition in which He can use me the best for His glory, then so be it. I am the clay. I am the created, not the Creator.

I must move on to the last step of the pottery process. The fire. Do you remember in elementary school, making something out of clay and putting it in the kiln and just waiting with bated breath to see whose creation blew up? I certainly do. Thankfully it was never mine. Being 30 years ago, it was still socially acceptable to smoke, so lots of us Christian school kids made ashtrays. (Funny now when you look back!)

The firing process changes the entire look of the piece. It goes into the fire still kinda ugly. I mean, it's shaped, it's formed, it's got some color on it, but when you fire it up...THAT'S when the true beauty comes out. The shine. The glow. The radiance.

Carla says, "We must go through some fiery trials so others will see a beautifully finished product with a tag that reads, "Specifically made by the hands of Jesus."" (Reflecting Him page28)

Did you read that? Specifically. Exactly. Precisely. Obviously.

Made. Invented. Prepared. Created.

Friends, do you see? We were all made by a God who cared enough to sit at a potter's wheel and create us individually, uniquely, and perfectly for His purpose. And then, to make us our BEST, He allows us to go through fiery trials.

If it were not for the trial of MG, I would not be where I am in my life. I would not have met some of the most inspiring, amazing people fighting the same disease. I would not have my precious little boy, because I had every intention of adopting and never having my own children. I wouldn't be as strong as I am today. And I wouldn't be as grateful. Not nearly as grateful.

This study is amazing. This is only week ONE of ten. Don't worry, there won't be three posts about each week! This week was just so precious to me...how specific the pottery process really is, and how much time and energy and thought was put into creating only me. I sat on that potter's wheel, in the hands of My Maker. And I PRAY that I will never again resist who I am supposed to be, or complain that I am not something I wish I were. I am my Maker's intended creation. And that is a beautiful thing.

"Reflecting Him" The Potter Part 2

"This week we examined the potter's purpose for his or her clay and the importance of the clay staying mold-able throughout the shaping process." (Relfecting Him, page 18, italics mine)

Ouch. Obviously, I am the clay. What would happen if clay could somehow choose to become stone? If clay could (because the Creator gave it free will) choose to NOT be pliable?

It would NEVER become anything, let alone the unique piece of art it is supposed to become. So, you ask, how could I ever become unpliable? (All right, stop snickering).

Here comes my word-nerdiness: Pliable: Flexible. Elastic. Stretchable. Shapable. Moldable. Yielding. Willing. Compliant. Submissive. Obedient.

Ouch again. You see, if I, (the clay) cannot be these things, if I am unwilling to be flexible and stretchable and submissive (things that do NOT come easily), if I don't do that I am missing out on God's purpose for my life.

Stay with me here: "Sometimes during the pottery process, the wheel must be immobile to create exceptional character. Yet at other times the wheel must rotate quickly and with precision. The potter decides what to do, depending on each pot's purpose." (Reflecting Him, page 18, italics mine.)

So I have to ask myself if I am willing to be pliable. Am I consenting to be stretched to beyond what I think I can handle? Am I eager to let My Potter create what He wants? Am I content to relinquish all control? Am I willing to embrace Myasthenia Gravis as a "unique" quality of my pot? Am. I. Willing?

Are you?

Oy. If you picture the wheel as the circumstances in our lives (as Carla McDougal suggests in her study), there are times when life seems to be standing still. Possibly even passing you by. I have been, and still am in such a place. I believe my wheel may be ever so slightly starting to turn again, but the stillness can be a painful place. Then we have the times when we feel like life is spinning out of control. Remember this:

(In the words of Cynthia Bonner, on the importance of centering the clay just perfectly, and the spinning of the wheel)

"This involves the potter's full concentration and requires the weight of the potter's arm muscles. At this point, if not properly centered, the lump of clay can go flying into orbit as the wheel launches into action.... The mass of clay is penetrated to create a V-shaped opening, and then the piece is formed by lifting the pot's walls. The potter must maintain a firm and steady upward movement by locking his hands together.... Even though the wheel aids in establishing symmetry and precision, every piece produced is unique and never exactly the same as the previous ones." (emphasis mine)

Wow. I'm telling you, friends, I have been on that wheel when the piercing and gutting began. I remember going through an 8 year diagnostic process. I remember wondering if I would live or die. What I sometimes forgot is that God had His hands on me the entire time. He doesn't push pause. He doesn't get up to go grab a snack and leave me spinning aimlessly. He lifts me. He molds me. He sculpts me. He never leaves me. He has His eye on me. He is making me His unique creation.

If clay could feel, do you think it would enjoy the process? Not always. But sometimes it must just think, "What a ride."

"Reflecting Him" Review Part 1

I have the privilege of reviewing a Bible study called "Reflecting Him" by Carla McDougal. This is her first study written, although you would never know it! Week Two of this study has challenged me more than any single week of any single study I've ever done. In fact, this study is so amazing, I will be doing a series of reviews, because there is WAY too much to fit in one post.

There are literally dozens of references in the Bible to potters and clay. The most significant ones (to me) will be integrated in these reviews. I'm going to start with Isaiah 29:16. "You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'He did not make me?' Can the pot say of the potter, 'He knows nothing?'"

Ouch. For me, that was almost enough! I can't count the times I have thought "Why can't I just be normal, why can't I just be like that person, who has their health?" I've even thought "They don't even appreciate their health, why do they get to have perfect health?" Well, check out an expository of Romans 9:21: "Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" (The NIV uses "some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?")

The words "power over" in this verse come from the word exasla in Greek. That means "the right to act, decide or dispose of one's property as one wishes." "The same lump" in Greek is furamatos, "that which is mixed or kneaded." (Reflecting Him pg 6).

Before we go further, I want to refer to the expert of the week in this study, Cynthia Bonner. She is a pottery specialist, and throughout this week, Carla McDougal refers to her to explain the real process of creating pieces of pottery.

"Mixing the clay and temper to form the prepared or ready-to-use clay is similar to kneading dough when you are making bread. Once mixed together, the clay will actually improve as it ages, but it can also be used right away....By applying pressure on the clay, the potter eliminates air bubbles that can cause problems down the road." (Cynthia Bonner, as quoted in Reflecting Him, page 14.)

So far this is what I've learned:
1. God is my Creator. He created me with a specific purpose in mind, just like a potter knows what he or she is going to make before he or she starts to fashion it.

2. God made me according to the purpose for which I have been called. Who am I to tell Him He made me incorrectly? Even before MG, I have always been exactly how God created me to be.

3. God must knead me to get out the air pockets so I don't disintegrate when I'm put into the fire. While this process is NOT enjoyable, it is necessary to become what God wants me to be.

I'll continue part two of the potter and the clay tomorrow...I think this is enough for one day!


About Carla
Carla McDougal is the founder of Reflective Life Ministries and Share Fair, an annual conference for connecting, equipping, and encouraging women in ministry. She speaks at women’s events, retreats, and conferences in the U.S. and internationally. Carla married her high school sweetheart, Fred, and they have four children ages 16 to 23 and live in Magnolia, Texas. Reflecting Him: Living for Jesus and Loving It (WinePress Publishing, 2010) is Carla’s first book, although she’s been involved in leading and teaching Bible studies for more than 20 years. Carla writes a Monday morning e-votional at her blog, Carla’s Corner.