The Potter's Wheel

We all know from the Bible that God is the Potter and we are His clay, but last Friday our Discipleship Group in our office discovered about the Potter's Wheel.

The potter's wheel was one of mankind's earliest inventions and has changed surprisingly little in the last 6,000 years. A potter's wheel id not one wheel but two.

Primitive potter's wheel were made of stone. A disc-shaped stone was notched in the center to fit over a pointed pivot in the center of the lower stone. A nudge of the potter's toe set the lower wheel in motion, which rotated in the upper wheel. The upper wheel was where the potter shaped his clay.

Before using the wheel, a potter must knead his clay to rid it of impurities and air He "wedges" it---slicing it in half and slamming the halves back together to force out air bubbles. When he feels the clay is ready, the potter places a container of water at his workbench  ( to keep his fingers wet) and turns to his wheel.

The potter next throws the ball of clay down on the upper wheel. Then he sets the wheel in motion and surrounds the clay with his hands, forcing it to the center of the wheel head. Now the potter must "master" the clay, making it responsive to his touch. He applies pressure at the base of the clay ball, causing it to rise up in a sort of rounded cone. Then he pressed the top of the clay with his tumbs or the palms of his hands. Repeating this three or four times increases the flexibility of the clay and increases its strength.

At this point the potter  "opens up" the clay ball by pressin his thumbs into the center, gradually hollowing it out. Applying pressure with his fingers, he evens out the thickness of the cylinder walls. Finally he shapes the clay into a vase, a pitcher, or whatever he chooses.

As the terms force, master, and throw imply, clay is not always easy to work with. Often a partially formed object will disintigrate into a shapeless heap of clay---perhaps because a tiny stone was overlooked when the clay was worked. The potter must begin to knead the clay again. Or he may dislike the way a pot is forming and sweep it off the wheel in disgust.

Jeremiah 18 describes God as a potter having trouble at His wheel because His people refused to obey Him.

" I have but shadowed forth my intense longing to lose myself in the Eternal and become merely a lump of clay in the Potter's divine hands so that my service may become more certain because uninterrupted by the baser self in me." - Mohandas Gandhi

Overflowing

"If we give the impression that the main effect of Christianity is to make us miserable, then it is not surprising that ninety percent of the people are outside the Christian church.


'Miserable Christians,' they say, 'look at them!' And they add that they have life, they have joy, they have fullness. Shame on us Christian people!

But it is not merely a question of saying shame on us.

What a terrible responsibility is ours if we are so misrepresenting this 'glorious gospel of the blessed God' (1 Timothy 1:11).


We are meant to be witnesses to all people that we are filled to overflowing.


We are meant to show the truth of the psalmist's words: 'My cup runneth over!'
(Psalm 23:5)."

-Martyn Lloyd-Jones

A heart's longing

"Eternal Father of my soul,

let my first thought today be of You,

let my first impulse be to worship You,

let my first speech be Your name,

let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer....

 Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said,

think my worship ended

and spend the day in forgetfulness of You."

~John Baillie

Harris and Chari's Wedding

Last Saturday one of my closest friend since college got married. I was overflowing with happiness seeing her walking down the aisle . I was keep on repeating these words to my mind during the ceremony, "Who would have thought......?"

Who would have thought na ang mga bading na tulad namin noong college ay makakahanap ng mga tao---as in tao na totoong lalaki na mapapangasawa. Bukod sa taong lalaki, God's perfect choice pa sa amin. Charri and Harris

Madami na kaming napagdaanan ng bading na ito. We were blockmates sa UP, boardmates, orgmates (UPCB CCC) and within CCC magka ministry pa kami ang unbeatable na WIN ministry. Chari and I with Nesti, Vaneknek and Ceasar (WIN Ministry).

Si Chari ang kasama ko noong first follow-up 1 appointment namin with Ate PI na halos isang linggo din naming pinagtataguan. She was my witnessed noong naliwanagan ako tungkol sa assurance ng aking salvation.

with our blockmates and boardmates

I was privileged to be the one to first hear her sing. Medyo insecure pa siya noon kasi sabi niya mas magaling daw kumanta yung kapatid niya kesa sa kanya. Sabi ko naman kumpara sa akin grabe may potensiyal siya. Every morning maririnig mo boses niya sa CR namin di dahil sa nag pra-practice siya for a concert kundi dahil malamig ang tubig. After sometime di lang sa banyo namin naririnig boses ni Chari, naririnig na namin siyang kumakanta sa Juan Luna Audiorium sa UP, Kantata sa church at unti unti nadi-discover na ng mga tao ang pagiging SOUTH-east ASian songbird niya.

We also had some share of tears during college, mapa Math 11 man yon, family problems at pati na rin financial. Minsan parehong sabay na di dumating ang allowance namin dahil trained kami for survival, makikita niyo na lang kami sa daanan papuntang Engineer's hill na kumukuha ng talbos ng sayote for dinner. But we've survived. We survived a lot of struggles and becuse of those experiences mas lalo naming nakilala si God and began having a burden to also impart these to other people. Kaya hanggang sa CCC pareho kami ng ministry, Evangelism. We've also shared a lot of fun as in lots of fun. Give us a topic and we can tell a story or an experience that we had about that. Don't start us about CAT---as in Melon's cat Prince Charles! Grabe mahaba habang kuwentuhan to.

After college medyo nagkalayo kami pero pareho pa din ang tibok ng puso, to follow God and glorify Him wherever He will bring us. Nagtrabaho ako sa ISOT (Seminary ng CCC) at siya naging staff ng CCC. After eight years, eto na kami nabiyayaan ng God ng mapapangasawa and to Live happily ever after!!!!

My wedding - Her wedding

Who would have thought huh? Only a Sovereign God.

Congrats Harris and Chari!

My Thailand, Laos and Singapore Trip

Another Wedding

Last Saturday, March 29, 2008 was the long awaited wedding of our long long time friend/officemate Ate Jing and Kuya Meynard.

Katulad din namin simple at maiksi ang wedding pero masaya!

Congrats!!!

Christmas party in January

   
        Last December the only event that mattered to me is my wedding day. Because of that I didn't had the time to arrange a christmas party for my Discipleship Group (DG) in our church. So I told them that we will just have our Christmas party on January. Last Saturday, January 19, 2007, we had our Christmas party. Siyempre may exchange gift din!

        Part of the legacy that I wanted to share to my DG is the habit of journaling events in their lives. I told them that the journal is not like a vault that we can keep our secrets but it is also one of the ways that you can see what God had done or will be doing to you life. A spiritual autobiography not for other people but for you to see and recognize God's movement in your life. For the past ten years that's what I've been doing, journaling my journeys with God. As a Christmas gift I gave them a journal. But because I am kuripot, I decided to give them materials for their Do-it-yourself journal. Everyone of them enjoyed making their journal and from now on I hope they will make it a habit to account the things that God will be doing in their lives.

Sayang 4 of them cannot come

Feeling Art Angels

Kikay Journal for Kikay Nice

Charisse busy choosing her cut outs

A sentimental art for a sentimental Cherry

Finished products!