Shaped by God

One of my favorite classes I ever took was an adult education pottery class when I was living in Orlando, Florida. I have always read in the Bible about God being the potter and Christians being the clay, but it didn’t really strike me until I attended this class what that really meant. Most folks think of a potter as a person who sits at the wheel and shapes pots, but there is so much more to it than that. Old world potters will go out and dig up the clay themselves. In class we were given 10 pound blocks of grey clay that was already cleaned and ready to work, but this isn’t so for most artist. They must remove the impurities from the clay through “pugging” in a mill. Next the clay is wedged. Wedging is a process of cutting and kneading the clay to remove impurities and air. When I think of wedging, I think about how God prepares us for a relationship with Him, how he cuts out the parts of our lives that don’t belong.

The next step is centering the clay on the wheel. This is a critical step for pot stability. The clay is smacked onto the wheel with a great deal of force. Then with wet hands the potter centers the clay by applying pressure to the sides to raise it up. The clay is then forced downward into a hockey puck shape. Most students are confused by this step. They don’t understand why the master potter would raise up the clay only to push it back down flatter than it was in the beginning. Centering creates a firm foundation for the pot to stand. In the Christian life we too have our ups and downs. God puts pressure on us to help center us.

After the clay is centered and has a firm foundation, the potter opens up the clay using downward pressure of her thumb into the center of the clay. The clay is opened up with pressure on the base and side of the pot, then it is pulled up. The master starts at the base of the vessel and pulls it up to the height desired. This is the step where student potters go awry. The master knows that the pressure on the inside of the pot must be balance with pressure on the outside. When I think about pulling the clay up, I remind myself that when there is pressure one side of me, the Master’s hand is providing counter pressure to guide my shape. Nothing is done in my life that the Master’s hand is not in. He is the potter. …to be continued …Jeremiah 18:1-17

Delight wordart freebie!

Here's another addition in my series of freebies... Delight! I have also uploaded a instructions on how to make wordart on ehow.com. I love to read your comments! Please keep them coming! Thnaks!!!

Strength to Endure

My mother is the source of my physical grace and athletic abilities. Mom and I were both blessed with the “slip and fall” gene. When I was in college, Mom and Dad started a janitorial business. Mom’s favorite job was waxing floors. She loved using the buffer; she loved how the floors shined after they were done. One day while waxing the floors in Slidell at the Hibernia Bank, Mom slipped on the wet wax and fell. She hit her head and dented the buffer, but that was minor compared to what she did to her back. Unknowingly, my mother had ruptured a disk in her back. After being in pain for several weeks, the doctors did tests and the ruptured disk. The solution was to remove the disk surgically. The surgery, recovery and therapy were marginally successful and several years later her surgeon suggested that a spinal fusion would be the solution. These were dark times for our family. Mom suffered a deep depression from the medication and pain that she suffered. On many occasions, Mom said that she had done everything she wanted to accomplish in life and was ready to die. The hardest prayer I ever prayed was that if God wasn’t going to heal my mom, please take her. God healed Mom and she is a vibrant 69 year old now. She has a grand daughter, who keeps her active. When I think of the person Mom was ten years ago and who she is now, I am amazed at the transformation.

Often in the Christian life, we expect that once we are saved suffering ends. This isn’t true. The Bible is filled with Godly men and women who suffered. The Bible gives us these examples to teach us how to handle suffering. Our greatest example comes from the life of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus pled to His Father in Heaven, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). The Savior of the world was left alone by His Father to experience suffering. Of His own free will and choice, Christ became the Atonement for our sins. Jesus knew who He was—the Son of God. He knew His purpose—to become our Atonement for sub. His vision was eternal—“to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
My prayer for you today, is that God will give you the strength to endure your suffering and the grace to overcome it! God Bless you.

TrueFriendship None of that Sissy Cr@p

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good but never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship. You will see no cutesy little smiley faces on this card- Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

• When you are sad -- I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on mountain dew.
• When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
• When you smile -- I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.
• When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.
• When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much Worse it could be until you quit whining.
• When you are confused -- I will use little words.
• When you are sick -- Stay away from me until you are well Again. I don't want whatever the heck you have.
• When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy behind....This is actually what people do to me.

This is my oath.... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask; 'because you are my friend'. Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, But only you can feel the true warmth..

Sweet frame freebie!

I've been seeing these little frames on the internet and decided to create one of my own. I used it for a layout of my daughter eating an M&M ice cream bar. These are really simple to use in PSE, just put the photo over the word frame and click ctrl-g to group them together. You can then resize your photo to fit the frame. Click on the image to download. Enjoy!

Another Freebie!

I love this verse and hope you will find a use for it on your layouts and in your hearts!!! God bless all my readers! Click on the image download from 4shared.com.

I fixed the mistake on this one! So, be sure to download the new one!!!

Ready for Battle

The church is in a spiritual battle. The enemy is fighting to keep the Holy Spirit from working. The enemy is shrewd. He knows where our weaknesses are. He knows how to attack us in areas of our lives that we are most likely to falter. He is working against us. That is the bad news.

Here is the great news. We have been given the battle plan. We have been given the tools to fight our enemy and we are promised the victory. The Paul tells the Ephesians this:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Where is your armor? Are you wearing it? Are you ready for battle? Or is it rusting in the corner? Getting dusty on the shelf? Brush off your armor this week and spend some time in battle. Read your sword. Put on the belt of truth and helmet of salvation. Fit your feet with the gospel of peace. Sin in your life? Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Take up the shield of faith. I love what Paul says about faith, with which YOU can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one! Finally, pray in the spirit on all occasions! Keep on praying for all the saints! Are you ready for battle?

Commercial Use Freebie!

I have a commercial use freebie for you all today! Here is a bread tie and a toothpick. I created these this morning along with several other items that I will be sharing in the future. Hope you enjoy!!!

Download here!

My Life Verse

I was asked this week to consider what verse in the Bible was my Life Verse, one verse that means something special to me. This was a hard one for me. Different verses have ministered to me at different times in my life. The first one that comes to mind is Jeremiah 29:11 -”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse reminds me that God isn’t out to get me. He loves me and wants me to prosper! As I kept reading in Jeremiah 29, I found verse 13 -You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. What a great promise!

Then I came across this verse 1 Peter 1:8-9 -”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” This is so true of a Christian!

Or maybe my Life Verse is Mark 11:24 -Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Another great promise for us as children of God.

So, what is your Life Verse? What does it mean to you? Spend some time in God’s Word this week and search for a verse that guides your Christian walk. Here’s the real challenge: share your Life Verse with 3 people this week and ask them what their Life Verse is. I would love to hear your Life Verse too. Email me at lori at ilovecornerstone dot com or leave me a comment.

Independence Day

As I sit here typing this, I am thinking of where our nation started and where it is headed. I wonder if our founding fathers would even recognize the government that we now have? Would they be shocked at the size of the national government? Would they even be able to recognize this new experiment in democracy that they created? Would they marvel at how far we have come? Would they be saddened by what we have done? Are we basking in the freedom that they fought and died for? Or are we trying to become something they never intended for America?
Then I thought about our church. What would the twelve disciples think about the way we do church? What would Paul say to us if he were to write us a letter? What would Jesus do if He came to church today? What would Christ say about how I live my life? Am I living in the freedom that Christ died for? Or am I still a slave to sin and death? Thank God this week for the men and women who have died for our freedom in America and for His son’s sacrifice for our ultimate freedom. Then quit living like a slave and bask in the freedom that God has so richly blessed us with! God Bless America!