The Potter's Hands

Have you ever worked with clay? I guess I did as a child but never as an adult. Last weekend at a Shalem retreat, I had the opportunity to work with clay, and wow, what an experience!

The clay – a dark grey block, irregularly shaped. Gripping it – unexpectedly cool – firm – now softening – becoming warm in my hands as I begin to work it. Pressing, squeezing, clutching it tightly in my grip, I leave an imprint on it as it leaves one on me, staining the ridges and lines of my hands and finding its way under my nails. Initially with force and strength I work the clay, but soon – quicker than I imagined – it becomes soft and pliable, malleable and workable.

As I form the clay into an initial shape, I soon abandon this plan for another. It becomes apparent as I work the clay that I have more than I need, at least for the initial part of this project. I tear off a piece, and then another until I reach a size that enables me to form it more easily into a vessel initially resembling a rudimentary vase. Choosing then to turn this tubular wide-mouthed form upside down, I place it onto one of the before discarded pieces. It now takes the form of a tower, planted firmly on a broad and solid base of rock.

Initially, working the clay takes strength, with my fingers pressing hard into its form leaving clear marks of influence, but as the larger shape is completed and my work moves to the subtleties of the piece, this changes. A light touch, a gentle stroke from a single finger, these are sufficient for smoothing a rough edge or unifying a place of irregularity. A hard press will mar the work and must be withheld. Likewise, in the piece of clay called Me, in the past His fingers have pressed necessarily hard into areas of my life needing re-shaping. During these times, His influence has been large and obvious, and I thank Him for this. Now however, He works in more subtle ways, almost hidden and imperceptible. His touch is gentle and loving, smoothing out irregularities and edges while adding details and qualities of beauty and grace. It is these, when complete, that will demonstrate the character of my Potter, that of imagination, creativity, beauty and love.

Jesus, forgive me for not recognizing the various ways in which your hands mold me – at times with strength and large marks of influence while at others with gentleness and subtlety that actually create the greater beauty. And thank you that You are willing to hold me and work me in your hands, willing to be stained and marked by me.

Getting Started

Deb and I are overwhelmed with the response we are receiving regarding ReflectiveSouls. We are blessed that other women have the same passion and we are honored to walk this new journey together with you!

Alright - Getting Started: There is a book that we would like you to purchase and it's well worth the money. It's by Brenda Ueland titled "If You Want To Write." It's a fabulous little book that, when I read it several months ago gave words to what God placed on my heart. I was inspired even beyond words and began a deeper search to unleash the writer that was held captive in my soul.

We are all created in the image of God - the Master Artist. Therefore, we too, are artists and must discover and encourage the artist within. Writing is my art and I believe it's yours too. Get a group of creative writers together and synergy happens. One inspires the other and the passion becomes contagious!!! Yes, pick up this book and read the first two chapters before our first Gathering on May 7th. I predict that you will be on fire to "create" just as I was - and bring your thoughts along with you and we'll discuss them at our Gathering.

Also, begin to collect your thoughts and place them in a journal - where is God at work in your life? Where do you see Him in the hum-drum of every day routines? How do you experience God and His love for you? Where do you meet Him? At our first Gathering we'll talk about how we all can contribute to the ReflectiveSouls Blog. It's our prayer that each of us, and those who lay eyes on this site, will experience God as we paint beautiful pictures with our words that describe our spiritual journeys.

Just a reminder, Deb and I are not professional writers - but just ordinary women who love to write and express our thoughts about God and life though the art of writing. The gift is that we draw closer to Him in that process. Join us. Let's create because we are His created. What a joy that is!
grace & peace ~ deAnn

What makes you think you can write?

"These were the words repeatedly playing in the background of my mind as I sat with pen in hand to produce a piece for our planned meeting in two weeks. What in the world did I let deAnn talk me into? To write a descriptive piece and share it with her for the sake of critique is absolutely insane. Science and medicine are my things, but I’m not a writer. I may be a thinker, teacher, speaker, or even journal-er, but not a writer! Okay, just pretend this is just like any other time you are writing in your journal. Just write! Put words on the page. Just describe what you see and prove to her once and for all that she’s wrong and the reality is that I can’t write anything worth reading."

This is where it began. Recording the description of a scene as I gazed out my window one morning led to Jesus speaking to me in a way that could have never been communicated as clearly nor as concisely as in that moment and in that way. This was more than re-discovering myself as a writer, a voice that had been silenced more than twenty years prior. This was about discovering the dialogue Jesus longed to have with me unique to the way he had made me as a writer and as an observer of his world. But the experience was incomplete until I risked sharing my writing with deAnn inviting her into my conversation with Jesus.

Today as deAnn and I with excitement create this blog, I do so with a desire to do more than write or develop my writing skills. I long to journey with you in the context of a community of emerging writers who are traveling together on the pathway of discovering Jesus. If you will risk yourself in going deeper with Jesus through your writing, through the spiritual disciplines, through building meaningful relationships with other women, then join us for an adventure that he promises to provide beyond all we can ask or think.

~Deb (a scared but willing writer)

Am I Really Doing This?

It’s funny, for as much as I love the craft of writing, trying to come up with something for my first post is causing me so much agony. One thing I’ve learned from years of placing thoughts, feelings and reflections into words, then sentences, then paragraphs is that it’s not easy! (And I’m having one of those moments right now!) Allowing emotions to flow from your soul through your hand and onto paper can be scary. Then the idea of sharing your work with others can be completely petrifying! I’m slowly overcoming that fear and this blog site is the way to begin. I know many other women who “dabble in writing” – expressing their selves only in the privacy of their pretty journals purchased at Borders. (Which I do daily & I love those journals!). But often as we write we discover epiphanies, these God-connections that deserve freedom from the darkness between the lined pages. That’s what ReflectiveSouls is all about. A community of women, together, walking the path with Jesus, encouraging one another to free the words that long to be known and develop the gift of writing through honest verbal contributions. Yeah, that is what I’m excited about and I hope others will be too! So, pick up your pen or power up your computer and let’s begin the journey…

~deAnn (a non-professional yet confessional writer)