4/20/2023 0 Comments Illustrate words![]() But it is so important that we allow God to lay a foundation for his work and allow him to build us in whatever shape he pleases.” Leaving the inconsistencies in the clay will harm the pot, and leaving those damaging things like worry or anger in our lives will lessen our usefulness to God. ![]() Just as this is one of the hardest parts of pottery, Nickens noted, “Sometimes it is awfully hard to stay centered on God and to get rid of the things that harm the person. I think God goes through a similar process with us - removing the things that harm us and adding qualities that will strengthen us.” It involves smoothing the clay to make it moldable and bringing it into alignment.Ĭalling this the “process of preparation,” Nickens said, “I need to work out things that don’t belong in the clay, and add the water that needs to be on the clay for it to be moldable. The process of “centering” is an essential one for making a strong pot. Nickens said he wants people who hear his object lesson to understand the idea of centering. The spiritual lessons Nickens learns from his pottery are the ones he shares with the groups that he speaks with. I was hollowing out the clay from the center, actually emptying its own material from it, and then remaking it and using it for a new purpose.” One day as I was working I realized that was really what I was doing with the clay. He recalls, “I was struggling with the concept of emptying myself yet being filled with Christ. With Jeremiah 18 as his text, Nickens demonstrates to groups how to make a pot and then explains the spiritual applications that God was drawing with that process. I think that God has given me the talent of making pottery and I want to be faithful in using that.” “I realize that when God gives us gifts and abilities he calls us to use those gifts for him. ![]() “Several years ago God showed me how he could use my pottery to show people what he was saying in the Bible,” said Nickens, a Ph.D. Nickens uses pottery to explain how God shapes and molds people, while Cole’s dramatic portrayal of the Last Supper reflects the authentic emotion and humanity of Jesus and his disciples. Nickens and fellow student Steven Cole have found ways to use their abilities to visually illustrate the truth of Scripture. ![]() It’s important that I be faithful in using those abilities that he’s entrusted me with,” says Mark Nickens. (BP)–For two students at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the arts are a valuable method to introduce the gospel and illustrate principles from God’s word. ![]()
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