A Photo Essay

From the Butterfly
On Vessels

MORE Inspiration! See
Lessons From the Butterfly

To look up and not down,

To look forward and not back,

To look out and not in, and

To lend a hand.

Edward Everitt Hale
1982

Rule of the "Harry Wadsworth Club" from
"Ten Times One is Ten, 1870

Mary Puplava, Editor HANDMAIDEN.ORG

Editor's Note: My husband and I had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Sam Sasser into our home while he ministered in our local church. Little did we know that a year later, Sam would go home to be with the Lord. The following text is taken from conversations around our kitchen table, his preaching, and Dr. Sasser's memorable book, The Potter's Touch, Destiny Image Publishers, P. O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257, USA

Dr. Sasser spent a year researching the art of pottery making and the scriptural meanings of the seven vessels he discusses in his book, The Potter's Touch

"It's difficult to understand why people live so unimaginatively. The sense of excellency and the cry for mastery is missing in large segments of our society. The person who recognizes the divine pull on his life and follows that graced desire, yielding his life and future to the hand of the Potter, is in the minority."

"God's creative genius is endless. He does not become fatigued with the rigors of creativity. He is the designer supreme. No mass-production techniques are found in the Scriptures nor do carbon copies come from God's heart. Each individual is a lump of clay filled with potential. Put on the Potter's wheel we become individuals."

On learning to trust the Potter's hand, Dr. Sasser gives the following advice

"... the choice is not between the absence of pain and the pain of change, but rather between the pain of learning to trust the hand of the Potter and the pain of failing to trust, there is not truly a choice."

Dr. Sasser describes the 7-step process of pottery making in the following abbreviated form:

1. Selection of the clay - many grades were available.
2. Trodden under foot - to take the air out.
3. Washed with water - to soften it.
4. Kneading - to remove small rocky pieces until there was a cohesive yielding.
5. Sun drying - 30% of the water content is lost.
6. Kiln drying - intense heat until it shrinks to 80% of its size. Different temperatures are needed to expose the quality and color of each individual clay.
7. Marked - each vessel bore the potter's trademark. Only the "chosen vessel" received his signature.

"He will soften you and shape and form you according to His good pleasure. He will dry you in the sunshine of His love and ready you for the fires of affliction. But be of good courage for you will come out a durable vessel that is beautiful and serviceable."

Noted below is special insight from Dr. Sasser's book,
The Potter's Touch and the seven vessels.

THE VESSEL OF HONOR
"The most purchased vessel in the potter's yard, the vessel of honor, fulfilled an important role in every household. Every day it was filled at the well or brook with fresh water to serve the family and any guests coming into the home... the jar was placed on a stand usually just beside the door. It was an earthen jar and its main use was to quench thirst."

"God has placed vessels of honor within every church. they are those who have found their source of fullness, who go daily to the streams of refreshing water for a new supply. They know the way to the wellspring of wholeness and are ready to share that supply with anyone who asks... Jesus saw Himself as a vessel of honor. the life-giving thirst-quenching water He offered was Himself."

THE VESSEL OF MERCY
"The vessel of mercy looked like and was a vessel of honor in appearance. Though it too was filled with fresh spring water from the wall... [it] was taken into the center of the city to provide water for strangers."

"The significance of the vessel of mercy lies in its easy accessibility. Carry the water of life to your job site. Vessels of mercy are not afraid of action. They meet the challenge and bloom where they are planted. They can turn a garbage can into a victory garden."

THE CHOSEN VESSEL
"There was no distinctive design given to the chosen vessel. Its strength and beauty were known to the potter alone. The chosen vessel was the best work the potter could produce. It was handled differently -- kept out of view. The potter knows the vessel will never bring him shame no matter where it might go. It's the best his hands can make. Thus, he alone chooses the vessel."

"If God singles you out to be a chosen vessel, He will also provide you with a special grace. For, with the calling to be a chosen vessel comes the need for a stricter discipline and a more intense commitment than is required of other vessels. When God forges character, He cuts deeply. I have found that God's intention is to take from our hearts everything that we love most. Everything we trust in, everything that might compete with God, must be chiseled away. Essentially they are concerned, loving, God-filled human beings who are available and touchable. Chosen vessels know they are clay."

THE CLEAN VESSEL
"When turned by the potter, the clean vessel was made to be a vessel of honor. It was designed for the service of pouring out for others. But frequent use marred and soiled the vessel. Its beauty faded beneath the touch of many hands. In essence it became a second-class vessel both in appearance and service.

FOUR-STEP CLEANING PROCESS TO RETURN TO SERVICE

1. Emptied - nothing can remain inside - honest, hard self-evaluation. It's still the truth that sets us free.

2. Scraped with strong brushes and files - produces humility. Let us then learn silence. God's raking does not need explanation, it needs repentance.

3. Restoration to fix and re-file the lip - so the vessel can pour correctly. Because much use has widened the vessel's mouth, the lip must be reshaped.

4. Fired again - we are again ready for the fresh supply of life-giving water.

THE VESSEL OF DISHONOR
"...the Judean garbage can. Though it had been fashioned to be a vessel of honor, it became pock-marked in the fire. Air in the clay, or some other flaw... It wasn't the lack of skill on the potter's part, but some gritty substance that refused to yield. Used for two purposes: for leftovers or used water on the bench at the front door, or as a container set apart for the slop."

"Vessels of dishonor are self-appointed vessels. A careless tongue, lack of wisdom and openness to the garbage of others separates them to degeneracy."

THE BROKEN VESSEL
"It's clay could not or would not take the heat. Although the fie of the kiln usually produced durability in vessels, in the broken vessel, it produced a crack - usually around the lip."

"God wants vessels of strength. We are plagued by angry attitudes, and our obedience in times of stress is woefully lacking. The potter would crush a tick-like insect and mix its blood with clay powder. The Cross of Calvary provides a glue that works effectively and uniquely in the lives of broken people.

"After a vessel that had broken in the fire was remolded with the blood mixture, it was placed right back into the same fire that had cracked it. The potter repeated the procedure again and again, as often as was necessary to save the vessel. Only after the vessel had been re-fired and came from the kiln uncracked was it released for service."

THE VESSEL OF WRATH
"When a broken vessel refuses to accept the blood, it becomes a vessel of wrath. There is no honor or joy for the potter in this vessel."

"When God puts a man into the fire to be tested, He goes into the fire with him. [Is 32:1,2] God takes us through the fire, not around it. To be with God in the midst of trouble is far better than to avoid trouble, but lack His presence... it entails voluntary suffering.

IN HONOR OF A CHOSEN VESSEL

Dr. Sam Sasser passed on to be with the Lord several years ago. He served the Lord for forty years. He began his ministry as a teacher in the Marshall Islands. Many say Dr. Sasser was to the Marshall Islands what the Apostle Paul was to the Gentiles. His message and labor of love won many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Below is my remembrance of his stay in our home.

"Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus."

I sat on the floor and looked up at this servant of God. He seemed so tired as he rested on pillows and underwent self-dialysis. A plate of crackers and a plum lay untasted at his side. He looked down at me as I asked if I might help him with his plastic socks and said, "Dear, I would appreciate it. It would take me twenty minutes a sock. I have no feeling in my fingers." As I gingerly untied the shoestrings of his only pair of shoes, I heard him say, "Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus."

It was time to go to services and as I assisted him with my shoulder, we slowly made our way down the hall. Again I heard him quietly say, "Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus." H carefully slid into the car and settled into the seat and I heard him once again say, "Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus" with a long sigh.

That weekend, Brother Sam ministered in our church for four services and a men's breakfast. Exhausted, full of cold and enduring much pain and discomfort, he was vibrant and full of life as he spoke of his love for Jesus, for the people of the Marshall Islands, for his mother, father, son, daughter and grandchild. But I don't think I will ever forget the way he spoke of his wife, Flo. His voice cracked and tears streamed down his cheeks as he shared of his love for her.

Dr. Sasser is gone now. His suffering is over. His body no longer aches. He was a living legend -- a modern-day Paul. His life was filled with tragedy and triumph: from a plane wreck, beatings, lonely travels in a one-man canoe in the Marshall Islands -- to blessings of revival, miracles, healings and great victories for the kingdom of his Lord. What was his secret? I believe I know. It was, "Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus." At every turn, with every need, Dr. Sasser called upon his Lord. Jesus was his sustenance in every situation. To me, the Master Potter would surely be pleased with the chosen vessel He had created in Sam Sasser.

7000 Years of Ceramic Art
"Making pinch pots"

Preparing the clay. Potters prepare clay by pressing and squeezing it with their hands or by mechanical methods. This treatment makes clay soft and smooth, and it eliminates air bubbles that could cause the clay to crack during the firing process.

Shaping the clay can be done by various methods. Some of these methods involve hand building, in which potters use only their hands to shape the clay. The easiest hand-building method consists of pinching the clay into the desired form. Many beginners use this process to make small bowls called pinch pots. Another method of hand building, called solid forming, consists of shaping a sculpture out of a lump of clay.

	I found a delightful site from North Carolina. Travis Owens explains the 8 steps to making a clay pot. This young man carries on a family tradition of two hundred years.
The site also includes a 250-year history of clay in North Carolina. Interestingly, the Moravians who settled in Winston-Salem were well known as master potters.
Jenny's Pearls Author Unknown The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please,  Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma." As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She  wore them everywhere - Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.  Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green. Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love  me?" "Oh yes,  Daddy. You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite." "That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls."  "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I  got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." "That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.  A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when  she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you." With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace. And with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.  So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure. Isn't God good? Are you holding on to things which God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand, but I do believe this one thing...  God will never let something disappear without giving you something better in its place. The Cracked Water Pot from Gramps Elkhart, Indiana A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer, "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to lead out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old, cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the pat, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Moral of the Story . . .           Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all "cracked pots." But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in us! "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."   Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Or as we like to think of it. . . If it hadn't been for the crackpots in our lives, it would have been pretty boring... Life's Lesson - Big Rocks Author Unknown One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. To drive home a point, he used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high powered over-achievers he said: "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked: "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the class said: "Yes." Then he said: "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more: "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him: "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question: "Is the jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said: "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked: "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised his hand and said: "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in!" "No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children... Your loved ones... Your education... Your dreams... A worthy cause... Teaching or mentoring others... Doing things that you love... Time for yourself... Your health... Your significant other." "Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things to worry about that don't really big, important stuff (the big rocks)". So, tonight or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: "What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then...put those in your jar first."   There's MORE Inspiration!  Lessons From The Butterfly  and Inspirational Teaching on Vessels Top