Several years ago I wrote the text that is presented in the section "Darnéy - Between the Potter’s Hands" presented below. It was something I have said sometimes during a concert before I sang a particular song I wrote called "Between the Potter’s Hands -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV8yn9ERaII
Last spring I was sitting in class modeling a small lump of clay into a human head while my class was busy working on their project. Sometime during one of the days surrounding that day I noticed a pile of discarded clay that had dried and it looked very interesting. So I played with the shapes and combined them together. The ceramics teacher also thought what I had put together had very compelling form and she bisque fired it for me. One day as I was carrying my little sculpted clay head into my office, I set it down on a shelf next to my "found object" clay sculpture. I then realized, to my amazement, it needed to rest inside the top of this "pile" of assembled clay.
A couple of days ago it occurred to me to combine the above two experiences together into one thought and so here is the combined thought:
Darnéy - Between the Potter’s Hands
Have you ever felt like Someone reached out and gathered up your life in their big strong hands and began to shape and squeeze on you like a master potter and you were a lump of clay? The potters call this process “wedging”. It is similar to kneading dough in cooking. They are preparing the clay for creating with and trying to get all the air bubbles out of it so it won’t explode under firing. I believe this is what Yahweh, the Creator of the Universe, the Cosmos, loves to do in a very kind benevolent way.
After this wedging process this Master Potter throws you down onto the working surface of His great potter’s wheel. With His great right foot and leg He begins to turn a great heavy wheel that is directly below this working surface to begin to spin it. Slowly at first and then faster and faster He spins this heavy wheel until its momentum rapidly spins this working surface that you are presently “seated” on. You are now not only sore from all the pushing and squeezing but getting very dizzy. Now He places His great powerful hands around you and starts molding and shaping you. This goes on for what seems like an eternity until finally He quits working on you. The spinning wheel begins to slowly quit revolving and finally it stops. Now you think, “ At last He is through working on me and I am ready for doing something for Him. I have been pushed and squeezed and spun around till I am dizzy. Surely this preparation process is over”.
Yahweh gently removes you from the wheel and places you on a shelf to dry! And there you sit until you are completely dry. Finally Yahweh approaches you and you think it is now time. So what does He do with you? He places you in a very hot fire and you really bake for a while. After this is completed He carefully places you…back on a shelf to cool off and sit. After what seems like a very long time Yahweh once again approaches you and you think, “ Now I have been pushed and squeezed and spun around till I am dizzy and then gone through a very hot fire. Surely this preparation process is over and He is ready to use me for something great”.
So Yahweh picks you up off the shelf and places you back on the working surface of His wheel. Oh no, not the wheel again. But this time He begins to paint stuff on you. Very patiently He covers you all over, except the bottom of your feet. If you were a potter you would have a clue what is coming, but you are only clay so you don’t have a clue. Next Yahweh places you back into a hot fire to melt the glaze He has covered you with. After what seems to you to be an excessive time in the fire again, Yahweh comes and picks you up – and places you on a shelf again.
And there you sit and sit. This time while you are sitting you notice there are others also sitting on this shelf and shelves around you. Each one is uniquely and wonderfully made. Occasionally Yahweh returns and looks around at these shelves and the vessels sitting on them. You try to get His attention, saying, “pick me, pick me”, but He doesn’t seem to notice.
Finally He approaches you and stands looking at you. He continues to just stand there looking at you, so long that you are beginning to feel embarrassed. You think, “ What is He looking at? When is He going to use me for something important?”. Suddenly Yahweh speaks: “ Oh, I am going to use you soon enough, but right now I have been simply enjoying what I have made.”
Darnéy "Treasure in an Earthen Vessel" clay 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV8yn9ERaII
Last spring I was sitting in class modeling a small lump of clay into a human head while my class was busy working on their project. Sometime during one of the days surrounding that day I noticed a pile of discarded clay that had dried and it looked very interesting. So I played with the shapes and combined them together. The ceramics teacher also thought what I had put together had very compelling form and she bisque fired it for me. One day as I was carrying my little sculpted clay head into my office, I set it down on a shelf next to my "found object" clay sculpture. I then realized, to my amazement, it needed to rest inside the top of this "pile" of assembled clay.
A couple of days ago it occurred to me to combine the above two experiences together into one thought and so here is the combined thought:
Darnéy - Between the Potter’s Hands
Have you ever felt like Someone reached out and gathered up your life in their big strong hands and began to shape and squeeze on you like a master potter and you were a lump of clay? The potters call this process “wedging”. It is similar to kneading dough in cooking. They are preparing the clay for creating with and trying to get all the air bubbles out of it so it won’t explode under firing. I believe this is what Yahweh, the Creator of the Universe, the Cosmos, loves to do in a very kind benevolent way.
After this wedging process this Master Potter throws you down onto the working surface of His great potter’s wheel. With His great right foot and leg He begins to turn a great heavy wheel that is directly below this working surface to begin to spin it. Slowly at first and then faster and faster He spins this heavy wheel until its momentum rapidly spins this working surface that you are presently “seated” on. You are now not only sore from all the pushing and squeezing but getting very dizzy. Now He places His great powerful hands around you and starts molding and shaping you. This goes on for what seems like an eternity until finally He quits working on you. The spinning wheel begins to slowly quit revolving and finally it stops. Now you think, “ At last He is through working on me and I am ready for doing something for Him. I have been pushed and squeezed and spun around till I am dizzy. Surely this preparation process is over”.
Yahweh gently removes you from the wheel and places you on a shelf to dry! And there you sit until you are completely dry. Finally Yahweh approaches you and you think it is now time. So what does He do with you? He places you in a very hot fire and you really bake for a while. After this is completed He carefully places you…back on a shelf to cool off and sit. After what seems like a very long time Yahweh once again approaches you and you think, “ Now I have been pushed and squeezed and spun around till I am dizzy and then gone through a very hot fire. Surely this preparation process is over and He is ready to use me for something great”.
So Yahweh picks you up off the shelf and places you back on the working surface of His wheel. Oh no, not the wheel again. But this time He begins to paint stuff on you. Very patiently He covers you all over, except the bottom of your feet. If you were a potter you would have a clue what is coming, but you are only clay so you don’t have a clue. Next Yahweh places you back into a hot fire to melt the glaze He has covered you with. After what seems to you to be an excessive time in the fire again, Yahweh comes and picks you up – and places you on a shelf again.
And there you sit and sit. This time while you are sitting you notice there are others also sitting on this shelf and shelves around you. Each one is uniquely and wonderfully made. Occasionally Yahweh returns and looks around at these shelves and the vessels sitting on them. You try to get His attention, saying, “pick me, pick me”, but He doesn’t seem to notice.
Finally He approaches you and stands looking at you. He continues to just stand there looking at you, so long that you are beginning to feel embarrassed. You think, “ What is He looking at? When is He going to use me for something important?”. Suddenly Yahweh speaks: “ Oh, I am going to use you soon enough, but right now I have been simply enjoying what I have made.”
Darnéy "Treasure in an Earthen Vessel" clay 2018