Five week series on the transformation of God’s people.
| Video Message | Resources |
| Week 1: Clay | Monday Memo notes The most extended use of the potter/clay metaphor is in Jeremiah 18.1-17 Here’s a short devotional on that passage: The Potter’s Wheel | Our Daily Bread Two great devotionals that get into the specifics of turning a clay into a vase or pot: Be the Clay in God’s Hands. One day at church, my Pastor was… In the Potter’s Hands The potter/clay metaphor is the centerpiece of one of Henry Wordsworth Longfellow’s most well-known poems: The Song of the Potter |
| Week 2: Why | Monday Memo notes A short devotional on asking, “Will this glorify God?”: Glorify One PCUSA pastor’s reflection on “glorifying” and “enjoying” God: Glorify and Enjoy God How the PCUSA itself describes each facet of the “great ends” of church: Presbyterian Mission Agency Living out the ‘Great Ends of the Church’ More on human desire from C. S. Lewis: Nothing in this World: C.S. Lewis’ “Argument from Desire” Through the Lens of History My Reflections: C. S. Lewis’s Argument from Desire and the Crisis of Meaninglessness Argument From Desire |
| Week 3: What | Monday Memo notes Interested in Simon Sinek and his work/research about “starting with why” before figuring out your what and how? A good entry point is his TED Talk on that subject: Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action Three short devotionals focused on the body of Christ and spiritual gifts: Both/And in an Either/Or World We Are All Christ’s Body Sorry, That’s Not My Gift |
| Week 4: Community | Monday Memo notes All the “One another” Bible verses in one infographic Emotional safety is the bedrock on which community is built; a lack of relational safety ensures that community cannot exist: Safe People, by Henry Cloud and John Townsend What are Safe People? A spiritual director’s reflection on Christian community: The Spiritual Practice of Community The Lonely Crowd: churches dying due to friendlessness |
| Week 5: Future | Monday Memo notes Read all of Psalm 37 Character development through the eyes of a Christian counselor: Christian Character Defined: A Christian Counselor Speaks Character in the New Testament, and specifically Paul’s writings, vs. how it was understood in the ancient world: Paul and Christian Character (N. T. Wright Q&A) David Brooks has written extensively on character development. Here’s a short video on just one part of his work: David Brooks: Should you live for your résumé … or your eulogy? Here’s a 20 minute presentation on the “five levels of character”: David Brooks – The 5 Levels of Character. Here’s a long form presentation and interview on his book: David Brooks on the Road to Character And, last, here’s a link to the book itself: The Road to Character: Brooks, David |