Keith Missel - Living Clay: Experiencing a Beautiful Life in the Masters Hands

Keith Missels Bible teaching and pastoral wisdom were instrumental in my personal growth as a Christian. Living Clay brings together over a decade of his personal journey of discovery and transformation through engaging with the biblical metaphor of God as the Master Potter. In this eight-week study, you also have the opportunity to learn from Missels journey and benefit from his sharp pastoral and theological insights as you engage with Gods Word. May God, the Master Potter, use it to shape you into the image of His Son.

Keith Williams, senior editor for Bibles and Bible Reference, Tyndale House Publishers

Slow down! Look around! See what God is doing in and through your life. This eight-week devotional study centers on how our God works on us as a potter shapes the clay. The reflections for each day will encourage you. At times you will weep in joy and hope and later find yourself prompted to repent and bow in humility. Keith writes with the Bible and his heart wide open. Join him!

Dr. Roy King, professor of ministry leadership, Columbia International University

Keith Missel does an excellent job of unpacking the biblical image of Potter and clay and applying it to the Christians daily walk. His devotionals have a great balance of Scripture and stories, text, and take-aways. The themes presentedfrom understanding our created uniqueness to recognizing Gods sovereigntyare essential for honoring God and living life to the full.

Dr. John Cionca, executive director of Ministry Transitions Inc., professor emeritus of ministry leadership at Bethel Theological Seminary

Reading through Living Clay, I sense the heart of a pastor who desires to see his people being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Although replete with strong biblical teaching and a plethora of illustrations and quotations, the book is not preachy. It is written in a warm, nurturing style that invites readers to seek after God and in so doing, allow Him to touch every aspect of their being and change it for His glory and their good. It is a joy to see a former student pressing on to assist people in allowing the Potter to shape their lives.

Donald L. Hamilton, professor of preaching, emeritus, Columbia International University

I am reminded that the Lord pours out His spirit on us. It is such a joy to see the way He molds and makes us into His image. He has poured His love and spirit in this earthen clay vessel. I trust God will use this study and time of reflection to demonstrate how you, too, are being made into Living Clay.

Diane Brown, potter

It doesnt take long as a follower of Christ to realize that the Fathers ways are different from ours. It takes faith, however, to accept that they are higher (Isaiah 55:9). In Living Clay, Keith reassures us that we are in good hands. Those hands are relentlessly committed to molding us into the shape of His Son, and that process can be quite rugged in our lives, but Keith reminds us they are wise, firm, and tender hands. Listen to what the Potter has to say to you through this book. I heartily recommend it!

Rich Miller, president of Freedom in Christ Ministries, USA

Dr. Keith Missel has clarified the majestic process of life and ministry from the Potters perspective. Born out of Keiths personal experience, Living Clay is a masterpiece of discipleship that is deeply biblical and very experiential. If you are longing to become the one-of-a-kind work of art the Potter intends, I highly recommend reading Living Clay. Purpose to place yourself on the Potters wheel, like Keith has, and experience the spiritual transformation of life in the Masters hands.

Don Matthews, certified church health consultant, The Legacy Consulting Group

This is a book you cannot afford to miss. Like Jeremiah so long ago, we are invited by God to go down to the Potters house. Journey there with Keith Missel and the insights will be astounding. You will find answers to the deepest issues of life and you will learn what it means to live in the hands of the Master.

Larry Magnuson, president of SonScape Retreats

Living Clay

Experiencing a Beautiful Life in the

MASTERS HANDS

Keith Missel

Birmingham, Alabama

New Hope Publishers

PO Box 12065

Birmingham, AL 35202-2065

NewHopePublishers.com

New Hope Publishers is a division of WMU.

2016 by Keith Missel

All rights reserved. First printing 2016.

Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the publisher.

New Hope Publishers serves its authors as they express their views, which may not express the views of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Missel, Keith, 1959- author.

Title: Living clay : experiencing a beautiful life in the masters hands / Keith Missel.

Description: Birmingham, AL : New Hope Publishers, 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016020056 | ISBN 9781625915054 (sc)

Subjects: LCSH: Christian life. | ClayMiscellanea.

Classification: LCC BV4501.3 .M576 2016 | DDC 248.4dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016020056

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Used by Permission HCSB 1999,2000,2002,2003,2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1-62591-505-4

N174104 0916 2.5M1

Dedication

To Ellen, my wife and best friend. Thank you for honoring the dream of writing Living Clay. Over the past three decades, the Master Potter has used you in so many ways to shape me into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. For that gift, I am deeply grateful.

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