Pastoral ministry is an occupation in flux. In this comprehensive study Jackson Carroll considers the many factors changing roles among clergy and laypeople, the opening of ordination to women, an increasing shortage of clergy, and more that are shaping congregations and ministers today. Building on Paul s image of Christians as clay jars, Carroll paints a portrait of God s potters pastors whose calling is to form their congregational jars so that they reveal rather than hide God s treasure. A veteran clergy watcher, Carroll uses data from what is likely the most representative survey of Protestant and Catholic clergy ever undertaken, as well as focus group interviews and congregational responses, to take a hard look at who is doing ministry today, what it involves, and how pastors are faring in leading their congregations. Significantly, his study covers clergy from a broad range of traditions Catholic, mainline Protestant, conservative Protestant, and historic black churches. Replete with pertinent tables and figures, God s Potters culminates with specific strategies for strengthening pastoral leadership and nurturing excellence in ministry.

Provides a Christian interpretation of the first six books, arguing that the series supports biblical teaching as opposed to the practice of the occult, and offers insights into character names, imagery, and themes.

The day Jason Lawson’s stress reached a tipping point, he found himself shaking so badly he couldn’t even pour orange juice into a blender for his family’s breakfast. He felt like his world was falling around him, and he was afraid of losing his family, his job, and his mind. But that was the day Jason met the Potter. Not the cartoon God on nursery walls, or the religious God preached about in many churches. That day, Jason began a journey with the Potter to learn Who He really is and why He created man, and this journey is compiled in his new devotional The Potter’s Hands: A 366-Day Journey to Knowing God. The Potter’s Hands tackles questions such as: If the Potter is so good, then why did He create me to hurt and struggle? Why am I so cracked and flawed? Why does He fill me with so much pain? …and many more. The answer Jason found was simple—He is the Potter and we are the clay. He formed us for His glory, not our comfort. He decides our size and shape, He chooses what to pour into us, and He is the One Who determines where He places us. Our role in this is to trust Him as the Potter, the Savior, the Counselor, the Servant, the Commander, the Spirit, the Creator, the Father, the Rabbi, the Redeemer, the Healer, and the Shepherd. The heartbeat of The Potter’s Hands is to remind readers that the clay can do nothing apart from the Potter’s hands, but in the Potter’s hands, He can create a masterpiece for His glory. What more could we ask for? Come along for one year and walk with Him. Let the Potter reveal to you Who He really is.

An essential illustrated reference for both beginner and advanced potters, these step-by-step photographic sequences guide you through a comprehensive range of shaping, firing and decorating techniques, so you can begin making wonderful ceramics even if you've never attempted pottery before. Learn about essential tools and equipment, different types and constituencies of clay, methods of production and much more. Includes dozens of ideas for creating textured surface effects and decorations. Over 45,000 copies sold worldwide. This hardcover book with internal wire-o binding is 6.5in x 8in, a perfect size for readers to keep handy and reference often. The stylish design of this book, along with the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginners and provides useful tips for more advanced readers. This book will walk you through the essential tools and equipment and different types and constituencies of clay; study methods of building pots using slabbing, coiling, throwing, and molding, and find out how to create a range of different shapes and forms.

Pottery making is fascinating. God was the original potter; His pottery, Mankind! This book reveals the "Process for a Purpose" using analogy to teach us about ourselves as God's vessels.

A Presbyterian minister defends the Harry Potter series from conservatives who denounce the books as paganism, demonstrating how they promote the values of faith and morality, and profiling the main character as a Christ figure.

This Is An Unusual Exploration Into India S Timeless Civilization By An Enthropologist Who Has Devoted Six Years To Extensive Survey Of The Peasant Potters Of More Than Half Of India. The Author Of This Book , Writes Professor N.K. Bose , Has Applied Some Methods In The Study Of Indian Culture Which&. Have Not Been Used By Any Other Student Of Cultural Anthropology In This Country. His Method Of Correlation Of Material Culture With The Total Cultural System Marks A Departure From The Conventional Studies Of Cultural Processes. He Has Suggested New Methods Of Reconstructing History, And His Data On Contemporary Pottery Making Afford A Reassessment Of Indian Archaeological Materials.The Author S Extensive Experience With Inter-Disciplinary Inquiry Yields Insight. From A Detailed Analysis Of The Ethnographic Data On Pottery Making, He Makes Some Significant Observations: There Is Continuity In Potter-Craft Tradition In India, Traceable From The Pre-Historic Times. The Survival Of The Ethnic Groups Of Potters, Well Within Their Respective Technological Zones Of Pre-Historic Pottery Making, Makes The Aryanization Of India Doubtful. Different Regions Of India Have Evolved Their Own Indigenous Cultures Providing Extreme Diversity To The Material Base Of Indian Society-Their Unity Lies In The Basic Philosophy Of Life, In The Higher Forms Of Culture. To An Average Indian, The Diversity Of Cultures-Food, Dress, Language, Worship-Does Not Really Matter, So Long As He Believes That Every Way Of Life Has Its Own Contribution To Humanity, And That Before The Inexorable Law Of Nature, Every Being Has An Equal Right To Survive Through The Full Course Of Its Cosmic Life. This Idealization Of Diversity Has Helped India Develop A Tradition Of Tolerance, Which Is The Soul Of Her Civilization.Apart From Its Contribution To Anthropology, The Book Will Be Of Particular Interest To Historians Of Culture And Philosophers Of Social History