Tammy’s Reviews > The Clay Pot Conspiracy: God’s Plan to Use Weakness in Leaders > Status Update

Consider all the best moments of ministry. There’s always someone there to help us celebrate. God meant ministry to be communal and relational. There will always be costs and hard times, but, in the end, there will be no suffering, no pain, no tears, and no shame.

When we struggle, God looks at us with grace and mercy. Look how Jesus responded to the father’s cry, “Help my unbelief,” and to Thomas’s doubt. He met them where they were. God’s love is wavering and steadfast. He cares for us and his son, the GREAT Hopeful, encourages and helps us. Someday, the race will be finished. We will go home and the homecoming will be glorious. There is no suffering in the Celestial City.

Unloading your life story on someone new is a big turn-off, especially if you have a terrible past. 9. Caring is not a contest. It should come naturally. You don’t have to one-up others in encouraging. 10. Correct in a caring way. Nobody likes correction. It should be honest but caring. Bunyan spent so much time alone he valued companionship which is why Helpful makes sense. Hopeful’s nature points us to Christ.

That’s hard because I don’t think I have the right since I don’t have autoimmune issues like many of my friends. 6. Respond righteously when hurt. It’s easy to lash out when people wrong you. Showing mercy and spiritual maturity attracts Hopeful. 7. Encourage in ways that others find meaningful. That goes with the idea of love languages. Different strokes for different folks. 8. Don’t begin with vulnerability.

Be a living illustration of the Gospel. 3. Practice presence. Having a ton of FB friends is not the same as IRL friends. 4. Anticipate suffering which seasons us. We should not be surprised by suffering which allows us to embrace hope. God is present even when he feels absent. 5. Pair empathy and honesty. Yes, we ought to acknowledge pain but also press into greater trust and reliance on God. That’s hard to do.

If we look for that kind of friend, we’ll fail. It’s all about becoming. Vision attract visionaries. Courage attracts the brave. Hope attracts the cheerful. Atmosphere attracts friends like Hopeful. It’s basically a corollary of the Golden Rule. He gives a list of ten ways of becoming. 1. Be tender-hearted. When helping others, we reflect the encouraging spirit of Jesus. This is very CM. 2. Smell like Jesus.

God will never leave us nor forsake us. It’s then that Christian sees the King calling to him and encouraging him. Throughout his journey, God sent a cast of characters who helped and encouraged him along the way. Christian finished because he was not alone at the end of the race. When God sends us a friend in Christ, it is a sweet life. The Christian life is a communal life. But, how does find a Samwise Gamgee?

Christian is never alone because Hopeful is by his side. We all have a line of saints that have helped us along the way. We are not alone even in our darkest moments. Think of the police officer who kept the guy from jumping off a bridge in Jacksonville. Faith is individual (no one but Jesus can save us). Faith is communal (we have fellow Christians cheering us on). Hopeful tells him that trials are to test us.

There are legitimate reasons for dying well, so why would Bunyan paint Christian as such a hot mess. Hopeful is there. He is the encourager and he’s the one guiding the weak Christian. Christian is pathetic and embarassing and he’s full of doubt. Hopeful does not let go. Christian’s clay pot is fully exposed and he’s despairing and broken to the very end. His past sinfulness is ever present and he feels worthless.

Christian does not cross to the Celestial City as a conquering hero. He is the clay pot -- broken, wounded, helpless, stumbling, falling. They realize they must cross the river and there is no way around it. Christian asks if any part is shallower and he’s told that it depends on one’s reliance on the king. Christian begins to sink when he tries to cross. Wesley and Moody believed in dying well to encourage others.