Fresh Oil: Triumph in the Midst of Your Storm

By Loris Clarke

A week after my mothers funeral, I was involved in a serious automobile accident. The devil wanted to take my life, but instead, all God gave him was my used car. well, he could have it; I have a better one now and an even better one coming in the optimistic future. The guy who cut me off in traffic and the nice fellow who hit me from the back decided not to hang around to see if I was o.k.
It is astounding how fast things developed. One minute, I was at my brothers saying my good-byes and deciding it was time to visit my own home for a change. The next, I was fighting for precious life. I did everything I could think of to stop the car from hitting that concrete divider, to no avail. Finally, I said, Well, Mom, I guess I am going to be with you sooner than I thought. I thought I heard her say, Why didnt you stay at your brothers? At this particular point, my answer was, You know we could have had this discussion earlier!
As I saw the concrete barrier approaching, I asked the Lord, Please do not let this happen. Please do not let me feel this, please! Well, I felt the IMPACT . . . and a whole lot of pain. I felt a bone in my arm snap . . . more pain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 27, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469102191

Loris Clarke

I never thought at the age of thirty-seven I would have the formal title of author; yet here I am. It is important that we share our testimony, so that others who are going through adversity understand that they are not alone. I am Jamaican by birth and a veteran of the U.S. Army. I believe that every step we take either brings us in alignment with the will of God or away from it. I want to thank the Debbi Arminio, who encouraged me to “write it down” and Wayland Foote, for his continuous support.

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Copyright © 2008 by Loris Clarke.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007908020

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4257-9946-5

ISBN: ebook 978-1-4691-0219-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Introduction

Importance of a Mother

Arms of Comfort

Unforgiveness

I Dreamt of My Mother

Forgiveness

There Is Strength In Her Smile

Loosing Mom

My Injuries

Rehab

Her Faith

Operation on My Foot

My Dad’s Home

When I Stumble

I Am Asked to Leave

Through Obstacles

Second Operation on My Foot

My First Job

Mirror Image

About the Author

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To the memory of Luleta Clarke, the strongest woman I had the privilege to know and call mother. I will always love you.

Keep my seat in heaven warm for me.

Introduction

When we are called to Christ, we become as clay to be molded by the Master Potter (God). During this critical period, we are molded and formed into the likeness of Christ for which we were created and designed. For this to become possible, we have to be pruned so that His good works can be regenerated through us. Our threshing floor is the potter’s wheel, and the process that eventually takes us from a slab of clay to a fine work of art takes time and effort.

Pottery is formed from soft, pliable clay that is fired to become rock-hard and durable. In this way, God processes and molds us to skillfully achieve the same result: stewards who bear much fruit. While it takes thousands of years to form rocks and sand, which are broken down to form clay, it does not take quite that long for God to transform us into the stewards He wants us to become. Of course, ultimately, the extent of the journey depends on our obedience to His will in our lives. We cannot bear fruit without change, and we cannot change if we are not willing to conform to the will of God.

Forming clay takes time and patience that only God (the Master Potter) is capable of. First, the Master Potter uses Wedging to remove any air bubbles from the workable clay. Just as the Lord prunes and plucks as He strips us down to build us up again, He prepares our vessels to bear fruit. The Master Potter uses the hand-building technique to tenderly mold and shape us into His creative design. In John 15:3a, Jesus says, "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." As the Master prunes and sanctifies us, He speaks words of life and prosperity over us.

Wheel throwing means that the potter then uses His wheel to make symmetrical or round-shaped objects such as mugs and bowls. Likewise, as we are pruned and molded, the Father removes the bad fruit, or the branch that bears