The Woman at the Well

"Well" (cc) Neil, via Flikr

Don't you just love God's Word? I am so blessed to attend a church where the ministers listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and teach from scriptures I've read and heard hundreds of times before -- but from a new perspective.

Take the Woman at the Well, for instance. I always connected with this story from a sense of being ashamed of the mistakes I've made in my life. If I had met Jesus at the well, what would he have told me about my life? Maybe I haven't had five husbands, but are my "sins" any smaller or greater than hers?

Sunday night I was given a new way to look at this story. What if... instead of pointing out the woman's sins, Jesus was actually pointing out her need?

Receiving the Promises Through Faith

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
~ Galations 3:13-14


Redeemed is from the Greek word "exagorazo"; to ransom, rescue, purchase out, buy up from the possession or power of someone, to set free from service or bondage. 


What a powerful word that is!  We are no longer bound by the curse of the law but set free by grace. How many of us grew up thinking that we could somehow earn our salvation or earn the promise of the blessings that God's Word holds for us? I know I did -- or at least, I thought I was supposed to be able to. Of course, I always fell short so I always thought that I didn't deserve and couldn't receive the promises because I wasn't "good enough".


The problem is, we can never be "good enough". The good news is, we don't have to be.

One Strong Belief

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

Day 3 Assignment by Buster BensonPublish Post


The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it? Buster Benson

One Strong Belief

I believe in the power of faith. I believe that we live under a Covenant of Divine Protection. This protection extends itself over every area of our lives: spiritual and physical; it covers our health, our finances, our circumstances, our household, or children, our pets.

15 Minutes to Live

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm participating in the #Trust30 Challenge. For the next 30 days, I have committed to write something based on a prompt supplied by "an original thinker."  True to form, I'm starting late. ;o)  The challenge actually began on May 31st. But, I will tackle the topics in order. If I feel incredibly energetic, I may attempt to respond to more than one in a day.

The first prompt was as follows:

Day 1 Assignment by Gwen Bell


You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.


1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

More Than Words

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
-- James 3:3-5

How many times do we say things we don't really mean and think nothing of it? If anyone comments, or if we have a little twinge of Spirit-conscience, we immediately follow up with "just kidding"!

As children we used to say "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me". Apparently, James disagrees.

Faith: A Way of Life

There was an accident on the interstate today.

For some people, I'm sure it was an inconvenience. What a way to start out the week. Monday morning, and the interstate AND the highway that runs parallel to it, were both closed down. In fact, the end of the street I live on was also closed down.

For some people, it meant taking a detour to work or school, and probably being late.

For people making a longer journey, it meant sitting in a major traffic jam waiting for the roads to be cleared and traffic to move once again.

I'm sure that for everyone involved, peripherally and directly, the day started like any other; the alarm clock jarring them awake; going through the daily routine of getting ready to go wherever it is they spend their days.

Legion, The Movie: Why it's so Dangerous

I went to the movies with my son and his friend last night. I almost didn't go, thinking I'd drive over the the clinic and spend some time working on the computer and hanging out with my dog, Spot, who is recuperating from being hit by a car just before Christmas. But, at the last moment, I decided to tag along to the theater. They decided to watch the movie "Legion" - an apocalyptic-type thriller. 

In "Legion", God has grown tired of mankind's repeated failures and has decided to, once again, destroy the earth.

Where Will You Spend Eternity?

Being a Christian doesn't mean joining a church. Being a Christian is much more than that.

The world and the people living in it have always searched for answers. Our history is littered with great philosophers and philosophies, with scientists and scientific knowledge, with a wide variety of spiritual leaders and belief systems. Somehow, we intuitively know that there has to be more. Our souls, and hearts and minds cry out -- even when we have reached the pinnacle of success -- "Is that all there is?"

Astronaut John Glenn has this to say:

"To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God 

is to me impossible."

Life without God will always leave you with an emptiness, a longing that can't be filled, it will leave you searching for answers.  Jesus is the answer.