Hello all!
My lovely husband set me up with a NEW blog site, So........
Yeah, I will no longer be posting on liveJournal, BUT.........
Here is where you can tune it from now on:

friendinfriend.sideroomstudios.com

Also, if you have not been to Josh's Blog, I encourage you to check it out

trainingfor.sideroomstudios.com

so long livejournal, hello sideroomstudios!

~C

Current Mood: content

Romans 11:17-23

 "If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot,
have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from
the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not
support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were
broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because
of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did
not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the
kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you,
provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And
if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in,
for God is able to graft them in again."

So this morning I was drawn to this passage in Romans, and like many mornings lately I have struggled with what I have always been taught and Gods Holy Word, they don't match,...... At All!

In verse 20 it says, "they were broken off because of UNBELIEF," I looked up the word Unbelief in this specific instance in it's original language of Greek, definition for Unbelief: DISOBEDIENCE. Unbelief is referring to the heart condition, a disobedient condition of the heart, In jeremiah 17 it speaks of this heart condition, sin nature/ worldliness, as "desperately sick".

So I ask myself, "why are we not rebuked by our teachers, in love, for our disobedience to God's word, his command?" I mean Jesus says himself in John 3:36 "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God REMAINS on him." We are taught over and over again that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life, BUT we are not taught to obey, and the consequences for disobeying, and we are not rebuked if in disobedience, WHY? If it is true that through UNBELIEF (a disobedient heart) we are "cut off" from the Lord, why in the heck are we not told so. I mean this is life and death and all eternity, this is serious!
 
What we are taught is to believe, in the since of an understanding in our mind (not heart) of what was done for us, but not who in fact Jesus is, and not what it truly is to believe in him. To believe in your heart is to abandon EVERYTHING that does not aline with that in which you believe. SO do I really believe, do you really believe? In God's Word is tells us to test by the FRUIT, what does our fruit look like?

Matthew 7:17-19
"So EVERY healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit."

BUT..... Jesus goes on to tell us what happens to the diseased trees:
" EVERY tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

So how do we know again?
" Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

Dude this is serious!

The lack of solid teaching, teaching the whole TRUTH, is bearing rotten fruit in our lack of fear for the Almighty God. Proof is in the pudding, if we truly believe in God, who has the power and authority to destroy both flesh and spirit, we would obey, obey Everything!

Matthew 3:8 (John the baptizer speaking)
"Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ' we have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Romans 11:23
"if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in,
for God is able to graft them in again."

So this is my heart about it all, I have a ton of people in my life right now that are hurting, that are struggling with loneliness, that are bearing heavy burdens, they are all looking for answers for a way out of their pain, my eyes are every day being opened to what that answer is and truly understanding in my heart the TRUE message of the gospel. Sin is painful, and well if we choose sin we do not choose or BELIEVE in God.

So I am pleading to all of you who read this entry, READ your bible, learn the TRUTH for yourself, Test your fruit and then let us all humbly REPENT (turn from sin and turn towards God) together of our sinful disobedience to the LORD our God, for it is said,
"REPENT for the Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand."!
for he is willing able to graft us in, AGAIN!

Something worth thinking about!

~C

Current Mood: determined

John 4:3-7
 " He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph ; and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  There came a woman of Samaria to draw water."

I LOVE this story!!!

I was led to do a little research on the History of the people and their beliefs, and this well. I hope that it may be of some use to you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Historic info found at www.bible-history.com)
The name of Samaritans was first found in the Book of Kings, relating Nablus on Mt. Gerizim and in Holon. The name of Samaritans means conservative people.

HISTORY:

THE PEOPLE
According to Jewish tradition and the Bible, the modernday Samaritans are descendants of foreign peoples who were brought into ancient Israel after the Assyrians conquered and drove the Judeans out in 701 B.C. The Samaritans, however, trace their ancestry to remnants of the Judean population who remained in Samaria following the conquest. Recent scholarship tends to support the Samaritan view. With the return of the Judean exiles from Babylonia in the fifth century B.C., a break developed between the Judeans and the Samaritans, resulting, in part, from the Samaritans' refusal to accept new religious texts and interpretations. At about this time, the Samaritans began calling themselves "Shomeronim" (Hebrew for "to conserve") in reference to their adherence to traditional religious beliefs and practices. Barred by the Jews from participating in the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, the Samaritans, in the fourth century B.C., built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, overlooking Nablus. The temple was destroyed in 128 B.C.; a new one was built, and it too was destroyed, in A.D. 486.

THEIR BELIEF
Samaritans believe in one God, that Moses is the only Prophet, that only the first books of the Bible (the Torah) are authoritative, that Mount Gerizim is sacred, and that there will be a future time of messianic revival. They celebrate most major Jewish Holy Days and festivals, although their practices, such as the ritual slaughter of a lamb at Passover (Pesach) and kneeling in prayer, do not conform to those of modern Judaism.

THE WELL OF JACOB
         (John 4:5, 6). This is one of the few sites in Palestine about
        which there is no dispute. It was dug by Jacob, and hence its
        name, in the "parcel of ground" which he purchased from the sons
        of Hamor (Gen. 33:19). It still exists, but although after
        copious rains it contains a little water, it is now usually
        quite dry. It is at the entrance to the valley between Ebal and
        Gerizim, about 2 miles south-east of Shechem. It is about 9 feet
        in diameter and about 75 feet in depth, though in ancient times
        it was no doubt much deeper, probably twice as deep. The digging
        of such a well must have been a very laborious and costly
        undertaking.
Other places I researched said that this well was highly used during Jesus time, not only as a good source of water but it was famous because of it's history.

LOCATION Sychar
This town is about 35-40 miles north of Judea and about 40-45 miles south of Galilee, so it is almost exactly half way on Jesus's Journey to Galilee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


STORY
Ok lets get back to the story......
John 4:6-7
Jesus, after travailing a few days on foot, reached the town of Sychar, about the sixth hour (noon). So picture the mall, in the fast food market area, at lunch time on the weekend, that is probably close to what the crowd was that afternoon at the well of Jacob. Yet notice in the story that it does not mention any other people, just this one woman that approaches to draw water.

Why did Jesus choose this woman out of so many? Or did he?

John 6:44-45
 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.  
It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'
Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me."

I have heard it said that Jesus is always waiting for us at our greatest point of need.
Notice that it is Jesus sitting , waiting  beside the well. The woman comes to where he is waiting. Think about that!


HEART TO HEART
What are our needs? What are our Physical Needs?
    -Financial  (bills, debt, and so on....)
    -Relational  (marriage, children, friends, and family)
    -Health  (any physical issue, sickness, pain, injury, anything)
    -Mental  (doubt, believing lies, torment)
    -Emotional  (Discouragement, sadness, loneliness, hopelessness)

For the next several days lets spend some time examining our lives, asking the Lord about our needs, what burdens are we carrying? If you have time journal any thought you have. Some of us work outside the house, what are the burdens that we carry with our work, Some of us are stay at home Mom's, what burdens are we carrying with our work in the home?

Dear LORD
Thank you for your Holy Spirit, thank you for the helper that he is! I ask you to continue to teach and lead us through your Spirit, continue to open our eyes, soften our hearts, and draw us to your Son just as you did with this woman at the well. Thank you that you first loved us! Protect us all from the tempter, continually light our path. Please give us your strength to endure this week and the weeks to come as we seek you in our lives. Be near, O Lord be near! In Jesus Name, Amen.

I felt led to these this morning, I hope that they will be of some encouragement :)

Psalms 31:24
"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait on the LORD."

Psalms 34:18
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

~C

Current Mood: contemplative

Woman at the Well  #1

Alright, lets get started!
The Samaritan Woman at the Well, John 4:4-42
This week we are going to focus on verses 4-9

Today, make some time, even if it's just 5 minutes, and read through the entire story.

After refreshing yourself with the story (4-42) go back and read just through verses 4-9
    -pray and ask God to open your eyes to see what is really going on
    -Who is this woman?
    -Why is Jesus asking her for water?
    -Why the well
    just ask questions like a child, all kinds of questions.

Then just wait and listen, this is an awesome opportunity to journal if you feel led. Jot down any questions that pop up.

Let's just hang here for now.

~C

Current Mood: excited

So Last night was the first night for me at this new women s discipleship/ bible study group, and it was more then what i had hoped for, God is so good! It is crazy how you can be so close to the Lord, so incredibly passionate about Jesus, see and hear him in your life, and yet be so painfully lonely. The greatest command is to Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself, I guess I have failed to see the need to love and be loved by others, and share my life with Godly women . I have been so lazy about it, disobedient in fact. These women have such beautiful hearts, God is moving already in each of us. I just regret doing this sooner, but it is all in God's timing.

The Lord is leading us through his word in some cool little ways. so I was thinking about posting some of what I will be going through, (study, reflection and prayer) in case it may be of some use to any of you in your walk with the Lord. I'll subject it as :WORD
Any hoot, here is a little something to think about this week:

******************************
John 6:35
" I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."


The Lord is our provider, he says in John that, "whoever comes to him shall not hunger, and whoever believes in him shall never thirst." Two of our greatest NEEDS, as long as we are in this world, will always be food and water.He is firstly telling us that if we come to and believe in him that he will forever provide us our greatest physical needs.

But.... there is still a greater message and greater promise with in his words

Our Father, the God who created heaven and earth, and created all mankind, created us not only of flesh but of spirit (Mark 26:41). This promise (John 6:35) goes far beyond meeting our physical needs, but more importantly the needs of our spirit, the unseen.

When you have a few minutes alone today, and through out the week, spend some time with the Lord and ask him to open your eyes and reveal to you these questions:

What is my spiritual HUNGER?
What is my spiritual THIRST?

Also ask him:

If we are not going to him to feed our hunger and to quench our thirst, then what are we going to?
What are we filling up on?

~C

Current Mood: full

Man I am at a crazy place, I think that I have experienced more Joy and more sorrow in the last few months then most people do in their entire life time. My eyes are being opened more and more to the Truth that this world seeks to blind us from, i can't even put it into words. The more and more I seek God's Word to know and understand, the more and more I am brought back to our forefathers, to the beginning. It is crazy how our wicked rebellious hearts are so quick to believe that there is another way, o how the heart desires to believe that same old lie of the Fall . Just as Eve was so easily deceived into believing that God was holding out on them, believing that wicked O'll serpent that there was still yet a better way, "eat the fruit of knowledge" he whispers, and they eat.

So yeah i was just thinking like a billion different thoughts and this one popped up, How come when we are confused we are so quick to study the thoughts of another fallen human being? just a thought, maybe it is one worth thinking about.

Jeremiah 17:5,9
"This is what the LORD says:
Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes human flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD."
"The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick-who can understand it?"

2Timothy 3:16
"ALL Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for ever good work."

Current Mood: awake

Habakkuk 1:3-4

• "Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted."

• 0.

What is happening to Church, to Your beautiful Beloved Bride O LORD?
They are as fish in the living waters of You, our Father, our gracious Creator, and evil wicked fishermen have come to feast!
I see them, the demons, casting their baited hooks of lies into Your waters.
Their bait is pleasing to the flesh, "something new", it says, as it draws them by the sound of the bait hitting the water. The smell calls out to them, and it's appearance seduces them. The deadly hook of lies waits, and whispers, the flesh of the fish hears it's voice, and the desire for it grows within them, and the soul begins it's quiet death.

O LORD, I see it , bite after bite, death after death, my soul cries out to you for them, do you hear me, will you save them?

They are hooked, now pierced deep deep into the flesh, the sting of pride has reached their heart! Their coldness now traps them from escape as they are pulled further and further away from living water into deaths grip. Life drains from their soul and darkness consumes them, as the demons feast in the evil works of their hand.

PS 34:8-9
" Taste and see the the LORD is good; Blessed in the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!"

I will not taste, I will not even touch, for even the smell of this bait repulses me. For you and you alone have set before us all, who trust in you, a heavenly feast, who could ever be in want while with in your home?
Open the eyes of our hearts LORD!

Proverbs 16:25
" There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death."
Proverbs 3:5-8
" Trust in the LORD with ALL you heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make strait your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

Habakkuk 1:5
"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."

Lord I do not understand your ways, I believe with all my heart that you are good, and I will choose to TRUST you. Please grant me and others, with this burden, a strength and faith like that of Habakkuk, which you gifted him.

Habakkuk 3:17-18
" Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Your Love endures FOREVER!
~C

Current Mood: broken yet comforted

Woman of the well
At sunrise you wake
O how you thirst
But where is your jug?

Woman of the well
Quick find your jug
Quench your thirst
Wet your face

Woman of the well
There is your jug!
Empty
For you already drank your fill

O dear, poor woman of the well

Day after day
Thirst after thirst
Fill it you will
To drink yet never be full
Woman of the well

Heavy is your burden of the jug
Lift it up
Carry it quick
To your well of Jacob
O woman of the well

Another dip
Deep deep you go
Deeper then before
More work yet less water
Poor woman of the well

Drink now think later
Quench your deep thirst
A thirst that never leaves
A thirst that is never full
Woman of the well

Of the well you are
Of the well you choose to fill
A well that will soon end
What will you do then?
Where will you go then?
O beloved, woman of the well

~C

Current Mood: full

Yesterday was a hard day, I guess for the most part we walk around choosing to see things the way we want to, not really opening our eyes to the reality of what IS. Josh and I have really been led over the past months to the great importance and responsibility of teaching our children to fallow the LORD. To teach them in the Holy Scriptures, to teach them Honor and Respect and most of all Obedience to the LORD through Obedience to us their parents. With Christmas drawing near we started to hear from the mouths of our children "Happy Holidays" and started to hear questions of santa. I was shocked because we don't do santa and we always say Merry Christmas, yes I know that those words in and of them selves are not harmful, but rather seeing my children s hearts behind them was of great concern. Off went the TV, all of it, things are going to change, my children will know the Truth of Christmas, the Birth Of Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!
So yesterday Josh and I and the kiddos all went on a search to find a kid movie about the Birth Of Jesus Christ, the story of Christmas, we figured any store would have several to choose from with it being Christmas and all. SO we go to Walmart, which is usually pretty good about having books and movies of faith, but there was nothing! So we went to Target, and nothing again, I mean not even close. Ok so now we are thinking were just going to have to go to Life Way, were kinda feeling silly that we didn't go there first and save us a lot of time, but o well. So we get there and walk through, and we look and we look, and we come to the kids movie section, and look over and find their Christmas movie selection and were sadly surprised. There was nothing! They had all kinds of movies about the Christmas spirit, you know being loving, and movies that teach kids about giving and all, but NOTHING even close to telling the story of Jesus and his birth. I want to clarify, it wasn't that they had a movie but maybe it was sold out or something, as could be expected, but they didn't even sell a children s movie telling the story of Jesus birth! I asked and i looked at every label on the Christmas section shelf!
I have to admit that I was at first really frustrated that a Christian book store, the one place that should sell such a movie, did not have anything even close, but as we drove away I started to become sad. I started to break at the fact that this is what Christmas is now, that it is about what we have made it. It is no longer a time to worship God the Father in remembrance of the greatest gift, the gift he gave to us of SALVATION in his Son Jesus Christ., but it has become all about selfishness, about telling our children lies, about any thing and everything that has NOTHING to do JESUS!
What a HUGE responsibility we have as parents. Well we ended up going to a few more places and finally found the movie The Nativity Story at a movie rental store. As we were driving home I just kept hearing in my head , "are you really surprised?" now remembering all that Jesus prepared us for through his words in the gospels, that the world will hate me. Then I started to feel so foolish and silly to complain about not finding a movie about Jesus, when i should be ever so grateful that I have the greatest gift, second to the gift of Jesus, The Holy Scriptures! So many people in this world don't even have that. Man we are so blessed in this country, yet we are so ungrateful, God forgive us!
Last night we all sat down together as a family and watched this movie, I was concerned that this movie would not keep their attention, but o how wrong I was, the story of Jesus is a powerful story. Both Cayla and Cadence, who are still very young, did not take their eyes off the TV the entire time, and after we tucked them into be last night, the last words that Cayla said to me was , "Mom , can I please watch the Jesus movie when i get up." God is a powerful God, and his TRUTH moves even the tinniest of hearts and draws them, there is no need for bright colors and silly songs, just the truth! I am now ashamed at my lack of faith, looking back i see that I bought the Lie just as everyone else, that Jesus is not enough. I thank you LORD for your grace and your patience with me, I am not worthy, forgive me and forgive us all!

Behold what manner of Love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the Children of God!

~C

Current Location: home
Current Mood: full
Current Music: my kids voices :)

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31,32)

O how we continue to neglect one of the greatest gifts ever given us, what could be greater then to know the heart of God, our Creator? It is crazy to think how many copies of Gods word are in this world and how few are ever read, and yet it is the only one worth reading because it is the only one that is living and breathing. Gods word is TRUTH, all Truth, that is promised to set us free, what more is there to say? except Thank You :)

God is so GOOD!

~C

Current Mood: thankful