Cleanse.Fill.Pour.: The Stew

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Stew

I have always and will always hate stew. Sorry for all your stew fans but from my earliest memories of stew I have hated it! My dad and I even came up with a code when it was “stew night” and we managed to almost ALWAYS avoid it…that is probably why my mom still has cool whip containers filled with stew in the freezer while we speak/write! Just kidding, kinda! Well, I’ve been thinking about stew. The question is what kind of stew!

So, this past weekend I had the privilege of going to the TieUsTogether Conference in Valparaiso and it was great! (Thanks Jackie for all your hard work!) Jan Silvious was the Keynote speaker and she talked a lot about wisdom and how that applies to our life, she did a great job too! (Thanks Jan too) She talked about Joshua 6 and the idea of needing to “Pay attention, you have never been this way before.” Meaning, every day…every situation really is new and we need to always pay attention to the Lord because WE haven’t been there before, He has though. (I know you are wondering what in the world this has to do with stew! I’m getting there!)

Anyway, she posed the question in her last session, “what can we run into when we have ‘never been this way before’?” This first thing she mentioned was our family issue…or if I may, the “pot we stewed in”.  See my stew thoughts?? I’ve been pondering it since Saturday…how many things, maybe family things, or church things, emotional things, default reactions in my life are just beliefs or knee-jerk reactions to the things I have “stewed” in?

You know, “things have just always been that way or this is just how I am” kind of thinking, it just all kind of melds together and mushes together…like stew. All the parts just kind of cling to the flavor of the stew. How much of how I live life is a reflection on my flavor of stew?

I’ve really been thinking on that…does my flavor taste like me or my family or my denomination OR of Jesus? I don’t hate the “Jesus Stew” but I do want to reflect on what other “flavors” my life might be giving the flavor of….just me thinking!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Purpose of Cleanse.Fill.Pour.

Cleanse.Fill.Pour. is a women's ministry specifically designed to encourage women. Our desire is to see you grow in discipleship...to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:21 says, "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself (herself) from these things, he (she) will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work."

Our prayer is that this would be used as a small tool to encourage women to be useful "vessels" for the Lord to use... in their marriage, with their kids, in teacher appointments, in the workplace, in their churches and all throughout their sphere of influence, that they would be Cleansed. Filled. and Poured out to others.

Statement of Faith of Cleanse.Fill.Pour.

1.We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

2.We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Gen. 1 and John 1)

3.We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.(all of the Gospels)

4.We believe that Salvation is by grace and faith alone in the finished work of Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that Jesus Christ is the Only Way to have a right relationship with God. (John 14:6)

5.We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.(Ephesians 1:13-14)

6.We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.(Romans 8)

7.We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.(all of the Gospels)

8. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ. (1 Corinthians 12)

Curriculum Available with Online Study Tools

"From out to IN" Our Position in Christ now available! This is my first book based on the book of Ephesians but starting "In the beginning..."

"In Christ...walking by grace and faith" an in-depth study on the book of Ephesians. This 15-week study looks closely at the idea of walking by the same grace and faith that we are saved with! What does it mean to BE and then to DO? We are called to BE who we are in Christ and out of that we DO, not vise versa!

"Free Indeed" a in-depth look at the book of Galatians. A 12-week study closely looking at what was truly accomplished at the Cross of Christ. What does that mean for us? What is the source of our growth now? Freedom, what is it!?

"The Relationship"

For more information or to get materials...email cleansefillpour@aol.com