THE SON BRINGS CLEANING

Tonight, my daughter told her story on live facebook. Her story was very hard to listen to because it was one of deep pain and trauma she had experienced as a young teenager and didn't know who to cry out to for help.

Sexual assault is a horrible thing and anyone living through it will tell you it's like a leach.  The person committing the crime walks off seeming many times to feel no pain or sorrow, whereas the victim wears the leach attached to them for the rest of their life.  The leach at times seems to be hidden.  One thing can happen and suddenly the leach seems to suck the life right out of the body.  Anger, frustration, hatred, and every emotion possible comes raging forth out of nowhere.

These emotions can be triggered by true stories or by stories that were even made up or on a movie.   None the less, that trigger sets off something within us that takes us out of circulation sometimes for days or even weeks.

For the women who lived before us I must say, I can't imagine that grief and pain you carried and having to keep it locked away in your heart and everyone feeling you shouldn't speak of it.  I can't imagine the tears you must have shed feeling you would loose your mind because of the guilt experienced due to the assault.  Feeling you are the one that caused it, yet knowing you didn't ask for the person to do such a thing to you.  Never able to express yourself to anyone yet secretly dying inside because of the need to be set free.

As I was lying in bed unable to sleep tonight I realized that we live in a period of time that we are free to express everything.  We hold nothing back and sometimes that can be good but also can be destructive.

For those experiencing sexual assault I feel this has been good to live in a time we are free to tell the damage it does to a person.

They have a voice and are being heard, now they can heal.  They are free to throw the venom out of their heart and be released of the dark shadows that haunt them. Free to move on and be somebody significant instead of being wounded and swiveling away into a old grouchy person and nobody understanding why.

I remember as a very young mom washing diapers and hanging them out on the close line to dry.  There were many times those old white diapers would have stains on them that the soap, bleach and water just didn't get out.  When they hung on the line for hours the sun would fade those nasty old stains right off the diaper leaving them crisp and white again. This was something that always amazed me when I watch it happen. 

I have found in my life that telling my story and just hanging it out on the line has been much like the old stained up diaper.  Jesus Christ, the Son shines his rays of love straight to the depth of my deep grief and pain and washes it away leaving me free once again to move forward instead of being locked away in the darkness of my pain and suffering.

He also wants to meet you at the old wash tub and as you express your grief and sorrow, he desires to shine his deep rays of love, compassion, mercy, peace and grace upon your bleeding heart and bring healing that can only be found in his presence.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful 

in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of 

salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of 

righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself 

with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself 

with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10

CUTTING THROUGH THE STONE

Photo provided by Macie Rae Haley 

Have you ever watch water flow after a great storm.  

A small stream trickles down the hillside, it's joined 

by many other small streams.  Suddenly it reaches 

the bottom of the hillside and dips into a gully where

a larger stream is flowing.  As it travels and other 

streams are added to it one by one, the current 

increases in momentum and a rapid current suddenly 

turns into raging catastrophic plucking of massive 

boulders, taking out trees, heavy equipment and 

breaking apart houses that are its path.

Yet this very same water can be the thing

which brings tranquility when sitting beside 

a calm spring listening to the birds singing 

and the sound of the water trickling down 

the stream.

   

The same is true with our heart.  The living 

water can bring peace, comfort and tranquility. 

Yet that same living water can bring conviction 

to the heart causing us to be overwhelmed by 

how far we have strayed from the presence 

of the Holy God who loves us so deeply. This 

conviction at times can feel as if the Lord is 

cutting into our inner being causing us to 

desire to run from his presence.  

When we finally surrender our hardened 

heart to His will, we realize this strong 

conviction has trenched out a path for us 

to reach the heart of God, a path that can 

only be opened up by us surrendering our 

lives to Jesus Christ. 

LOVE IS NOT PUFFED UP

Love is ...


Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

A devotion by Stephen Long

If you love someone, you will put up with a lot. I have seen the mothers of special children show the greatest patience with their children, even far after a spouse has long ago pulled away because he “just can’t deal with it.”

Love doesn’t give up on somebody after the first and second offense. It is capable of forgiving seventy times seven.[i]

God’s kind of Agape love is about loving for what you can contribute to another’s life regardless of what they do for you. The only one who has ever successfully loved this way is the Lord Jesus Christ, but with the Holy Spirit within us and filling us, we can grow more into this kind of lover.

What kind of person would we observe who loved like this? How would we recognize an Agape kind of lover?

It is the man who forgoes his career to stay at home with his invalid wife. It is the farmer who goes and harvests his injured neighbor’s crop for him. It is the prominent citizen who goes out of his way to speak to the boy with an intellectual disability. It is the policeman who responds to an emergency call from a well known criminal.

Agape love is giving credit to someone else when you know that you also contributed heavily to the success of a project. It is downplaying the flaws of others, knowing that you have plenty of your own.

Love thinks well of others, speaks well of others and treats others as you would have them treat you.

Love will never be jealous of the success of others even if you have competed for the same prize. It will never wish any less blessing or more trouble upon another. It will never say, “They don’t deserve that” when something good happens to another; and it will never say, “They deserved that” when something bad happens to someone else.

The person who loves will not push one’s self up to the front of the line. It will not bully people but it will confront those who do bully others. Love will not allow us to grab the spotlight while shoving others out. Love focuses first on the Lord Jesus and then upon the indivuals around us. It never says "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" and "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?" [ii]

Love will not “think of himself more highly than he ought to think,”[iii] but will also look out “for the interest of others.”[iv] Love is not like the pufferfish, blowing yourself up thrice your own size to impress but will think soberly – realistically. It is not making yourself look smaller than you really are but neither is it making yourself look bigger.

We could use a few more good manners these days. It seems like we’ve lost so much of what we once had attained as a civilized society. Love will help us do that.

Love looks out for others as well as it looks out for one’s self. It doesn’t become easily provoked nor does it think the worst of others but gives a fellow human being the benefit of the doubt whenever possible.

Love is full of joy. There is joy when another succeeds as much as when you succeed. There is joy in the blessing of others as well as when you are blessed. There is joy when truth is spoken – the full truth. It rejoices in the truth that “the wages of sin is death,” but also in the truth that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This is just a start, but that’s what love is. And, if you really want to see true love, don’t look at all of us flawed humans around you; look at God – and the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ who loved you so much he came to a lousy sin cursed world to be one of us and die for our sins. This is love.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
\

I Corinthians 13.4-6

I Jesus, Matthew 18.22
[ii] Esther 6.6
[iii] Romans 12.3
[iv] Philippians 2.4

THE LORD GIVETH WISDOM

Photo provided by Kristen Cooke

For the LORD giveth wisdom: 

out of his mouth cometh

knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:6

PATIENCE HAVING HER PERFECT WORK

Photographer - Geoff Fierce

But let patience have her perfect work, 

that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting 

nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, 

let him ask of God, that giveth to 

all men liberally, and upbraideth 

not; and it shall be given him.

I Peter 3:4

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

Photographer Geoff Fierce

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of 

our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him 

be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

II Peter 3:18

Check out Geoff's beautiful photography

on the links provided below.

Geoff Fierce Blog

Geoff Fierce Website

THE ORNAMENT OF A MEEK AND QUITE SPIRIT

Photographer Geoff Fierce

Check out Geoff's beautiful photography

on the links provided below.

Geoff Fierce Blog

Geoff Fierce Website

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that
which is not corruptible, even the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight
of God of great price.

I Peter 3:4

HE GIVES POWER TO THE FAINT

Photographer Geoff Fierce

Check out Geoff's beautiful photography

on the links provided below.

Geoff Fierce Blog

Geoff Fierce Website

 He giveth power to the faint; and to them 

that have no might he increaseth strength.

Isaiah 40:29

BLESS THE LORD OH MY SOUL

Photo provided by Kassidy Mitchell 

David. » Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is 

within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, 

O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth 

all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  Who 

redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth 

thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  Who 

satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy 

youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

STRENGTHEN YE THE WEAK HANDS

Photographer - Renie Brandow

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and 

confirm the feeble knees.Say to them 

that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, 

fear not: behold, your God will come 

with vengeance, even God with a 

recompence; he will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, 

and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, 

and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the 

wilderness shall waters break out, and streams 

in the desert.  And the parched ground shall 

become a pool, and the thirsty land springs 

of water: in the habitation of dragons, where 

each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

And an highway shall be there, and a way, 

and it shall be called The way of holiness; 

the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall 

be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, 

shall not err therein.  No lion shall be there, 

nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it 

shall not be found there; but the redeemed 

shall walk there:  And the ransomed of the 

LORD shall return, and come to Zion with 

songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: 

they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow 

and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:3-9

WITHOUT LOVE

A devotion by Steve Long
Without Love ...

If there is love in someone's heart, somehow it will come flowing through. Love is hard to disguise as is self centeredness. Either will exude and manifest itself in some way. The only way anybody can go unaffected by love is if he or she throws a shield up in resistance.

A Christian without love is like a car without an engine. It may look impressive, but it’s not going anywhere.

A Christian without love is like a piñata without any candy. You can beat it and whack it, but you’re not going to get anything out of it.

A Christian without love is like a river with no water. It may be a testimony to what once was, but it has no substance for today. Nothing can flow from it, for it only lies stale, dry, and lifeless.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.[i]

Without love, you may have linguistic fluency, but it will only sound like disorderly noise to those you are trying to reach. It is better to stutter and stammer with love in your heart than to speak with the eloquence of Cicero without it. You may mesmerize people for a while with your style of speech, but that will not endure nor endear people to yourself or God.

Without love, your pronouncements of great wisdom, though they may be true, will ring hollow in the ears of those who hear it.

Without love, your deep knowledge that you want to display for all to admire will be rejected for something far shallower that comes from someone who seems to care.

Without love, your gift of faith may move mountains but it will not move a hungry soul who longs for something genuine, someone real.

Without love, all the “charitable deeds” you’ve done will be barrenly squandered away into the wastelands of every great but unloving deed done for all the wrong reasons.

According to an article in USA Today, there is a mass in the ocean known as the “world's largest collection of ocean garbage” which:…is twice the size of Texas. ... The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of plastic, floating trash halfway between Hawaii and California, has grown to more than 600,000 square miles.[ii]

That’s a big pile of floating garbage that some are hoping to remedy but most are trying their best to ignore. Yet it’s not as big as the collection of good deeds that have been done without love.

Without love, “I am nothing.” That means everything I’m accomplishing is actually doing others no good.

Without love, “it profits me nothing,” which means all my deeds are actually doingme no good. It’s not helping you and it’s not helping me either.

Years ago, I heard a lady talk about one aunt who was a blessing to everyone she knew, then she mentioned another aunt. Her words were “Aunt Cindy[iii]never did do nothing for nobody.”

Someone has said:[iv]“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

But let me add this:

Do it in love.

[i] 1 Corinthians 13.1-3
[ii] https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/03/22/great-pacific-garbage-patch-grows/446405002/
[iii] Made up name
[iv] Attributed to John Wesley but others dispute he said it.

HIS FRUIT WILL COME FORTH IN HIS SEASON

Photographer - Renie Brandow

 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel 

of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, 

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his 

delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his 

law doth he meditate day and night. And he 

shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of 

water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his 

season; his leaf also shall not wither; and 

whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  The 

ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff 

which the wind driveth away.  Therefore 

the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, 

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: 

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1 

CASTING ALL YOUR CARES

Photographer - Renie Brandow

Casting all your care upon 

him; for he careth for you.

I Peter 5:7

WRITE MY STORY ON YOUR HEART

It is the goal of Digging a Well Ministries 

to take hope to the lost and dying 

world and the only way to do this

is to forge the trenches, battle defeat,

swim the channels of the oppressor,

dig deep and keep on digging until we 

can finally stand on the mountain top: 

wave the flag so that peoples hearts 

are ignited and they desire to 

come join us in sharing hope. 

This book of the law shall not depart out 

of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate 

therein day and night, that thou mayest 

observe to do according to all that is 

written therein: for then thou shalt 

make thy way prosperous, and then 

thou shalt have good success. Have 

not I commanded thee? Be strong 

and of a good courage; be not afraid, 

neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD 

thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:8-9

MAKE SURE YOU YOKE UP EQUALLY

Image from goodfreephotos.com

On a video we saw recently, a couple was getting married. The minister stood before the couple to go through the usual vows. Most ministers usually know their bible but not everyone else does. 

Minister: “I make this covenant with you,”

Groom: “I make this covenant with you,”

Minister: “In the name of the Father...”

Groom: “Who’s Father … hers or mine?”

That is a true story. It really happened.

Now days, when we marry someone, there is often confusion as to whom we are making our vows. We vow to our spouse. We vow before those present but we are also vowing before God, our Father who is in heaven. This is the Father in whose name we make our vow.

One problem with marriages nowadays is the unequal yoke. We read in 2 Corinthians 6.14:

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

You may say, “What is an unequal yoke?”

Before modern agricultural methods, people around the world plowed with various types of animals. The Lord had told Israel not to plow with an ox or donkey together. This was not because he cared so much about how they farmed but in order to make a more important point – namely, don’t make close associations, anything considered a bond, with those who don’t believe in the LORD.

This does not preclude all associations, for “then,” says Paul, “you would need to go out of the world.” [i] I have a good relationship with many non-Christians, and love them, but I have no bond with them.

Examples of close associations Christians should avoid with unbelievers would be partnership in a business, investments, alliance in political endeavors, but most of all, marriage.

There is no closer bond than the bond of marriage. Husband and wife are not just tied together, they are welded. Whenever God brought him his wife, Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” [ii]

God’s commentary on this was, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Breaking that bond will cause serious problems. It causes severe repercussions on the individual, the couple, the family (children, grandchildren, parents, extended family) and the society.

Jesus said; “'Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,'" and then said, “'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."[iii] (Notice that Jesus did not say men were to marry men nor women marry women. And, Jesus said God made everyong male and female, not something gender fluid or something we can decide for ourselves. Such an idea is a Satanic perversion.)

Most children of divorced parents will end up in a fatherless home which creates many problems for those kids. [iv] Many will live with a step parent to which some will never adjust.

Christians, as well as the rest of society, fall victim to divorce way too often as well. Although a man or woman may say they know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, many either do not or do not live up to their profession. There is no obvious love for the Lord Jesus in their lives. Many of these love sin more than the Savior, gambling more than God, lust more than love, fun more than family, and money more than meekness.

I have not written these things to chastise anyone or bring any more guilt upon anyone beyond what they (often unnecessarily) already feel. There is forgiveness and redemption. There is hope and healing, and many who enter into a second or subsequent marriage will find true love and companionship. Many children of divorce will find strength to go on and will often find a new father figure or mother figure in their lives that will bring them great blessing. We all pray that they will.

We write this article to help people make the right choice before entering into an “unequal yoke.” It is not bi-racial marriage that God prohibited his people from entering into, rather it was the marrying of those from the nations of idolaters and wicked people.

Here are some good questions to ask about your prospective mate before you marry:

Does he/she claim to know Jesus Christ?

Does he/she love to pray and read God’s word?

Does he/she love to hang out with God’s people (the church)?

Does he treat his Momma right? 

(If he doesn’t, he probably won’t treat you right either!)

Does he/she live a life consistent with what they say they believe?

Do you, yourself, live according to all the above?

Don’t think you are going to change someone. If anything, they are putting their best foot forward right now. I have seen many make abundant promises only to revert back to old ways after gaining someone’s confidence. We know anyone can be changed by God, but don’t test him! He has placed his principles in his word for us to live by, not for us to presume upon his mercy.

Those were the don’ts. Here’s the do’s:

Do pray for God to direct you to that one person.

Do search the scriptures for understanding.

Do seek godly counsel and listen to those who love you and don’t mind speaking the truth.

Do give yourself time to get to know this person you feel you love. Don’t commit too soon.

Do let the peace of God be your guide.

Do be willing to go through life unmarried rather than to marry an unbeliever.

Do trust God when he gives you the green light.

Do everything you can to hold your marriage together with the Spiritual soul mate that God has given you – through thick and thin.

[i] 1 Corinthians 5.10

[ii] Genesis 2.23

[iii] Matthew 19.3-6

[iv] If you have the guts to read about the effect on kids without Dads, read:

https://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/

IS THERE A PERSON IN NEED OF HOPE?

Many years ago I was challenged to write a book.

Being the person I am I was more prone to believe

I shouldn't.  I was creative but my full time job

was creating formula's and functions and 

gathering data that would create graphs 

and charts for management.  This was one 

thing that I so enjoyed doing.  The reason for 

this is; I could get off into my own little corner

and shut the world out and learn and bring to 

fruition the knowledge and it would give great

understanding to those who viewed the data, 

giving them the knowledge to make better 

decisions. 

As the Lord worked out all the fine details of 

my life I found myself writing the book called, 

"Digging a Well" and self published it in 2010.

As you see I still love my graphs and charts

and viewing the graph today it is obvious 

the point in time that I realized I had something

to offer that people were in search of.

Up until early 2016 I wrote on my blog 

as a way to find hope for myself to survive 

the storms in my life.  In late 2015 and early 2016

it was brought to my attention by people I started 

giving my books away to that I had a story 

they needed to hear.  This is a story of hope. 

Hope is vital to survival.  

You can pack a survival kit with every perfect item 

but if you don't have hope of getting through 

the storm, you may never have what it 

takes to even retrieve the items in an intelligent 

way to make it through the obstacle your facing. 

Questions asked by many who find themselves 

in survival mode. How soon should I consume 

the products in my bag?  How much should I 

consume at one time?

For the person who doesn't have hope the items 

are consumed at a faster rate due to panic setting in. 

For the person with hope, the items are consumed 

at a slow intelligent rate.

My motto has always been, "Wait, Watch, and Pray."

I watch people as they go through life and there are 

many who are caught up in the mentality of;

eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow

we are going to die and that is the end.  They live life 

in a haphazard way and their surroundings bring 

to fruition the lifestyle lived.  

The person having hope isn't just living life for self 

but living it for their mate, their children, their 

grandchildren, their nieces/nephews, neighbors 

and friends.  

Once I was to the point of realizing I have a message that

needs to go out to others no matter how bad of a writer I am

or the lack of funding, a goal was set, "move forward at

all times; even if the progress is slow.  Never stop giving hope." 

When things are going good, offer hope.  

When things are going bad, offer hope. 

When funds are high, offer hope.  

When funds are low, offer hope.

The Lord has allowed me to find a way to creatively 

cross over into the world of science and blend the two, 

nature and nurture into one location and display it for 

the world to drink from.  In doing this we have 

watched the ministry springboard into a whole new 

rhelm of glory where the Savior is displayed to all the 

nations of the world offering them hope for today 

and strength for tomorrow.  

It's not often that I share my hearts goal for Digging a Well 

Ministries but as we move into deeper waters my heart would 

be to produce a International Cookbook and also bring back

to life a company that I started many years ago of my own

designs of sewing and custom made items.  

In order to meet this goal we will need support.  We ask 

each of our readers to be in prayer as to what the best way

to achieve this goal would be.    

Innovation requires brilliant ideas and a way to 

successfully bring those ideas to fruition before 

the public eye. 

It has always been my belief when creativity 

meets science and we implement all the five 

senses that God gave us and all of nature to 

display his glory, we will have a world waiting 

to drink from the water we offer.  

This water is the Living Water and is drawn 

from a well that will never run dry. 

Come drink! 

FATHER OF LIGHTS

Photo provided by Don Poss 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is 

from above, and cometh down from 

the Father of lights, with whom is no 

variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT ENDURETH TEMPTATION

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: 

for when he is tried, he shall receive the 

crown of life, which the Lord hath promised 

to them that love him.

James 1:12