Like An Anchor

Be A Well of Water

25 January, 2014

I talked about Christ’s meeting with the woman at the well last week. This week, I’d like to focus on a specific verse from that interaction:

But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4.14)

Jesus told the woman that once He gives someone the gift of living water, they continue to receive a steady supply. We learn more about this a few chapters later.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)

Here, we are clearly told this water is the Holy Spirit, and shown that the fountain Jesus spoke of in John 4 isn’t a tiny trickle that supplies just enough water for the person He gives it to — it is enough to supply a river that flows out from people who Christ is working with.

Don’t Stagnate

As I talked about on Monday, we all need outlets to keep from becoming stagnate. We have to share what we have been given. The Holy Spirit is supposed to be flowing through us an manifesting as fruits borne in our lives. “By this My Father is glorified,” Jesus said, “that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8).

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22-25)

To briefly re-cap the analogy from Monday’s post, the Sea of Galilee is a source of freshwater because it has both an inflow and an outflow. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, has no outlet and is filled with brackish water. We are like that too. We either flow with Christ’s living water, or we become dead. We can’t be both alive and hoarding God’s gifts all to ourselves — “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” (James 3:11).

Flowing With Life

In 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy that he needs to “stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” because “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:6-7). A similar admonition is given to the whole church: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thes. 5:19). There is a very real danger if we do not use the talents that God had given us (Matt. 25:14-20).

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

We do not want to be the ones that the Father prunes out of the True Vine for lack of fruit. We are to become more and more skillful “in the word of righteousness” and at some point grow to the point that we can “be teachers” (Heb. 5:12-14). We need to learn this now, because in the future the Church will be teaching alongside Jesus Christ as His bride, living and working with the One who promises, “I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts” (Rev. 21:6).

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Rev. 22:1)

If we don’t become a well of water now, overflowing with God’s spirit and the fruts thereof, we will not be included in the inhabitants of the city that flows with God’s living water.
Snickerdoodles

22 January, 2014

This is my favorite cookie. You need to plan ahead a little, since they will not bake right if the dough isn’t chilled first, but otherwise they are very easy to make. The recipe is from a close family friend, who was kind enough to bake them for me on a frequent basis when I was a child, and then gave me the recipe when I started baking in my own kitchen.

Snicker Doodles

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1 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups white, unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and beat to incorporate eggs. Add dry ingredients and stir to combine. Chill dough thoroughly, at least 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator and roll into balls the size of a walnut. Roll each cookie in mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until light brown but still soft, 7-9 minutes at 375°F. Do no over-bake.

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Outlets

20 January, 2014

My dad gave a sermon this past weekend where one of the points he made involved an analogy about the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a healthy body of water — Israel’s main source of freshwater in fact, according to the Google — because it has an outlet that keeps the water fresh. The Dead Sea, on the other hand, has no outlet so the minerals keep building up to the point that nothing can live there. Out of curiosity, I looked up both these lakes on Google Maps satellite images. There is a striking difference even from this distance.

There’s a spiritual lesson in this, which is what was brought out in the sermon. If we don’t share and use the gifts that God gives us, we will stagnate instead of growing and bearing spiritual fruit.

The other thing I thought about in connection to this idea is how much I need an outlet for my thoughts. Apparently this is something that MBTI types who use Extraverted Feeling as a primary (ESFJs and ENFJs) or secondary function (ISFJs and INFJs) have in common. We need to express our feelings and thoughts in some way in order to process them. I’d been thinking about re-writing my About page for a while, and this idea lead me to a better way of articulating the purpose of this blog. Here’s the update:

The Sea of Galilee in Israel is a thriving, beautiful lake that acts as the main water source for all of Israel. Its outflow is the Jordan River, which flows to the Dead Sea. The water there is brackish — 25% salts — and the minerals continue to build up because there is nowhere for the water to flow out of the sea. The Dead Sea is dead because it has no outlet.

This blog is my outlet for random thoughts that pop in my head (Monday’s posts), recipes I like (Wednesday’s posts), and Bible Studies I want to share (Saturday’s posts). Monday’s posts can be about pretty much anything — MBTI types, yurts, and Doctor Who just to name a few. Cooking is something that makes me feel alive, and so Wednesday’s posts are all about making food. I love to come up with and perfect recipes and watch people enjoying the food I make. The most important outlet, though, are the posts on Saturdays. God has worked amazingly in my life, and if we keep silent about His majesty the rocks will cry out to sing his praises. When He leads my Bible study, I don’t want to keep what I learn confined to the growing stack of notebooks in my closet any more.
Come To The Well

18 January, 2014

We were talking about The Woman at the Well last week, in the women’s book group at church (we’ve been reading Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs). One of the ladies in the group suggested that this meeting in John 4 between Christ and the woman at the well might be symbolically connected with Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all meeting their wives at a well. Does the woman here symbolize the Bride of Christ, and His invitation for us to drink from the well of eternal life?

The Living Water

On Jesus’ journey from Judea to Galilee in John 4, He stops to rest at Jacob’s well. A woman comes to the well and the Lord asks her for a drink. She wonders at this, since men did not normally talk to women and Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. A Jewish man certainly didn’t ask a Samaritan woman for a drink.

“Living Water” by Simon Dewey

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:10-14)

This comparison between the Lord and a fountain or well of living water is not confined to this passage in John’s gospel. (Ps. 36:9; Jer. 2:12-13, 17:13; John 6:35).

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Is. 12:2-3)

An Ambassador

In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. When the servant reaches his destination, he stops at a well and asks God to show him a sign.

“Rebekah At The Well” by Michael Deas

Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” (Gen. 24:13-14

God answered this prayer, and Rebekah not only drew water for this servant and his camels, but agreed to follow him into a different country and marry a man she had never met. Like Abraham’s servant, Jesus Christ is a messenger sent by a father who is seeking to add someone to His family. Abraham’s servant and Christ both ask the woman for a drink, and end up offering her something even more valuable than water in a desert.

A Bridegroom

For Jacob’s meeting with Rachel and Moses’s meeting with Zipporah, the woman is a shepherdess who comes to the well to draw water but is prevented by an obstacle. This obstacle is removed by the man, who then waters her flock.

“Jacob Encountering Rachel with her Father’s Herds” by Josef von Führich

Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. (Gen. 29:9-10)

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?” And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.” (Ex. 2:16-19)

Like Jacob and Moses met their wives at a well and provided water for her flock of sheep, so does the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ meet His church and offer her living water (John 10:11-16). He is a Bridegroom seeking His bride, and as a new believer this woman at the well became part of that group.

Becoming A Fountain

We have been given the same offer as the woman at the well. Come to the source of eternal life and drink freely of the living water. Become the Lamb’s bride.

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2)

This incredible offer is blessing enough, but on top of that we are offered the chance to share this living water with others. “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). He wants us to become fountains as well (Song 4:12-15).

I don’t often listen to contemporary Christian music, but of late I’ve become quite attached to Casting Crowns’ music. This song, from their CD “Come To The Well” seems an appropriate way to end this post.
Brown Rice Pilaf

15 January, 2014

When served with a few pieces of chicken, this brown rice pilaf is one of my favorite meals. The original recipe (the origin of which I have lost track of) called for long grain or basmati rice — I’ve always used the brown rice that we keep on hand to serve with stir-fries. It has to cook longer than the original 15-20 minutes, but it’s healthy and it tastes good. There are several variations you could try on this recipe, though I like the one with basil and carrots so much that I haven’t played around with it too much. I have kept substitutions suggested by the original recipe in parenthesis if you want to experiment with some of them.

Brown Rice Pilaf

Cook the rice and garlic in hot butter

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1 cup brown rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups chicken broth

¼ cup shredded carrots (can substitute mushrooms, sweet peppers, or zucchini)

Add liquid, carrots, and basil

¼ cup rice wine (can substitute apple juice, dry white wine, or water)

¼ teaspoon dried basil (can substitute oregano or thyme)

½ cup slivered almonds (can substitute green onions, chopped walnuts, or pine nuts)

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add garlic and uncooked rice. Stir in hot butter for 3 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth, then stir in carrots, wine and dried herb.

Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Add slivered almonds and serve.

For the chicken, I pour some rice wine in a baking dish, add garlic and basil, then add the chicken. Shake some basil and garlic over the chicken and top with mozzarella cheese or crushed garlic and cheese croutons
The Power of Names

13 January, 2014

A friend of mine wrote a post about names last week that provided the inspiration for this post (he doesn’t post very often, but everything he writes is worth reading. Check out his blog here). He didn’t cover any of my main points — he took the discussion in a Biblical direction that I’m largely going to ignore for this post, but which I certainly find intriguing.

It has been several years now since I started researching names and wondering about the importance of name meanings. The meaning of my own name is hard to pin down, and searching for its origins lead me to looking up names of people I know, which lead me to collecting other names that I like.

Meaning of Names

In many cultures, names are something to be taken very seriously. Sometimes it is the meaning of the name which is important in determining a child’s destiny and character. Sometimes names are changed after a major event in a person’s life, as when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sara (Gen. 17:4-6, 15-16). Some belief systems say that knowing someone’s name gives one power over them, and certain cultures make a practice of keeping true names a secret.

My own name has a confusing array of meanings. My mother tells me she saw the meaning “wished-for child” and that was what she thought my name meant when she and my dad named me. Since then, I have seen several different possible meanings for “Marissa” depending on which name/word it is derived from. If it is from the Hebrew mara, my name means “bitterness.” If it is from the Latin maris, then my name means “of the sea.” The “wished-for child” meaning is apparently associated with the Hebrew in some way, but I can find little information on it. Usually, I go with “of the sea” as my name meaning.

Naming Characters

I think part of the reason I like reading about, collecting, and researching names so much is that I’m a writer and all my characters need names. Some writers pay very close attention to the names they give their characters, and fit either the meaning or a historic significance to the character. For example, the character Cecil in A Room With A View by E.M. Forster is figuratively blind in many ways. His name is of Latin origin, and means “blind.”

In my own writings, one of my favorite characters is a man named Bryant. His name is from the Irish, and means “strong, virtuous, and honorable.” From another story set in the same world, Jamen has a name derived from Benjamin and meaning “son of the right hand.” He and his twin brother are vying for their father to name one his heir, and Jamen would like nothing more than to be his father’s right hand.

My Favorite Names

Some of the names I collect have nothing to do with my fiction. There are a few names I like that I would be hesitant to use in my writings because I might like to give the name to a child some day. I don’t think I would want want my children to think I named them after one of my fictional characters. Typically for these names, I try to put them together so the first and middle names have meanings that fit together. Most of them are just names I like, but Eileen was also my Grandmother’s name and Renee is my sister’s middle name.

Jason Alexi. “God is my salvation and protector”

Christopher Hugh. “One who holds Christ in his heart, mind and soul”

Derek Callen. “Ruler and rock of the people.”

Eliana Eileen. “My God has answered with light”

Melody Chasia. “Music protected by God”

Liya Renee. “I am the Lord’s reborn”