Friday, June 12, 2009

June 2009 Newsletter

I made You promises a thousand times—I tried to hear from Heaven—But I talked the whole time—I think I made You too small—I never feared You at all No—If You touched my face would I know You? -
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?What do I know of You—Who spoke me into motion? - Where have I even stood—But the shore along Your ocean?Are You fire? Are You fury? - Are You sacred? Are You beautiful? - What do I know? What do I know of Holy?What do I know of Holy? - What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame? And a God who gave life "its" name? - What do I know of Holy? Of the One who the angels praise? - All creation knows Your nameOn earth and heaven above—What do I know of this love?What do I know of Holy? What do I know of Holy?
By Addison Road

The partial lyrics to the song “What do I know of Holy?” capture the longing and desire of many people when they consider their relationship with God.

The mission of FreshWater is to help people find significance and confidence in their lives. We do this by using the principles of Spiritual Direction and Formation. One of our goals is to take people from the “what do I know of holy?” place, to a place of “confidence.”

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb. 4:14-16

The principle in the above passage is that because of Christ death, the obstacles to approaching God were removed. Not only that, he chose to have his Spirit live in us. No longer do Christians have to make a journey to the temple to ask a priest to approach God for them. All our sins are forgiven...forever.

19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Heb. 10:19-22

Spiritual Direction teaches people how to ‘draw near to God.’ Spiritual direction sessions allow people to experience his grace and holiness in new ways. It directs people to know what to do with their quiet time besides letting their minds ‘talk the whole time.’

Through these principles people find deeper understanding to the question, ‘what do I know of holy?’ They find healing from their shame. They find release from their guilt. They find that the holiness of God gives them power to live in confidence. This is the heartbeat of FreshWater. All people need to be free in Christ and to know that they can ‘approach the throne of grace with confidence.’

About our neighborhood (Adair County, Oklahoma)
In 2007, Adair Co. had a per capita personal income of $21,835. The state average is $34,997, and the national average is $38,615.
Adair County population is 43% Native American.
67% of residents over the age of 25 in Adair County have their High School Diploma. (Compared to 81% average in the state of Oklahoma)
25% of Adair County residents live below the poverty level. (Compared to 16% in the state of Oklahoma)
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Our Purpose

Helping people find significance and confidence in their lives.

We are a non-profit organization, operating solely on the generosity of individuals who desire to partner with us as we strive to help all people find significance and identity in their lives. Please consider partnering with us.


Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

What is Spiritual Direction?


We define Christian spiritual direction as help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship. (William A. Barry, SJ and William J. Connolly, SJ, Center for Religious Development, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)

Is it the same as counseling?
Although very similar, spiritual direction provides a place to deal with issues that remain hidden and dark within a person’s soul, many times issues that have been suppressed for so long that the person doesn’t fully realize how much it is affecting them. Counseling’s primary focus is on a plan of action to deal with the effects of woundedness within a person’s life. We will sometimes refer to a counselor when a more clinical, psychological approach would be more beneficial. Spiritual direction’s primary focus is to teach people how to let God accompany them through all of their life, including their past pain. By companioning people in their pain, they will gain confidence from His presence and power.