It’s crazy when love gets a hold of you!
Just a few short months ago, we wrote about our concern regarding balancing the increasing demands of FreshWater with Chris’s full-time job at the school. Last month, God revealed such a major answer to that prayer that our heads are still spinning a little. Chris has started working at First Christian Church in Stilwell as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Families. We were excited to notify all our summer clients that he now has day time appointments available! And we love being ‘back in ministry!’ We feel blessed that God has opened doors for us to minister in so many capacities here in Adair County. We also feel extremely humbled by the generosity of those God has called to love and help FreshWater continue in its ministry goals. We are very excited about the future and what God has in store for our family, for First Christian Church, and for FreshWater.
These changes did lead us to question if it would be necessary to maintain FreshWater separate from what Chris does as a Pastor. This past month has shown that answer to be “yes!” People who know of our ministry are referring us to their friends. They call us, in large part, because we are free. They know they need help, and that they can no longer do life on their own. This past month, we’ve continued to add unchurched clients to our schedule. They call FreshWater because we are an organization whose focus is to provide free counseling. That is what we do. We are not a church, so there is no need to be a member or part of a congregation (most churches do not help only ‘their own’, but that is sometimes the perception.) With FreshWater, financial barriers are removed, churched/unchurched barriers are removed, and people are free to get help. We are excited and privileged to work in the Spirit of Christ to help heal hearts and lives around us. We, and our clients, cannot thank our faithful supporters enough! We are making a bigger difference than you’ll ever know, and it’s all because God’s love has a hold on you and us.
It’s crazy things that love will make you do.
Because of God’s crazy love for us, I know that our ministry focus (how we do this), doesn’t make sense to some. In fact, it’s so crazy to some that they won’t even give a small amount because they believe we are enabling some form of laziness. We’ve heard comments, such as, “It will never work, people don’t want free counseling. When things are free people don’t appreciate it. You will get taken advantage of.” Well, I’ve learned from God’s love, that His counseling is free. He gave it to us without a sense of return. He knew we would and could take advantage of it and even misuse it, but that didn’t stop Him. He knew the sacrifice He was making held within it a built in full proof system of “checks and balances”. It cost Him dearly, yet it paid Him in full, not that He (God) needed paid, but that it was just the way it was going to work. Christ sacrifice satisfied God’s need to bring us back to Him and allowed us to take advantage of the free grace built into that sacrifice. You may say, “Did God have a need?” In a positive way, I believe God’s need was for us to understand His love. Isn’t this the most important attribute of God, that He gets our attention with His love? When you can see this deep truth and bring it fully into your life, I promise you may go a wee bit crazy...but this craziness comes from perfect love. Find this love, and you may need to call Freshwater for a session for more. :)
FreshWater Ministries, Inc.
Rt. 6 Box 1095
Stilwell OK 74960
918-696-3793
A 501c3 non-profit, tax-deductible organization
