Freshwater: Pickles, Pickled, Pickling

Freshwater

Located in the wilds of Wyoming, the name Freshwater was chosen as a Western analogy to Christ. Just as He is the Living Water, and we must have Him to have eternal life, any desert dweller knows the importance of fresh water to life, both for self, and the nourishment of crops or livestock. By taking nourishment in God and His word, we strengthen our own relationship with Him, our faith, and the quality and abundance of our fruitfulness.

Our keystone verse is from Jeremiah, Chapter 17, Verse 8: "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see whenSave heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

The fruit that we speak of is mentioned in Galatians 5:22
"²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

And the heat could be anything we experience that might test our faith in God; trials and tribulations, relationships, anything that focuses our love and attention anywhere but on Him...

Friday, June 8, 2012

Pickles, Pickled, Pickling

We had an overflow of cucumbers this week, so I'm making pickles. It seems to be going alright, but I think we need a food scale! And I definitely need some more mustard seed. Speaking of mustard seed...that always makes me think of that verse in Matthew.

^{Matthew 17:20}And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Now that's faith! It's also a reassurance, that I don't have to worry about anything, that I don't have to fuss or fidget, but that I do need to have faith. Have faith in God and His plan, and to just know with all my heart that He has it all under control, and if it is in His plan to move that mountain, it will move when and where He wants it to move. It's not my job to push and pull or grab my shovel and dig, it is my job to wait, to watch, to have faith, and to be ready and prepared for whatever God commands.

I do have to mention that the verse about the mustard seed also reminds me of my grandma. She was a wonderful Christian woman, filled with faith and the love of God. I am so thankful that my own mom was raised by a mother who knew those things, lived those things, and taught her children to live those things. When my grandma died, I received a pin she had worn that contained a mustard seed, an reminder of her faith in God and her love for Him and others.

I want to be like that. I want to have that unshakable, unquestionable, unmovable faith. What about you?

This is a song that reminds me of my grandparents. No matter which version I listen to, it's always my mom's voice that overlaps that of the singer. But in our family Grandma read the Family Bible, and Grandpa was the one who was softly singing.