Be Prepared for a Splash!

 Ok followers! I finally put all my writing in one place.. So come on over and visit my new home! Hope you will decide to follow me there as well!
 I will be writing my own daily devotionals in the very near future. You will also see a page called "At the Well",  where you will find post about my "life"  testimony,  with some Mennoite history. (including the ones I already wrote here)
  I  love taking nature pictures! I will be adding some there with quotes and scripture. Right now I still have a few things to organize before I will begin all of that!
 Thank you for joining me  and would love to hear your comments and insight over at the new place!

 Hop on over for A Splash of Living Water .... Hope to "see" you there!

Turning Back Time

  I shared about my own childhood experiences and my first [false] impressions of God. I wasn't taught at that point what it meant to have faith and so there have been dark periods and hard times for myself and others who were like  I was.
  Mennonite history however is based on faith in Jesus Christ who died for our sins. I have done a little research over the years and I really am amazed about where we come from! Our ancestors were persecuted for their faith in extreme ways.
  They had left the Roman Catholic Church, were re-baptized and were not willing to take part in war.... Hearing and reading stories about Mennonites who lived in that time, I am convinced they whole heartedly loved the Lord and were willing to stand for their faith!
  Through the generations our people moved a lot. Some of my own ancestors moved from Germany  to Russia, from Russia to Canada and later on from Canada to Mexico. I believe it was their faith that lead them in their travels.
  My grandma who was born in Saskatchewan, Canada has told me a bit about her own journey to Mexico in 1930. Their reason for this move to Mexico had to do with the schooling that the Canadian government  at that time was forcing on them.
  Based on the things grandma has told me, her father was a great man of faith. I can almost picture his strength in such a kind and loving way.  Somewhere along the way though , many lost sight of that faith. Life became about following man's laws rather than faith in God and living according to HIS standards. Eventually people gave up completely it seemed. They could not meet all the expectations and rules that had been put together by man, rather than the word of GOD. I imagine this is what led to hopelessness and a lot of damage!
 It is time now to go back to God's word and spread the GOOD news to all the nations, including those who came from the same place I did!
 I will continue to share my story of the pass but will be adding the message God puts on my heart as I do so. As promised more to come on some of the different topics I already brought up and yes eventually some pictures! :)

“

For true evangelical faith...cannot lie dormant; but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love; it...clothes the naked; feeds the hungry; consoles the afflicted; shelters the miserable; aids and consoles all the oppressed; returns good for evil; serves those that injure it; prays for those that persecute it."  Menno Simons 

Searching for Truth

What does the phrase "the fear of the LORD" refer to?

The dictionary definition of fear is 'An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.'
This would probably describe my initial feelings when introduced to our Creator. To me he was a judge who would send me to hell because I could never meet up to His standards. Out of this fear, I tried daily to be "good." What amazes me though is that as I spoke to God daily in a childlike manner, HE began to comfort me rather than scare me when life itself got scary. Deep in my heart I just knew there  had to be a way that this God I spoke to daily would somehow save me!
  Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." The word fear here in my way of thinking now would mean  to acknowledge our Creator; to recognize that He is the Father , we are the children. He is the master, we are the servants.
 The way I was being taught  made me believe I needed to be scared of God. I don't know if those around me actually realized just how much thought I was giving these things.  God's power is able to go beyond our circumstances and earthly teachings. He put the desire in my heart to search for the truth in these matters. He brought my heart some hope but I still didn't know just how I would make it to heaven!
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
 These are verses I did not yet know of at that time, but I was searching, seeking and knocking. Children in our community did not go to church or have Sunday school.  We weren't taught about Jesus as a Saviour in a way we could understand. In fact I do believe most the adults (though I can't speak for all of them )around us didn't understand salvation either. This brought a lot of hopelessness to the communities. These were also not the original teachings of the Mennonites. Somewhere along the line man's rules and traditions in our area there became the main focus, which took them away from knowing GOD.   People were spiritually giving up. Many (not all) fell into different traps , like alcohol and depression pills. Marriages were in trouble, children grew to be teens and also began to smoke and drink. Many were also abused.I was however still very protected even though our family was not free of these traps. I was never physically abused. I enjoyed school and had friends I loved! I did however fall into some traps as well, which I will tell you about on another day!

*This is not the way one would describe all Mennonites. This is only what  I have seen where I come from.  I am only explaining my own memories and experiences. There are many Mennonites out there who love and serve God in spirit and truth!