Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Are You Thirsty?

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It is a blogger’s dilemma: I have this wonderful picture of a classic drinking fountain. I took it last summer in Savannah. Love it! Want to use it on the blog! But how?

The answer came at a home prayer meeting we had this week. I can see your eyebrows raised with the silent question “How on earth does a home prayer meeting relate to a drinking fountain?”

Well, let me tell you…

We’re having a revival with a guest speaker in our church March 25-28 (Y’all come if you are in the New Iberia area!). In preparation, we’re gathering and praying for revival in our hearts and in our community.

One important aspect of revival is repentance, which is a change of mind that results in a change of action. It’s a genuine regret over our sin and behavior.

Ok, so…repentance and an old fashioned drinking fountain. Ellen, help me make the connection!

Yay! I thought you’d never ask!

Sometimes, deep, down inside, we may hesitate to give up that old, sinful habit. Maybe it’s comfortable. Maybe it’s all we’ve known. Maybe, just maybe, we wonder what will fill us? What will replace that emptiness, that longing, that thirst we have?

Well, now. Jesus tells us many times: He will!

John 7:37 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

John 4:14 “Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst.”

John 6:35 “He who comes to Me will not hunger and he who believes in Me will not thirst.”

Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

Jesus is the water of life. That longing and desire for whatever we turned from, can be filled with Jesus. With Him, we’ll never thirst again.

Come to Jesus. Come thirsty. Drink His living water. Be filled. Be satisfied. Never thirst again.

Grace be with you,

 

An Imperfect Woman: Book Review

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(This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through the links. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting Soaked and Sprouting!)

This is it. The year I turn sixty. The BIG 6-0.

For the most part, it hasn’t bothered me. Except for that one time I realized I had only maybe 25 or 30 years left. And the older you get, the FASTER those years go by!

Immediately, my brain went into overdrive:
“I need to do this! I’ve got to do that! I’ve got to do these things NOW, before it’s too late! I’ve got to fix this, manage that and control the other.”

And when I do all these things in my Year of Sixty, I should feel great and totally fulfilled, shouldn’t I?

Thankfully there was a divine intervention, before I went into full blown manic mode. My book arrived in the mail.

It’s a book I have been waiting on: An Imperfect Woman – Letting Go of the Need to Have it All Together, by Kim Hyland. I’m honored to be a part of her book launch team.

I put everything on hold (all those things I had to plan and do before it was too late), and dove right in. Chapter Two stopped me in my tracks.

Kim revisits the story found in Genesis 2 and 3, when Eve ate the forbidden fruit. It’s an age old story that we’ve all grown up knowing, but Kim’s telling in An Imperfect Woman added a new dimension for me. Here are a few tidbits from this chapter:

  • Eve believed if she ate the forbidden fruit, she would have what she needed…but Eve’s disobedience cut her off from the One who was more than enough. Eve believed the lie that she needed MORE than God. (Page 38)
  • Imperfection has become a trend…We can breathe again, and we’re learning to enjoy life as is…Until we forget and find ourselves chasing a newer and better promise for soul satisfaction.
  • Why is it so easy to slip back into perfectionism? It is because we were made for Eden. Our heart are forever longing to return to that place of perfection. (Page 39)

  • Perfectionism is paralyzing. (Can I get an AMEN to this quote from Page 44?)
  • Only Jesus can satisfy our hearts longing for perfection. (Page 46)
  • Jesus wanted to bring us “back to Eden” by restoring us to his Father. (Page 47)
  • A humble spirit isn’t just thinking a a lot about self. It’s also saying “Yes, Lord,” with a submissive heart to God’s sovereign will as He reveals it day by day through our circumstances. (Page 48)

Perhaps my frenzy to find soul satisfaction in the doing and being of 60, is the same lie that Eve believed: that I need MORE than God. Perhaps the longing to strive for perfection, is actually my longing to return to Eden.

I haven’t yet finished the book. But I KNOW that the last chapter will be my favorite. The title? Heavenly Minded.

Kim had excellent discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I can see this being a great book and study for a group of heavenly minded, former perfectionists to read and discuss over coffee each week!

If you pre-order the book by clicking the graphic below, you’ll get lots of extra goodies.

So tell me, are you ready to let go of the need to have it all together?? Me, too! Let me know in the comments, and your name will be entered for a chance to receive a FREE COPY of Kim’s book!

He said to him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.” Genesis 2:16-17 (GNT)

Grace be with you,