And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had
stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the
names by which his father had called them. (Genesis 26:18 KJV)
Water!
Such an essential element required by all living entities here on earth. In the
western portion of our United States, where the accessibility of water is so fundamental
to the life and livelihood of the populace, scientists are now providing monthly
"snow surveys" during the
winter months to determine the availability of water throughout the growing,
grazing and tourism season of the summer months. It is difficult for those of us living here
in "water rich" north central Ohio to envision areas of this vast
planet where water is treasured so much that individuals are willing to come to
blows in order to retain their water rights.
We
see in our scripture above, where Isaac, an ancient patriarch in the history of
Israel found himself in such a dilemma. In the course of his nomadic
experiences, Isaac eventually makes his way to the valley of Gerar, an area
located approximately 40 miles southwest of modern Jerusalem. Gerar had been
previously visited by Isaac's father, Abraham, hence, the reference to the
wells that Abraham had dug. It seems that sometime between those two visits,
the Philistines filled the wells in, probably to discourage others from
settling in their territory. Isaac not only reopened those wells but also dug
additional wells. For his efforts, Isaac was rewarded by discovering underground springs that flowed freely, a
tremendous commodity in that environment. His efforts did not come without
opposition. The local folks took exception to Isaac invading their
"territorial rights" and ensuing conflicts resulted.
The
story of Isaac is a wonderful analogy for us today. The spiritual wells of
yesteryear have been slowly congested over time. As you well know, the
relevance of the bible is under tremendous assault in our society. The
philosophy of humanism, which is the antithesis of a biblical worldview has
impacted our families beyond belief. Evil has been so well packaged and
marketed in our culture that a large number of individuals and families,
Christian and secular alike are unwittingly drawn into destructive lifestyles
that leave behind broken hearts, broken lives and broken homes.
We would like to introduce you to our
vision for Richland and surrounding counties!
"Come To The Well"
A Christ centered, biblical counseling ministry in Shelby, Ohio
We
believe that the word of God, that which we call the bible is still very much relevant
for today. Unfortunately, the importance of the bible as a counseling tool to
deal with the ills of our society has been edged to the sidelines and we have
turned to secular philosophy to solve the important issues facing us today. Much like the wells of Isaac's time, we believe
that there is a tremendous amount of fresh flowing water yet to be discovered,
if one is only willing to put forth the effort to reopen the wells. Of course
we are talking about the "living water" that Jesus spoke of in the
4th chapter of John, that which has a proven track record of transforming men,
women and families throughout the ages.
It
is our goal to provide opportunity and training, for the Christian society in
our area, in the ministry of biblical counseling, a concerted
interdenominational effort to reclaim an area of ministry that we have
relegated to those who typically disparage the timeless truths of God's
word. Please partner with us in prayer
as we move from "vision ' to
'reality", as we seek to "dig again" the well of biblical
counseling in north central Ohio.