Come to the Well

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.