wdn - january/february 2011

Wisconsin District neWsJanuary/February 2011

EVANGELIZING WISCONSIN’S COUNTIES

2 January/February 2011

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE

The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of the faith, at the same time admonish-ing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body.

FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE

The basic and fundamental doctrine of this organization shall be the Bible standard of full salvation, which is repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We shall endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come into the unity of the faith, at the same time admonish-ing all brethren that they shall not contend for their different views to the disunity of the body.

WDN EDITORCraig LundtPO Box 332

Waupaca, WI [email protected]

WDN SECTIONAL REPSSection 1: Loretta LundtSection 2: Carole Keller

Section 3: Simon ChappellSection 4: Frank Ritchie

Section 5: Kathy Fry

WDN Proofreader: Dede Sharp

DISTRICT OFFICERSSuperintendent:

Rev. J.E. PutnamSecretary-Treasurer: Rev. E.A. Kaske

Honorary Board Member: Rev. J. Grant

PRESBYTERSSection 1: Rev. C. WelchSection 2: Rev. A. Tamel

Section 3: Rev. E. HermanSection 4: Rev. J. SindlerSection 5: Rev. P. Bennett

DEPARTMENTSForeign Missions: Rev. M.W. Rogers

Home Missions: Rev. R. KeilleyMedia Missions: Rev. S. Jacobs

Ladies Ministries: Sis. J. SchumacherYouth Ministries: Rev. Tim Vik

Revival Commission: Rev. M. HookSunday School: Rev. W. Rehbein

Prayer Force: Rev. D. MeyerMen’s Ministry: Rev. S. Rogers

Music Ministry: Sis. Darlene BoytePurpose Institute: Rev. Brian Michael

Deaf Ministry: Renee Thomas

Wisconsin District neWs

by John E. PutnamDistrict Superintendent

The scene was tense, the willing-ness of volunteers was strong, the timing was cru-cial, as a human wall locked hand in hand walked through the cold Kansas field in desperate search for a lost three year old girl. This was now the third day of frigid temperatures and intense searching, but to this point their efforts were to no avail. Instead of searching in individual groups spread out through the large field, one of the would-be rescuers suggested that they all “join hands” and walk through the field together hoping to come across the child. Sure enough, not too far into their effort they came across the frost-bitten body of the little girl. And when the mother of the child saw her baby, she screamed... “Oh, to God that we had joined hands sooner!”

What happened to that young child physically is happening everyday spiritu-ally in the lives of thousands across our state. Yes, we are thankful for the one hundred churches, home missions’ works, daughter works, and preaching points, but the fact is we are racing the clock. It has taken well over ninety years in this state to reach the “Missions 100” mark, and yet we still have many whole coun-ties that do not even have a witness of Apostolic truth. We have areas that have never heard this glorious life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ and its fulfillment in obeying Acts 2:38.

It is high time that we “Join Hands In Reaching The Lost Of Wisconsin”! As we begin this New Year of 2011, it is our prayer and hope that we will make this year a “Year of Reconciliation”! Pas-tors, ministers, and saints, join hearts and hands in believing and casting vision for your particular county. It’s time that we work together, it’s time that we plan to-gether and believe together for what can take place in our counties as our Savior leads and guides each of us in outreach.

Our District should be one of true Apostolic “brotherhood and sister-hood.” We are a family, we carry the family name ( JESUS), we have one Fa-ther, JESUS CHRIST, and one Mother (The Church). As brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to be in unity in vi-sion, we need to be one in effort, and one in ethical conduct to each other. We need to not only preach the principles of the Scripture, but live them as well. We need to “prefer” our brother and sister in Christ!

There is a cause that faces us every day, and there is a God-given commis-sion that we dare not draw back from. We must be about our Master’s business of seeking and saving that which is lost. We must begin working on our rela-tionships between our churches, so that when the time comes in our planning of “joining our hands together,” it will be comfortable, and oh, so much more spiritually profitable as we are “Charting the Course” in reaching our individual counties.

It’s time we “Joined Hands”! Be reconciled to God, be reconciled to each other, and be reconciled to our District goal of having 200 churches, home mis-

JOINING HANDS IN REACHING THE LOST OF WISCONSIN

January/February 2011 3

District calenDar of eventsJANUARYJan 1-Save Our Children beginsJan 1—Mother’s Memorial begins14 &15 —Purpose Institute- Madison18-20—Because of the Times,Alexandria, LA15—Senior Bible Quiz—Location TBA15 -CFC apps due to GHMD16– CFC Sacrificial Offering21 & 22 —Purpose Institute – Appleton22 -Jr Bible Quiz, Eau Claire, PA26 -27 -District Board Mtg., Eau ClaireJan 27-28—Mid-Winter Camp North,Pentecostal Assembly, Eau Claire28 & 29 Purpose Institute, Oak Creek28 & 29 Spanish Mid-Winter Camp,Calvary Gospel Church, Madison

FEBRUARY3-4—Mid-Winter Camp South,Parkway Apostolic, Oak Creek5-CFC offering due to District office12—SR Bible Quiz—CGC, Madison18-19 –Purpose InstituteEau Claire, Appleton & Madison26-JR Bible Quiz, CGC, Madison25-26—Purpose Institute, Oak Creek28—Section 3 SOC Dinner, Madison

MARCh1—Section 2 SOC Dinner, Location TBA4-5 Home Missions Seminar,Oconomowoc7-Section 4 SOC Dinner, Location TBA8-Section 5 SOC Dinner, Location TBA11-12—WYM Sponsored Hypen Event12—Senior Bible Quiz—Location TBA13—Daylight Saving Time Begins at 2 a.m.14—Section 1 SOC Dinner, Location TBA18 & 19 —Purpose Institute, - Appleton, Eau Claire & Madison26—Music Ministry Chorus Exchange,Cornerstone, Fond du Lac25 & 26—Purpose Institute, —Oak Creek28-29- WI District Board Meeting,Osthoff Resort, Elkhart Lake29-31—WI District MinistersConference -Osthoff Resort, Elkhart LakeDate TBA-National Prison MinistryConference, St. Louis, MO

JOINING HANDS IN REACHING THE LOST OF WISCONSIN

sions’ works, daughter works and preach-ing points by the end of 2020. What has taken almost a hundred years to accomplish thus far, let’s believe God in doubling in these next ten years. It can be done through Christ, and by you and me willingly putting our hands to-gether, walking through the harvest field of Wisconsin seeking the lost. So, as we start 2011, let us all be in prayer, and let’s set our hearts and minds to be totally rec-onciled as we set out on this venture of “Joining Our Hands” for Christ’s sake!

Psalm 1331 Behold, how good and how pleas-

ant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.


PRAYER LIST

Below is a list of the 72 counties in the state of Wisconsin and their respective sections in the district. Print this page and place it in a prominent place as a reminder to pray for the counties, communities, churches and souls in each section throughout the entire ‘Charting the Course’ initiative.

SECTION 1:

□ Brown□ Calumet□ Door□ Forest□ Fond du Lac□ Florence□ Kewaunee

□ Langlade□ Marinette□ Manitowoc□ Menominee□ Oconto□ Outagamie□ Shawano□ Sheboygan

□ Waupaca□ Winnebago□ Waushara

SECTION 2:

□ Kenosha□ Milwaukee□ Ozaukee□ Racine□ Washington□ Waukesha

SECTION 3:

□ Adams□ Columbia□ Crawford□ Dane□ Dodge□ Grant□ Green□ Green Lake□ Iowa□ Jefferson□ Lafayette□ Marquette□ Richland□ Rock□ Sauk□ Vernon□ Walworth SECTION 4:

□ Buffalo□ Clark□ Jackson□ Juneau□ La Crosse□ Marathon□ Monroe

□ Pepin□ Portage□ Trempealeau□ Wood SECTION 5:

□ Ashland□ Bayfield□ Barron□ Burnett□ Chippewa□ Douglas□ Dunn□ Eau Claire□ Iron□ Lincoln□ Oneida□ Pierce□ Polk□ Price□ Rusk□ Sawyer□ St Croix□ Taylor□ Washburn□ Vilas


by RuSS WalbRun

Onesimus, Phebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Herodion, Rufus, Tychicus, Stachys, Urbane, and Apollos. Who were these ten people? They were all workers with Paul in the early churches we read about in the Pauline epistles. Paul is one of my favorite people in the Bible, not only because of the efficient epistles he wrote, but also because of his gratitude for others who worked with him.

I think Paul was a great people per-son who had a huge, loving heart and a small ego. Paul left it all out there; he totally gave of himself for the cause of the gospel. He had, however, great helpers that he cited by name at the end of most of his epistles. In Romans 16, he listed over 30 people who were solid, sanctified saints of great charac-ter. So many who labored so hard with

Paul were selfless people who under-stood their roles in the early churches of Christianity. One day, those people will be our neighbors in heaven!

Like these common people who were great role people in the early churches, we need to always be aware of Christ’s expectations of us as repre-sentatives of His kingdom today. Team players content to understand their roles, whether big or small, are what we need in our churches today. Not everyone is called to be an evangelist, a pastor or missionary, or have an “in the limelight” role to perform in God’s kingdom. Satan tries to get us to think that unless we have a big role in the church, we shouldn’t have any kind of role at all. He does not want to see us do anything for God.

There is so much we can do for God in His kingdom. Consistently

doing something is better than being distraught over not being seen in the limelight by many. Former world-re-nowned evangelist, D. L. Moody, said: “It is yet to be seen what could be done for the Lord, if we didn’t care who gets the credit.” The only thing that matters is that God sees all we do, whether it is big or small. People are needed to do outreach work, sing in the choir, write, teach Bible studies, or teach Sunday School, just to name a few roles always in need of people in our churches.

Life is no good, unless you feel good about what you are doing. I do not think anyone will make it to heav-en unless they do their role in God’s kingdom on earth first. Think and pray about what you want to do for God in your church, and then go and fulfill His will. Do the role He has called you to do in His kingdom.

† YOUR ROLE IN THE KINGDOM †

brother Russ Walbrun was raised as a Catholic. he received the holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus name in August of 1982. He has been a member of Elim Tabernacle in Greenfield, Wisconsin since 1982. His senior pastor

is M.W. Rogers and his pastor is Steve Rogers. His family includes his wife, Rosalinda and his son, Roland.

www.ladiesministries.org


by CaRolE J. KEllERWDn Section 2 Representative

Are you tired of coasting? Are you tired of the humdrum boredom in your spiritual walk? If you are, Bro. Mooney had the answer: Just ask God to rend the heavens and do some “terrible things” that the mountains might flow down at His presence in your life (Is. 64:1-3). Pray for fire to make His name known to your adversaries. You will surely come out of your slumber and cease to be mediocre.

Such was the message we heard at the Third Annual Holiness Conference of the Wisconsin UPCI, held November 5-6th at Apostolic Faith Church in Racine.

According to the Hebrew Lexicon, in addition to the intellectual anticipation of harm that the phrase “terrible things” (Yare) conjures in our mind, it also in-cludes “a very positive feeling of awe or reverence for God…” The Lexicon states that fearing God is the motivation that affects godly living!

Therefore, for such a breakthrough, according to Bro. Mooney, we must be loosed from the ideologies, concepts, and paradigms of humanity, and we need to be wrapped up with the God of the Bible; for without morals, without ethics, with-out righteousness, there is no Christian-ity. The Word has to go forth under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and reach to the deepest part of the heart. This is the root for holiness, he said, because when we stop thinking we need God, we depart from His holiness.

And so Bro. Mooney identified the culprit that has robbed us of our true iden-

tity: “human arrogance,” so filled up are we with the culture of academia, intellectualism, and the religious system. Get-ting closer to home, he said each one of us is an example of “humanity’s tragic face,” so caught up with ourselves, yet so ut-terly impoverished spiri-tually. John the Baptist preached to the religious, and though they saw it, they did not repent, but the harlots and publicans did (Matt. 21:32). Until we get to the lev-el of harlots and publicans, we cannot be holy. Wearing humanity’s “tragic face,” so many of us hide behind our titles, make-up, and heritage, and never come to God that we might be healed.

Instead, the computer mentality so many seek after keeps people from thinking, mak-ing them shallow-minded and de-pendent. Preaching with anointing and fire, Bro. Mooney laid the axe to the root of human pride, saying the power we should seek after is not derived from a sense of worth, but from an immortal God. Therefore, revival will never come to this generation unless God crushes our dependency on the flesh. There is no true holiness without heart, mind and soul completely surrendered to God.

Current Trends of Christianity

The next day, Bro. and Sis. Mooney taught on the current trends of Christianity and its im-pact upon the Pentecos-tal movement. Contrary to prevailing o p i n i o n , Christi-

anity is not in decline; and, of particular sig-nificance, there is explosive growth in the Oneness Doc-trine beyond the United Pentecos-tal Church. He said

there is a new “kind of con-

sciousness” e m e r g i n g .

Ideas are floating in the culture and quickly absorbed, with the mindset of people shifting. Among the trends he cited were the

following:1. There are more

Christians who are Pen-tecostal, and Pentecostalism

is represented in more languages than in any other religion world-wide.

2. Christians must see the global elite structure as the “real enemy.” It ex-ercises tremendous power, promoting an eastern religious sub-culture. This world-

Changing Humanity’s Tragic Face“Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens… When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for…”

(Isaiah 64:1-3)


view is called secularism.3. The seemingly greatest obstacle

to overcome is the fact that so many people do not know we are in a battle. He said, “If you do not know you are in a battle, you will not fight.”

4. Our ul-timate goal is to preach the Gospel, because the entrance of God’s Word into the heart is what

brings illu-minat ion ,

not theolog-ical discussions.

5. W e must convince the new generation that the Early Church had force, not so that it could co-exist

with Rome, but to conquer it. The truth is,

the apostles turned the world upside down because

they conquered Rome. Today, we are trying to get philosophy back into the Church.

6. Let not an evil speaker be estab-

lished (Ps. 140:1). If people are not preach-ing honestly, revival will elude them, and

it is the greatest obstacle to church growth, spiritual life, and sal-

vation itself. “There are some things that will

not change until we decide to incorpo-rate principles.” The injection of truth releases power into the Church that gives life and sets

people free.Bro. Mooney went

on to identify four prin-ciples that have transforming

power:• Principle of giving (Luke 6:38).

If people want to be released from pov-erty and financial failure, they must have a giving spirit, not just money, but help, encouragement, and other “giving” gifts.• Principle of forgiveness (Matthew

6:14). Forgiveness releases God’s mercy.• Principle of prayer (Matt 7:7). If

we ask, seek, and knock, the door will be opened. • Principle of self-denial (Matthew

5:1-6; 22:39). Holiness begins with our attitudes. When we put God first, we be-gin to unleash illumination and anointing

into the Church. Once we “balk” at the path of righteousness, we made the deci-sion not to walk in the light. When we start walking away from Christian values and separation from the world, it will not be long before we depart from the doc-trine.

Even though there is an alarming interest in Islam by people looking for absolutes and substance in their pursuit of God, Christianity is not in a decline. Only Christianity has absolute truth. Therefore, Christianity, and Pentecostal-ism in particular, will not take a second seat behind any such movement.

Shelter from the Stormby JEnnifER oPhEim

On Saturday, October 30th, 2010, the congregation of Calvary Tabernacle Church in Beloit hon-ored their pastor, Rev. Emmett and Mary Kaske, in a 40th Pastoral An-niversary Celebration. Friends, fel-low ministers and family gathered from far and near to honor Bro. and Sis. Kaske for the many years that they have dedicated to the Lord and the growth of the church in Beloit.

Rev. Jack Yonts, Sr. was the guest speaker for the weekend and minis-tered on “The Word of God.” Bro. and Sis. Kaske found the message as a great confirmation to the founda-

tion of their ministry. Bro. Yonts served

as Bro. and Sis. Kaske’s pastor in

Madison, WI. Bro. Kaske’s brother, Pastor

Robert Kaske of Rochester, MN

and his w i f e ,

S u e ,

Honoring the Kaskes: 40 Year Milestonewere surprise guests at the celebration. The “other Bro. Kaske” testified and told stories of their upbringing and of their parents setting a firm foundation for them to build their minis-tries upon. Bro. Chuck Welch testified of his thankfulness for Bro. and Sis. Kaske, as Bro. Kaske was very instru-mental in Bro. Welch finding the doctrine of truth while they at-tended the University of Wisconsin at Madi-son together many years ago. Bro. Welch told of prayer meetings they would have together on campus and the great times they had dig-ging into the word of God together, building his foundation in the Apostolic doctrine and oneness. The service was filled with testimo-nies from others that the Kaskes have helped find their way into the ministry over the years, as well as lots of praise and worship by members of Calvary Tabernacle. A special time of prayer

over the Kaskes was led by Superin-tendent John Putnam at the end of the service. A reception was held in honor

of the Kaskes after the service.

The congregation of Calvary Tabernacle Church wants to thank everyone who came to the celebration on that day, as well as all those who sent cards and well wishes to the Kaskes. We are so blessed to have a wonderful Pastor and his wife, who have guided us over these past forty years. It is extraordinary to have one man of God be there for so many of the life events that a church congregation shares through the years. We have been so blessed by the Kaskes’ constant guidance, as their won-derful examples of god-

liness and their friendship have been invaluable, and we thank God for them as they continue to have a fresh vision and a passion for the city of Beloit and Calvary Tabernacle church.


Shelter from the Storm

Jehovah Jireh! We don’t worry too much about Grandma Smith, even though Grandpa went to be with Jesus just last spring, but God has gone out of His way to show us that He is watching over her. This is her testimony…

It was November 22, Monday afternoon, the week of Thanksgiving. Grandma was sitting in her home in Union Grove, spending time in devotion. She said that the Spirit of the Lord came upon her so strongly that she spent the next 40 minutes basking in His presence. Just after she finished praying, the phone rang. There was a bad storm heading her direction, so she took cover in the base-ment. The storm did come, a tornado. It ripped through the town, leaving damaged homes and buildings and shearing off the tops of pine trees. The roof blew off the Legion Hall just north of her

house and went through her next-door neighbor’s home to the east. The neighbor across the street to the south-west had a pine topple over. And Grandma’s house? No visible damage. She had her camper parked in her drive-way and it didn’t even budge. Some of the worst damage was all around her, yet there was no major damage to her home! God showed us that even though Grandpa is no longer able to be there with her, she is safe. God is (and has always been) her true protector!

by loREtta lunDt

Reconstruction of Legion Hall roof is underway on the left. Grandma’s house is on the right (camper untouched).

Debris from the Legion Hall hangs in a tree. The gray house is Grandma’s neighbor. Her house is seen in-between.

The American Legion Hall minus one section of the roof.

Debris scattered throughout a neighbor’s back yard. A 2x6 beam thrust through next-door neighbor’s home.


by mEliSSa lEDuCWinter Youth Convention 2010

was powerful in a practical way. This WYC didn’t hype students about vic-tory or blessings. This WYC went straight to the heart, weeding out the roots of carnality and bringing young people back to the basics. Bro. Cortt Chavis from Spring Lake, North Car-olina started the convention on Mon-day evening with a dynamic message

called, “The Turning Point.” He re-vealed to students that it is their re-sponsibility to turn toward God. God will then, in turn, draw near them.

The new District Youth President, Bro. Tim Vik, preached a message on Tuesday morning that followed suit with the “back to the basics” theme. Bro. Vik talked to students about pre-paring themselves for God’s work, which requires a student’s effort and

endurance.

On Tuesday evening, Bro. Chavis preached, “What If Not?” He spoke about the three Hebrew boys in Daniel 3, and their resolve to not give in to King Nebuchad-nezzar’s pressure to bow before the golden im-age. The three Hebrew boys

stated that God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but even if God chose not to deliver them, they still would not bow. Bro. Chavis chal-lenged the students’ resolve to not give in to the world’s pressure, even when God does not deliver them from their situations.

Bro. Chavis concluded the con-vention Wednesday morning with a practical message about the anointing of David. Bro. Chavis noted that even though David was anointed as king at a young age, he wasn’t king imme-diately. While God worked out the

Winter Youth convention 2010: Powerful and Practical

Bro. Cortt Chavis at the Hyphen worship concert

Bro. Cortt Chavis and District Youth President Tim Vik


process for the manifestation of the anointing, all David could do was be faith-ful. Bro. Chavis asked students to also commit to faithfulness in daily prayer and Bible reading while they wait for God to manifest the anointing they received at WYC 2010.

After both evening services, the students fellowshipped at Players Choice, a 68,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art sports court. Students played orga-nized or “pick up” games in a variety of sports including soccer, basketball,

dodge ball, vol-leyball, and even batting cages.

Sponsored by Wisconsin Youth Minis-tries, the first Hyphen event took place on Tuesday eve-ning. Hyphen is a new young adult minis-try through the UPCI General Youth Division

that seeks to connect 18-30 year-olds around the nation to service with a purpose. The Hyphen event was a late-night worship concert featuring local UPCI artist Andy Vik from Elim Tabernacle, Bro. Chavis and the Wisconsin District Music team. The next Hyphen event will take place March 11- 12 in Madison, WI. Local artist Andy Vik at the Hyphen worship concert

Students playing volleyball at the Players Choice sports court

Evening service worship at WYC 2010

WYC Choir singing during an evening service

by ShaWna ChaPPEll

As she left her home, the woman had little thought that today would be different than any other day. As usual, she was headed through the village to draw water from the well. The hot sun beat down on her as she made her way down the path. The other women drew their water in the cool morning air, but for her it was different. It was easier to avoid people altogether. Not many ap-proved of her and often treated her with a distant, judgmental attitude. A nag-ging emptiness loomed over her heart. Years of hurt and disappointment had left scars that could not be healed. “Was this really what life was supposed to be like?” she wondered.

Rounding the bend, she could see the well, and realized that someone was there. Her heart sank inside her chest. As she walked closer, she saw that it was a man, a Jew. What was he doing there? Would he reject her like so many others had? As she drew water the man spoke, “Give me to drink,” he said. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask drink of me, a Sa-maritan?” she answered. “If you knew who I was, you would ask for living wa-ter.” “Living water,” she thought. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water that I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become a spring of water, welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep com-ing here to draw water.” The Samaritan woman’s life was changed that day by one encounter with Jesus Christ.

And so it is with many that come to Christ. He delivers us, washes us clean, and makes us new. He is the liv-ing water that brings life and healing to the wounded soul. John 4:10 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is

that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living wa-ter.” After years of walking with Him, is He still our living water?

In Bible times, we find the concept of a cistern. During dry seasons people relied on cisterns to supple-ment the natural water supply. Cisterns were large vessels that held run-off water, or dug out areas made to collect water during the rainy seasons. While these cisterns served a very valuable purpose, the Lord used this concept in the Old Testament to speak a greater truth. Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the foun-tain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” God wanted His peo-ple to look to Him as their source of strength and fulfillment. He longed for them to quit wandering astray, looking for satisfaction from other things. He had offered them so much, but they continued to try to fill themselves with the things of this world. As Israel for-sook God and pursued worldliness they remained empty like a broken cistern. God wanted His people to know that He was everything they needed.

Let us consider our own lives today. We have come to God broken, wounded and empty, and He has provided us with living water. Are we still satisfied by that living water, or are we looking for other things to bring us life? When we pursue other avenues in life to satisfy ourselves, it is like using a broken cistern. These pursuits don’t even have to be sinful to be unhealthy. How often do we pursue

ma-ter ia l

t h i n g s , education, career

advancement, or excessive social activi-ties? Do we depend on those things to keep us satisfied? These pursuits are not wrong in and of themselves, but if we are using them to fill a void in our souls, we will become frustrated and empty. We pour our energy into these activi-ties, only to find that we are still unsat-isfied. The joy, peace, and strength that God’s living water can offer runs out of our lives like water leaking from a bro-ken cistern.

God is our portion and our joy. Our source of strength should come from Him and the living water that He pro-vides. Psalm 36:7-9 says, “…How ex-cellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the foun-tain of life…” There is nothing in this world that compares to the abundance that God has for us. There are fountains of life available in Him. Let us pursue Him like never before. His Spirit, living in us, will keep the well of our souls full and satisfied.

Living Water or Broken Cisterns?


wdn - january/february 2011

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