Inside Stories

Living Water

Martha Brehm / Encouraging, Evangelism, Inside Stories / Living Water / 15 Comments

July 24, 2023

Most of you have heard the saying, “Change your water, change your life.” I first encountered this phrase on the side of the building pictured above one sunny afternoon as I drove out of the neighborhood. Since then, I’ve heard it frequently from those selling or promoting water machines, as well as bottled water, water filters, and a myriad of other things. Well, this is a short story about a special kind of water, one that promises to dramatically change your life – and will.

One afternoon after reading quite the fascinating conversation between a woman at a well and Jesus, I headed out to run some errands. If you haven’t encountered this jaw dropping exchange, I’ll have it for you a little bit later. But right now, back to the story.

Errands always makes me seriously hungry. So before long, I cruised by the illustrious Panera Bread Company to rustle up some lunch. The young man coming forward to wait on me appeared to be in his early 20s with a happy face and pleasant grin. After ordering my sandwich, I paused. In reality, I was merely taking time as I mentally calculated whether I could afford to add anything else to the order beyond the sandwich. I haven’t shifted over to a cashless, debit card, way of life and unfortunately have a habit of not carrying much money. Therein lies a problem. No debit card, not much cash, that equals not much food.

As the awkward pause continued, I confided in him what I was doing. I divulged the total amount of money in my possession and he used the register to do the figuring. He quickly announced that I could afford a drink. Without pause he followed up with, “Or you could forget the drink and get a cookie.”

A cookie is certainly an enticing option, but that day I choose to opt out of the dessert realm. “No thanks,” I responded. “I’ll stick with what will quench my thirst. But really there is only one thing that will quench my thirst and that’s Living Water.”

Many people at this juncture would have missed what I was inferring. Or a more probable reaction would have been to think I was just another weird customer. But not this young man! I will never forget his response. He looked me straight in the eyes and answered, “I know…. because that kind is eternal!”

At this point in the story, it is probably a good time to go back and record the encounter of Jesus having a conversation with a woman about water. It’s the very story I had read earlier in the day before my Panera stop. The story appears in an ancient manuscript by a man named John who knew Jesus well. The encounter goes like this –

Jesus left Judea and started for Galilee again. This time he had to go through Samaria, and on his way he came to the town of Sychar. It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph. The well that Jacob had dug was still there, and Jesus sat down beside it because he was tired from traveling. It was noon, and after Jesus’ disciples had gone into town to buy some food, a Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well.

Jesus asked her, “Would you please give me a drink of water?”

“You are a Jew,” she replied, “and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink of water when Jews and Samaritans won’t have anything to do with each other?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know what God wants to give you, and you don’t know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water? Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give will become in that person a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.”

The woman replied, “Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won’t get thirsty and have to come to this well again.”

Jesus told her, “Go and bring your husband.”

The woman answered, “I don’t have a husband.”

“That’s right,” Jesus replied, “you’re telling the truth. You don’t have a husband. You have already been married five times, and the man you are now living with isn’t your husband.”

The woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. My ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say Jerusalem is the only place to worship.”

Jesus said to her:

“Believe me, the time is coming when you won’t worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans don’t really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world. But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.”

The woman said, “I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

“I am that one,” Jesus told her, “and I am speaking to you now.”

The disciples returned about this time and were surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman. But none of them asked him what he wanted or why he was talking with her.

The woman left her water jar and ran back into town, where she said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! Could he be the Messiah?” Everyone in town went out to see Jesus.
John 4:3-30

Knowing the story above makes my Panera experience much clearer. Obviously the young man in Panera was aware of the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. And it was no coincidence that I had just read the story that morning. For those who know me well, they can hear me say my often stated quote, “There are no such things as coincidences.”

So after we exchanged a few more remarks about living water and the ways it really does change your life, I began moving down the order line. But there was one more question he needed for my order. Thank goodness, after all that calculating and decision making, it was an easy one to answer. The question was, “What is your name?” I gave it and then casually asked his. As he answered, I glanced at his name tag.

If you would like to take a guess at what his response was, do so now. If not, I’ll tell you. His name was John. I was having a discussion about Living Water with John. I had begun the day reading one John describe Jesus claiming the ability to provide water that would give life and forever cease thirst. And here I was later this same day, face-to-face with a second John who had experienced that life-giving water for himself.

The best ending of this story actually includes what happened after our conversation. The results were much the same as what the woman in the story experienced after she went to town and told others about her encounter with the man at the well. The last verse reports, “Everyone in town went out to see Jesus.” My new friend John and I watched as the same scenario played out. Every customer who had heard our chat in the line purposely ordered water, one by one. Hearing about something that good only makes you want it. It’s true, “Change your water, change your life.”

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“My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13 CEV

“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, ‘If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.’ Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone that had faith in him.” John 7:37-39a CEV

“Fear of the Lord is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:27 NLT

“Those people will never be hungry again, and they will never be thirsty again. The sun will not hurt them, and no heat will burn them, because the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of water that give life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16-17 NCV

“Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” Revelation 22:17b NIV

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“Living Water” from the movie Jesus Revolution.

In response to the film Jesus Revolution, here’s a glimpse of living water at work.💦 🌊

July 9, 2023 Greg Laurie, Harvest Christian Fellowship baptize 4,500 souls at Pirates Cove.

I imagine the woman at the well sang a similar song as “What I’m Waiting For.”

For another story where Jesus shows up unexpectedly, read “It’s Always Been You.”

The Living Water Pinterest pins are below. For all the rest, click here Living Water Pinterest Board.

A river reaches places its source never knows.

Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water

I can’t end this story with a shoutout for Max Lucado’s book “Come Thirsty.” It’s still one of my all-time favorites.

And if you enjoyed this story, please share it! Or if you would like to contact me, I’d love to hear from you at UncommonStories77@gmail.com.

Who You Are

Martha Brehm / Encouraging Story, Finding Yourself, Inside Stories / Who You Are / 0 Comments

February 23, 2021

Many years ago, a group of us were looking at the life of Moses. At the end of our time together, Anne, the one leading our group, did something quite creative. In keeping with Moses’ blessing of the tribes at the end of his life, she did the same. She gave each person a blessing and recognized them for an attribute she felt characterized them. By doing so, both Moses and Anne blessed people by giving them a glimpse of who they really were.

As Anne began going around the large circle of women, it seemed to me that each word fit perfectly to the person it was given. There were all kinds of laughs, sighs and smiles as each woman received the blessing created specially for them. As my time in the circle approached, my mind jumped ahead to what she would say about me. Revealing that tells you that my attribute was not humility! I was hoping for joy. I like joy and for the most part I think I’m pretty joyful. But if not joy, then love or encouragement. For that matter, I had a whole slew of things I would have loved to have said about me.

But when my turn came, I was surprised. And I have to say, just a little disappointed. The word she used was enthusiastic, which was not high on my value scale at all. Smiling, I listened. But to be honest, I wasn’t smiling all that much inside.

On and off for the next few years, I thought about that memory. It especially came to mind anytime I heard someone say the word enthusiastic. Then one day, while working in the kitchen, a program came on the radio that changed my whole perspective.

The speaker began giving the definition of a group of words. One of those words was enthusiastic. The definition he gave for enthusiasm was “possessed by God.” With jaw dropping surprise, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself, “Are you kidding?” Enthusiastic wasn’t a word I wanted to define me, but I could think of nothing better I would want said of me than, “she was possessed by God.”

Immediately, I ran to the source of all such pertinent info (alias, the dictionary) to see if this new revelation was true. And YES, to my joy, it was. And YES, I must add that I was quite enthusiastic about it! Now I embrace enthusiasm with fresh excitement and am thankful people often see that quality in me.

But even more important than being excited about being enthusiastic, was the insight I gained about how each of us see ourselves. So often the things we want to define us are qualities we already possess, we just don’t know it. They are hidden by misconceptions or ideas we already have lodged in our hearts and minds. Sometimes they are things we have told ourselves or sometimes they have been told to us by others. It is a beautiful thing when we find out, who we hope to be is already who we are.

For me, it was a radio program that woke me up to that understanding. For you, it may be the dark, hard situation in which you find yourself. Perhaps that crisis brings out the courage you never thought you had but always wanted. You’ll find out it was always there, you just didn’t know it. The world offers a million ways to discover, who we long to be already lies within us.

So a big shout out and thank you to Anne who recognized in me what I refused to see in myself all those years ago. She saw what I hadn’t yet discovered. Because, so often, who we most want to be, is already who we are.

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“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. Matthew 5:5 Msg

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you: he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. 1 Peter 5:6 Msg

“What I’m saying is, if you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” Luke 14:11 Msg

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“Be You” Pinterest pins are below. If you want to see the pins better, just click on them.

To check out all the other pins for “Who You Are,” click here to go to my Pinterest board.

For a glimpse in to why I became who I am, read “A Father’s Love.” It’s one of my favorites. ❤️

Or to check out a 7 Day Devotional by Michelle DeRusha called True You at YouVersion. Click here.

And don’t miss the songs. 🎼 🎶 They always add to the story.

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“Who Says” you’re not perfect the way you are!

“What if who I hoped to be was always me?”

We are all “Wonderfully Made.” What if we believed it?

Coming Home

Martha Brehm / Encouraging Story, Inside Stories, Prayer / home / 13 Comments

August 12, 2020

Coming home. Just the phrase has a certain air of nostalgia, a yearning to return to some past period or condition we once knew. We all like what’s familiar. In fact, using the term “at home,” means we feel relaxed and comfortable and, as Miriam Webster says, “on familiar ground.” If you will allow me, let me tell you what coming home looks like for me.

Imagine a small town of around 4,000 in the early 1960s. Kids played outside in the neighborhood without their parents knowing where they were. The main rule was to be home by dark. I rode my bike to school for years and played tag and wiffle ball in our big backyard. The house I was raised in was white with dark shutters and had two stories. There was a sidewalk from the street that led to the front door. By the edge of the sidewalk, half way up, was a lamppost that glowed warmly at night to light your way.

The sidewalk ended on the front porch of my house staring straight through the two large windows of our living room. To the left was a door to our garage and to the right was our front door. The front door was nothing fancy but had two components. The first was a screen door, which was really only screened on the top half and pretty flimsy wood below. The second was the actual main door of solid wood.

My mom loved the fresh air, so the all-wood door was hardly ever closed; only at night when we went to bed. Even though we had air conditioning, it was brand-new back then and we rarely ever used it because it would “run the electric bill up.” So instead, the house was filled with the gentle breeze that flowed through the open windows and the sound of the wind chimes that hung outside.

I hope my description above made you envision a place that was cozy and warm and inviting, because it was. And I want you to take that feeling and hang on to it as I use it to talk about something else. Something that’s more important than my childhood home. The topic of the Inside Story today is really about prayer.

With that thought in mind, let me finish describing one more important detail. The screened door always squeaked when you opened or closed it. My parents never fixed it and I’m pretty sure that was on purpose so they would know whenever we went in or out. Later as a parent, I understood the wisdom in that.

And now fast forward to a few years later when I had grown up and moved out of the house. I still remember the feeling of walking back in that front door. It was being home, like putting on your well-worn, broken-in sneakers or your favorite shirt that’s been washed a million times. It’s the feeling of knowing you can be yourself; that you can let go of all the stuff. It’s a place of rest. Mostly, it’s the feeling of love.

As I would walk through the door, my mom would always instantly appear. The front door faced the stairs leading to the bedrooms upstairs. As I came in, I would see her scurry around the top of the stairs and almost run down. I’m sure it was the squeaky screen door that alerted her. She knew, and so did I, at the sound of that silly door, that I was home. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, she would always appear just as I came walking through the door.

Prayer is like that for me. The very same feeling. It’s going home. The only thing I’m required to bring is myself. I can pour out whatever is inside and be just who I am – no pretense and no masks. It’s the feeling of being loved and accepted. And God, just like my mom, is always there waiting for me to walk in the door. Thrilled that I made it and happy I’m there.

It’s always crazy to me when I hear all these different formulas to pray, like someone’s giving you some kind of script. Prayer is really just a conversation. And who wants to have a conversation with someone who is reciting memorized lines or fixated on maintaining a certain pattern? I’m not advocating being irreverent, I’m just advocating being real. John records that the Father is seeking those who will worship in spirit and in truth. One commentary mentions that “spirit” is far more than an outward ceremony, it is an internal thing. And to worship in “truth” is to worship authentically or in relation to reality. Another commentary translates that as “with nothing hidden.”

It’s great to be somewhere where you don’t have to hide anything. Where you can be authentic and genuine and there is no pretending. Where your thoughts are known without even having to voice them. And where you are loved just for being you. This brings us back around to home. Because for me, prayer is just like walking in that old screen door. It’s coming home.

I realize as I write this story that not everyone has a home experience like mine. Some of my friends grew up in homes filled with violence, abuse and pain, and I have friends who have been completely homeless. Habitat for Humanity conducted a writing contest over the topic, “The True Meaning of Home.” One of the school-age finalists, wrote this, “Home means an enjoyable, happy place where you can live, laugh and learn. It’s somewhere where you are loved, respected and cared for. When you look at it from the outside, home is just a house. A building. Maybe a yard. But on the inside, it’s a lot more than wood and bricks. The saying ‘Home is where the heart is’ says it all.” They went on to finish, “Everybody deserves to know the true meaning of home.”

I think Jesus would agree with this young contest winner as well. The night before his death, Jesus told his closest friends, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” Even if we don’t have the home we long for in the here and now, there is a perfect home offered to us in the future. Prayer connects us with that home until we get there. Because in the end, we all want to go home.

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“It’s who you are and the the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for; those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself – Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” John 4:23-24 Msg

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me were I am. John 14:2-3 NLT

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