The Whole Truth // by Heather Dillingham

A week ago, I sat in the front row at church as the call was made for those who needed healing to come forward for prayer and anointing from the Elders. I watched as people stepped forward and were honest with themselves, God, and His people about what they needed. A week ago, instead of moving forward, I stood still.

Earlier in the week, my daughter, Gwen exhibited symptoms that made us wonder if her shunt was failing. Thankfully, it turned out she just a stomach bug. The experience (not to mention catching the bug myself the next day) left me physically and emotionally drained. This was just another tough week in a series of extremely taxing weeks for me. I have felt the enemy attack using anxiety, sleep deprivation, and indecision to distract me.

Yet, I didn’t move from my seat. How often do we (women, mothers, and wives) try to fool ourselves into thinking we are “OK”? How often do we stay planted instead of moving when God calls us, offering healing and peace? We refuse to embrace the whole truth and be vulnerable to others, ourselves, and God.

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In our reading today we will be looking at the bleeding woman who broke this narrative by baring “the whole truth” to Jesus. Please take a moment to read back through Mark 5: 24-34 (NIV).

 “Examples to Follow”

Tell God the whole truth

When Jesus felt His power leave Him, He called out to the crowd. It would have been extremely easy for the woman to stand still, having taken her miracle, and allow the crowd to overtake and hide her. Maybe she thought she wasn’t important enough to answer the call, or that others around her might judge her? Thankfully, our story doesn’t end there.

The woman became an example to follow as, despite her fear and trembling, she moved forward to tell Jesus “the whole truth”. What’s funny is that Jesus knew the truth already. He always does. But He honors those who are willing to be vulnerable and honest. This shows in the final verse where He blesses her further and tells her to go in peace.

Did you catch that, she was further blessed because of her honesty! Just as each of those who, despite their own reservations, went forward the other week for anointing and healing. This isn’t to say God is holding back on you, but the opposite. We are holding back on God. He can’t work on us if we aren’t being honest with ourselves and with Him.

When you have a moment this week, I encourage you to pray and ask God to reveal where you could be more like the bleeding woman in her honesty. If you feel comfortable, share what he tells you.

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Looking back at the passage, are there other examples you see to follow or commands?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Questions and Miracles // by Heather Dillingham

When I graduated college, my media professor made a point to tell me that in all of his years teaching, he had never had a student ask so many questions. I was the top of the class, so I know he didn’t mean it negatively. But you see, I strive to understand every little detail of anything I don’t understand, and I explore every option if there’s a choice to be made. Helpful in the academic arena, but a hindrance in everyday life and more importantly, my faith. 

 Twenty-twenty showed this in full stride when a normal 4-month check-up for my daughter ended with an ultrasound and a diagnosis of Hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain). I threw my hands up, begging God for a miracle and praying that the doctors were wrong. 

 With each new test, hospital stay, and surgery my hands got lower and lower. My heart got progressively harder as I started to question everything. I questioned God’s goodness, His ability to heal my daughter, and His empathy to do so, even if He could. 

 Today’s reading reminds me that I’m not the only one who has allowed this questioning to challenge the truth that is Jesus. As you read back through Mark 5: 25-34 (NIV) pay attention to the way others respond to the woman’s actions and ask yourself the question:  

 “Are there any sins to repent of?” 

Sin: Questioning Jesus 

When the woman reached out and grabbed Jesus’s cloak, the Bible says “at once” He felt the power go out from Him. But when Jesus asked who touched Him, He was given this reply… 

“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples  

answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”  

Mark 5:31 

Anyone else feel like the disciples were getting a little sarcastic here? Instead of answering Jesus, they mocked and questioned. Yet, Jesus knew there was a change and so did the woman.  

For a long time after my daughter’s diagnosis I allowed myself to question Jesus like the disciples did here. It was only after time, space, and a clarity that could only have come from God that I realized at the center of my questioning, was doubt.  

Like me, the disciples used their questioning to hide their doubt in Jesus’s power. They had witnessed miraculous things, yet doubt still crept in and clouded their minds. Causing them to miss the miracle unfolding in front of their own eyes. 

It’s far too easy to fall into the sin of questioning God, and His wisdom, when things go wrong in this world. This sin leaves us missing miracles and doubting our creator.  

Where do you find yourself questioning/doubting God in your life? What other sins did you see in this passage to avoid? 

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Reaching for the World or Jesus? // by Heather Dillingham

In my life I have turned toward many things to give me joy, comfort, and healing. Things like food, entertainment, and the newest health fads. But the truth is, not once have any of those things made me feel complete, whole, or even slightly better. 

 Doubtless I’m not the only one who has done this. This world teaches us through constant ads, streams, and posts that it has all the answers. Through the world we can become stronger, smarter, and prettier. It (the world) is all we need.

Before my miscarriage I lived selfishly by the world. I went to church, but left God at the door on Sunday. I felt like I had a gaping whole in my life and I used the world to try to fix it. Even my attempt at getting pregnant was an attempt to lean on the world. “Oh if I just had a baby, life would get better. I’d be happier.” Losing my child hurt. But I know God used tragedy to remind me that this world can not and will never be what I need to feel whole.

Let’s take a look back at our story. I encourage you to read back through Mark 5:25-34 (NIV) with this weeks question in mind:

“What did we learn about mankind?”

Mankind tries to solve problems through the world before going to God

Just like us, the bleeding woman believed in the world. She spent all that she had on ‘experts’ who convinced her they had all the answers. Instead of the world saving her, it chewed her up and left her to die penniless, in pain, and alone. It was only after she stopped looking to the world to heal her and looked to Jesus that she was healed.

This passage teaches us that mankind is flawed in our view of the world. The world was made by God, yet we too often allow it to become our god. Our protector, our healer, our comforter. We seek a solution we can hold in our hands instead of lifting our hands. And it doesn’t stop there.

The world is persistent in its efforts to get us to seek it first. When Jesus turned to the crowd to ask who had touched His cloak the woman was afraid. She turned back to leaning on the world and what it told her, which was that she was unclean and unwanted. But that isn’t what Jesus saw. He saw a woman filled with faith and blessed her with peace because of it.

Just like her, I still struggle with leaning too hard on the world sometimes. But God is always there to nudge me back to Him like the wonderful shepherd He is.

Have you been leaning on the world instead of on God? What are the truths He says about you? What other things did you learn about mankind from this passage?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Hope to the Hopeless // by Heather Dillingham

My Story

Have you ever felt like nothing you do matters? Like the whole world is against you? In other words, have you ever felt hopeless? The devil loves to make us feel this way in order to stop us from reaching for the one true hope. When I first came to CTM in 2018 I was struggling with hope.

 The year before had been one of the hardest of my life. I hated my job, my relationship with my husband hadn’t been good for years, I was the unhealthiest I have ever been, and my support base was almost nonexistent. Anxiety and depression were my companions.

 Despite all of this, or maybe because of this, we decided to start trying for a child and miraculously got pregnant. I was so excited! It felt like we were healing. I was healing. Weeks later, as I watched what was far too much blood leave my body, I knew I was wrong.

 I blamed God, but most of all, I blamed myself.  In the weeks it would take for my body to recover and the months for my mind, I seriously thought about ending my life. I felt unclean, alone, and absolutely hopeless.

 …  

The woman we are reading about this week went through this kind of isolation, pain, and hopelessness for YEARS. Please take a moment to read Mark 5: 25-34 NIV.

The passage teaches us of a woman who was desperate. Her body had been hemorrhaging for 12-years. Not only would she have been in extreme pain, but she would also have been isolated because women with this condition were considered unclean and therefor couldn’t interact normally with society. She had done everything she could to heal herself, spending everything she had and suffering even more pain. She was unclean, alone, and absolutely hopeless.

 Until, one day, she heard of Jesus. It would have been easy to hear of this new healer and assume He would be like all the rest. She had no more money to give, even if He could heal her. Thankfully, Jesus’s healing isn’t something we can pay for. His presence alone brought her hope and gave her enough faith to just reach out. With that one little act, Jesus healed her.

 What this passage teaches us about God is that He can bring hope to the hopeless. You see, God doesn’t want his children hopeless. He is the hope of the world! I learned this as I cried out seeking comfort and strength as I processed my miscarriage. And this woman learned it as nothing (not her pain, her past, or her status) stopped her from reaching out to the one true healer. Her hope wasn’t in vain and neither is yours.

… 

What is holding you back from accepting God’s hope? Are you reaching out? Using the sword method, discuss, what did you learn about God from this passage?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Photo by Daniel Monteiro on Unsplash

Commands at the Well

When I was kid my parents had a colorful, fragrant garden. The backyard was a mixture of fragrant flowers and tasty vegetables. In the Summer I spent time sketching lilacs, sipping honeysuckle nectar, and helping mom collect tomatoes, green peppers, squash, beets and whatever else we had planted. In the fall, I watching Dad dig for potatoes and prepare the garden for Winter.

The best part of having a garden was harvesting the food, because that meant it was time for savory, steaming, stuffed peppers; juicy, ruby, red tomatoes sliced and sprinkled with glittering white sugar; and tangy, sweet strawberries with cool whipped cream. As a child I found joy in reaping the harvest and the benefits of all the yummy food my family would make. As an adult I now find joy in not just the harvesting, but in the sowing of seeds and in the husbandry of the plants that grow and produce.

This simple joy I find in plants is something that Jesus used often in the Bible to describe a difficult concept to His followers. He also used these parables or analogies to point out where his Disciples failed to see the point of an encounter. Encounters like the Samaritan woman at the well.     

This week marks the end of our journey with the Samaritan Woman and I encourage you all to read John 4:4-42 once more and ask your self the question:

Are there any Commands to Obey or Examples to Follow?

Commandment: Sow & Reap  

What did the Samaritan woman do right after she left Jesus? She proclaimed to all that he was Messiah and sowed seeds by telling her testimony to the people in her community. In John 4:35-38, Jesus tells his Disciples:

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

When the Disciples caught up to Jesus, they were focused on the normal things one thinks about while traveling: food and water. Seeing Jesus talking to the woman, they assumed He was getting refreshment at the well, feeding his physical body. But Jesus points them back to the reason they are traveling: to preach and expand the kingdom of God. Instead of feeding His body He was feeding the soul of someone lost. Jesus planted a seed, watered it, and reaped a harvest all in one conversation.  

How often do we let our daily travels distract us from our purpose? I can say for a fact that I often miss the point of an interaction with someone. How many chances to sow a seed of hope have I let slip through my fingers because I was busy, tired, uncomfortable, and yes, even scared.

God will place opportunities in front of us. Times where we can sow seeds and times where we can reap a harvest (bring people to Christ). There are times when I take comfort in the idea that if I didn’t act on a nudge from the Holy Spirit that someone else would. But now I’m thinking that was my fear talking. How many times have I talked myself out of the joy of leading someone to Christ because I was scared of what they would think of me?

I encourage you sisters, to be like the Samaritan woman and speak out for Christ in your everyday life. Sow seeds and reap harvests for God. Remember, you were a harvest that was reaped and is being resown. The kingdom of God is not finished bringing in the harvest, do your part.   

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash

Sin at the Well

What is sin? There are many different types of sin in the world, but the easiest way for me to describe it is: an action or thought that puts a barrier between us and God. When we sin, it often feels good in the moment but after there is a feeling of regret. That feeling of regret from my perspective is the Holy Spirit poking at my heart and saying, “Whoa, that was not the best choice to make.”.           

Today is going to be a difficult topic and I want each of you to take a moment and pray. Ask God to reveal the areas in your life that you are struggling. I believe that the Holy Spirit will instantly bring to your mind what you need to repent of and it’s important to make a change at that point.  

I will also preface that this question is more easily discussed in a group setting with people you trust. So, with that said:   

Are there any Sins to Repent of?

Un-Biblical Judgment

The Samaritan woman, like many of us, had an obvious sin in her life: she was unmarried and living with a man. But that’s not where I want to go with this today. It’s easy to point a finger and say, “the way you are living is wrong!”. I believe it is important, though, to look at why you want to point out someone’s sin.

When approaching the sin in someone’s life it is best that:

1. You are approaching them in love. 

2. They believe in the same moral standards.

When Jesus, pointed out the sin in the Samaritan Woman’s life. He was straightforward and gave her a chance to speak, to repent. Can you imagine? She repented to Jesus, who is God. Did he turn away, yell “sinner” and go on his way? No! Jesus spoke truth and poured life into the woman. Because of that she was changed.

In Matthew 7:3-5 the Apostle says:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Unlike Jesus, we my friends are not sinless. In fact, we are all sinful creatures it’s just that some people’s sin can be more noticeable than others. Which is why it’s important to repent and pray over our own sins so that we can help the people around us. Some sins are more noticeable than others, but any kind of sin will keep us from God. When approaching the people around us about the sins in their lives. Remember to be like Jesus and love them despite the sin. None of us are perfect, but that’s why God sent us Jesus.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Woman at the Well

Have you ever noticed that in church we talk about things like our testimony, or evidence of proof? When this happens there’s a tendency to start at the beginning of your “walk” with Christ. This can make for a really long testimony if you asked Jesus into your heart at the age of 3, like I did. I’ve actually never loved my testimony, because it feels like nothing has happened in my life. Nothing that could help someone see Jesus anyway. In college, someone told me that my story reminded them of Esther. That while Esther never heard God speak directly to her, she still had faith in Him and that faith gave her the courage to save her people. This really encouraged me and made me more likely share that part of my testimony.

I’ve realized something though in the last few years. My testimony doesn’t have to include my whole walk with God. My testimony can be as simple as a struggle that should, according to the world, make me into a bitter, unpleasant person. The Samaritan woman does what each of us should do when we have any kind of encounter with Christ. Share that moment with the people around us.        

Last week we read John 4:4-42 and we asked the “Question: What do we learn about God?”. This week please read through the story again and ask yourself the question:   

What Do We Learn About Man?

Mankind is Skeptical

After Jesus told the woman who He was, the Messiah, she had to spread the word. She told everyone she met about her encounter with Jesus and because of that people believed: 

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony […]. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them […] And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said;
now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
(John 4:39, 42)

But note, it was not until they heard from Jesus, himself, that some honestly believed. This is a great example of what each of us should do after we’ve come to know Jesus. Go out and proclaim who he is to us and to the world. There will be people though that need more than just a testimony. Remember, every time we share the Gospel we plant a seed of hope. But until a person goes to the source, the Bible, they won’t truly know God.

I encourage each of you, take a moment today and write down an encounter you had with God. This encounter could be something that happened in the past or something that happened recently. It doesn’t have to be “big”; it could be as simple as a verse you read in the Bible or an encounter you had in the grocery store. Think about what God is telling you through that moment and share it with someone who might need encouragement.    

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Please leave a comment about what you learned about man in this chapter.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Hannah Morgan on Unsplash

God at the Well

Can you imagine being hungry or thirsty? Could you see yourself turning down a sizzling pan of steak fajitas or a glass of water with the little condensation drops sliding down the side while feeling hunger pains?

That’s very similar to how we, as Christians, turn down a chance to read the Bible or spend a moment in prayer. It might be harder to diagnose spiritual hunger or thirst, but there are some clues that show we might be in need: anger, frustration, and depression. I personally struggle with those feelings. I feel so much better when I sit down and read a Psalm and maybe even do a little bit of Bible Journaling. But I don’t always make the time for those things.       

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I’m going to ask you all to read John 4:4-42, the Samaritan Woman at the Well. Over the next 4 weeks we are going to dig into the story of this woman and how her encounter with Jesus changed her for the better. But how can we study the difference Jesus made in this woman without asking the question:

What Do We Learn About God?

God knows us

Jesus knew who the woman was before he ever met her:

“He told her, ‘Go, call your husband and come back.’
‘I have no husband,’ she replied.
Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.’”
(John 4:16-18)

Before He sat down at the well, Jesus knew exactly who the woman was. Her story, her desires, her failings, and successes. The Samaritan woman did not know who Jesus was, she could have easily lied about her marital status. But because she didn’t, she was able to have a heart changing conversation with the Son of God.       

God knows who you are and what you are wanting with your life. He knows that I have a deep desire to be a mother, though I am still waiting for that prayer to be answered. The waiting can be the hardest part about prayer. It is during the waiting that fear sets in and causes us to make wrong decisions. I don’t believe the Samaritan woman chose to have so many “husbands”. I believe she was chasing after something to fill the void in her heart.

Not long ago I heard a woman speak about how God told her that she would not marry or have children. That day a small thistle of fear was planted by Satan in my heart. What if the silence, I hear from God is His decision that I am not meant to have children? Every month when I know, for sure, that my belly holds no life. I feel that thistle sprout anew, strangling my hope and creating a void. I try to fill my void with mothering my dog, binge watching Netflix, and reading fantasy novels.

I chase after things I believe will help me manage. But the one thing that has brought me any peace is going to God, ironically or rightly. Which leads me to my next answer to the question above:            

He wants us to know Him

God desperately wants us to know Him. He sent Jesus down specifically for that reason, to create a bridge between us and Him. In John 4:24 Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:

“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Our God wants to have a relationship that is deep and true with each one of us. There can be nothing sweeter than having those moments of quiet worship with God. It is in those moments that we can learn about God and discern if the voice we hear is God’s or Satan’s. That is where Satan is at his most clever. My fear that God will deny my prayer is the very thing that makes me avoid time with Him. But it’s the very thing I need in order to have peace and purpose in my life.  

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There are more answers that could come from the Question: What do we learn about God? But I want to hear from each of you, dear ladies, who are reading these blog posts. Please leave a comment with your thoughts on this passage and what God is revealing about Himself to you!    

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Frank Albrecht on Unsplash

Shaken & Stirred: An Adoption Story

I was born somewhere in the state of Mississippi in May of 1975. I was 5 lbs. and 5 oz. with red hair and the nurses called me Sara. The end. This is all I know of my birth and the beginnings of my life.

Sometime later, I don’t know if it was weeks or months, I was adopted by a couple that had a 3 year old boy. The boy that became my brother had been adopted as an infant, just like me, and was not related to me or my parents by blood.

When I was little, I didn’t understand adoption. I didn’t understand why the woman who carried me in her belly didn’t want me. My mom made me read a book about adoption and how, according to the book, I was special because my mom and dad got to pick me. It made it seem as if everyone else born into a family is just the luck of the draw, but somehow adoption was supposed to make me special. Instead of feeling special, I felt ugly and unwanted. I didn’t have a good relationship with my mom. I felt like I could never please her or measure up to what she thought I was supposed to be.

…

Jeremiah 1:5 says:

“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.”

When I became pregnant with my first child, I was in awe of how God created us to carry and sustain life inside of us. I found myself thinking more and more about the woman that carried me in her belly. I wasn’t thinking about how she didn’t want me anymore. Instead I was thinking about how very much she must have loved me. She carried me in her growing belly, feeling all of my kicks and nudges. In fact, I began to believe that she loved me so much that she chose to go through all of that, so that I could have life! There is no greater unconditional, sacrificial love.

Here’s the kicker though…I also know a Father. A Father that had a son. He gave that son up too. Not because He didn’t love his son, but because He loved me and He loved you, so very much that He wanted to give us life! He chose to go through death on a cross so that we could have life eternal with Him. There is no greater unconditional, sacrificial love.

God is that Father and that day on the alter when I was 8 years old, He adopted me into His family. Not because I had pleased Him or was anywhere near what He created me to be, but because He made me and chose me for a special purpose. He shook me that day and He shakes me still.

The blood of Jesus makes it possible for you to be adopted into God’s family. In fact, adoption through Jesus is the only way into His family. Turns out, my mom was right. Adoption does make me special.

Being shaken by God is the beginning of my life story and I’m constantly stirred to seek Him more. To know Him more. To love Him more. Shaken & Stirred is my adoption story.

I pray that it will be yours as well.

Mary Swafford is the founder of Shaken & Stirred, Meals that Matter, Coffee Talk, and a Co-Owner of Boulder Coffee in downtown Sand Springs. She is a wife, a mother of 3 beautiful children, but most importantly a daughter of the most high God. You are likely to find her chugging or serving coffee, sitting in a tattooist’s chair, or making friends out of strangers.