Well Watered Woman

Join The Journey

2012-02-21T04:00:00.001-08:00

Click the books tab to purchase your book and start your journey.

Read reviews and see excerpts at Amazon.com

Matters of The Heart; Ebony Edwards

2012-02-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!
I am so blessed to introduce you all to a young lady whom God is raising up mightily.
She is young woman I have watched grow for close to 10 years. She has endured ups and downs and realizations in her journey. Today as you single woman she speaks from her heart a portion of her journey and where she is today. February is traditionally known as the month of Love. We see the pink, red and white hearts, flowers, flashy jewelry all around us, on the television, in magazines, the stores, on the radio and internet ads. It stirs up our desire to have love, to be loved, to love but at what cost? It beats the hearts and minds of singles like a drum, perpetually reminding them of their singleness, drumming into them all that they think they are mission out on because they are single. Today Ebony speaks her heart on Romance, Love and God, take a look at what she has to say....

Blessings,

Romance. Is it a lost art? Where are the wanton displaysof interest and where is chivalry? Has it been lost through the generations orare the stories we hear of past love one in a million? Was there ever a pointin time when men romanced women?

Being honest, I must admit that I have aslightly biased opinion on this topic (might even say bitter) seeing as I am ahopeless die hard romantic and I have yet to experience a pure unconditionallove from a man equipped with genuine interest, romance, and frills.

I am anavid blog reader, and the topic of discussion for a few of these blogs wasabout romance. On these sites, blogs were posted explaining how they longed toexperience romance like in the movies or books. (They know it’s fictitious, butwould still like to experience a romance of that magnitude i.e. candle litdinners, surprises or other romantic gestures) Some commenter’s even sharedtheir romantic experiences, and as I read through all of the responses I feltkind of crappy.

Now granted I am still young, but the wheels in my head beganto turn because I can count on both of my hands the amount of times that a guyI was talking to did anything romantic for me. Then the realization that Inever required more from anyone set in as well.

I'm on the journey todeveloping self-worth and separating healthy actions from non-healthy actionsand I realized I made things too easy for people. My mentality was that no onecould be perfect so I will work with a person. Let's just say that most of thepeople I talked to dud not hold much worth, which is a reflection of how much I valuedmyself. What I brought to the table didn't even equate to what they had whichis horrible because I'm definitely a “cater to you” type of girl.

I know for afact that I'm changing and emotionally healing because I didn't feel depressedor lonely, I kind of giggled and thought to myself if I get married I know myhusband will be a wonderful man. I have accepted that God will work on me sothat I won't be a shell of a woman and I would be able to receive his love andreciprocate. I know my relationship with him would be one that inspires others.

God has revealed so much to me in such a short period of time that its mindboggling. I literally had to sit down and look at the self destructive behaviorsthat I exhibited and assess them with His help. One of the main issues: I waswilling to settle for things that were spiritually, emotionally, mentally, andphysically unhealthy. Because I put myself through this degradation and it tookyears to tack on all the pain, I am prepared to take the time and allow God tomend me and make me whole.

I realize that on my own I am incapable of repairinganything. With that being said, I just read a book entitled I kissed datinggoodbye by Joshua Harris. Lately I have read a few Christian books that explainhow important it is for Christians to not date because it is a highly defectiveritual for mate selection. Why waste precious time dating when I need to worktowards a relationship with God, when I need to work towards fulfilling Hispurpose for my life, and when I need to be pruned so that I can be the woman ofGod that he has called me to be.

The lesson and life principles I learned hitme harder than ever and I felt convicted. If and when it is time for me to bewith someone it will happen. Dating is not about fun and games because in theend there is so much pain, unrecoverable time, and it is a price I just can'tpay.

Emotionally I'm weak, (too weak honestly) and I just brush things underthe carpet. I want more for my relationships with God and my future husband. Idon't want to distract and detract away from my spiritual life, nor do I wantmy future husband to have to deal with an emotional burden (honestly speakingat this point that's what I am). Being a whole person fully and equallybalanced is my goal. There isn't any better goal I could set for myself rightnow. With that being said; I want grand gestures, I want romance, and I wantunconditional love. However I am willing to set unattainable standards thatonly a God selected mate can attain and I am also willing to be patient. Ifthat day never comes, I will be fine. I would rather live alone knowing that I neversettled for less than God’s best than to aimlessly search and settle for acheap imitation of love.

Ebony Edwards

Water from The Well Book Signing 2/11/2012

2012-02-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

Water from The Well

Book Signing

Saturday February 11 1pm – 3pm
Heaven Sent Christian Book Store
4990 W. Craig Road #5
Las Vegas NV 89130

HER Royal Idenity

2012-01-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'm part of an amazing online bible study taking place called HER and this week we are studying our Royal identity.

the Lord had given me this lesson for the women of HER today and when I came back to it He spoke to my heart that this is a message for the masses. I want to publicly thank Minister Delonda Adams of Proverbs 31 Mama for being generous enough to allow me to share it with all of you.

Be blessed and enjoy...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our mission for today is to let go of who we think we are in order to find out exactly who we are. This may come as a surprise but often they are they are not the same.

I grew up with my parents telling me could do and be anything in the world I wanted too and I believed them because their words always proved true. I've practiced the same thing with my children and because we have not steered them wrong before, they believed and received. Children believe what they are told or not told from the parental roles in their lives. 

Not everyone grew up being fed the truth of who they are. Some of us, many of us, were told quite the opposite. This was made even more evident to me today as I learned of a young woman this morning under the age of 17 with 4 children and HIV positive from a down-low individual.   

My heart broke when I heard this, all I could do was think what if she knew who she was, would there be a different story?

How many of you grew up feeling worthless, in fear, less than, anything but royal? When we hear a thing long enough we become to conform to it, we take on the identity of that thing.  That is the first step towards our spiritual identity crisis. The first place where we step into not knowing who we are. 

Even after our salvation we can carry those false identies. We hide them under our perfectly pressed church attire, our flawless fruitful serving saint faces and even under our powerful prayer warrior prayers.  On the outside we look like we have it together, but in the inside we still battle insecurity, fear, unworthiness, unrighteousness. We may mask it over but it still creeps out ofen in the form of envy, jelousy, anger, gossip, backbiting, depression. Sometimes it leaks out as accusation of others "who do they think they are", "she thinks she is"and so forth and so on...

Oh lest we get it twisted it's not just those sisters sistting sad sack in Texas it's those who are sitting pretty in pride in your town too. How about when it manifests as eliteism, holier than thou; I forgot I was once a sinner in need of grace so I click my tongue and shake my head at all the ladies that I used to be but no one here or at my office or at my church or even my own spouse knows that side of my story? Becasue we didn't really know who we were we had to form our own conclusions and some times those conclusions lead us to believe or think even if it is only secretly that we are better than. We dress it up with words like I may have been yada yada yada but at least I was never blah blah blah... 

It's time to strip off, peel away and step out of who we think we are; good or bad because both are subjective - good is never quiet good enough -hence spirits of perfection comeing to trap us and bad is never bad enough - hence spirits of defeat and mind sets of self deprication come to bind us.

In our heads we know we are Royalty even confess it with our mouths but what about those times when we are all alone and the devil comes calling and we open the door and let him in and he commences to beating us up with who we aren't. 

It's time to truly embrace who we are. The beautiful thing about our royal identity is this - we don't have to work for it, we don't have to strive to obtain it. It just is. 

When we were adopted, grafted in, blood washed and redeemed we were given a new identity and that identy includes all of that and more. You ARE who He says you are.

We don't have to work or strive to become it, we are IT. The work comes not in putting on but in putting off, laying down and casting off.

Today your mission if you choose to accept it is to take off the false identity so you can see your true royalty.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ESV 

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee

Isaiah 62:3-5 ESV 

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 

Until next time,

Thriving in the hard places...

2012-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was having a "moment". I was feeling a bit discouraged over some things that were out of my control. Some things I saw and some things I wasn't seeing. I felt pressed between a rock and a hard place with no hope of breakthrough.

As I walked to work I saw this patch of green in the middle of the sidewalk and as I made the trek I home I saw it again. Actually I see it every day I just never paid attention to it until yesterday evening when God spoke to me through it's very existence.

This bright greenery sits smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk. I have no idea how the hole was created in the concrete but somehow it has become the garden bed of this grass.

Who planted that grass? Who waters it? Despite being walked on, trampled on by people every day including myself it is still there, how? How is it thriving and bright green in the middle of the sidewalk when all of the grass on the lawn areas adjacent to it are brown and dead from the winter? The God of the impossible is making it possible.

When I saw this, it gave me hope and served as a reminder that even in the most difficult and hardest of places God is still faithful and able. It doesn't matter what the season is God can still cause you to thrive in the midst of it. You can flourish in the winter and you can bloom in the cold.

God has allowed this patch of green to live, grow and flourish despite unfavorable surroundings and circumstance. It doesn't matter how many people walk over it, smash it or crush it, it is still growing.
It doesn't matter that to the natural man nothing should be growing in the middle of the concrete sidewalk it is doing just that. Who could do such a great thing but God and if he can produce a miniature garden in the middle of a busy sidewalk surely He is able to produce what I need in the middle of my hard places.

If you are struggling with finding your place, finding your peace or finding God in the middle of your hard place, allow this small patch of green to remind you God can cause you to bloom right where He has planted you.

Blessings until next time;

DESTINY

2012-01-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

Have you registered for our Women of Destiny Conference / Cruise yet?Join us May 14th -19th for this dynamic, life changing event.The Women of Destiny Conference is going to catapult women into the fullness of who God has called them to be.The 3 days of conference on this beautiful 5 night cruise to the Bahamas will feature dynamic morning prayer, anointed praise and worship services followed by life changing ministry sessions presented by our powerful anointed speakers and workshop teachers.
The Women of Destiny Conference/Cruise is family oriented so husbands and children are welcome to attend. There will be a special breakout session for men and young men presented by Deeper Waters Men's Ministry, as well as a special breakout session for teen and collegiate girls presented by our Well Watered Woman Teen Ministry. For younger children Carnival Cruiseline has a wonderful children’s program, so moms can relax and enjoy knowing their kids are safe and having lots of fun.
If you are single and/or traveling alone, we will do our best to pair you with a roommate. This cruise will certainly have something for everyone!
You can obtain more information as well as register at http://www.wellwateredwomanconference.com/

Water From The Well... are you ready to jump in?

2012-01-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Have you all ordered your books yet? Many of you have and I am blessed by the feedback and positive responses I 'm receiving.

I'm also very excited about what's coming up next. I will be leading a local group of 15 ladies on the 31 day journey of Water From The Well and it is going to be a blast. After being asked by many and much prayerful consideration we will be doing online groups as well.

The groups will begin February 1st and are limited to 15 women each to keep the intimacy, transparency and confidentiality of the group intact.

I would absolutely love to have you all join us for the journey. It is going to be refreshing and real. I will be sharing directly from my heart and the word of God to encourage you in your walk and strengthen you for your journey.

There is no cost attached to the groups however you will need to have an actual copy of Water From The Well to participate and each participant in the groups will receive a free pdf download of the beta Water From The Well workbook. You will also need to be committed to the journey and committed to growth.

If you are interested in being part of the groups please email me at tonyr@wellwateredwoman.com

I encourage you to invite your friends to come along for the journey. If you know of a woman or women who might be broken, weary in her walk or in a wilderness season; I especially implore you to invite her/them to join us.
You can order your book as well as share the link to the book with others here. You can also view and share the video trailer here.

As an FYI the online groups are able to be formated for ministries small women groups if you are a pastor or leader who would like to do this with your women's group please feel free to contact me at admin@wellwateredwoman.com

Excited about our journey.

Blessings,

Water from The Well - The Book

2012-01-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

I am very excited and please to announce the launch of my first book -
Water from The Well; the Collection.

It is a 31 day devotional journey designed to water your soul, refresh your spirit and compel you to grow deeper in your walk with the Lord.

This journey can be taken alone, with an accountability partner or group of friends. Each day provides a word of encouragement and a space for reflection and take away. It is sure to bless you and give you strength for the journey. It is available NOW. You can order your copy HERE.

The Gift...

2011-12-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

There are some stories that just can't be kept to yourself, this is one of those stories.

When my dear friend Shay emailed me the story of my precious Godson Jaden's (and hers) CHRISTmas gift I knew I had to share it with all of you.

Be blessed and enjoy.......

What present did you get for CHRISTmas that you oh so love?

Sisters, I wanted to share with you my favorite Christmas gift. A gift so awesome, God is just continuously blessing me days after Christmas. So awesome, that I had to literally stop in the middle of the Target parking lot and sit in my car just so I can write this email!

For a while now Jaden have been looking for a bike. It had to be green his absolute favorite color or blue his second favorite. Plus, it couldn't say anything "uncool" or have any "uncool" pictures on it.

Mid November, we went to Nellis AFB with Jaden's Gram for lunch. It was there that he saw his dream bike!

The bike was green. It had a stealth airplane picture on it and the word "stealth"....COOL! Plus, it had camo colors (which reminded him of his good ole mom). That was IT! His dream bike!

Jaden even saw a shark helmet! (If you know my son you know he absolutely LOVES sharks. He is famous for his shark sunglasses which never leaves his head). The helmet was the color gray and a bit tight but it was a shark. So, to him it was cool!

I told Jaden maybe we should keep looking on the helmet because it was a bit snug & he doesn't really like the color. (I felt there was something else better.) But Jaden insisted he liked the color now and said it fits him just fine. He wanted the helmet & bike!

Anyway, both were going on sale the day after Thanksgiving. So all of us, including Jaden, were all going to wake up extra early to buy the bike & the helmet for him as an early Christmas present.

Side bar note: Jaden's father absolutely HATES the thought of standing in line, in the cold, for ANYTHING just to save a couple of bucks. This would be our very first "Black Friday" shopping experience...Every one of us...EVER!

That night Jaden slept on his warm "going- out & ready to tackle the long lines of Black Friday clothes" to buy his bike & helmet.

So the day after Thanksgiving, Jaden, his dad & Gram drove to the base early but by the time they got there it was too late! They were all gone!

Jaden was disappointed but tried his best to be grateful for his old bike which was WAY too small for his growing body. He really was a champ. Better than I would be at eight!

Every chance we got we continued to look for a bike. We continued to look all the way up till Christmas. We drove to all the Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us in the greater Las Vegas & Henderson area. But none of them would do. He truly fell in love with that green camo bike & shark helmet.

During one of our shopping trips at Target we found another shark helmet. It was different than the helmet we saw in the base. The helmet was the color blue, had shark teeth and it even had the famous "Jaw's fin" sticking up like a mawhawk. It really was a hoot! Too funny! He absolutely loved it! His eyes were just big with excitement. LOL!

But then sadness hit my 8 year-old yet again when he saw the sizes they came in. They only had size age 3+ and age 5+. The age 3+ was too small and the age 5+ was too tight!

He even took off all the safety padding inside & kept insisting it's was ok to wear without the pads. Eventually, the realization hit him. It just didn't fit.

Now he was really disappointed. First the bike...Now THIS!

What Jaden didn't know was that his father woke up extra early, while he was still asleep, that November day and bought the bike without him to surprise him for Christmas. It was stored in his grandparent's shed the entire time! And his mom kept taking him bike shopping to make the reveal of surprise even greater :)

And the blue shark helmet? Well, they actually came in his exact size (age 8+) but only on-line. His mother already knew this info before we "accidentally" saw it in Target. The helmet had actually been stored in his mother's closet for weeks now. The shopping trip to the helmet section of Target was intended just to prepare him for the great reveal!

Ladies, why am I telling you this story? Because isn't our God just like this? Doesn't He have a plan that He already set up in motion behind the scenes waiting for the right time to reveal?

Don't we as His children often insist on contorting our bodies into something that doesn't fit. Insisting that this " ____" fits & will try but nothing to let it fit when we know there is a God that knows our exact size & measurement? A God who knows there is something else better for us (in our favorite color) far more than we ever expected!

We often forget that our God loves us SO much that His greatest joy is...To enter our joy!

Just as my absolute favorite Christmas gift was literally seeing my son ride his brand new green bike with his blue shark helmet...Jaden's joy was "MY" joy!

Oh what an awesome wonderful God we have! Just thought I'd share that with you ladies & hope this blesses you too!

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him." - Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

... Shay Benitez is a dear friend, sister in Christ and amazing woman of God. She is the wife of Matthew and mom to their beautifully blessed son Jaden.

Shay also serves as part of the Well Watered Woman Prayer Team.

Sharing Life with Lisa: The Christ in Christmas__Katie's love

2011-12-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

This is such a refreshing post by Lisa Shaw I just had to share it with you all. Enjoy and be blessed.

Sharing Life with Lisa: The Christ in Christmas__Katie's love: My husband and I were out to breakfast last weekend after church. We have a little place we enjoy. It's one of those places that's in th...

Have You Heard About Her?

2011-12-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

She is amazing, she is beautiful, she is fearfully and wonderfully made, she is YOU! I am so blessed to be a speaker in this awesome online bible study beginning in January and I want to invite all of you to us for a powerful time.

Check out the video and get your registration in. I'm also excited to announce that I have been blessed to give away 2 scholarships. If you are interested in receiving a scholarship please contact me at TonyR@wellwateredwoman.com

Blessings,

The Waste of Size | Jarrid Wilson

2011-12-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

The Waste of Size | Jarrid Wilson

Get Ready For DESTINY!

2011-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for a tremendous move of God IN and THROUGH your life?

Women of Destiny 2012 -

Are you ready for a tremendous move of God IN and THROUGH your life? The Women of Destiny Conference/Cruise 2012 is a launching place for that move! Come join us for a powerful life changing encounter with God.

The Women of Destiny Conference is going to catapult women into the fullness of who God has called them to be, it will also equip them in knowing their purpose so they can fulfill their Destiny

The 3 days of conference on this beautiful 5 night cruise will feature dynamic morning prayer, anointed praise and worship services followed by life changing ministry sessions presented by our powerful speakers and workshop teachers.

The Women of Destiny Conference/Cruise is family oriented so husbands and children are welcome to attend. There will be a special breakout session for men and young men presented by Deeper Waters Men's Ministry, as well as a special breakout session for teen and collegiate girls presented by our Well Watered Woman Teen Ministry. For younger children Carnival Cruiseline has a wonderful children’s program, so moms can relax and enjoy knowing their kids are safe and having lots of fun. If you are single and/or traveling alone, we will do our best to pair you with a roommate. This cruise will certainly have something for everyone!

The Women of Destiny cruise is also a time of refreshing, rejuvenation and vacation. There will be plenty of free time to enjoy the plethora of on board activities and the magnificent and breathtaking beauty of the Bahamas. With ports of call in the beautiful and exotic Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau you will find an abundance of fun, activities, and excursions to take in. Your time off the ship is sure to be as amazing as your time aboard.

Click HERE to visit our Official Women of Destiny 2012 site.

Calling all leaders . . .
Are you a pastor, co-pastor or leader of a woman's ministry? If you or your ministry are interested in bringing a group of women to the Women of Destiny 2012 Conference/Cruise we can help you.

We have a limited number of GROUPS LEADER POSITIONS available! We would love to show you how to put a group together. Leadership has its privileges, find out what you can receive by becoming a group leader.

Contact us at: groups@wellwateredwomanconference.com for more information and group leader packets

See you on the ship!!

For Powerful Women Only

2011-09-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

TodayI was interviewed on the popular BlogTalk Show, For Powerful Women Only. I talked about Purpose and Destiny and how to discover and walk it out. You have more power than you know through Christ!

The host, Author &Speaker Teisha Shelby-Houston (Lady T),helps women go from mom to mompreneur!. Known as The Business Coach for Moms™, LadyT her motivational workshops empowers and coaches women to change the world throughentrepreneurship!

Let her new book, Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire inspire you!

Click here to listen in to learn more on purpose and destiny. Do you think you are just a mom? Think again you are powerful in Christ and God has a purpose and call for YOUR life!.

The Butterfly Circus

2011-09-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you run across something so amazing words can't describe. Attempting to tell about it seems to cheapen the moment, the message, the beauty of it. This is one of those things, what is it you ask? A short but life changing film; The Butterfly Circus. I watched this movie with no expectations as I had not heard of it before, what I received was the biggest dose of God's love, more than I can possibly contain or relate to you in a simple blog post. It is a must see for your self...
I encourage you to take a few minutes to sit and watch this, you will not regret it, in fact I'm pretty sure you will be glad you did.

Well Watered Women of God I present to you The Butterfly Circus...

The Butterfly Circus - HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

Will The Real Woman of God Please Stand Up!

2011-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Will The Real ~~Woman~~ "WOMEN" of God Please Stand Up!

Far too many women in the body of Christ are being held in a position of infirmity. Bound by issues from the past and present., women are crying out for freedom from the weight of this condition. God wants to use His women in a powerful way for His kingdom, but our pain (infirmity, weakness, issue) can keep us from fulfilling our great purpose and destiny!
He has given us a remedy and it can only be found in Jesus - He wants to set you free today!

Listen in to the teaching I shared with Beth Jones and her audience at Tablet of My Heart on will The Real ~~Woman~~ "WOMEN" of God Please Stand Up!

Blessings until next time,

Are You Bold Enough to Ask?

2011-09-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

It's not over until God says it's over! I want to let all who listened to this episode know we saw God move in the midnight hour situation I spoke of. We saw a door that had been closed, locked and but to bed, miraculously opened after we were bold enough to ask. Only God could have done this thing and He DID! If you are facing a midnight hour situation you don't want to miss this episode.
*******************

Join Well Watered Woman host Tony R as she discusses "Are You Bold Enough to Ask" - the power of praying in the midnight hour. Listen as we look at Luke 11 in a new light.

Listen to internet radio with Well Watered Woman on Blog Talk Radio

Tablet of My Heart - Beth Jones

2011-09-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am so honored and blessed to be a guest on Tablet of My Heart founder Beth Jone's Talkshoe Show today. Beth is an incredible woman of God, a minister, author and well can I just say again an incredible woman of God.

I would love to have you all come on over and listen in as I minister on Will The Real Woman of God Please Stand Up!

It 's going to be a great conversation and engaging time of ministry. The show will be airing live at 2:30pm CST (12:30 PST, 3:30 EST). You can visit Beth's page by clicking here and you can find Beth's show here.
You can also listen by cellphone or Skype, here are the call in details below.

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 98698
PIN: 1 #
Hope to see you there!

Jarrid Wilson: Pre-Paid Hope

2011-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Normally I won't post 2 blog post back to back in the same day, but today I must. I want to introduce you all to a a new friend. His name is Jarrid Wilson. I happened upon Jarrid via two of his tweets that my daughter Chelsea had retweeted. They were powerful and I did what I normally do when I see something that is contagiously infected with God, I pass it on. The tweets were: "If our hearts don't break for all who are broken, we can't truly call ourselves Christ followers." "The story of your transition out of your brokenness, could be the tipping point to someones understanding of Gods hopefulness".

A few minutes ago I received a notification that Jarrid is now following me on twitter. As I visited his site I found this post he shared just yesterday. As I read it I knew it was a God post timing and had to share it with you all. There is no coincidence in Christ and I think God is speaking to us as a body to pay attention. Who are the shadowy figures sleeping on the park benches, are they not the sick who need a physician? Homelessness has a story and it has a face. It looks like me, it looks like you and if we look really close; it looks like Jesus.

Take a moment to read this inspiring and beautiful Christ encounter that Jarrid was blessed to have.

Jarrid Wilson: Pre-Paid Hope: Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting a sixty-seven year old homeless man named Tom. In the last couple months I've noticed a growth ...

Standing in awe of HIM,

Through My Eyes - a short film and my story for His glory

2011-08-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is a short film produced by the King Brothers and is a much watch. I am so blessed by these young men for putting this piece together. It speaks volumes and speaks it well. If you know me in person you know homelessness is a subject very near to my heart and if you really know me you know why.... You may want to grab a larger cup of coffee or tea because, well let's just say this may be a long one.

This video blesses me immensely because I understand first hand the heart of the homeless. Although this video is scripted and acted, for countless number of people it is their every day existence. Day in day out, night fall to day break this is how they live. They have no respite, they have no resources and they have no hope, but GOD.

I watched this short film with a catch in my throat, knowing all too well; but for the grace of God this story, this tale, the young man in this narrative could have been either one my sons. How do I know this? Because we as a family have experienced a homeless lifestyle. We are part of a culture that is called the "hidden homeless". While we do not live outside, under a bridge or in a park, we are legally and technically considered homeless. We, our family of 6, reside in a modest 1 bedroom weekly living facility. It is not much, but it is where we lay our heads, it is where we call home, for now.

Like the young man in the film we understand what it is like to be looked at with judging eyes. What did they do? How did they get in this position? Are they this or are they that? We've experienced the rejection and side-eyed glances and double takes when people realize our situation. We've heard the "wise counsel" that charges us with perhaps there is hidden sin in your lives when what they are really seeking is for some small insight that would confirm what they "already knew" in their "spirits", and then getting angry when there was nothing to tell. No secret sin, no lack of faith, not wild story to tell other than life happens and it actually happens to Christians too. Sadly people only choose to see you from a distant perception and place of judgement until they draw closer to hear your story, to experience life through your eyes.

You see at one point we had it all, my husband had an awesome job and we lived in an amazing home but in an instant life can change. With the blink of an eye a job can end, a door can close, an opportunity can be lost. When this happens all that remains is the shell of a life of that once was. I can still recall with acute clarity and detail the feeling of facing my worst fears head on as I turned the corner to pull into our driveway to see the glaring orange stickers on our windows, on our doors, the menacing locks barring us from ever crossing that threshold again. I remember the cry that escaped my lips, the tears that escaped my eyes like waterfalls cascading down my face. I remember the cold panic that gripped my heart and then I remembered my children. I turned to look at them seeing the hurt and hopelessness that had in an instant washed the childhood glow of joy away replacing it with fear and angst of their now uncertain future.

Yes, I remember the day it was over, the day our life as we knew it changed, the moment we went from living in a home to driving around in our van trying to figure out where we could park to lay our heads.

I remember the call from friends offering to take us in. I remember going from friends to family to the van again. I remember as a family sleeping in a corner on the floor of a friends home until the next door opened. I remember the awful feeling of having no hope, the feeling of being forsaken by the God we loved and served . I remember the looks of brokenness and desperation upon my children's faces as they faced the pain and fear of not understanding how a faithful God could allow us to go through this. I remember the nights of pillows soaked with tears, the days of absolute bleakness and shame over situations that we had no control over.

But I also remember the words of life "He" whispered to my soul, 4 simple words, I Have Remembered You. Those 4 words have carried me from that day to this one knowing that He is yet faithful.

When I watched this video my heart sang hallelujah because this was not the testimony of my sons. Despite our hardships, and our small living quarters, true to His word He has remembered us. I fully understand that in the midst of our Job like trials it could have easily gone another way. My children could have easily become bitter, turned their backs on God and their faith but they held on. It drew them closer to God, deeper into His word as they daily searched for promises of restoration, healing and the day of our coming out. They pressed in seeking His face through intercession. I saw their prayer lives blossom and their callings and gifts come into maturation. I saw their faithfulness of rising early Sunday mornings after our van died and said it's final good-byes, to be on a bus by 6am so they cold be on time for the 9am service. I saw them come home exhausted arriving home well past 10pm on Wednesday nights after faithfully attending youth service and riding the bus home. I saw them press hard to finish school and graduate. I saw them reap the rewards of their labor as each of my sons, the oldest graduating last year and the second graduating this past June, stood on the stage addressing their respective graduating classes as they gave their commencement speeches. Yes despite everything they had to endure they made it and I sit in awe of the things God has done. This week I am especially in awe of our God and His majesty. My oldest son is wrapping up his first internship with a ministry in the northwest and preparing to return to college on the west coast where he is studying and pursuing his calling as a worship pastor. This morning my second son begin registering for classes at our local college where he plans to attend this semester before transferring to the same college his brother attends. He will be perusing his calling as a youth pastor.

He had indeed remembered us and in spite our circumstances, He has been faithful to us. Like the young man in the video the Word of God changed everything. No our physical circumstances have not changed, our address has not changed, we YET believe GOD, but we have been changed through it. I can honestly say I would not trade it for the world, it was through this process, this trial and storm that Well Watered Woman was birthed. When I was at my lowest place, my driest spot and my dying place, God met me there. He poured life through His word into my soul restoring me to wholeness, healing my brokenness, and rekindling my faith. It is here that I have learned to truly live by faith. To seek Him and Him alone, to say though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. It is here that I have learned the meaning of submitting to His will knowing that He will perfect that which concerns me. God does not allow anything to come upon us without a plan in place and mind. He never allows us to face anything that He has no intention of allowing to work for our good and His glory. Overseer Eugene Lewis once said "God commissions forerunners in the wilderness so that during their assignment, they won't be frightened by the isolation of being uncommon". I thank God for allowing us to be forerunners, the wilderness experience has been hard but it has been our best experience because it is where we have grown and become strong, it is in this place that I have truly discovered God.

I know with the uncertainty of the job market, the ravishing of the housing market, many are facing the road that we have hard traveled and you have no idea where to turn. You feel hurt, devastated, broken and lost
To you I encourage you to turn to the Father. He is waiting to carry you to the other side. Will there be bumps and pot holes along the way? You bet, but you can rest assured He is still in control and He will not lead you astray.
There are others who are broken at the thought of what will become of their children because of the trials that you are facing. Some have even said if it were not for my children I would end it all, to you I say I can testify that God WILL be a fence around your children. As you continue to keep them bathed in prayer and words of life and hope, He will be a shield and buckler. God WILL use this situation to draw them closer to Himself.

To the woman who feels like you will never come out of your trial, and if you do you won't come out with your right mind, I say yes you will. The word of God says He makes all things beautiful in HIS time. He has a set time for your captivity to be turned and when it is turned you will come out as gold. Psalms 30:5 says For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime, weeping my endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. Not only will you come out with your mind in tact you will come out with joy.

For some that are feeling forsaken and even judged by others because of your trials I remind you of the blind man when the disciples asked who sinned this man or his parents and Jesus said neither sinned. He was born blind that the works of God might be glorified. Like Joseph God will take you from the dungeon the the palace so His will can prevail. Even if it is a trial of your own making know this, God IS and will still keep you, love you and bring you out.

I know others will ask how you can be so sure, how can you still say these things when you are in the midst of your situation. To you, I say, because I know Him. He is not a respecter of persons and He is not a man that lies. I can take Him at His word. He has been faithful through every step of this journey and I know He will see us through to the end. I know because He that begin a good work is faithful to complete it. You can trust Him with your trial.
To the one who feels so alone and has no one to talk to who understands to you I say I am here and I am praying for YOU my friend. You are not alone there are others who have walked this road before you.

Dear Well Watered Women of God, I encourage you today to hold on to God's unchanging hand He will see you through and as always if any of you would like prayer please don't hesitate to let us know, we WILL pray for you. You can send us an email at prayer-team@wellwateredwoman.com

Until next time,

Walking the Talk and Talking the Walk

2011-08-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was speaking with my dear friend and ministry administrator Carolina, during the course of our conversation she reminded me about an article I had written some years back. The article was on prayer walking which I used to do daily. The conversation caused a spark that had waned over time.

Last night as I was cleaning out a little used old email account I could not believe my eyes, there it was! Sitting right in front of me was a copy of the article we had just discussed a couple of day ago. As I read the article the spark became a flame and the flame is quickly becoming a fire. I am now fired up to prayer walk again, although this time prayer walking has a new look. Some of you may already know this, but I am an employee of our local police department as a school crossing guard. Each school day, morning and afternoon, I am blessed to cross children to and from school. The kids have found a special place in my heart and it makes my day when I see their bright smiling faces every morning. I often referred to my job as my "children's church" ministry and consider myself a spiritual as well as natural crossing guard. Each morning I greet the children on my post with big smiles and grand hello's. I ask them how the are, are they excited for the day, tell them they are going to have a great day and other words of encouragement. Initially they looked at me like I was a loony lady but they soon warmed up and by the end of the last school year, they would greet me with great big hello's and busy chatter. In the evening I greet them just as warmly making sure to ask how school was, what did they learn, did they have fun and so on. After the first few days on my post I realized not every child has someone at home rooting for them, not all of them live in a peaceful, loving or nurturing environment. They don't all have someone sending them to school covered in prayer or with words of Life uttered over them. The more I realized this the more determined I became to be an intercessor and voice of encouragement for them.

As we prepare for school to begin in a couple of weeks, my heart is ablaze with prayer. I am excited over the opportunity to prayer walk the children assigned to me by the Father. It's amazing to know that although the area of my walk in the natural is simply from one side of the street to the other, my prayer walk goes beyond that... far beyond that. As I allow the fire to consume me, my prayer reaches past the children to their families, their home life, neighborhoods and surrounding communities. Prayer changes things and the root of revival is birthed from the seed of prayer. I want to challenge each of you is to look around you and see where you can begin to change lives, neighborhood and communities through prayer. I'm including the original article I wrote on prayer walking to help you get started, I hope you all enjoy it and it sparks a fire to make a difference one step at a time in your area.

Blessings until Next Time,
TonyR

*********************************************************

Prayer Walking...

Okay here it is… I must confess that after living on my former street for 6and a half years I could count the neighbors whose names I knew on one hand. I must acknowledge the fact that I really had not enlarged my circle beyond my immediate neighbors from next door and across the street. Sure I did the usual wave of the hand or friendly honk of the horn but nothing of real substance.

What about you? Have you ever noticed your neighborhood? Really noticed who your neighbors are and what type of atmosphere your street, and your community have over it? So often we see our neighbors, we stop and chat or give then a friendly wave of the hand. But are we truly influencing our surroundings, are we making a spiritual impact.

How do we make this type of impact without being intrusive or overbearing? How do we overcome living in an era where people don’t want to get involved, where we hide in our cozy homes and stay in our comfy backyards. How do we break the barriers?

As the Lord began to speak to my heart concerning this, he graciously allowed me to hear about Prayer Walking. It is the simple formula of praying while walking down your street and through your neighborhood. Prayer walking is one of the simplest yet effective ways that I have encountered to impact streets, neighborhoods, and communities. All it takes is a desire to see God move on your street, and in your neighborhood. It can be done alone or with a partner. You and your husband could use this time together or you could even go trekking as a family, with each member taking a turn to pray.

As you begin your trek take time to notice each house on your street, what type of atmosphere or environment does that home carry. Look at the people who live there, observe their children. Take along a small notepad during your treks, as you prayer walk write down leadings of the Holy Spirit that you might make intercession for them in your private prayer time. I often wear stereo headphones with worship music playing as I walk.

As you walk the streets of your neighborhood, begin to speak and declare the Word of God over your region. Heaven and earth shall pass away but His Word will remain, it will not return to him void rather it shall accomplish the very thing He sent it do. There IS power in the Word of God.

Ask God to move on your street, and in your neighborhood as you walk. Pray for revival to overtake your community, your city. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, how he is prompting you to pray for each home. Pray for salvation, healing and deliverance to take place within the homes. We never know what is going on behind closed doors; we cannot be moved by appearances. Those neighbors who look so well put together with everything going for then, might be the very ones who are going through the most tragic events inside of those walls. When we fail to come out of our comfort zone, we can miss the leading of God to intercede.

During your treks you will begin to see more of your neighbors than ever before. Be open to God. Greet your neighbors; introduce yourself. A major purpose of Prayer Walking is to be a witness to your neighbors and by getting to know them, you can effectively begin to witness.

The following is a list of things you can pray on your prayer walks
1: Revival

2: Salvation

3;Unity in your neighborhood – pray that neighbors would come together, that walls come down, and generations heal.

4: Racism – it is yet alive and through prayer this spirit can be defeated in your neighborhood, your community and your city.

5: Marriages

6: Families

7: Safety in your neighborhood.

I often wonder what would happen if saints of God all over took up prayer walking. What impact would it have on our cities? What strongholds would be pulled down? What bondages could be broken? How many families would come to know Christ, how many marriages healed and renewed? How many souls delivered from addictions, abuse and a myriad of other conditions.

As you begin your prayer walks don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate changes. Trust and believe God, He does not allow your prayers to go up in vain, God hears our prayers and more than that He answers them. If you make yourself available to be used of God, He is faithful. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much, PRAY ON my sister PRAY ON!

The Isaiah 54 Woman series; week 5 - Minister Angela Hardy

2011-08-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

This week our guest is Minister Angela Hardy founder of A Kept Heart Ministry.
Listen as Angela shares her story and a message of hope, strength and a God given word of promise for the hurting, broken and bruised.

Listen to internet radio with Well Watered Woman on Blog Talk Radio

The Isaiah 54 Woman series; week 4 - Lady Monica Hopkins

2011-08-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Listen in as Lady Monica Hopkins and I discuss her insight into the Isaiah 54 process while being single and being a single mom. Learn how we as the body can serve and assist our single sisters during their crisis season.

Listen to internet radio with Well Watered Woman on Blog Talk Radio

The Isaiah 54 Woman series; week 3 - Minister Kimberly Hudson

2011-07-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Listen in as Minister Kimberly Hudson founder of Spiritual Vine Ministries and I discuss standing in the gap and interceding while in the midst of your Isaiah 54 experience.

Listen to internet radio with Well Watered Woman on Blog Talk Radio

The Isaiah 54 Woman series; week 2 - Lady Shawnell Reed

2011-07-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

If you missed tonight's live show you can listen to the replay here:

Listen to internet radio with Well Watered Woman on Blog Talk Radio

Join us next week as we welcome our guest; Minister Kimberly Hudson founder of Spiritual Vine Ministries. We will be discussion standing in the gap and interceding while in the midst of your Isaiah 54 experience.