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Living Waters Information
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Vision
Statement:
Equipping the church as the vehicle of Jesus'
truth, compassion and healing power to restore
the sexually and relationally broken to wholeness.
Program
Description
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A
Message from the Author
Living Waters is the rhema word of God the Father
to those who have been lost in sexual and relational
brokenness. It is not just a good set of teachings,
a well-organized program or a collection of written
material with special insights into the human condition.
It may be one or all of these things to some people.
But to those of us who have struggled for years
with unmentionable sin, an unforgivable past, or
persistent memories or obsessive behavior, it has
been nothing less than the rhema word of God.
Just
like the Word, the Incarnate One, Living Waters
could only have been begotten from the heart of
the Father who says to each one of his children,
"My son, my daughter, you are with me always,
and everything I have is yours." Grace wrapped
up in truth, truth delivered with grace is the
essence of this program: Grace and truth combined
to deliver the rhema word that sets the captives
free.
But the Incarnation was more than the rhema word
spoken by God. It was the rhema word made flesh.
So it is with this manual. It is not meant to
be the last, definitive word on Living Waters.
Rather, it is the container of the word, the structure
through which God's word has the freedom to speak,
confront, heal, comfort, and transform.
Jesus
said to his disciples: "Now that I have washed
your feet, you also should wash one another's
feet." (John 13:14). Living Waters is that
part of the church where we can extend the lowliest
parts of ourselves and there discover His compassion.
Mercy and truth meet us. As we reveal our brokenness
to others, Living Waters cleanses us and transforms
us into the men and women of God's design. Welcome
to the Waters!
Andy Comiskey is the International Director of
Living Waters, and is Founder and Director of
Desert
Stream Ministries. Andy ministers extensively
to the sexually and relationally broken.
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LIVING WATERS PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
What is Living Waters?
Living Waters is an in-depth, Christ-centered program
for people seeking healing in areas of sexual and relational
brokenness. A healing, teaching and discipleship series,
Living Waters addresses the reality that we are all broken
in our ability to love others well. The goal of Living
Waters is to lay a foundation for sexual and relational
wholeness in our lives.
Through
the worship, teaching, prayer, and small groups of Living
Waters we learn about:
- God's
powerful love for us and how Jesus is central to our
hope
for wholeness
- The
depth of our brokenness and our profound need for
Him
- The
power of the Cross to restore our souls, sexuality,
and relationships
- The
process of walking out our healing
- Our
place in the church and loving others honorably
Who is Living Waters for?
Living Waters applies to everyone, but is particularly
relevant to those struggling with homosexuality, sexual
promiscuity or addiction, the effects of sexual abuse,
codependency, self-hatred, or the inability to love
others well. Thankfully, Christ's capacity to touch
and restore us at deep levels of shame and brokenness
extends to all of us, regardless of the specifics of
our issue.
How is Living Waters presented?
Living Waters is a 20-lesson program taught in a closed
group format, usually over a 30-week period. The leaders
have been trained and a confidentiality policy is in
place to help ensure trust and safety in the group.
Each meeting includes:
WORSHIP
- We focus our attention and praise on God rather
than on our problems.
THE
WORD - Living Waters teachings combine psychological
insights and biblical truths that help us to know
God and ourselves better.
THE
WORKS OF JESUS - Through healing prayer in large
and small group settings, we invite the Holy Spirit
to heal our various wounds. We bring our sins, and
those committed
against us, to the Lord who is faithful to set us
free.
Foundational
to Living Waters is the reality that God created us
in His image as male and female. Therefore we value
men and women working out their healing together. Great
healing comes as men and women minister and receive
alongside one another, thereby reflecting God's intention
and character. (Although small groups are single-sex,
both genders participate together in worship, teaching,
and prayer in the large group.) Living Waters uses a
detailed guidebook that includes teachings, questions
and additional readings that help us move from brokenness
to maturity.
What
will I learn?
Some
topics addressed include:
- Acknowledging
our need for God
- How
"the fall" affects our sexuality and
relationships
- Receiving
the Father's love
- Who
we are as men and women
- The
cross and confession
- Renouncing
our idols
- Reconciliation
between men and women
- Roots
of gender brokenness
- Healing
from sexual abuse
- Restoring
the true self through the cross
- Understanding
and overcoming temptation
- Overcoming
sexual addiction
- Embracing
the church as our healing community
- Building
healthy relationships
- Walking
as mature Christians
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