SHILOH MESSENGER - August 2007
















 

"BLUE CHEESE MOMENTS"


“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).” Jeremiah 33:3 Amplified Bible

Last month Rocky and I had fellowship with two of Shiloh’s 2004 Graduates. Listening to them tell of their personal experiences with God was indeed a joy to us. Brian Gust and his family took their vacation and came from Minnesota driving over a 1000 miles to visit. Jason Henry lives nearby in Baytown Texas. These two men, Jason and Brian, developed a friendship during their year at Shiloh. I find it to be quite interesting. At the beginning of their time as students, well into several months at Shiloh, they despised one another. God did many things in their lives and continues to do so. Listening to them tell of their God Moments I was captivated. I could have sat in my living room for a much longer time cradled by their love, zeal, and thankfulness to God. They each told of one event after another. A teaching, a word Rocky had shared, a word I had shared, special moments, victories, challenges, and revelation that had been unfolded. Oh how special and dear to our hearts to listen to these two Shiloh Graduates. Brian told us that while he was a student at Shiloh, he encountered intimacy with God like he had never experienced before. God became a reality to him. He went on to share that as he was away from his family, God began to heal his marriage to his wife Miranda. He prayed that his daughter Isabella who was a little over 3 years at the time would have encounters with God as he had. He asked God to visit and become a reality to her. This is a prayer that is dear to God’s heart. He wants that more than we could ever want it. God was true to answer that prayer request. Isabella had a dream about Jesus. She and Jesus were having fellowship together. They were eating BLUE CHEESE. I was intrigued by this testimony. I had to investigate further. I asked if Isabella liked blue cheese. Brian and Miranda both said she had never tasted it. She did not even know what it was. Yet it was vivid in her dream and her recall. This caused me to want to inquire of The Lord about this child and her blue cheese moment with Jesus. I was immediately sure that it had to do with intimacy because that is what Brian, her dad had prayed for. Yet it has more striking disclosures for the asking. Cheese is not produced quickly. It takes time. There is a process.  Good quality cheese is like wine, it can take many years. The taste and the texture require waiting, and development of a fine quality takes the course of many years. The very best is not naturally produced in a rapid fashion. It is fascinating to me that the ripening of cheese takes place in carefully controlled environments. It is equally enthralling to me that although hundreds of specialized techniques lend different types of cheese their distinct flavors and characteristics, three basic steps are common to all cheese making. Please stay with me. I am not trying to educate you on the making of cheese but yet truths regarding why I believe this child was partaking of this blue cheese with Jesus. And why blue anyway? The Color blue represents divine revelation, The Holy Spirit, Heavenly Visitations, Faith, and Faithfulness. God does not use colors whimsically. He is a God of perfect order. In Numbers 15: 38-40 God is talking to Moses and telling him to instruct the Israelites regarding their prayer shawl (Tallit) and the fringes and tassels on them. Upon the tassel of each corner was to be a cord of blue. Upon further investigation, I learned that the color blue is closely associated with the state of servitude and was a popular color of clothes worn by servants. The color blue also has a Biblical meaning symbolizing Heavenly Grace. The Virgin Mary is often depicted wearing blue clothing. Now in summary of blue cheese, allow me to correlate Isabella’s dream. God is a God of relationship. He desires above all for us to fellowship with Him. He yearns for His creation to know Him deeply and intimately. He longs for ongoing nurtured relationships. The kind that requires time, aging, savoring. This special relationship He desires, calls for a controlled environment; (Just like the making of Cheese.) If we are to mature in Him we can not allow ourselves to be exposed to just any environment. Maturity or ripening into the sons and daughters of the Most High God will take extreme care. God has made each of us different in personality and giftings for His Glory.( much like the distinct flavors and characteristics of the different cheeses) And just like the formation of cheese that calls for three basic steps in its formation no matter what cheese type, our relationship to God calls for at least 3 basic steps. We must all respond to Him by Faith in Jesus Christ when drawn by Him. We must all humble ourselves and repent; and we must all continue to meet with Him. This will make us into His likeness. What about Blue? When we nurture our relationship with the creator and sustainer of the entire universe, He gives us Divine revelation. (Jeremiah 33:3) When we humble ourselves and take on the role of a servant unto Him. He will give us heavenly visitations with Him. When we are faithful to Him, we will take seriously our allegiance to Him and that will be manifest in obedience. God is forever communicating to mankind. He communicates through His Word, The Holy Spirit through the still small voice, Spiritual leaders, Prophets, dreams, visions, Angels, animals, circumstances, Impressions, through the state of peace, audibly. His ways are astronomical. He is not limited. He will go to great lengths to talk to us, because of His great love for us. For those who call out to Him and sincerely desire to meet with Him, He will not disappoint. Hebrews 11:6, “For without Faith it is impossible to please Him, for you must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” I believe God honored Brian’s request for his child, Isabella. I also believe that God is revealing to us that to Know Him will take on-going encounters. The more fellowship we have with Him, the finer the development of us. I heard a while back, someone was asked what type of work they were in. The reply was “I am in research and development. I am researching HIM, and He is developing me.” I encourage you to ask Him for continual  Blue Cheese Moments.

 

Debbie Fondren


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