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Quotes from the Self Care Blog Series

238 hurtingTo tweet this quote, click the graphic above.

The quote above is from Part 19 of a blog series by Julia Bruce on Self-Care for people in ministry. Read the blogs here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20.

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Cover_mHave you seen Julie’s new book: God, Love and Marshmallow Wars? This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

book now summer and fall

Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.

Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.

Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.

With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.

Image result for form pngTo request more information or a booking, 
fill out the online form here.
Image result for phone clipart png
Or call us at 904.524.8073

 

 

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Luke 19:10 – To Seek and To Save

April 23 Luke 19 10 KJV

I love my GPS app that gets me to all my appointments. If I miss a turn, it simply reroutes me. It gives me confidence as I travel in new places. I remember the days of traveling when I’d pull up a Google map request with directions and print them out before going on my trip. On one occasion, someone neglected to inform Google maps that a high school had been build and the road was rerouted around the school. My directions wanted me to go straight, but straight in front of me was the school. Thankfully, with a little driving around, I found the road I needed to be on. But in those moments between staring down a school that was in my way and find the road I needed to be on, I felt lost. Lost. Unable to find one’s way. That’s what we are when we are sinners without Christ’s forgiveness. Lost. Unable to find our way to Christ. There is no way to get to Christ on our own.

Lost. Unable to find one’s way. That’s what we are when we are sinners without Christ’s forgiveness. Lost. Unable to find our way to Christ.
–click to tweet

Instead, He seeks us out and draws us to Him, inviting us to discover His grace, love and forgiveness. The whole reason Jesus came to earth was to seek and save those who are lost. Is He seeking you? Do you feel Him tugging at your heart to surrender your life to Him? He’s holding out His nail-scarred hand to you right now, just as you are – whatever that might look like. You can place your hand in His by simply taking these steps:

  • Admitting that you are a sinner who is lost and in need of a Savior. That’s the bad news. We are all sinners and the penalty for sin is death.
    Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
    Romans 6:23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
  • Believing that He is the only Son of God who died in your place paying your penalty for sin, was buried and rose again three days later defeating death, Hell, and the grave. The good news is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin in our place. There is no sin too big for Him to forgive. You don’t have to get your life in order and then come to Jesus…come just as you are. He promised that if we put our trust in Him that we can have eternal life.
    John 3:16.For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
    John 6:40. For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
    John 10:28-30. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” 
  • Confessing that Jesus is Lord. When Jesus rose from the dead, he proved His victory over eternal death. God wants you to confess that Jesus is Lord of all and that He is your Savior.
    Romans 10:9. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Paul taught in Romans 6:23 that salvation is free gift. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn it. It can’t be bought. It can’t be weighed as good deeds against bad deeds. Not a one of us can live a life good enough to get to heaven on our own. It is a gift of God and it’s ours simply by reaching out and accepting it. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” If you’re ready to accept that gift right now, simply pray to Him following the steps above and ask Jesus to be your Savior. If you do and are sincere, then welcome to the family of God.

April divider

Cover_m God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

 

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Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.

Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.

Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.

With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.

Image result for form pngTo request more information or a booking, 
fill out the online form here.

Image result for phone clipart png
Or call us at 904.524.8073

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Luke 9:25 – Eternally bankrupt

April 3 Luke 9 25 NKJV

On January 17, 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor reported that at the end of the 4th quarter of 2018, the median income for a full-time wage or salary worker on a weekly basis was $900. Based on a 40-hour work week, this translates to a yearly income of approximately $46,800. What this means is that the average American is not living up the “high life” and that for families, it is often necessary for both husband and wife to work to make ends meet. However, for a moment think about what you would do if you suddenly became the richest American? What would change about your lifestyle? How would you manage your new-found wealth? It might be fun to dream about what you’d do with all that money, but if we are honest with ourselves, probably the first thoughts for the majority of us we rather selfish thoughts. We might have gotten around to helping the poor or making a donation to some organization (even if just for the tax break), and oh yes – let’s not forget the tithe to our church. Doesn’t that seem backwards? Our first thought should have been not only the tithe we would be able to give back to God but also an offering that might help our church meet a need. Then maybe see how we could help our community through the wonderful organizations that seek to help others – and not worry about the tax break for doing so. Then finally look to ourselves last.

No matter how wealthy a person is while here on earth, money will not get them into heaven. Honors, riches, and the greatest of enjoyments mean absolutely nothing when one faces eternity without Christ. None of these in and of themselves will suffice to gain entrance into Heaven. If all these were gained, but they cause a person “lose himself” through rejecting Christ, then that person has lost everything that holds eternal value. Any person that dies without Christ as their Savior, will be eternally bankrupt.

This in no way implies that a wealthy person cannot be saved. However, money can sometimes be an obstacle to people recognizing their need for a Savior. Jesus taught in Matthew 19:24, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” It becomes very easy for the wealthy to depend on themselves and their money, not unlike the children of Israel with their continual problem of idolatry. Every time they turned to false gods, they forgot the God that brought them out of Egypt. They turned to their own abilities rather than remaining dependent on God. It is too easy for money to become an idol that we obsess over. And the more of it we have, the less we feel the need to depend on God or to even feel like we need God at all in our lives. The more we have that belongs to this world, the more we are tied to it. In Luke 18, we find the rich young ruler who wanted to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. His focus was one how he could earn eternal life. Jesus replied to him: “You know the commandments: do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.” The rich young ruler responded: “All these thing I have kept from my youth.” But Jesus knew the man had more interest in his wealth on earth than any treasures in heaven. So Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The man became very sad because he was very rich. As a response to the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” The people standing near said, “who then can be saved?’ Jesus answered, “The things which are impossible with me are possible with God.” Wealth, whether one has an abundance of it or a great lack of it, holds no merit on eternal life. No one can be saved by their own efforts, but only through the grace of God is one able to obtain salvation.

God, may the entrapment of wealth not blind us to a false happiness that leads us away from you. May we keep our eyes on you and your grace that paves the way for us to obtain eternal life with you through the sacrifice of Christ as payment for our sins. Thank you for always meeting our every need and for all the many blessings you give us every day. May we always see You at work in each blessing with a heart of thankful praise. 

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Cover_m

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationshi to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) Also available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel. It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel

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Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is booking for 2019 and 2020 events. Book with us now. Click the link and fill out the online form or call us at 904.524.8073.

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What if we changed our looking to seeing?

Change looking to seeing

This book available for purchase from Christian Book Distributors

776344: Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks

By Priscilla Shirer / B&H Books

Return to the core of your relationship with God – spending time alone with Him with this 90-day devotional from Priscilla Shirer. Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks, will help you mine the treasures of Scripture and fortify you for the day ahead. Awaken each day with fresh insights gleaned from the Spirit of God that will challenge, encourage, and strengthen you.

Wellspring Christian Ministries is an affiliate of Christian Book Distributors and receives an 8% commission when you purchase items through the links on our website. All commissions received are invested back into this ministry to grow and expand our ministries. Looking for a specific Bible Study or gift? Click on the link above and enter CBD’s website through this page and anything you purchase will qualify us for the commission. Thank you for supporting us.