A little boy was working hard on a drawing and his daddy asked him what he was doing. The boy replied, “Drawing a picture of God.” His daddy said, “You can’t do that, honey. Nobody knows what God looks like.” But the little boy was undeterred and continued to draw, looked at his picture with satisfaction and said very matter-of-factly, “They will in a few minutes.”
Reverspective: God is closer when He seems farthest away
Have you ever prayed alone and felt like God was so very far away, but when you pray in a small group with other believers or in church worshiping with other believers you can sense His presence? God is with us and hearing our prayers whether we are alone or in a group. But in His Word, He tells us that where two or three are gathered together, He is in the midst of them.
Reverspective artwork by Patrick Hughes
A Reverspective artwork such as the one on the left by Patrick Hughes, is an optical illusion on a 3-dimensional surface where the parts of the picture which seem farthest away are actually physically the nearest. (I don’t see that….do you?)
Reverspective: When God feels distant, He’s drawing us to Him
We all go through times of life when it feels that God is distant or that it feels as if He has forgotten us. However, just like the reverspective artwork, the times He seems the furthest away are the times He is actually drawing us closer to him. He wants us to seek Him with all our hearts. If it felt as if He were always close by, we’d have no reason to seek Him. And when we seek for Him with all our hearts, we learn more about Him, learn to trust Him more, and learn to love Him more.
Reverspective: Look closer – God is there
Instead of allowing the spiritual illusion of reverspectiveness to blind you to God’s presence, look closer. He’s right there with you. Drawing you to Himself. Teaching you something new about His character and nature. He’s calling you by name. Seek with all your heart and you’ll find Him.
When we gather together with other Christians and seek God’s leadership about our needs and concerns, God is in the middle. Listening. Hearing our prayers. And working all things out for our good – even if we can’t see it right now. But we can be assured that like the little boy working undeterred on his drawing of God, God is just as undeterred in working out his best plan and purpose for us and before long, you and everyone else will see His masterpiece.
Don’t be disillusioned by feelings
Our feelings are fickle. They can’t be trusted. So when you feel like God is far away, cling to the Word of God and these verses:
Psalm 145:18. “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 34:18. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Acts 17:27. “That they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us”
James 4:8. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
Don’t disillusioned by your feelings. Trust in His promises. He says in His word that He will never leave us or forsake us – so know that He is near. Just seek Him with all your heart.
The Valentine’s Collection
Beloved Collection:This Valentine’s Day, let your spouse know how much you love them. Based on the Bible Verse, Song of Solomon 3:4, the bottom line reads, “I have found the one whom my soul loves.”
Greatest Valentine’s: On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate love and there’s no greater love than Christ who laid down His life so that we can have eternal life.Includes John 3:16.
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:
Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
Conversation Starters.
Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
Romance Builders.
Relationship Builders.
Personal reflections.
Date ideas.
Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.
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A little boy was working hard on a drawing and his daddy asked him what he was doing. The boy replied, “Drawing a picture of God.” His daddy said, “You can’t do that, honey. Nobody knows what God looks like.” But the little boy was undeterred and continued to draw, looked at his picture with satisfaction and said very matter-of-factly, “They will in a few minutes.”
Have you ever prayed alone and felt like God was so very far away, but when you pray in a small group with other believers or in church worshiping with other believers you can sense His presence? God is with us and hearing our prayers whether we are alone or in a group. But in His Word, He tells us that where two or three are gathered together, He is in the midst of them.
Read about this artist and style of work by clicking the photo
A Reverspective artwork such as the one on the left by Patrick Hughes, is an optical illusion on a 3-dimensional surface where the parts of the picture which seem farthest away are actually physically the nearest. (I don’t see that….do you?)
We all go through times of life when it feels that God is distant or that it feels as if He has forgotten us. However, just like the reverspective artwork, the times He seems the furthest away are the times He is actually drawing us closer to him. He wants us to seek Him with all our hearts. If it felt as if He were always close by, we’d have no reason to seek Him. And when we seek for Him with all our hearts, we learn more about Him, learn to trust Him more, and learn to love Him more.
Instead of allowing the spiritual illusion of reverspectiveness to blind you to God’s presence, look closer. He’s right there with you. Drawing you to Himself. Teaching you something new about His character and nature. He’s calling you by name. Seek with all your heart and you’ll find Him.
When we gather together with other Christians and seek God’s leadership about our needs and concerns, God is in the middle. Listening. Hearing our prayers. And working all things out for our good – even if we can’t see it right now. But we can be assured that like the little boy working undeterred on his drawing of God, God is just as undeterred in working out his best plan and purpose for us and before long, you and everyone else will see His masterpiece.
Don’t disillusioned by your feelings. Trust in His promises. He says in His word that He will never leave us or forsake us – so know that He is near. Just seek Him with all your heart.
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Don’t forget to memorize this week’s Bible Verse.
In 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.
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Our key verse for revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. Our verse last week focused on praying. This week, we’ll focus on seeking God’s face.
This week’s memory verse:
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Meditate and apply:
Will you commit to praying with us in 2020 that God will revive His people, renew our faith, and redeem our land? We feel such an urgency and desperation for revival. If God is moving your heart for revival, write your revival prayer in the comments along with your state or country.Â
Now you can receive the weekly memory verse straight to your email inbox. Sign up below.
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T-shirt Fundraiser Event:
As we focus on Revival for America, 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray,and seekmy face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” This design was created as we focus this week on seeking the face of God for revival. Jeremiah tells us that when we seek God, we will find Him when we search with all our hearts. You’ll find the design in tees for women, mugs, bags, and other products. Check them out in the Spreadshirtand Teespringsshops.
All proceeds go to the advancement of Wellspring Christian Ministries.
BOOKING NOW! Be a host site for the NEW God, Love & Marshmallow Wars Book Tour & Couples Conference:
This event helps couples understand why the daily activities found in the book will equip them to build a stronger marriage and the book provides them with 365 intentional activities to take what they learn at the event and apply it on a daily basis. Through the event, couples will discover the Biblical “why” behind the categories of activities found in the book and the “how” these activities are important to building a stronger marriage. Focus points of the event includes :
Howmemorizing scripture together and studying God’s Word together as they study, meditate and apply scriptures related to marriage and life issues will help them develop marriages that honor God.
Why utilizing fun conversation starters that spark meaningful conversations will keep interest alive as they continually learn new things about each other.
Whykeeping romance alive is essential to intimacy and connectivity.
Howmaking memories and working together builds relationship investment bonds and howthese investment bonds can become the knots that keeps them together through the tough times.
Howthey can understand what they are or are not contributing to the marriage as well as howthey might be contributing to problems or potential problems within the relationship through the use of targeted, intentional personal reflections
Whyit is important that couples never stop dating and howgroup dates with Christian friends can be both an encouragement and accountability to their own relationship.
During the event, couples will be given an activity from each focus point to do together, making this event an interactive, fun, and engaging event with practical, hands-on learning. Unlike other couple events that are over when the event ends, couples who attend the GLMW event will be able to apply what they learn when utilizing the book on a daily basis for a year. Since the book is not dated, couples are able to reuse the activities year after year to continue being intentional in strengthening their relationship with each other and with God as they strive to live out God’s design for marriage every day.
Learn more about hosting this event at your church or conference site by clicking here.
About the book: The GLMW 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 & Noble
Looking for a keynote 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. Today, 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, regardless of size.
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We are praying and seeking God for Revival in America in 2020. The path to revival can be found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Watch the video on this verse created by our CEO.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves….” This week we have featured several resources on prayer. We hope you’ll choose one for your own personal Bible study and join us in seeking God with a heart of humility and pray with us for God to send a revival to America in 2020.
Check out the Christian Book Distributor resources below.
Our organization receives an 8% commission on any item you purchase through these links. However, the product price is the same for you. There is no increase in your cost for us to receive the commission. All commissions receive support the work and ministry of Wellspring Christian Ministries.Â
In Seeing Jesus, author and Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie shows how Jesus is revealed in the Old Testament through 60 brief, but insightful readings. Your eyes will be opened to the epic scope of the Bible’s story like never before, as you see Jesus at the center of God’s plan to save his creation from the very beginning. Adapted from The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament. Features an imitation leather binding and a ribbon bookmark.
What if every time you had a conversation, your best friend never got a word in edgewise? Your relationship would be less than fulfilling–for both of you! In the same way, a fulfilling prayer life is more than just regularly talking to God. And it’s more than checking items off a prayer list. God loves us so much that he wants us to draw close enough not only to talk but also to listen.
Now, from the award-winning author of When You Don’t Know What to Pray, comes a bold and life-transforming book that will help nurture a vibrant two-way relationship with God. Linda Evans Shepherd shows you how to develop a dialogue with God, continually seeking him and seeing him at work in your life. Steeped in Scripture and filled with personal stories of answered prayer, this book also includes sample prayers and action steps you can put into practice immediately.
What difference does it make whether we seek God? Diligently Seeking God offers a complete year of daily meditations that will help you look at this question more honestly. Each page explores a different dimension of our need for God and invites you into a deeper desire for Him.
Written in a style that is both reverent and comfortable, Diligently Seeking God meets us as real people and wrestles with the questions that come to us in our most personal moments.
No matter where your spiritual life is right now, this book will beckon you to higher ground. Whether you see yourself as being a Christian or not, Diligently Seeking God will: (1) Motivate you to take God more seriously every day, (2) encourage you to focus on God, rather than on yourself, (3) challenge you to make God a greater priority, (4) help you to make positive choices for the quality of your life, and (5) inspire you to keep going when life is hard.
Provocative and passionate about life’s most important subject, this book will make a difference in your spiritual growth. Diligently Seeking God will nudge you where you need to be nudged.
Discover God in all aspects of your life! Examining everyday experiences in the light of God’s Word, Kelley Patterson will help affirm your faith in God’s daily presence. In this collection of 36 essays, she shares insights on family life, dealing with adversity, the power of prayer, intimacy in marriage, and evangelism. A daily Bible reading plan is included. eBook Version.
A daily prayer book drawn from an ancient Christian tradition.
For hundreds of years, Christians have observed the “daily office”–prayers offered to God at regular times of day. This practice, now experiencing a wide resurgence, can help your life become a vital, lifelong conversation with God. In Seeking God’s Face you’ll find a simplified daily office–intended for once-a-day use–designed especially for thoughtful Christians.
Seeking God’s Face provides an entire year of daily prayers and readings, each featuring seven elements, including:
Many people feel they are less than who God says they are. We get our identity from our careers, our political positions, family roles in the family, and other things. This small group study uses clips from the film Overcomer to examine how we determine our identity and how we can find our true identity in Christ.
The Bible study is geared for adult groups to use prior to the movie or just after seeing the movie. The study includes clips from the movie.
The Overcomer Bible Study Kit has five sessions and includes:
one Bible Study Book
one DVD with a promotional video and five 2-4 minute video sessions
From the creators of War Room, Courageous and Fireproof. Basketball coach John Harrison’s high school team is crushed by the closing of the town’s largest employer. Hundreds of families move, leaving him running a struggling cross-country program. But then he meets Hannah and begins helping this unlikely runner attempt the impossible in the year’s biggest race. Starring Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer, and Aryn Wright-Thompson. Rated PG. Dove approved (12+). Approx. 119 minutes.
Blu-ray Exclusives:
The Heart of Overcomer
Creating the Opening Drone Shot
Working with the Kendricks
Post-Production Behind-the-Scenes: Editing, Scoring, Coloring, and Sound Design
“Enough” (Lyric Video) Featuring Koryn Hawthorne
Don’t Mess with the Editors
Special Features:
The Making of Overcomer
Bloopers
10 Minutes of Additional Scenes
Commentary with Director Alex Kendrick and Producer Stephen Kendrick
Overcomer in 60 Seconds
The Theme of Identity
The Power of Forgiveness
“Overcomer” (Lip Sync Music Video) Featuring Mandisa and More!
Other Features:
Audio: English, French (PAR), Spanish, Thai
Subtitles: English, English (SDH), Spanish, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Tagalog, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese
Purchase Julia’s Book, “God, Love and Marshmallow Wars”
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Unstoppable God Tee
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In 2020 our emphasis is on revival for America with three key words: revive, renew, and redeem. You will begin to see the elements of our website and posts reflect this emphasis. We hope you’ll join us in praying for God to pour out the Holy Spirit with a mighty rushing wind of revival for our nation and around the world.
BOOKING NOW! Be a host site for the NEW God, Love & Marshmallow Wars Book Tour & Couples Conference:
Featured Items at Christian Book Distributors:
By Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick / B&H Books
