God moved a mountain
to shouts of, "Grace, Grace!"
I am laughing with joy as I celebrate the financial mountain God moved through you in 2015!
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See our website for more about our dream.
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As we came into 2015, our staff sought the Lord about the mountains that stood before us as we trusted him to fulfill the
Dream he clarified for us in 2014. One of the biggest mountains before us was financial. Due to some changes in our funding model we needed a 35% increase over 2014 in individual financial partner contributions. Even with this increase we would utilize our entire $75,000 reserve account to make it through the year.
As we prayed about the year we clearly felt God taking us to the passage of Scripture we share with our facilitators at the beginning of each Battle event from Zechariah 4:
6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.
And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" (ESV)
We see God move many mountains in every Battle event, so all year we trusted him to move this financial mountain. We encountered significant challenges and resistance along the way; I was at times discouraged and overwhelmed, yet we kept sharing the Dream, trusting God to move the mountain. Now as we come to the end of the year, I'm laughing with joy and exclamations of "Grace, Grace" as we celebrate God's providing a 70% increase over 2014!! Twice the 35% we were shooting for!
This increase not only met our objectives but allowed us to replenish $60,000 of our $75,000 reserve account!
As many of you know, one of my favorite questions is, "what is the echo of God's voice that you are hearing
through . . . ?" As I ask myself this question about seeing God move this mountain, this is what I'm hearing.
- In our January 2014 BMH, during a very challenging season when I was struggling with whether our Dream of equipping reproducing partner churches would work, God clearly spoke to me through a pastor friend, "I've got this; it will work, so relax." Given my own protective strategies of getting it right and working hard, I often struggle to believe that God is working when the way seems dark and dim. I've also come to realize that, deep within, I believe that for God to come through I must work hard, very hard. This lie is slowly dying and I am slowly letting go, relaxing and trusting ever more deeply that God is making this Dream become a Reality.
- "You are not alone." Due to the way I experienced life in my childhood, I have a deep sense that I'm on my own, that I have to make life work out; yet I long for partnership, to be part of a team. At a whole heart level, I increasingly believe that there is indeed a Fellowship protecting and propelling me into my part of the Story. I'm experiencing this in the Trinity and through the Body of Christ. This also came through long-term financial partners who continue to give, many with significant increases. Throughout the ups and downs of the last few years these men and women have stood in the gap! Then 22 new financial partners believed in the Dream God is giving us. Through these brothers and sisters, God is putting to death the lie that "I'm alone, it's all up to me.' Increasingly I actually believe, at a whole heart level, that we stand united as part of the Fellowship!
- "Well done!" I sensed that well done to me, to our team, and to every person who joined us in the Dream praying and investing to see it become a Reality! It was as if God was celebrating with us shouting out a big "We did it!" We did work hard; yet what God did is so far beyond what we could do that, truly, our only response can be shouts of "Grace, Grace." As I contemplate His grace, deep laughter and joy pours forth from my heart.
- "Trust me for more." I'm not sure all this means, but as I see doors opening before us, I long to grow in hearing and trusting God for more, more of His presence and more of His purposes worked out through me, through you and through all the men and women of Wellspring Group.
As our staff met by video conference Wednesday to celebrate God's faithfulness, there was a deep sense of joy, laughter, and thankfulness. As we finished praying about 2016, there was a sense of anticipation as we look forward to seeing God move the mountains of this year. We trust him to see increasing numbers of people from around the world live from their whole hearts, becoming who God created them to be! As we look back and now forward, our only response can be, "Grace, Grace!"
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Some of Our Staff Reflect on 2015
I so easily forget that God is about the Larger Story, He is about relationships, He is about coming a
fter my heart and the heart of others. Though the obstacles seemed impossible in 2015, God was there each step of the way comforting, giving courage, speaking truth and enabling us to keep going and remain faithful as we leaned on Him.
I'm coming out of 2015 stronger (because I have been strengthened by working out my faith), a little taller (because I can hold my head higher with even more confidence knowing that God is faithful and does what He says He will do), and humbled (because He used broken vessels like you and me to see wounds healed, truth proclaimed and purpose realized). Looking back, 2015 was quite the year. God moved. God did. God is faithful.
Over the last couple of years, God has been inviting me into taking more risks with Him, which has required me to enter deep pain. As I entered that pain, I began to own my deep desires for connection and for significance: to know that I belong and that in my belonging I have a contribution to make. As I surrendered those desires to God and cried out to Him in the pain of how they were unmet, I began to experience the energy to take action
toward those desires. I began to listen to God and then take action, rather than sitting on the sidelines.
For me, 2015 was a year of taking risks, especially in my ministry at Wellspring. I took on challenging new roles and took ownership of more decisions, freeing Larry to focus on other areas. I ended the year feeling more confident about following God, even if I don't do it perfectly. The risks turned out to be worth taking! I feel more alive in my whole heart, as I surrender my desires to God and let Him lead me into action. The pain of entering into unmet deep desires was redeemed as I saw Him produce good fruit, both in my own heart and for Wellspring.
In many ways, both personally and within Wellspring, 2015 felt like I was standing in a valley surrounded by mountains. There were times that the weight of what was before seemed more than I could bear. Yet God gently spoke throughout the year, "Y
ou do your part, and I'll do mine." I had to choose to cease striving and rest, knowing that His heart toward me was good.
As I saw God's amazing provision by the end of the year, I was stunned by His goodness, which was exceedingly more than I could ask or imagine. His faithfulness has given me more courage to rest and trust that when I am faithful to do what He calls me to, He is faithful to fulfill to provide far beyond my ability.
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2015 Highlights
- Began a reproducing church partnership with First United Methodist Church - Butler PA. Equipping them to co-lead BMH & BWH in Sept and Oct 2016. Seeing a deepening and energizing work among their staff and key lay leaders.
- Launched Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church into their own women's track for 2016.
- Hosted our first seminar at the PCA General Assembly.
- Saw an increasing number of leadership teams coming from churches and missional organizations.
- Hosted 3 Battle for Men's Hearts, 2 Battle for Women's Hearts and 3 Battle for Your Domain transformational events.
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Developed a global missions task force of missionary and church leaders to explore significant global opportunities for the Battle for the Heart among missionaries and national leaders.
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Continued to equip our volunteer facilitators and speakers who make our events possible, including an outstanding leadership team that hosted our first international BWH in Prague.
- Created a partnership brochure to share with organizations how the Battle for the Heart impacts leaders.
- Launched out new website, with resources for newcomers and alumni.
- Created a Field Kit of print and electronic resources for alumni to help them share the Battle with others.
- Experiencing our staff living and leading from authentic community.
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Upcoming Events
Men's Event at
McLean Presbyterian Church in
Washington, D.C. - January 22-23
Battle Introductory Event -
February 28
Battle for Your Marriage - September 8-11
If both you and your spouse will have finished the Battle for the Heart by September of this year, prayerfully consider taking the next step into the Battle for Your Marriage.
For more information and to register, visit our
website. Registration closes February 28.
2016 Battle for Your Heart Events
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Copyright © 2016 Wellspring Group.
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