Wellspring Women’s Ministry Blog and Online Community

Hi ladies,

I have the privilege of being with Gloria in  Minnesota at the City Hill Fellowship Women’s Conference, where Gloria is the guest speaker.  The Lord is really moving on the 60 or so women that are in attendance here!  Keep us in your prayers for tonight and Sunday morning that the Lord would have His way.  We love and miss you all!

This banner also greeted the women when they entered the Arc lobby

This banner and the next one greeted the women as they entered the Arc lobby

Oh my what a conference we had! I know I always feel this way after our conferences, but this really was the best one ever! The new meeting room was fantastic — so much space for the dancers and flaggers and the artwork. The lighting and sound quality was so much better than we have ever had as to be in a different league altogether! And wasn’t the decor awesome?!! It’s a good thing I got there early because I was in tears the minute I walked into the arc — tears of awe and blessing!

Before this conference my faith was challenged to believe God to show up in power and with miracles. But He really did what He said He would do. From the very beginning His presence was so real! The board met in the meeting room at 2 PM on Friday “to invite the Holy Spirit to fill the room with His presence” only to find that He was already there to welcome US! By the time Saturday evening arrived, we were all saturated, so there had to be an overflow! Some were laughing, some were weeping, some were jumping up and down while others were pinned to the floor, some were dramatically delivered while others were quietly relieved of life-long oppression, but all of us worshiped the King of Kings with all our might and experienced the joy of His presence and the intimacy of His touch on our lives.

I am hoping some of those who were there will share their testimonies here so we can all be blessed. Many shared with the group on Sunday morning and it blessed us all to hear what God had done in others. As soon as we can get it done we will post the audio files from the conference here on the website so that you can listen or download them, so stay tuned for further developments on this site!

These banners flanked the doors inside the meeting room.

Ladies begin to arrive on Friday for the first session as a member of the male intercessors' team looks on

Attendees Camryn Smith, Connie Regan, Laryssa Toomer and Jennifer Simpson enjoy before-meeting fellowship.

The Arc, our meeting room for general sessions.

Mama Emily takes a minute to enjoy watching seeing her daughters be blessed as Cheryl and Mary confer

Kathy draws during worship

I (Gloria )got the message that follows from one of our Wellspring intercessors. I think she is hearing from God about some ways that God wants to prepare our hearts for this year’s conference so I decided to post it here to reach more people. The message is really true for life in general as well as for the conference so, whether you plan to attend Wellspring 2009 or not, I encourage you to read this and take it to heart. I would also love to hear your comments.

The other day, the Lord spoke this to me: “Breakthrough prayer is personal! Let’s get personal and see a breakthrough!” I recalled 2 Kings 4 when Elisha had developed a relationship with the Shunammite woman and her family, staying in their home, sharing meals, seeing a child brought to her, etc. When the child became ill, Elisha says, “she is troubled in her soul, and the Lord has hidden it from me.” He knows the Lord could have told him, but instead the woman was required to seek him out, in faith and friendship. When Elisha’s servant goes ahead of him, healing doesn’t come. The breakthrough comes when the long-time, trusted friend, Elisha, arrives and, in a very personal way — mouth to mouth, eye to eye, body stretched out on the boy — raises up the boy.

Regarding finances, I suspect many women have looked at their budget and resigned themselves to staying home. They have not made their desire to go to the conference known to their husbands. If their hubby knew, he would rearrange things and have heavenly wisdom to get his wife to the retreat. It would be great if husbands knew it was happening and insisted their wives go!!

One of the strengths of Wellspring has always been the relationships that are formed among the women. It’s always as though God spreads a special covering of safety over the conference so that women are eager to help one another and open to receive help from one another. By the time we are grown up, almost everyone has experienced betrayal of one kind or another so that we do not find it easy to trust again. But as I begin to open my heart to God, I find that He graces me to open my heart to His people as well, especially to my sisters. So I encourage all of us not have guarded hearts toward one another and especially not toward the Lord. We serve a Lord Who loves us better than we can ever love ourselves. And everything He has for us is good!

On the word about finances: The women who have been serving behind our information tables at Manna on Sunday morning tell me that an unusual number of men have been stopping by to get information on the conference because they want their wives to go! Interesting . . .

Hi all! This years’ Wellspring Women’s Conference is fast approaching! We’re excited and praying . Here are a few prayer requests:

-That all those who would benefit from this conference would hear about it and register.
-That each woman who wants to go would have the finances, faith for finances, childcare arrangements, & a ride there.
-No sicknesses would keep women away.
-That the workshop leaders would have the focus and ability to fine tune their workshops and minister to their families in the process! Please cover them with prayers for health, clarity, inspiration/sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
-That all volunteer spots for the conference would be filled.
-Protection and health for the guys who are planning to pray for us during the conference.
-That all administrative details would go smoothly.

We welcome all fasters! Some will be fasting every Thursday before the conference. Please join us or choose your own time period for fasting if so led. We want to receive everything the Lord has for us Oct 2-4!

Here are some notes on two more workshops that will be offered at the Wellspring Women’s Conference 2009. More complete information is available by clicking on “Wellspring Conference 2009 Site” at the top of this page. If you are reading this on Facebook, you can go to www.wellspringwomen.com for more information on these and other workshops that will be offered. The same links will give you registration information.

Ronda Martz has such a heart for those who do not know Jesus. She and her husband Bobby spent many years on the mission field in the Philippines and traveling around the world conducting crusades. But her heart is not just for the foreign field but also for her neighbors here at home who are unsaved. She believes that wherever she is at any given moment is the place where God has sent her to demonstrate His love and share His gospel.

Being around such a woman could be very convicting except that Ronda also has a heart to help other Christians learn how to share their faith in ways that fit their individual personality. She believes that God made each of us individually and each of us can find ways to share the gospel that fit us like a custom-made glove. Not everyone is comfortable knocking on doors to tell people about Jesus, but all of us have neighbors and acquaintances that need to hear the gospel. Ronda will give practical ways to share out of her own experience and out of the experiences of others she has known.

If you want to learn better ways and acquire new freedom to share your faith, this is a workshop you don’t want to miss!

Laryssa Toomer will conduct her workshop on "Walking Worthy" from Colossians 1:10: "so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. . ."

Laryssa is an inspiring Bible teacher and her workshops at past Wellspring Conferences have always drawn a crowd. This year she will be sharing from the book of Colossians on “Walking Worthy.” The apostle Paul wrote to the Christian Church at Colossae to give them practical advice about how to fulfill the destiny prepared for them by God. His advice is both deeply spiritual as it encourages the people to receive all that Jesus died for them to receive, and practically relevant as he advises them on how to overcome hindrances to successful living.

Laryssa will draw from a wealth of personal experience as well as her love for Biblical scholarship. Her workshops are always challenging and those who attend always come away better equipped to live for Jesus. This year she will be teaching from one of her favorite books of the Bible so we are in for a special treat!

Make-overs are really fun, aren’t they? I have one friend who hosts a small group where, once a month, the women help one another with new hairstyles and cosmetics. It’s fun to experiment with new products and techniques and get honest input from girlfriends about what looks best. Playing in this way is fun and usually healthy for women.

But, for some women, the pressure to be glamorous and stylish is overwhelming. Feelings of insecurity about personal beauty can push us to over-emphasize the externals and forget how much things like purity, contentment, inner peace and happiness contribute to how we look on the outside.

In this video, the mother and daughter have a good time getting quirky make-overs — a fun idea for an afternoon together. They have glamour shots taken by a photographer, posing and modeling and having a good time together. But all the time, in the background, a lovely song is playing (Jonny Diaz singing “More Beautiful You”), pointing out the pressures that come to young women to look  glamorous and sophisticated. How easy it is to forget what real beauty is all about!

Unfortunately, every girl doesn’t come from the kind of healthy, affirming family represented in the video. And even when she is surrounded by a loving family, many girls lose their perspective when faced with strong peer pressure to conform to a different standard during their teen years.

At this year’s Wellspring Women’s Conference, my good friend Sheri Cox will be conducting a workshop on Beauty. Hopefully, the women of all ages who attend, teens as well as adults, will be drawn to Sheri’s wisdom and insight on the topic of femininity and beauty. I was with her this past weekend and was enthralled by the power of her message. When I saw this video today on Tangle I just had to use it to put in a plug for Sheri and her workshop.

Watch and enjoy and let me hear your thoughts!

Go here to explore what this year’s conference is all about, who’s gonna be there, and how to register!!  It’s going to be an absolutely stunning weekend, full of breathtaking God-moments.  It will be just what you need by the time October comes around.  Trust me.  You don’t want to miss it!!!  Register today!!

Well, we are in full swing preparing for this year’s conference!  If you are on the mailing list for all things Wellspring-related, you’ll be receiving a “Save the Date” postcard in the mail soon.  It will really whet your appetite for the conference.  (What a strange word “whet” is.  Don’t you think?  Every time I type it -not that it’s that often – it looks like the weirdest word in the world!  It’s just not a really beautiful word to look at.  But I digress.)

If you are NOT on the Wellspring mailing list, go ahead and send us an e-mail at wellspring@wellspringwomen.com.  We promise we don’t send out junk mail or give your name out to anyone who does!!!  But it’s a great way to stay up to date with all the happenings here at Wellspring Women’s Ministry.

So the theme for this year’s conference is “Renown”, taken from Isaiah 26:8, “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”  Gloria’s heart is burning with a message to share with us about glorifying God with all we are and in all we do, wherever our sphere of influence is.  It’s going to be a life-changing weekend.  You do not want to miss it!  It’s going to be at Ridgecrest Conference Center in the BEAUTIFUL Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, October 2-4.  This is the time of year when all the leaves of the trees are changing colors, and the mountains are the best place to be!  So not only will you get to hang out with some awesome women, hear life-changing messages, and be a part of beautiful worship services, but you’ll get to be in the mountains of North Carolina at one of the most breathtaking times of the year!  

Pretty soon we’ll have a website up that is totally devoted to this year’s conference.  We’ll let you know when it’s ready.  For now you can go here to find out a little bit about what to expect at a Wellspring Women’s Conference.  And keep coming back to the blog to make sure you don’t miss anything!!

Michael and I have been working like a house afire for the last few days trying to get the 2009 Antioch Marriage Conference up and running. We thought we had everything lined up several months ago, but then things went haywire. Ever had that happen? A week ago we thought it was going to be impossible to throw this wonderful party again this year, but then God moved! Suddenly our new administrator, Kim, found space at one of the poshest (is that a word?) hotels at the beach and they were willing to give us a better price than the budget place that fell through. Glory to God! He really seems to like blessing His people!

Would you like to know where we are going? The conference will be held at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in the restored old downtown section of Wilmington, NC, right on the boardwalk of the Cape Fear Riverfront. The date is Valentine’s Day Weekend, February 13-15. You can tour the hotel by following this link to their website: www.wilmingtonhilton.com
You will notice on the hotel site that the rooms are normally NOT $85.00 per night, but that’s what they will be for our attendees, a special price for the special guests of Antioch Ministries. And that includes a hot breakfast buffet served in the hotel restaurant both mornings! The conference fee is $140.00 ($130.00 if you register by February 2), so that means that for around $300.00 your conference costs will be covered. You and your hubby can have a romantic weekend in an elegant hotel at an inspiring marriage conference and not break your budget to do it! You will have to provide your own meals other than breakfast, but it is entirely up to you where you eat and how much you spend. There are a great variety of restaurants nearby as well as the hotel restaurant, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, in house.

Michael and I will be the only speakers at the conference this year and we can hardly wait to get there and get started. We did not have the conference in 2008 so we are DOUBLE-BARRELED with zeal this year! Wayne Tate will be leading worship. Any of you who know Wayne know what a treat that will be! He has such a heart for the presence of God! We plan to spend the Sunday morning meeting time focused on worshiping God and ministering prophetically to the couples who attend. I just know God is going to bless us all in a powerful way!

We will be mailing out brochures tomorrow (Monday, January 12) and they will be in churches next Sunday, but I am giving you an EARLY ALERT to talk to your husband and get registered now. Space is limited so you don’t want to wait too long to sign up. This is too good an opportunity to miss! You can register by clicking HERE: Marriage Conference Registration  You can also go to www.antiochministries.org for more information and after tomorrow there will be more information here on our Wellspring site as well. 

So please pray about coming, ladies! There is no greater joy for a married woman than experiencing the presence of the Lord together with her husband!

Oh, and, by the way, the title of this year’s conference is “Keeping Your Perch in the Tree of Life”. I’ll have to write a bit more about that later!