For me, the application was immediate.  As a Christian and a dwelling for the Holy Spirit, do I just look the part or am I alive and active in His power?  Does my presence in my sphere of influence have an impact for good.  Am I salty?  Do I make people thirsty to drink of Jesus?

I began this blog entry about two months ago, but never completed my thoughts.  My husband and I went to a new favorite recently — Tutti-Fruitti.  It is one of those self-serve yogurt shops that allow you to determine your rate of indulgence in the yummy yeast-filled freeze.  Yep, there on the wall in big, bold letters: “Contains live and active cultures.”  God is so faithful to get us back on [His] track if we are listening and watching.

He says in Mark 16:15:

“Go ye into all the world (all my personal world and wherever He would send me), and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

The Lord has given each of us the call to share His love, standard, and victory with anyone and everyone with whom we come in contact.  Sometimes words are used, but other times the touch is life-to-life as others observe how we face the day.  Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, says of us, “You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:14.

The world is watching and needy.  Matthew 5:16 continues,

“Let your light so shine before men that they would see YOUR good works and glorify YOUR FATHER in heaven.”

They watch YOU and it should make them thoughtful and thankful to GOD.  Today it could be phrased, Let your influence be like “Live and Active Cultures” that permeate and infuse the life of God into everything around you.  Jesus also gives a warning that smacks of yogurt that only tastes good, but has no real value in the body—no action.  He says in Matthew 5:13,

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” 

[Have you noticed the reputation and love of God being trampled underfoot lately?]  What has happened to the impact of God on the culture?

I think the “Live and Active Cultures” are love and kindness motivated by devotion to God. Galatians 5:13 tells us, “through love, SERVE one another.”  1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love.”

God’s love was demonstrated by sending Jesus into the world to embody that love in action and obedience.  Then Jesus died on the cross to free us from sin and allow us to love as He loved.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a yogurt mentality—be alive and active for God.  Make an impact on the world through your love and obedience to Him. The result will be health to yourself and to the world you touch.

Matt Redmon sings it this way, “We are the free; Yours is the glory.”

Don’t forget to register for the 2011 Wellspring Women’s Conference scheduled for October 7-9.

Beth Stanfield

Beth is a long-time member of Christian Assembly Church in Durham, NC. She and Jim have four children and almost (!) seven grandchildren. Beth loves her family and God’s people, and delights when they overlap.

She makes time for quilting, Carolina Hurricanes Hockey, their Pug, Annika, and driving to see grandchildren. Naming Psalm 16:11 her favorite Scripture, she is convinced that Jesus’ mercies are new every morning and there is great joy in His presence.

I think what makes the experience so intriguing is that it emerges with such frantic immediacy out of  otherwise calm.  One of my two girls will suddenly stand very still and her pupils will overtake the socket as if frightened.  Then the other will “catch” the fear and mimic the first ones reaction.  They  will invariably crouch closer to the ground with expectation of an ambush from the unseen assailant.  Soon the coil of anticipation will be too much and and one will spring into the air and the other will leap into action behind.  They will pursue (or be pursued – sometimes it is hard to tell) the invisible enemy without mercy until one grows too fatigued to continue and then they will both seek respite either on my lap, under the bed, or in the tub (after all what assailant would check THERE!).

One night as I laughed at this ritual, it occurred to me that this must be how I appear to God when I worry about things that haven’t happened.  I was laughing at myself and almost every believer I have ever known.   Every time I become anxious about things in the future, I am chasing unseen assailants, crouching and hiding from their attack, and only after becoming worn out with the effort do I seek rest with my Savior.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  Matthew 6:34

We know that no matter how often we go through the nighttime crazies, the anxiety is not relieved, the situation that causes the anxiety remains, and we never obtain peace from the experience.  God has provided comfort and peace for us if we are willing to trust Him.

I like to read Jesus words in Matthew chapter six verses 25-34 when I start fretting.  He tells us not to be anxious about our life, food, drink, our body, or clothes.  But he goes on to break that down to show that he is talking about life (^27b And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?) and provision and to show that your effort at worry does not impact the situation.  And then, Jesus provides the answer, as he always has, does, and will.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Lord, thank you that you love me so much that you not only provide an eternal way for me, you provide earthly help for me.  Lord help me to seek you and your kingdom first so that I am not pursued by the nighttime crazies until I think of you only when I fall exhausted into your arms.  But thank you for being there when I do!

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years. She shares her home with two kitties who cause her to laugh every day. She firmly believes that a merry heart does good like a medicine and some days overdoses.

Before 1994

After 2009

When I was heavy and saw those before and after pictures it seemed to me that the transformation happened immediately.

I used to pray that I would go to sleep fat and wake up thin.  I hated being fat, I hated how the world ignores fat people, and I hated how the world noticed fat people. In truth, I hated me and thought that my weight was the cause of all my unhappiness and problems.

I was always on a diet and always overwhelmed by the impossibility of it all.  When I would fail at one of my extreme attempts to shed the excessive amount of weight I carried, I would just give up and splurge, feeling like a complete failure.

With God’s direction, I was able to shed 110 pounds sixteen years ago by making small changes and sticking with those changes.  But I learned that my self hatred was deeper than the layers of fat.

It wasn’t until many years later when I had lost almost everything, that I came to the point where I finally heard the voice of God say that He loves me and therein lies my value.   I heard that love song into the core of my being and joy filled me like it never had before.  I no longer hate me…I love me!  The After that occurred that day is a much greater transformation than what occurred from losing 110 lbs. and it WAS immediate.

“Thank you Lord for your incredible love for us.  Let my sisters hear your loving voice as loudly as I hear it say, ‘I love you , Daughter.’”

Remember to enter the contest for an expense paid weekend to the Raeford Conference (and other prizes).

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years. She shares her home with two kitties who cause her to laugh every day. She firmly believes that a merry heart does good like a medicine and some days overdoses.

One evening the women decided to take a stroll down the beach after dinner.  My youngest nephew, at that time about four years old, desperately wanted to tag along.  His mother, however, knew that minutes into the walk he would be whining and begging to have her carry him.  She told him he could not come unless he understood that the entire walk was under his own power.  He promised that he understood and he would walk on his own two legs the whole walk.

Of course we were less than a forth of the way into our walk when he began complaining about being tired, holding his mothers hand, dragging on her, talking about how his legs were aching, moaning, then crying.  His mother held firm and made him walk on his own.  Now he was angry.  His tears came harder and he was striking out through his words about how nobody cared about him.

We continued on our walk, ignoring his tantrum.  Suddenly we heard the angry declaration behind us, “What kind of vacation is this, anyway!”  Of course we all burst out laughing.

I wonder how often we seem similar to God.  We know the rules going in, make promises to God and then get angry with him when he stands firm?

Lord, help me see your love and provision. Help me to understand that if I’m angry at you, it is because I’ve failed and not that you have failed me.

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years and in her house for nine years. She shares her yard with a herd of about fourteen deer, a raccoon, a family of possum, a hawk and her young, a wise old owl, many birds, snakes, and a bunny she has seen only once. “I assume it took the warning I gave ‘Run for your life!’” This is Karen’s first year attempting to convince the deer that the yard is not their salad bar. Karen is a member of Christian Assembly Church in Durham.

Speaking of the signs of the end of the age , Matthew 24:10-12,says: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.  Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

I cannot say, without a doubt, that we are living in the end times. However, we know for sure that we are closer to it than we have ever been before in history.  I also think we can point to many things happening in the world and even in the places where we live that make us think that the end times are near, if not right upon us.

As I watch people I know and love fulfill Matthew 24:10-12, I wonder how could such things happen to people who profess, love, and serve Jesus Christ?  I am reminded that none of us is exempt from falling.  We must choose everyday to “continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:27a.

In I Peter 3 it talks about the Day of the Lord and verse 11 says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”

We must guard our hearts and minds from every evil thought and intent.  We must not allow ourselves the slightest bit of room to harbor offense, unforgiveness, self-pity, pride, judgment, slander, false accusation, condemnation, discontent, ungratefulness, fear, sexual immorality, or any sort of malice.  We must give no place to the devil.

My husband uses a product called Great Stuff to plug holes and cracks around pipes and other places in and under the house where water or critters could enter.  It is liquid so when you spray it so it goes thoroughly and easily into the tiniest crack. Then it quickly expands and hardens into a Styrofoam type substance completely closing the opening.  It really is “great stuff” for the problem at hand.

I was reminded of this product as I was thinking about how we allow even the tiniest crack of sin or evil into our souls, the enemy is like that “great stuff.”  He slides in quickly and easily, filling that space with “not so great stuff” and the longer it stays the harder and bigger it gets until it blocks the truth and flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We become blind and hardened to the Truth.  We are deceived.

“Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith . . .”  I Peter 5:8-9.

“Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”  Ephesians 5:15-17.

Keep very short accounts with the Lord, my sisters, lest any cracks or crevices appear in your soul and get filled with the “not so great stuff.”

We must always encourage one another and build each other up in the faith.  Staying in fellowship, immersing ourselves in the Word and going about doing good.  Praising and thanking God for His mercy and goodness toward us and choosing to live holy and godly lives.  Thereby, we remain in His Glorious Presence and whatever fine lines of sin appear in our souls, they are quickly sealed by His Redeeming Blood, the really “Great Stuff!”

There is such a wonderful opportunity to participate in all of the above at the next Wellspring Ladies Conference being held at Valley Community Church in Weldon, NC, on August 6-7.  Come and share in the Glory of the Lord!  We are so excited about seeing you there!

Saundra Littleton

Saundra Littleton is in charge of hospitality for Wellspring, which is appropriate since she has a gift for hospitality. If Saundra could give one piece of advice, it would be to put Jesus first in everything you do! Submit yourself to Him wholly. Delight in Him, your Saviour, your friend, the Lover of your soul, your Priest and Intercessor, your King, and out of this will come blessing, strength, health, love, peace, endurance, wisdom, discernment, everything you could ever want or need to walk through this life in victory and glorifying God.

My Dad used to tell me about a comic book character that had the constant companionship of a little black cloud.  There are times in my life that I have felt very much like that character.

I was in Maryland with my family for Easter and my attempts to attend church with my nephew and his wife were thwarted at every turn.  I had a run in my only pair of hose.  I found black splotches on my white jacket.  I arrived at what was the wrong address for the church, and no one (my niece, nephew, or sister) answered the phone or returned text messages when I tried to call for the correct address.

When the prospect of attending church was not looking good, I decided to drive to Sugar Loaf Mountain and commune with God.  I sighed, punched the address into my GPS, and began the drive while enjoying the beautiful spring day.  Before I knew it the road was winding and climbing.  I didn’t recognize the road, but hoped the GPS was taking me there by a different route.  The road continued climbing and winding until it was a single lane through heavy woods.  Every forensic crime show I had ever seen flashed through my mind, and I’m sure I heard a couple of banjos.

Rounding the next turn, I dead-ended right into some body’s driveway.  Someone had moved my mountain.  Sigh.  You can only keep a stiff upper lip so long.

At this point, my phone chirped.  It was my nephew’s wife.  She finally had texted the address of the church…an hour late!  That is what I call adding insult to injury.

There have been many times when I have felt like I was walking around with a black cloud over my head, only to realize that God was in control all the time. Even when I ask God to do things His way, I generally (often without realizing it) have my own vision of how it should be enacted.  Then when God answers my prayer and carries it out according to His plan (but not my vision), I fight against Him every step of the way and that is where the black cloud enters.

God’s love is so immense that He puts these little obstacles in my path.  On this particular weekend, God desired one-on-one time with me and I was not listening.  He had to take drastic measures to get my attention, but I finally understood and the sweet time of communion that we had was like returning to the arms of a lover.

If I start to feel like everything is going wrong, I try to stop looking for the black cloud and I start listening for that quiet voice. I’m never disappointed!

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years and in her house for nine years. She shares her yard with a herd of about fourteen deer, a raccoon, a family of possum, a hawk and her young, a wise old owl, many birds, snakes, and a bunny she has seen only once. “I assume it took the warning I gave ‘Run for your life!’” This is Karen’s first year attempting to convince the deer that the yard is not their salad bar. Karen is a member of Christian Assembly Church in Durham.

I the Lord do not change…(Malachi 3:6).

I took a human growth and development class in college where the instructor told us how important consistency is when raising children.  Children are comforted when they know what to exprect and can, thus, excell.  I don’t have children, but I was a child and I can attest to consistency through a particularly vivid memory from my childhood.

I was the youngest in my family, and as such, the most likely to spill anything. Add incredible curiosity and the limited attention span of a five year old to that equation and the result was generally soggy.

This day must have been a stressful one for Mom because, as she placed our soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and cups on the lunch table, she made a pronouncement to my sister and me. When she poured the milk into our cups, she promised to spank the first one to spill any milk. I remember my stomach clenched up and food no longer held an appeal. I sat as still as I could and waited for her to finish pouring. As I watched, my mouth formed a large “O.” My Mother had gotten distracted, missed the mouth of my cup, and poured milk all over the table.

I don’t remember for sure, but I believe there was an “ahhhh-ah-ahhhh” you’re-in-trouble sound that automatically went with the facial expression.

Without cleaning up the mess and without a pause, my mother reached around and spanked herself to the delight of my sister and me. Part of the pleasure was in the slap-stick humor of watching an adult spank themselves, but the major delight to me was in seeing the impartiality of the act. It didn’t matter that she was the adult, that she held the role of mother, her words were true and trustworthy, regardless of who she was. That act made me feel connected to my mother because she demonstrated that she understood my plight.

God recently reminded me of this event in my past. Because there was a consistency in my mothers words and her actions that day, I was comforted.  God reminds us of His consistency throughout His word and through His presence in our lives.  God created us for relationship with Him.  When we sinned and made fellowship with His sinless purity difficult, God made a way through the sustitutionary sacrifice of His perfect son.  By accepting that gift,  God says that He continues that relationship by residing within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, also known as, interestingly enough, the Comforter.  That is consistency and comfort to me, to know that God wanted a relationship with me so much that He would make a way.  You can trust that consistency…build on it.

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years and in her house for nine years. She shares her yard with a herd of about fourteen deer, a raccoon, a family of possum, a hawk and her young, a wise old owl, many birds, snakes, and a bunny she has seen only once. “I assume it took the warning I gave ‘Run for your life!’” This is Karen’s first year attempting to convince the deer that the yard is not their salad bar. Karen is a member of Christian Assembly Church in Durham.

On the way to church, I was practicing the presence of God, when He revealed that all week I had been subconsciously dreading Sunday and the reason I had difficulty sleeping last night was because of my anxiety. As I was pulling into the parking lot, He revealed why. My church asks that each member agree, as a part of membership, to serve in the nursery once a year and this was my day.

It isn’t that I don’t like children. To the contrary, I love them and in my past that love showed in ways that astonished friends to the point that they jokingly called me “the baby whisperer,” for my ability to calm crying babies when even their mother’s could not.

My first babysitting job was when I was in first grade. I watched a neighbor’s baby for her while she took a shower.  And I babysat throughout high school, college, and into my marriage. I looked forward to the time I could have children of my own.

When the time came when we agreed to have children, none came. We went through the emotional brutality of fertility treatments for several years, during which time every couple in our childless Sunday School class became parents, except us. I distanced myself from children and isolated myself from young families because being around them made me feel like such a failure as a woman−exactly what God did NOT want me to do.

But I, like most people believed I was in control…all I had to do was decide when I wanted my babies and they would be there. Yes, we are told that children are a blessing from the Lord, but what I heard was, it is a blessing THAT you have children, not it is a blessing WHEN God gives you children.

A few years later, all was gone from me: marriage, dreams of a future, promise of children, my home, and my job. It was just God, and me eye-to-eye, with no static in between. It was then that I finally heard His voice. And His voice said the thing I had longed to hear my entire life:

I love you. Your value does not come from what you drive, where you live, what you wear, how many men find you attractive, or your job. Your value rests in the fact that I love YOU.

This morning I entered worship, with this discomfort about working in the nursery. God met me there, washed over me with a fresh infilling of his Spirit and a fullness of his deep, deep love as the dance team rose, and danced to the hymn, “Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus.”

Today I understood one more piece of the puzzle of my life. My value is not in whether or not I have children. My value is in the deep love my Savior has for me. This is not the first time I have served in the nursery. However, this IS the first time I’ve enjoyed it.

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 26 years and in her house for nine years. She shares her yard with a herd of about fourteen deer, a raccoon, a family of possum, a hawk and her young, a wise old owl, many birds, snakes, and a bunny she has seen only once. “I assume it took the warning I gave ‘Run for your life!’” This is Karen’s first year attempting to convince the deer that the yard is not their salad bar. Karen is a member of Christian Assembly Church in Durham.

Christina Reed, a most welcoming face!

last weekend in Kernersville! (Eph. 3:20) It’s even difficult to put into words the awesomeness of His Presence that was manifested at the Wellspring Women’s Regional event. One attendee, who received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Saturday night, said on her blog,

“In that moment it was like everything clicked. God was not calling me to be perfect but obedient. I had been obedient to my fear, not God. I was at peace, true peace . . .”

God knows each of our hearts and is able to touch us in the very spot where we are hurting. He knows how to draw us to Himself, how to communicate with us, how to heal us.

Kris also said, “I wanted every person in that room to feel as I was feeling. I felt like I had been in a fog until that moment. Everything seemed so much brighter . . .” Isn’t that just the way it is with all of us? God touches

us and immediately we want to share it with someone else! Which brings me to the reason I am writing this blog post: I really want all of you who are reading this to experience this Presence of God at the coming Wellspring Regional events. The next one will be August 6-7 at Valley Community Church in Weldon, NC.

Miss Vikki Faircloth, the queen of fellowship!

Then there will be a third event October 8-9 in Raeford, NC at Rockfish Church. God always shows up. How about you?

One woman who had never been to a women’s event before told me that she had given a false email address on her registration form because she didn’t want us bombarding her with literature afterwards. (Don’t you just love the way God works? She actually accepted Jesus over the weekend!) She was now laughing at how fearful she had been and what a good time she was having and was giving everyone her true email address to make sure she was informed about future events!

I’m going to be there! Why don’t you pray about joining me.

Gloria Cotten

Gloria Cotten (aka Mamma G) is Wellspring’s President. Gloria is the author of In the Beginning and she hopes to write two or three more books in the future. Gloria loves the Lord because He Alone has the words of life. If she could give one piece of advice, it would be to let Jesus love you.

Though it rained off and on, the temperature was not too hot.  The funeral was held at the Methodist church, which has a giant stained glass window honoring Thom’s grandparents, Roscoe and Laura.  The service was beautiful and meaningful, reflecting Uncle Jim’s belief in God.

We drove a long way to the graveyard, parked, and then hiked our way up to the grave site.  My father-in-law performed the service while we listened.  There were 20 of the 25 members of our Cox immediate family present, including Thom’s three brothers and their families.  Many of the uncles, aunts, and cousins from Uncle Jim’s extended family stood with us in a circle around the grave.

I stood behind my mother-in-law.  Both of our husbands had functions to perform, as did her other three sons.  It didn’t seem awkward, but we were both alone.  About half way through the graveside service I noticed the way she was standing.  Her body language told me that she was having a hard time emotionally.  She seemed to feel her solitude  and probably thought that she had no one to hold onto for support at such a difficult time. I realized that she probably didn’t even know I stood only a foot behind her.

I stepped forward and put my arms around her.  Her response was immediate: she grabbed my hands,  pulled them around her waist, and pushed herself back toward me in a hug.  She sobbed a little, and relaxed her posture.  She wasn’t alone.  Although she really already knew it, now she experienced it.

I have been thinking a lot about presence — about how God never leaves us.  He promises to be our rear guard.  Do we go through life like my dear mother-in-law was going through that funeral, thinking that we have to bear all things by ourselves?  His presence is always there, waiting for us to relax into His arms and to invite Him to help us bear our burdens.

Have you pulled His arms around you today?  I did.

Sheri Ferguson Cox

Sheri Cox is Wellspring’s Ministry Team Overseer. She says of her occupation: ” I try to serve God wherever I am but I suppose my main occupation is homemaker for my husband Thom! I was a successful homeschool teacher for 18 years (retired summer of 2008). Since January of 2006 I have served as a trained, volunteer mediator for the Dispute Settlement Center of Alamance County. We serve the District Court doing family and community mediation. In December of 2007 I took on the role of fitness trainer at a local Curves. I work a few hours a week there and it gives me an opportunity to really minister to the ladies that I meet.”