Spiritual Wellness Sparks
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Unlike some other areas of health and wellness, spiritual wellness is not something that can be easily diagnosed or even defined. While concrete norms and definitions of this topic are elusive, spiritual wellness is more and more being identified as an integral part |
| of a complete health picture. Because each individual consists of body, mind and spirit integrated into a single entity, to ignore any of these areas of our lives is detrimental to the whole. |
| Though spiritual wellness may elude a means of measurement or diagnosis, its vitality or absence is something that is often very apparent in the life and actions of an individual. In many lives it has |  |
| been a strong sense of spiritual wellness that enabled them to defy the physical limitations they have been faced with, and meet with success in spite of the adversities they have faced. |
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We recognize that spiritual wellness is a very personal subject with diverse points of view. It is not our intention to debate or demean other points of view, but as with the other Sparks, our desire is to share our |
| own experiences and resources that have deeply impacted our own lives. |
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We believe that the universe and every living thing in it are not just happenstance or the result of some cosmic accident, but that it is all the product of an intelligent design with every piece being an integral part of the whole. |
We believe that the Creator of this universe created mankind in His image, which we hold to mean that we have been created as spiritual beings which live within these physical bodies, so that mankind, out of all creation, could have a vital, living, daily relationship with the Creator. |
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Mankind broke this relationship through an act of arrogance and disobedience, bringing upon themselves the penalty of death, both physical and spiritual. To restore the relationship with the creation He loved so dearly, the Creator gave of Himself, His only Son, Jesus, to pay the |
| penalty of death, and raised Him from the dead, so that our spiritual being may have an eternal relationship with God, our Creator. |
| If you desire true spiritual wellness through a relationship with God, our Creator, you must: To begin this new relationship with God, you must simply ask Him. You may do this through the following prayer: |
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Our Creator God has communicated to his creation through many people throughout the ages. Some of these have been recorded and collected in the Bible. The New Testament, specifically the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us about the life and work of Jesus and are a |
| great place to start in beginning a newly restored relationship with our Creator God. Following are some Sparks to help you get started. |
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"The spark divine dwells in thee: |
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New Living Translation (NLT) Bible This translation of the Bible has become one of our favorites because of its contemporary language and readability. This is a fantastic translation for those who do not have an extensive Bible background and can shed new light on the Bible for those who already have some familiarity with it as well. |
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Grace Walk Few books have had as great an impact on my life as this book has. If you are new to the Christian faith I would suggest that you make reading this book one of your priorities. If you have been a Christian for some time you would do well to read this book as well, it just may lead you on a new path of discovery |
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| and a new sense of what it means to be a Christian. Steve McVey shares his own personal discovery of grace through the pages of this book and lays a ground work for others to build on in their own personal discovery of God’s grace. Grace defies logic. Logic says that I am accepted because I do the right things, but through grace, God says we are accepted because of who He is and what He has done. Until we can recognize this and accept it personally, we will live out our lives in a constant state of frustration and condemnation. Though this is a relatively small book the depths of its insight make it a book that will not, or quite possibly should not, be read in one sitting. ~ Kevin |
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The idea that we are either "growing daily or dying gradually" is one that applies to every area of our lives, including spiritual wellness. The state of our spiritual health is the result of our ongoing daily relationship with God our Creator. We are either growing in intimacy with Him, or we are drifting away. |
| Our relationship with God, like other relationships in our lives, is determined by our experiences with Him, and is as personal and individual as each one of us is. Daily growth in our spiritual lives comes as we spend time with God, listening to Him through the written Word (the Bible), through prayer and |  |
| meditation, and through the spoken or written word of those he has placed in our lives as pastors and teachers. Communication being a two-way street, God desires hearing from us as well, eager for us to share our struggles, our thanks, and our praise through prayer, music and other creative forms. |
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The Bible speaks of the relationship between God and mankind in various forms, the two predominant portrayals being Father to child, and Groom to bride. Just as we as parents love our children and desire to nurture, protect, |
| train and see them grow, so also does our Heavenly Father have these same desires for us, His children. Many experience this type of |
| relationship with God, but ultimately His desire is to have a relationship with us as Groom and bride, where we experience an intimacy with Him in which we can be totally open to Him, and He to us. This is not a relationship that just happens, we must cultivate it and invest in it to make it grow. |  |
| In any relationship, we cannot change the other participant, we can only change ourselves and commit to personally growing daily. When we invest in ourselves and in the relationship, we and the relationship grow. Following are some sparks that we have found helpful in our daily spiritual growth. |
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"There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity." |
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The Bible There are numerous translations available to choose from these days. Many people ask, "Which one is best?" The answer to that is as personal as the person giving the answer. We have different favorites for different |
purposes. We like some translations better for in-depth study, and others better for general reading. Some of our favorite Bibles for in-depth study are:
For general Bible reading we like the following translations for their readability due in large part to their use of more contemporary English language: |
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E-Sword |
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| While the free content is limited to public domain material, other resources are available for purchase at reasonable prices if you are interested in expanding the content. Unlike some other free Bible software programs I have found available, this is all from one source so there is no question whether a particular download will work within the program. This is a great resource for the novice and for the more experienced alike. ~ Kevin |
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Grace Walk by Steve McVey Few books have had as great an impact on my life as this book has. If you are new to the Christian faith I would suggest that you make reading this book one of your priorities. If you have been a Christian for some time you would do well to read this book as well; it just may lead you on a new path of |
| discovery and a new sense of what it means to be a Christian. Steve McVey shares his own personal discovery of grace through the pages of this book and lays a ground work for others to build on in their own personal discovery of God’s grace. Grace defies logic. Logic says that I am accepted because I do the right things, but through grace, God says we are accepted because of who He is and what He has done. Until we can recognize this and accept it personally, we will live out our lives in a constant state of frustration and condemnation. Though this is a relatively small book the depths of its insight make it a book that will not, or quite possibly should not, be read in one sitting. ~ Kevin |
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| The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey For many years I have struggled with the portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth that has been predominate in the church culture. When we see artist’s depictions of this man Jesus, why are they always of a caucasian with flowing brown hair and a beard to match? Was not Jesus an Israelite after all? Wouldn’t he have probably more closely resembled the individuals we see on the nightly news who are involved in the conflicts of the
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| In this book Philip Yancey gets to the heart of who Jesus truly was, both as the Son of Man and as the Son of God. Some people may find some of the information that Yancey shares uncomfortable, but then Jesus made more than his share of people uncomfortable during his lifetime. If you have ever wondered about who Jesus really was this book is an excellent place to begin your personal journey of discovery. Though I sometimes found this book to be somewhat tedious to read it has been well worth my time to do so. ~ Kevin |
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Understanding the Dreams You Dream |
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attention to what He says, the more He will speak. I have found this book to be a wonderful tool in getting started with developing my own dream vocabulary. He gives teaching in the first part and the rest of the book is a key word dictionary to help you with common meanings for certain symbols. With each entry, he gives meanings and Bible verses. I love this book and I keep it handy at all times. |
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| Understanding the Dreams You Dream, Vol 2 by Ira Milligan I've listed Volume 2 separately because it is not just a rehash of the first book. He actually goes into a lot of detail about subjects such as numbers, colors, animals and vehicles. I do recommend starting with the first book, but this one is also important and should be included in every dreamer's library. ~ Patience |
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 Workbook available |
Shattering Your Strongholds by Liberty Savard We all carry baggage from our past. This baggage affects the way we live our lives; the way we treat others, the way we respond to situations and even the way we perceive God. Though much of the current focus is on addressing the emotional scars that contribute to behavior, more often than not there are deep-seated spiritual issues that lie at the root of the problem. Shattering Your Strongholds examines these spiritual roots and their |
| implications while guiding the reader through a process of spiritual self-examination, then provides “keys” to unlocking deliverance and healing from the spiritual strongholds that have been set up in our lives. Focused prayer is the cornerstone of this book and the author provides guidelines for personal implementation of the principles that are presented. While spiritual matters are often the target of much debate and differing points of view, this book offers a very practical approach to the subject of spiritual strongholds and has a workbook available to aid the reader in their own process of discovery. I highly recommend this book to both those who desire to be set free, and to those who desire to see someone else be freed from life controlling issues. ~ Kevin |
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| Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado There are primarily two forms of devotionals, those that tend toward a word of encouragement and those that are more studious in nature. Grace for the Moment is one of those that tends toward a word of encouragement. This book of devotions consists of excerpts from many of Lucado’s writings and includes a passage of Bible scripture for each day’s reading. I appreciate Lucado’s writing style which paints verbal pictures and for at least a moment |
 Volume II |
| allows the reader to see beyond their immediate surroundings and adjust their focus toward our Heavenly Father. Since these writings are short this is a great resource that can be used during those brief interludes in an otherwise hectic day. ~ Kevin |
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The Power of a Praying Wife |
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uniqueness of praying for a husband and offers 30 chapters, each with a subject and her thoughts on it, a specific prayer to pray, and Power Tools, which are Bible verses appropriate to the topic. I have found this to be a valuable tool and I love the practical help it gives for focused prayer. |
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| The Battle Belongs to the Lord by Joyce Meyer This book was a great message to me at just the right time. The subtitle is, "Overcoming Life's Struggles through Worship." The majority of the book (Part 2) focuses on being transformed through worship and how that is our position in the battle. Sometimes the biggest battle is with ourselves and |
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| letting God do His work in us and for us. It's difficult to keep your mouth shut and trust God to take care of things when injustice has been done to you, but worshiping instead of getting revenge or putting in the last word is the way to go. Joyce has great insight and I highly recommend this book to everyone. ~ Patience |
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When Women Worship by Amie Dockery I am on a quest to discover and enter into "extravagant worship". The more I discover, the more I realize just how far I am from reaching this goal; however, I am determined. We were created to worship, but so many times we let "life" get in the way, or we just don't know what worship really is. In |
| her book, Amie asks the question, "What is keeping you from transforming worship?" She shares thoughts and scripture in five chapters titled, "Willing", "Accepted", "Vulnerable", "Broken", and "Overshadowed". I found this book to be encouraging, challenging and easy-to-read. It is a great start for anyone who wants to pursue intimacy with God. ~ Patience |
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