The Dreams in our Hearts: How will God use us to reach our world in 2015?


2014-08-30 C&S 01Dear Friends and Whole Heart Partners, We celebrated twenty (20!) years of ministry to Christian parents in 2014. It all started in the spring of 1994 with about a dozen moms and dads in the living room of our small home in rural Texas. We held our first WholeHearted Child Home Education Workshop, then we published Educating the WholeHearted Child, and Whole Heart Ministries was born in September of 1994.Since that inauspicious beginning, God has allowed us to encourage and equip countless Christian parents through workshops, a children’s book catalog, fifty hotel conferences for moms since 1998, twenty print books and ebooks, national and international speaking and publishing, online ministries, training Intensives, Mom Heart Ministry, and more. If it all stopped here, we’d be thankful and content. God is good. But we believe God still has a heart for Whole Heart. And so do we.The Heart of Whole Heart Is Strong

As we enter what we are calling our “second generation” of ministry, we are thankful for all that God has done through Whole Heart. But we also realize there is so much more ministry left in our hearts yet to do. That’s why we are focusing so intently right now on what’s ahead in 2015 and beyond. We want to discover one thing: What is God’s heart for Whole Heart? In all our envisioning and planning, we are reminded of one simple truth: We would not still be serving Christian parents today if not for the generous support of so many friends of this ministry through the years. We need partners. We can’t do this alone. But before we get to that, we want you to know this: We will do what God calls us to do as long as we are able to do it.

We want to be among those “whose heart is completely His,” the ones God searches all the earth to find (2 Chr 16:9). The heart of our ministry vision has always been simply to help Christian parents—to encourage and equip them to raise godly children who will, as David said, “serve [God] with a whole heart and a willing mind” (1 Chr 28:9). As the biblical design for family is threatened by a tidal wave of cultural change, we want to make sure we can continue to “strengthen what remains” (Rev 3:2)—to keep helping families be faithful for Christ. At the end of this letter, we’ll share with you how you can help us help parents.

Will you take just a few minutes to catch a glimpse of our vision for Whole Heart?  We Want to Have God’s Heart for Whole Heart Every week we hear from parents who want us to know how Whole Heart Ministries has helped them. Whether they live in the heartland of America or in another land that doesn’t speak our language, our hearts and desires for our children are all the same. Here are two comments just from this week:

“[Your books] totally changed the mother I am and the way we have decided to parent and disciple our son. We are SO thankful to the LORD for your ministry!”   ~ a mother in California

[Right] now there is a need in Poland for many excellent books you and Sally wrote, but we would like to focus on Educating the WholeHearted Child as we see specific need in rebuilding the unity and faith with Polish families ...” ~ a father in Poland

We have hundreds of similar letters in our files, from all over the world. Sally’s books have been translated into seven foreign languages, and our books and ministry reach families in English‐speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa. Young mothers are hungry for biblical perspective from a seasoned Titus 2 older woman, and parents want sound, biblical insight for building a Christian home and raising godly children.

God has given Whole Heart a mission field. We’ll Minister to the Beat of God’s Heart Like the Apostle Paul, we “press on toward the goal” (Phi 3:14) of fulfilling Christ’s call on our lives to strengthen families. But as our children leave home and find their own ways in the world, we are entering a new season of life and ministry. To stay effective, we are seeking God’s heart for Whole Heart. We want to invest in ministry choices that will last, and that will enable us to last.

We want to invite you, as a Whole Heart Partner, to join us in this ministry. Here’s where God is taking us:

  • WHOLE HEART PRESS: We started Whole Heart Ministries with the vision of writing and publishing books to help Christian parents. That “ministry in print” will always be at the core of the Whole Heart mission as we write new books for moms, dads, kids, families, and small groups.
  • WHOLE HEART ONLINE: Our ministry website, WholeHeart.org, is the online hub of this ministry. It’s a place where anyone can come to find out more about the books, resources, messages, media, initiatives, movements, and events that are the “ministries” of Whole Heart Ministries.
  • MOM HEART CONFERENCE: Since February 1998, we have offered fifty WholeHearted Mother and Mom Heart Conferences in seven states to encourage thousands of Christian mothers to “come home to God’s heart for motherhood.” We believe in the power of gathering together as believers.
  • MOM HEART INTENSIVES: Nearly fifty mothers attended the first three‐day Mom Heart Leader Intensive Training in our home in 2010. Other “Intensives” have followed, and now more are planned in Colorado and around the world as Sally trains mothers to minister to mothers.
  • MOM HEART MINISTRY: Mom Heart Ministry is a strategic small groups ministry initiative to “restore moms’ hearts to God’s heart for motherhood.” On MomHeart.com, moms can find training, resources, media, encouragement, and connections to be part of this movement of mothers.
  • STORYFORMED PROJECT: Sarah, our oldest daughter, envisioned, started, and leads Storyformed, a ministry initiative to champion the role of literature, story, imagination, and the arts in the home. As an author, she will oversee the Storyformed Books imprint and the Storyformed.com website.
  • SALLYCLARKSON.COM: Sally’s online and in‐print ministry to Christian women and mothers has grown beyond Whole Heart to become her own personal ministry. Her heart is to be a biblical encouragement to women to become life‐givers who “own” the life God has given to them.

With Faith, and with Your Partnership, We Will Press On

We are, and always have been, just a small, family‐run, nonprofit, Christian, faith ministry. All that means is that we trust God to provide financially as we step out in faith. There are two needs we’re trusting God to provide for through this letter. First, looking ahead, we need financial partners who will move boldly by faith with us into our second generation of ministry.

Second, right now, we need partners to help us overcome a significant 2014 deficit. Because of an unanticipated shortfall of funds in August and September, we were forced to borrow against our 2015 budget to meet obligations. Your financial gift would be greatly appreciated at this time to help us remove the deficit and move into 2015 financially healthy.

If God puts it on your heart to support our ministry, you may donate HERE. WholeHeart.org. It is safe and secure, and will give you full control over your giving.

You can also send a check to the address below. Financial contributions to Whole Heart Ministries, a 501c3 tax‐exempt organization, are tax‐deductible. Thank you for your partnership! Your gift helps us press on in Christ to keep faith in the family.

Grace and peace to you and your family. Wholehearted blessings in Christ, Clay and Sally

Whole Heart Ministries Keeping Faith in the Family PO Box 3445 | Monument, CO 80132 719.488.4466 | 888.488.4466 | 888.FAX-2WHM www.wholeheart.org | www.momheart.com www.storyformed.com | sallyclarkson.com whm@wholeheart.org | admin@wholeheart.org — since 1994 —

Thanks for reading this. God bless you with grace and peace as you celebrate his coming to bring His light.