CULTIVATE VOL. II : The Clarity Winter Brings

by Jonathan David Helser, Melissa Helser

Cultivate is a book designed to help you tend the rich soil of your heart. Just like a garden requires the planting of seeds and then weeding, watering and waiting, our hearts require the same commitment to reap a harvest of fruit. Cultivate is an invitation to discover the beautiful process of growth that happens when we partner with God and tend to the gardens of our own hearts. This book is full of honest prompts, writings and poetry from the Cageless Birds community. Each volume of Cultivate is meant to serve as a tool to help you build your relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Your heart is worth the work.

Volume Two, The Clarity Winter Brings, is designed to help us find the beauty in winter seasons of life. We created this issue to champion the significance of our roots growing deep into His heart , and our branches resting from producing fruit. This book includes writings on topics such as hope, perspective and stillness and is designed to help you carve out moments to hear His voice in the middle of your process.

103 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

These magazines never disappoint me.
They are inspired in ways you don't find very often. I am moved and changed by them.
The writings are brimming with creativity and a new perspective to all things. I love!

[Phillip Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of the CULTIVATE series, subtitled The Clarity Winter Brings, is a peaceful exploration of the winter season. It implores the reader, under the loving care and direction of the Spirit, to rest, recuperate, and recharge during these dark and inhospitable months. During this time when the earth lies fallow and dormant, a new, simpler, and starker beauty emerges in the environment. The trees in winter, shorn of their summer clothing and autumn finery, stand naked throughout this barren season. When the snow comes, they stand tall and their textured bark and boughs contrast with the pure white blanket at their feet. The trees may seem lifeless during the winter, but their supple branches sway in the wind, and their roots continue to draw sustenance from the earth throughout the season. Just like us, they revert to a simpler dependence upon the giver and sustainer of life to provide all they need until spring comes, bringing rebirth and new growth.

The CULTIVATE books, currently five in all, are a loving amalgam of inspired artwork, poetry, photography, writing, and handcrafts created by a community of young adults working together in a small North Carolina faith community called The 18 Inch Journey. The skill of these young artisans as presented on these pages adds richness and depth to any reader’s times of devotional reading. Many of the pages also include journal prompts, to help the reader capture and record the thoughts and insights that come to mind after reading a page and contemplating the elegance of the original paintings and photographs that accompany the text.

If you seek something different yet innovative to supplement your normal devotional resources, give CULTIVATE a try. The love conveyed on the pages of this series is evident, as is the expertise and dedication of the writers and artists who brought it to you. To acquire your own copy, head over to CagelessBirds.com.

[Sarah Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this every single winter and it gets me though seasonal depression 🫶🏼