Go Deeper with a Few People You Trust
Wholehearted Living is a 6-week guided experience designed to help you and a small group engage the ideas in Becoming Wholehearted through daily reflection, honest conversation, and practical skills for deeper connection.
Why We Created Wholehearted Living
We wrote Becoming Wholehearted because we've watched too many Christians settle for knowing about God's love without ever actually experiencing it. The book gives you the framework. But reading about connection isn't the same as practicing it.
That's why we created Wholehearted Living. It's the experience we wish everyone could have after finishing the book: a small group of 3-5 people working through guided reflections together, learning practical skills for connecting more deeply with God and with each other.
No leader required. No church program to join. Just a few friends, a guidebook and brief explanatory videos, and six weeks.
— Larry & Anisa
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Larry Bolden founded Wellspring Group in 2003 out of a desire to guide others into a wholehearted knowing of God’s love in community. For more than 50 years, Larry has grappled personally—and alongside countless others—with three enduring questions: Am I loved? Who am I? Why am I here?
His greatest joy is seeing people discover the path toward those answers earlier than he did, as lives are reshaped by God’s love, affecting generations.
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Anisa Sumlar is the Creative Director at Wellspring Group, where she designs curriculum and leads retreats shaped by her passion to see believers set free from fear and shame.
Anisa brings a grounded, relational approach to helping people live from their God-given identity and step into the fullness of who they were created to be.
What the Six Week Study Looks Like
Each week, you and your group will:
Reflect daily on a short, guided scripture passage (about 20-30 minutes, four days a week)
Watch a brief video that teaches a specific relational skill you can use that week
Meet with your group for 90 minutes using a conversation guide that does the facilitation for you
That's it. About 3-4 hours a week, total. The guidebook walks you through everything, so nobody in your group needs to be an expert or a trained leader.
What You Will Walk Away With
1. You'll experience authentic, biblical community.
Something happens when a small group commits to six weeks of honest conversation centered on scripture. Walls come down. People stop performing. Most groups say this was the part that surprised them most.
2. You'll connect with God through honesty, not performance.
The daily reflections aren't Bible study homework. They're invitations to bring your real thoughts, doubts, and longings to God instead of the polished version.
3. You'll learn skills for deeper relationships.
Each week introduces a practical skill for listening, being present, and actually connecting with the people around you. And you'll be able to practice them in your group that week.
What Others Say
"It wasn't shallow. It was structured. It took you deeper. It eased you into something deeper than a typical Bible study."
— Betsy Thomas
Betsy leads women's ministry at her church and decided to offer Wholehearted Living to her community. She expected maybe 40 or 50 women to sign up.
70 showed up. She kept having to order more books.
"People learn skills they never had words for. One participant told me, 'Nobody ever taught me how to just be present with someone who's hurting.' That's what this does. It gives people something they can actually use."
— Chris Guzzardo
Chris has led 18 Wholehearted Living groups with over 70 people.
Get Started with Your Group
All you need is the guidebook and 3-5 other people. The guidebook includes everything: daily reflections, weekly videos, conversation guides, and skill-building exercises. No training needed. Just start.
Not Sure Who to Do This With?
You don't need a formal small group. Here are a few ways people have started:
Text 2-3 friends from church, your neighborhood, or your book club and say, "I just read this book. Want to do a 6-week thing together?"
Bring it to your existing small group as your next study. The guidebook replaces whatever curriculum you'd normally use.
Ask a coworker. Several groups have formed between colleagues who wanted to go deeper in their faith outside of Sunday mornings.
The only requirement is a willingness to show up honestly for six weeks.
Where This Leads
Wholehearted Living is the first experience in the Wholehearted Series. Many groups finish these six weeks and want to keep going.
Wholehearted Community takes what you've learned about connecting with God and yourself and applies it to your relationships with others. Wholehearted Leading helps you bring that same depth into the places where you work and lead.
Each builds on the one before. But start here. See what six weeks does.