Melissa Campbell

Melissa is the co-founder and director of Revive Ministries. She is also a writer, speaker and co-host of the Experience Revival Podcast. Melissa has a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from the Austin Graduate School of Theology and spent 12 years church planting in Oregon with her husband, Jason. She has over 20 years of ministry experience, leadership development, event planning, and small group discipleship. She enjoys hiking and kayaking the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two teenage daughters. Melissa has a passion for helping others experience God’s kingdom and desires to equip God’s people for their calling.

  • Heart Stuff, Knowing God

    Never Beyond His Reach

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    There are times in my life when I get super busy and days will go by before I realize that I have forgotten to take time to acknowledge God in my busyness. I remember this was especially true when my kids were babies and toddlers. I was so exhausted all the time. A few minutes of time to myself was a rare commodity, let alone time to spend reading the Bible and praying.

    We all have seasons in our lives when it is harder than others to draw near to God. Sometimes it’s seasons of busyness, while other times its a seasons crisis or grief. What I learned during these times, is that even when I forget to draw near to God, He draws near to me and is already here with me in whatever I’m facing that day. God isn’t someplace where I have to go find him, but rather He is with me wherever I go and in whatever I do. In the diaper changing, He is there. In the driving from one appointment to another, He is there. In busy work day or in the exhaustion from an illness, He is there.

    King David knew this and wrote this down in the Psalms for us to remember as well:

    You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

    Psalm 139:5, 7-9

    Even though David was a King, he faced many hardships over the course of his life. Many times he was running for his life and other times he was running from God. Despite all this, he was still known as a man after God’s own heart. David recognized that there was nowhere that he could go and nothing he could do that could remove God’s loving presence from his life. Even if he went to the far reaches of the earth, up into the heavens or down into the depths of the ocean, God will still be there with him. He believed that God created him and loved him beyond measure. This truth allowed him to weather the toughest of circumstances and helped him lead a nation. Even when he ran from God or sinned against God, he knew he could always return to the one who calls him His.

    We too can turn to God in everything. Even in those times when you reach your darkest hour or those times you have run in your own direction, God is still here with you. When you are going a million miles a minute and haven’t stopped for three days because life has run away with you, God is still here with you. He goes before you and follows you; He lays His hand of blessing upon you, to guide you and hold you fast.

    Take heart, dear friend, God is with you in whatever your day brings you today. Reach out your hand and God will firmly grab hold. His love for you is beyond measure.

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  • Heart Stuff

    Fear Overwhelming You?

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    “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” Isaiah 43:1-3

    I must admit, lately I have been struggling with fear. Not the healthy kind of fear, but the horrible kind that can immobilize you and keep you from living life to its fullest. The kind that can get a grip around you and make you worry about the worst case scenarios. The problem is that I start to make decisions based out of this fear. Fear changes how I see the world, myself, and others.

    During a time of prayer this week, God brought the verse above to mind. At first, I wasn’t sure why, but as I read over the words I realized something: the opposite of fear is trust.

    In the verse above we see that God starts the verse with “fear not”. As we keep reading we see that he says that we don’t need to fear because He has a firm hold on us; we belong to him and he will protect us. As I read this, it makes me think of how a parent would comfort a child who is afraid. When my daughter is in bed at night and fearful of the monsters lurking in her closet or under her bed, I come alongside her and hold her. I tell her that she does not need to be afraid because I am there and I will protect her. More importantly, I tell her that God is with her and He is bigger than any monster. 🙂

    Our fears may not be imaginary like the monster under the bed. You may be facing some real fears such as not having enough work to make ends meet or of the future or of being alone. But God still draws near and whispers in our ear, “Fear not, I am here. I am the Lord your God and you are mine. I am mighty to save.” Something amazing happens to our hearts and minds when we choose to trust. In trusting, we are no longer giving power to our fears. We lay each fear into the hands of God and that trust will bring us peace.

    So whatever fear you are currently facing, God is bigger than them all. Trust in Him. As the river of fears this week attempt to overwhelm you or the flames of your worries rise up, remember that God is with you. He can calm the waters and douse the flames as we lean into him, trusting him to be who he says he is—The Holy One of Israel, our Savior!

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  • Events

    We were on the radio!

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    We were recently interviewed on Difference Makers with Mike Lee on TrueTalk 800 where Summer Shore and Melissa Campbell talked about how Revive Ministries got started and got a chance to share their own stories of finding their identity in Christ. Listen to the interview below.

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  • Events

    Reviving Our Joy!

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    Earlier this November, Summer Shore was honored to be the featured speaker at the Christian Network Luncheon. She shared about true and lasting joy in the Lord. Joy can be a difficult thing to have when life feels chaotic and busy. There are so many distractions that can steal our joy.  Summer spoke on how joy isn’t a feeling like happiness, rather it is a state of being, a choice and a gift given to us by God.  We can have joy no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, because our worth is more than our mistakes or victories. Our worth lies securely in the fact that God loves us with a love that never fails.

    Revive Ministries was blessed to connect with other incredible women and hear about their businesses and ministries in the Portland-Metro area. It was such a blessing to be with these women who focus on faith, family and business (in that order). They are all doing amazing things for the community and for the Kingdom!

    A special thank you to Melony Buenger, founder of Christian Networks & Courageous Beginnings, for inviting us, and for a wonderful day!

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