Women In Ministry

So ladies, my goal is to just be real. I always want you to go to retreat because I always want you to be touched by God. I want you to go to a deeper level of friendship with one another.

There is a point in the planning and advertising process where I begin to want you to go because we need more ladies … why I can’t just trust more that God will fill those spots I really don’t know … I suppose it’s because I’m human.

We’re past that point now though. We have plenty of ladies going. We’ve met our required numbers from camp. I’m thinking about you … have you signed up yet? If so you’re in for an amazing time!

If you haven’t, I’m really hoping you change your mind. What is your reason for staying behind?

Think about it …

Here’s a little testimony about my experiences going to retreats …

I always needed retreat so badly in the early years. Especially the first year of my salvation but it continued on to every year. I was new to the church. Someone paid my way. Jim and I had 3 young girls … 7, 4 and 3. It was a big deal for me to leave them … a really big deal. I never had except to go to the hospital to have each of them. My mother in law offered to come and stay with them on Friday while Jim worked. She was there and the girls were happy to see her. I left for retreat. By the time I had gotten to the church, there was a call for me (on the church phone because this was before cell phones). Mercedes had thrown up and my mother in law wanted me to know what to do … she wanted me to come home I’m sure! I called Jim at work. He said ‘just go’. And so I did. No hesitation. It was God telling me to go.

Everything at retreat seemed to be orchestrated for me … from the ladies I sat next to, to the messages … everything. Sandy, one woman I sat next to told me that at one point during worship God told her to open her eyes and look around. She said she didn’t want to, but did. She opened them just in time to toss her pillow behind me as I was falling under the power of the Holy Spirit to soften the blow.

God touched me in so many ways that weekend. And that is the beginning of why I always want so badly for you to go. He wants you there … yes, He can touch you right in your own home but there’s something about giving up a weekend where we sit in the comforts of our own homes and instead go to spend time with Him away from all that’s comfortable. There’s something about giving up a bit of what we want for the possibilities of what He wants. I don’t know what He wants for you at retreat, but I do know that when we sacrifice something, He gives back so much more in return.

It is my prayer that you make that choice to sign up for retreat and open your heart to whatever it is He wants for you. Let’s make room for Him.