WON'T BE BLOGGING...(until Monday)

Have you ever been away on a retreat, completely away from your normal, hectic life? DH and DD have to stay home, but this weekend I get to be at a "RETREAT"... with
about 120 other Christian women.

Retreat defined is "a place one goes for peace" (kind of hard to imagine 120 women being in the midst of peace when they're all together...'cause we're gonna be talking and sharing I'm sure, especially during our breaks and free time).

As I ponder our up-coming weekend of "peace", the synonyms of retreat give me cause to look up their meanings--the first is a word I don't remember having heard: adytum--a sacred place the public was forbidden to enter; an inner shrine

We will travel to this far-away, peaceful place which will become an inner shrine for this week-end group...this one special time to acknowledge a week-end peace, ours to recognize and claim. We must be intentional about recognizing it as an inner shrine.

Just as Noah's family and their animals were secluded on the ark--in their refuge, not exactly knowing the outcome once the door was closed and the rains began. I hear we are expecting a lot of rain this weekend, hhhhmmm, a coincidence?, or a creative way to get our attention by keeping us inside, out of the showers and storms that are expected? I know God has a Word to share with each of us in our "ark" of this weekend. We may not know what the plan will be after we open our door and get off "our ark" Sunday evening.

What Word will He be sharing with me? I'm eager to hear what He has laid on the hearts of our speakers. Their time has been spent readying their presentations for us, for me...I must be intentional to turn my attention away from the world--away while in this hermitage. The more intentionally I put away the world, the better I will hear His guidance through our speakers. I don't want to miss "hearing" during this get-away, during this weekend peace.

In addition to large group time, we will have seclusive time in our small groups, meeting and sharing with one another. In this remoteness, I pray to be more open so I may respond to someone's questions or concerns. My being there might be for the support instead of for me, or to possibly be an open ear just to listen as a sister pours out her heart or wants to vent or repent, each so sacred in its own right.

During this week-end sanctuary, I must provide immunity from judgment and immunity from impatience...here more than anywhere else I must value our differences and patiently listen. We will be on equal footing, equal status in the eyes of our Lord, all loved and cherished. He will be guarding each of us individually and us as a community; we will be secure in His Word as we study it, discuss it and possibly question it.

Having been on many "get aways", I have well-founded confidence each will return changed in some way, rejuvenated from the quiet, and filled with the joy of His grace and the love He has for each of us.

I don't want to waste "this peace" ... for "I will never pass this way again" with this same gathering of women.
(Oh, I'm showing my age...that sounds a lot like an old Seals and Croft song from the early 70's)

In the Open or Behind Closed Doors?

Today Internet Cafe Chat questions:

1. In which areas of my life do I continually and regularly experience 'struggle'?
2. Am I willing to turn those areas over to Him, knowing He is fully sovereign and trustworthy?
3. Where do I know God is working out a beautiful, holy plan for my life?
   

I grew up in a wonderfully loving home but when my parents had disagreements they handled them behind closed doors. So, I had a skewed vision for handling disagreements. My struggles involve handling conflict--it's very uncomfortable and makes me uneasy. If I ignore it, will it go away maybe? Our society teaches "taking the easy way out" which doesn't teach us how to truthfully handle the situation. Sin is still sin and will always be such...a turning from God and His ways.

Through Biblical guidance, prayer, and an accountability group that helps me understand conflict and openness--I find help. Those combined helpmates guide me me to hand it to God first to massage my words and direct my thoughts to approach tough discussions...when I'm brave enough to actually do it. Yes, I still struggle but I know He will help me when I give it to Him from my heart.

Close behind conflict runs confession--which rights us with ourselves, with God and with whoever else was involved..(maybe there were spontaneous, hurtful words or rolled eyes, deep breaths or silence?)

When we finally give confession it streams in as salve for the self-induced injury and when shared honestly is followed by grace (from God or from the other person). Wonderful comfort knowing our Savior loved us enough to sacrifice His most precious Son to ensure relationship with us sinners...His Son didn't sin yet he took ours. He IS already interceding on behalf of our confessions, before we utter a word, he KNOWS our hearts and IS already taking our requests to the Father...notice the present verbs...He occupies a seat at the right hand of God!!

Lord, continually give us Your vision for our words, our actions, even the small things we do each day. Give us a want to bring every concern to You for your Sovereign Opinion and Guidance.

HE SINGS GRACE!

Christ doesn't call us to be stagnant in life or in church. We get comfortable and sometimes fight change, maybe a fear of being forgotten or left out sometimes. Transitions are tough, no doubt about it. Transitioning in music can involve abrupt minor key changes, immediate beat changes jarring your ear or thundering blasts from soft whispers causing reverberations in your chest, physically feeling the music moving.

Changes in life and at church can cause these same sensations…which can be scary. Composers know transitions can make or break the beauty of music…responding and writing down an emotion, a message, a vision, onto a staff to be lived through fingers, lips, voices…the body of Christ. There are times for nursery rhymes and Sunday school songs as pabulum, soft nourishment, eaten early in our Christian lives…when challenges are few and we savor being cuddled.

But we must not remain as infants…in life or in church. Prayer and intentional Bible study grow us in His Word, to be about “His business" rather than “our business”. These are the moments sometime coming at us in minor keys and in an abrupt manner. We often fight what the Holy Spirit is directing us to do, and I believe He sometimes has to throw “blasts” our way to get our ear. How much time have I spent this week praying for and desiring to grow others in the knowledge of Christ as their Savior? Not enough, I must confess to you.

We must not center on carrying our own tune of “what do I get when I come to church”. We must pray and center ourselves on His Masterpiece Manuscript and ask “what did I give to someone for Christ’s sake?”…my patience?...a friendly greeting?...a shared “God incidence” or confession?...”when we are weak, then He is strong.” When these type things become our refrain, the richness of the maturity in Christ becomes a loved Cokesbury hymn, rich in words and melody, or the fullness explodes in our hearts like the Hallelujah Chorus, which cannot be sung quietly, by the way! A true wanting, pounding through your chest, desiring others to hear and understand our Lord’s grace which He sings every day, forgiving each of us in his strains of love.

God has his hand on us and his composition is greater than anything we can imagine! And I want to be at the singin!
Praise God!

Ephes. 4:13-16

"... to train Christians in skilled servant work (working within Christ's body)the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ."

"...to grow up, to know the whole truth...tell it in love - like Christ in everything."
"...our lead from Christ, the source of everything we do."
"...grow up healthy in God, robust in love. The Old Way Has to Go."