God has truly blessed us with a beautiful fall and Friday was part of that beauty. The sun was shining and the air was crisp! What a great day for a retreat! Lots of time, preparation, and prayers have gone into this retreat. There was an excitement to see how God would work during this time.
We began the evening with an ice breaker game of finding various "beauty" items that women had brought with them. You could only sign your name one time to the sheet and these items ranged from a tooth brush to tweezers! Four ladies managed to find all the items so the grand prize was awarded to Julie H. because age goes before beauty:) It was fun listening to all the ladies laugh and talk as the evening got started.
Twenty-five ladies then headed to the food line! Thanks so much to Julie M. for all of her great food preparations and for Joy who also helped. The food was delicious!
Our speaker for the weekend was Angi L. We were so excited to have her share with us. Angi and her husband, Mike, had done our spring Bible conference on marriage and Angi's beauty, quiet and gentle spirit, was obvious. She shared her testimony with us that first session and opened up...she was real with things that she struggled with in life and things she cherished. It was refreshing to hear from someone who is like us. 1 Peter 3:4 "...but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight." was the verse that she shared with us. She did make note that we are not to ignore our outward appearance, but we are to focus on the hidden person of the heart. We are to have a quiet spirit and sometimes that means BITING OUR TONGUES! Angi shared a great definition of gentleness...meekness which is power under control. Oh to strive for that. She ended that session by giving some practical suggestions for having a quiet and gentle spirit: 1. Be a woman of the Word. 2. Be a woman of prayer. 3. Look for a woman who you can pattern yourself after. 4. Memorize passages about the tongue. Ask the Lord to help you have your words under control. We ended the "organized" part of the evening at the fire pit. It was a beautiful evening...clear sky and bright moon. We enjoyed roasting marshmallows for smores and chit chatting...something women love...talking and chocolate!
Some then headed into bed, while others played games. The late ones finally made it to bed at around 1 am! Breakfast comes early:)
The next morning started with quiet time. You could do your own or use "A beautiful woman in Christ" by Julia Bettencourt. This is a great devotional that used beauty tips for our outward appearance and gave scripture verses to make our insides beautiful. Example: Cleanser: In order to make oursleves beautiful, we have to first cleanse ourselves of all unwanted impurities. Our cleansing agent works through our confession and God's forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We then had another yummy meal:)
Felicia started our morning off by having us listen to the song "Praise God". It was a great way to quiet our hearts and prepare us for the day.
Angi came again and talked about the Beauty Mark of Honoring our Husbands. We are called to be submissive to our own husbands not to all men. Submission has always been in God's plan. It has to do with order and we voluntarily go under it. It requires FAITH and freedom from fear. It is a scary thing to relinquish control. The opposition to the idea of submission is found in our own heart. There are some practical ways to express respect. 1. Tell him what you like about him. 2. Thank him for providing for you. 3. Thank him for fixing things. 4. Join him in what he likes to do. 5. Work on the eye sparkle. 6. Meet his sexual needs.
Our final session was on the Beauty Mark of Kindness. Angi shared that kindness must be coupled with goodness. Kindness is the feeling whereas goodness is the action. Lasting kindness only comes from the Holy Spirit. There are 3 hindrances to kindness...anger, bitterness, and judging. To be beautiful...kindness is something to work on and strive for.
I am not doing the weekend justice in this small post. I know I was truly blessed by the time. Blessed by the woman who came. Blessed by the testimony of Angi. Blessed by the relaxation. Blessed by God's truth. I was challenged and I hope you were too....challenged to become a beautiful woman in God's sight.
Our next PEARLS is Tuesday, December 7. We will meet at the church building. Please bring 3-4 dozen cookies or candy to divide into Christmas goodie bags so that we can show kindness to those around us. We will also be studying Kindness. Hope to see you there!
