To say that I grew up in a day when life was more simple would be an astounding understatement. When I picture the contrast of life in 1979 (I was 15) and 2017 it is almost as if I am picturing two different planets.
A typical day in my 15-year-old life would have included waking up, eating breakfast with my family, going to school where the highlight of the day was walking around the hall during breaks and eyeing the cute boys (yep, I married one of them.) After school there was band practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights and a football game on Friday nights. Sometimes I had a date for Saturday night. I worked at the local pharmacy on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. Sunday morning and Sunday evening found me in church where the majority of my friends could also be found.
Talking on the telephone meant having a conversation via a phone that was * gasp * attached to the wall by a very long cord that we stretched farther than it should have been so that we could talk in private in our bedroom. We also communicated with our friends via handwritten notes that got passed during class. Awkward!
I read a lot of books and kept a handwritten diary. I did not lay eyes on a computer until my first year of pharmacy school (1984). A mobile phone was not even on the landscape of my mind until 1991, and I had certainly never heard of texting, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Snapchat.
Life was incredibly simple for me. Today it is less so for the majority of people I know, and I believe that is one reason why most of us have a hard time developing an intimate relationship with Jesus. We simply have too much pulling at us.
Mobile devices
Computers
Social media
Kids in every sport under the sun
Activities, activities, activities.
No time to slow down and simply be with Jesus.
I do not think it takes a degreed theologian to see that Satan has found an effective way to keep us from having an intimate relationship with Christ by keeping us busy…focused on things that have little or no eternal value.
Which means that if you and I really want an intimate relationship with Jesus we must be the ones to throw up a STOP sign and say, “Enough”.
Is your relationship with Jesus important enough to prompt you to set aside a couple of days to COME AWAY with Him? You see, you will have to be intentional in the pursuit of an intimate relationship with Jesus. You must decide that there is nothing more important to you than that relationship, and you will have to carve out time to meet with Him and allow Him to speak into your heart.
Last week in THIS POST I shared a teeny bit of information about the upcoming Come Away retreat on which the Lord and I are working. You were prompted to consider whether you desire a more intimate relationship with Christ. I told you this retreat would be a time of worship, Bible study, prayer, and time alone with Jesus. I asked you to pray about attending Come Away. I was blessed by the response from many women. Come Away 2017 will offer 7 ladies the opportunity to do just that. May I share with you a few more details about the retreat?
September 15th-17th will find 7 ladies joining me to spend the weekend together in a beautiful, rustic log cabin on Lake Blue Ridge in Blue Ridge, Georgia. There will be three sessions of worship and Scripture teaching during the weekend, as well as ample time and space, both inside the cabin and outside around the lake, for private reflection and prayer. As we cook and share meals together, we will pray for and encourage one another to pursue Jesus like never before.
At Come Away we will seek to lay aside mobile devices, social media and other distractions in order to fix our gaze on Jesus, Our Beloved. My prayer is that each woman will leave the retreat knowing that she is perfectly safe, deeply loved, and completely accepted by Jesus.
The retreat price will include your accommodations, food, materials, and all sessions. You will only need to bring your Bible, writing instruments, personal items, and a heart that longs to meet Jesus.
Prices:
bunk style accommodation ~ $300
one private room accommodation ~ $350
There are six bunk-style (twin on top, full on bottom) beds on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the cabin and one private queen room on the 2nd floor.
You may pay the entire fee at one time, or in two installments of 50% each, but all fees must be paid by September 1st. In case you need to cancel your attendance at the retreat, fees are refundable until August 15th, with the exception of $75.
Because I am seeking women who are serious about an intimate relationship with Jesus, registration requirements will be a bit unique.
- Beginning now, be willing to commit to pray over your time at Come Away, asking the Lord to give you a prepared heart for what He desires to do that weekend.
- In a letter or email, tell me your story (where you have been and where you are now spiritually) and why you desire to attend Come Away. I will need to have this piece of the registration in my hands before you pay your fee. Do not send money with your letter. I will prompt you to register and pay your fee once I receive your letter. My email address is [email protected] and my mailing address is PO Box 113, Blairsville, GA 30514.
- Registration will be first come, first served.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Go HERE for more information.
I am praying for you and I hope you will join me in September. For retreat schedule and more information, please see THIS POST.
SDG/FCA!!
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