Growing in Grace

One of the workshops I attended at the retreat was about getting on God's schedule. The presenter was Connie Green, our women's ministry coordinator. She began with a list of signs that you're moving too fast or not investing your time. (We are to invest our time not just spend it.) (I loved this!) 1. Frequently feel tired or lack energy to carry you through your day. You wake up tired. You use stimulants to get you through the day. 2. Find yourself rushing and can't get a grip on your day. 3. Procrastinating 4. No time for self (exercise, Dr. appts., time to breathe deeply) 5. Disorder and confusion in your home. 6. Not using your God-given gifts to bless others or to be blessed. 7. Using your tongue to tear others down and not building them up. 8. Easily annoyed by almost everyone. 9. Not spending time in prayer and Bible study and personal devotions. 10. Lack of peace in your heart. Next Connie shared how to gain freedom from busy. While be

Saturday evening, Cathy Dickinson taught us out of Psalm 62. David wrote this Psalm after facing a great many trials. This Psalm may have been written when Absalom was trying to take the kingdom away from David. Whether that was the case or not, this passage of Scripture shows David was at a place where he was tempted to misplace his hope. Instead, David chose to encourage himself with "soul talk". The key words in this passage are God, my, only/alone and rock. Cathy began by defining disappointment as displeasure in the failure of something hoped for or expected. We can hope in God because He will not disappoint us. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3 We read in 2 Samuel 15 of the beginning of Absalom's betrayal of his father. Absalom would sit by the gate and whenever anyone came to deal with a lawsuit with the king, he would call out to him. He sought to ingratiate himself with the people by end

The main speaker for our retreat was Cathy Dickinson. Saturday morning she taught from Hebrews 6:13-20. Her style was very straight-forward and I enjoyed her style of teaching. In this passage we see that God's word is as good as He is. As we look at God's past record, we see God's character and that He has the ability to do what He says.  As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. -Psalm 18:30 Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. -Jeremiah 32:17 Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. -Romans 4:20-21 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted t

Women's Retreat 2017 Hope We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. - Hebrews 6:19 Hope is having full confidence in God's promises. Our weekend began with Pastor David giving us an overview of Hebrews 6:9-19. Verses 9-10 of this passage tell us that while some of the readers may have been unsaved, the writer was confident God had been working because their works reflected changed lives. In Matthew chapter 8, Mark chapter 4, and Luke 8:22-25 we read about Jesus and the disciples crossing the lake in a boat. While Jesus slept soundly, a furious storm came up suddenly. The disciples were afraid. They woke Jesus up and cried out that they were going to drown. Jesus chastised them for having such little faith. He then rebuked the winds and the waves and the lake became calm. The disciples were amazed that even the wind and waves obeyed Jesus. Pastor David shared the following things from this passage: * Jesus loves us and we should not question