Girls Retreat "2013"

I was honored to spend this last weekend with a fantastic group of high school ladies. It was high on laughter, low on sleep. High on junk food, low on drama. I had an awesome time and I'm hoping that these sweet students did also. Originally, our retreat was scheduled for November, but after running into some major scheduling conflicts, I moved it to this past weekend. It turned out to be full of conflicts as well (there's just NO way to avoid all things for all students.), which is a bummer, but God can do amazing things in any setting or circumstance. Who am I to put Him in a box?

Our weekend was oriented around the book, Gods at War by Kyle Idleman. He's the guy who wrote the uber popular Not a Fan. In short, Gods at War is a fantastic book. I was encouraged to read it by a friend and within the first couple pages, I knew this was going to be a great read... AND great girls retreat material. It's the kind of book that is like a punch in the gut on each page, and yet, it's a really easy read. There are even some laugh out loud moments, which kept me coming back again and again. In going through the book to pull out questions and points for our weekend quiet times and small group sessions, I probably read it at least 4 times. Surprisingly, each subsequent read was more fruitful than the last.

Source

The book challenges the notion that idols and false gods are bronzed statues of people... and instead they look like everyday things -- even "good" things -- that we mistakenly allow to take over the throne of our hearts. Idleman states, "Idolatry isn't just an issue, it's the issue."

SO Good. Definitely a "must read."

Even though originally the retreat was an out-of-town kinda weekend (when it was scheduled in November), since we ended up having it in town, we were able to work in some local ministry on Saturday afternoon. We went to a local nursing home, delivered cookies to the staff, and painted the nails of the residents (even a couple of the men got manicures! ...clear polish, of course!). It was a sweet time of service for the girls and me.

The high point of the weekend (for me) was all waking up together and having a sunrise quiet time.

Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, I think it was everyone's favorite weekend moment. Something about watching the sunrise over the ocean while spending time in God's Word... perfection.