Our REVIVE ladies retreat is this weekend. We have been waiting for this weekend to get here for a very long time. We are really excited about what God is going to do. We look forward to His word and Presence and fellowship between other sisters in Christ. OH, and did I mention just some time away from the normal business of our lives! The camp that we will be going to is absolutely beautiful and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous! I can't wait to meet with the LORD. Would you be willing to pray for us this weekend?
Oh, and btw....there is still room to join us if you can come!
http://www.hunterstreet.org/info/ministries/Revive_Bible_Study.html
Brittnie
Hey everyone!
Have you seen the new blog gadget called "follower"?
It enables people that read your blog to allow their blog profile picture to be seen on your blog. I would love for those that read my blog to sign in as a reader. I have several people that have subscribed to my blog and I don't know who you are. Would love to be able to know who's reading! I have added this new gadget on my side bar. I've put it at the very top for it to be easily found.Just click "follow this blog" and you are all set!
Would love to hear from you!
Brittnie
As I continue my study this week for the REVIVE retreat on the way of the Kingdom, I ran across this prayer by Francis of Assisi. This is the way of a Kingdom heart. May we sit at the feet of Christ and learn from Him and allow Him to change us from the inside out and be a people who reflect His love.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
I did it again. Before it began, I nearly ruined a divine weekend set up for my husband Jeff and me. It was a very crazy time in our lives and I was desperate for restoration in the Lord though I didn’t realize it at the time. From the moment I heard the words, “I am surprising you on a weekend get away”, I began to panic. It was our 10 year anniversary and we were going on a trip. Already my mind was swarmed with many questions and concerns. Some of which were money, kids, weather, clothes etc. How would I prepare and pack for an unknown destination and what would I do with weekend commitments that were already planned out? Should I really go? Most importantly, can I hand over complete control to Jeff who was so lovingly planning this get away? I did not have a choice. It was a done deal and so off we went for a weekend away from our chaotic lives.
Upon the arrival to our destination, we discovered the keys for our stay were left for us and that we were the only guests at this location. We were tucked away nice and snug in a great little cabin on a beautiful camp ground nestled off in the Texas Hill Country. The excitement began the moment we stepped foot onto the camp ground. We arose the next morning to the most splendid weather and glorious site, God’s creation! Jeff and I were anxious to get started with our weekend and immediately we began exploring this beautifully fashioned piece of acreage. Explore we did, all day long!
Surrounded by God's glory, I thought it appropriate to ask Him for a thrill. Selfishly, I began requesting this thrill from God as if He owed it to me and this is what I began to seek. My eyes became focused on what I demanded instead of on what He wanted to show me. After a few hours of searching for something that I just knew would knock my socks off, I began to notice something else. My ears were hearing the constant and amazing sounds of water flowing through out the hills of the country land. That wonderful sound of the water trickling and flowing down the hills became more evident. Not only did my ears finally tune in, but my eyes were now beholding the beauty!
Jeff and I began following a stream down to its end and discovered the most wonderful site of all. This stream of water dumped right into a small but deep creek bed. It was a tiny piece of heaven right before our eyes with crystal clear waters. We both gazed at this water and found ourselves in awe. We could see clear down to the bottom and watched large bass and catfish as they swam freely around with no caution of our presence. Like little kids, we began running for our equipment back at the car. With fishing gear in hand, we scurried back to this place that we felt was made just for us. We began sinking line after line and bringing up these beauties! What a THRILL! What? NO, this was more than a thrill; this was rest for my weary soul. OH how I needed it. As I drank it in and let it refresh me I thanked Him!
Let me tell you, God was not done with me. Once I recognized what I needed most and that this weekend had been given and divinely arranged, He showed me that I still needed more. About that time, I stepped backward to grab my line and forgot that I had hopped onto a large rock in the middle of the creek and I lost my balance. Yep, you guessed it and all the way in up to my neck! God not only let me rest by His streams of water, He bathed me in them. I was renewed and refreshed. At this point, it was all I could do not to hear God prompting me to think of the words living water. (Since I was swimming in it none the less.) Living Water is what God gives to those who believe and are athirst. There is no doubt that was what He was showing me.
As our weekend came to a close and it was time to head home, I reflected on my selfishness of seeking "something" instead of someone. That someone was my heavenly Father and I was reminded in scripture this day that He is "the enough". What ever we are seeking or require, He is the only one who can fill. He is the source that we must stay focused on and His resources will so infinitely surpass our requirements. He is sufficient and He is enough. Beyond that, He is more than enough, He is everything! I am so thankful that I did not ruin this perfect weekend that God planned especially for us.
Whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within him. John 7:38
Brittnie 9.8.05
