I spent all of last week in Asheville, North Carolina at a Renovaré retreat. A whole week is a long time to be away from home, but the time was not in vain. Here's some of what I learned.
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| Richard J. Foster and Nathan Foster |
That Richard Foster's message is just as important and timely today as it was when he first published
Celebration of Discipline back in 1978.
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| Gayle Withnell and me |
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| Siang-Yang Tan and me |
That spending time with old friends is nourishing to my soul and that praying and working together is a great grace.
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| Emily Freeman |
That Emily Freeman is as inspiring a speaker as she is a writer. I've known Emily since 2009, but this was the first time I'd ever heard her speak. What a treat to watch my friend share the truth that God's revealed to her!
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| View from the Overlook at The Cove |
That I can hike 3 1/2 miles up to the Overlook, where even the low-hanging clouds couldn't ruin the view, and make it back in time for dinner--but I couldn't have done it without my friends Laura Smith and Jeff Meyers. And that friends become even more dear when you make an arduous journey together.
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| The Chapel at The Cove |
Most of all, I learned what I've learned at every Renovaré event I've attended over the years: that God reigns; that His Kingdom is a beautiful, wonderful, safe place to be; and that He loves me, just as He loves all His children. Honestly, I can never hear that too much.
When was the last time you got away for a retreat? Do you need one?
Hi Richella, Sounds like a heavenly retreat, filled with truth blessings and His Spirit. It has been so long since I went on a retreat; I used to go to Women of Faith every couple of years and also on one church retreat. It's been just about 10 yrs since I've gone to one-way too long! When we moved here the church we attended was small and mostly young families =no retreats. Now the church I go to has one every couple of years; I think I need to find one to attend this next year. May your day be blessed.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Noreen
I'm headed to The Cove this weekend for a retreat with women from our church. Congratulations on the hike -- well done! AND you got to hear Emily speak, too!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting about your time away at the retreat.
Sounds wonderful, simply wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThis is a dumb comment on an unsuperficial post, but it is refreshing to see somebody caption photographs with correct grammar.
That retreat sounds like a true retreat, a place to rest one's spirit and receive. How lovely! And I agree with you about Emily. She's gifted with words, whether she's writing them or speaking them.
ReplyDeleteGuess what I just popped into the oven? Two loaves of Richella's pumpkin bread. Our first loaves of the season. My house smells heavenly. : ) It really is the best {and easiest} pumpkin bread ever.
Scooper, that makes me so happy! I actually took a few loaves of my pumpkin bread to Asheville for the team to nosh on while we were working before the retreat. It's just a great recipe, isn't it? And it makes me happy that you think of it as "Richella's pumpkin bread." I always think of it as "Aunt Laura's pumpkin bread"!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight to be in such a beautiful setting, with truthful words and lovely friends.
ReplyDeleteFondly,
Glenda
You're right that that is a message we can just never hear enough of! And I'm a teeny jealous that you know Emily Freeman personally. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Richella, I love the photos. My husband and I are heading up to our home in the mountains today and will be doing our annual drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'm afraid we missed peak by 4-5 days according to the reports, but it is always breathtaking. Our church holds their women's retreat at the cove every year - I just used a photo I took of the inside for one of my posts - it is such a peaceful place. So easy to feel the presence of The Lord.
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