By Sally

Here is what the Lord showed me with my worship art. The picture that spoke to me was a walled garden. The wall speaks of my difficulties in getting to that intimate place with the Father, that I desire. The garden, of course is the place of quiet communion, fellowship, and rest in the presence of God. The "petals" on the garden path are a welcome and invitation to enter and enjoy God's holy presence. The outer colors though unrealistic in the pallet of garden colors, represent my love of color and fun, and allowing myself to accept and enjoy the person God has made me to be. The layers that are rolled back at the top show the layers of healing that the Lord has worked in my life and still continues. The tangles and shreds at the bottom represent my search to know God more throughout my life and the mess I've made doing things my own way. One of the ladies at my Peach group last night pointed out that the outer layers are peach colored. Peaches has played a big part in part of this journey to the garden. This is my first time doing worship art....but not my last, hopefully!

Art Work and Testimonies

By Carla:

"I actually am not very fond of retreats, but I can find some wonderful things that touched me while I was there.  I met some wonderful women in Christ.  I was able to actually be myself among my cabin roommates and I roomed with some of the most awe inspiring women the Lord has placed on the earth.

Dina Nelson shared her wisdom, smoothed some of my rough edges via the power of the Holy Spirit, because as you know....I can be quite the opinionated one!  Thanks Dina.

Anna Nelson, no relation to Dina, who shared the same room with me, shared in good conversation with me even when we were suppose to be utilizing quiet time, and didn't mind my snoring. She was soooo sweet and kind. 

Dotti, who I met briefly at church, but got to know a little better.  She is a one of the song birds of God!  :-)

I cannot thank Kem Williams enough for picking me up and allowing me to ride and share in time and laughter, I mean cracking up laughter.  That was fun Kem!

My dear Sally Simon who has been a jewel from the time I met her in the Next Step Class.  Where would I be without this woman at Grace Evangelical Church.  Heaven has sent Angels to minister right here on earth and Sally Simon is one of them!

Kathy Pettinga who is quite like myself.  I believe the Good Lord made sure she and I were together because we need to see what the world sees in us!!  Thanks Kathy You are my Human Mirror!!!  Iron sharpens Iron.  I love you girl!

Silvi Erwin who encouraged me to hang in there and don't back out, kept up with me until the day we left, while I was there, and even now upon our return.  Bless you Silvi!

Joanne Harman who shares so much of herself with others made sure she took the time to lay hands on me and prayed and prophesied over my life.  God knows what He is doing.  TRUST MY TESTIMONY on this!!!

SUE CASELIN, WOMAN OF GOD & ONE OF THE OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS, WHO STOPPED ME AFTER CHURCH ONE SUNDAY AND GENTLY PUSHED ME TO THE REGISTRATION TABLE, MADE SURE I RECEIVED TOP SERVICE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT I CAN BE KRAZY!!!!!!!  THANK YOU LORD FOR SUE!!

There were many more, young and more seasoned in time that were so kind if it was just a hello, a hug, or a kind & sincere smile. 

My prayer is for our Heavenly Father to bless all the women that attended henceforth now and forever with the abundant life Jesus promised we would have if we follow in his steps.  I pray the protection of the Most High God over our lives and our descendants.  I pray we sweetly surrender and allow Him to develop us into those wonderful women He will be glad to say....Well Done My Good and Faithful Servants. 

Thank you Grace Evangelical Church!  You are such a blessing to me.  Please pray for me.  It can be a little tough for some when it comes to relating to me. 

God Bless You All and Thank You for the Opportunity!

Yours in Christ,"

Carla

By Heather S.



Starting in the bottom right corner-
- The wicked witch represents my relationship with my Mom, also I am the witch to myself and to my kids, but the witch is dead! and no longer has power over me!
- The little girl is me, who is no longer hiding, but has her tutu on and is ready to dance, but she also has her sword so she can stand and fight when she needs to.
- The flowers and buds are the promises of Spring, and my new awareness of self and the work that God is doing in me and what is getting ready to bloom.
- The grapes on the vine are me abiding in Christ and knowing that resting there will bring about all these things.
- The top, right corner shows that I'm still on a journey that is daunting and scary, but I can be confident that God will take care of me.
- The bird on the bird bath is me resting in God's light and experiencing the flow of His spirit.
- The windmills are the fresh winds of God in my life.
- The woman with outstretched arms is me freely worshiping and experiencing God.
- All the lights in the top left corner are the promises of God for my life that He is doing and will do.
- The bottom left, I am running on into God's light, moving forward, even when I can't see, know or understand what's ahead.

The retreat was so amazing for me, to feel that connection to all the women there and share our struggles and be encouraged and loved by one another, just blew me away. The worship Saturday night was so precious, there was such a freedom there amongst the candles and Silvi's playing that released me and others to worship, dance and cry and experience His presence, it was beautiful!

Heather Smith


By Darlene:

• Around the outside edge of the paper plate are numerals symbolizing time and that everything I have indicated in the center of the plate happens in God's timing.
• Above the crossbeam of the large red cross; on the left is a bar of soap pictured along side 3 small hearts. This indicates that He has washed me clean out of His love, grace, and mercy.  On the right is a fireman's helmet sitting next to a heart, which symbolizes how He set my heart on fire for Him, and the word OBJECTIVE indicates that He is my objective.
• Below the crossbeam of the large red cross; on the right is an artist drawing a picture. This symbolized how God has painted me, or designed me, to be the unique individual that He wants me to be.  The lamp means He lights my way; the mailman's hat symbolized how He writes my soul messages and these messages incude all the words I have shown i.e. He sees to every detail of my life, He educates me in my life skills, He is the one who has management of my education, He leads me to disire what He desires, and last, but not least, HE IS MY RESUME.  On the left of the big red cross is a woman in a hammock, basking in warmth, and resting. This symbolized how I rest in His presence, basking in the warmth of His love, while awaiting His return to remove evil from this world, and I also await my resurrection that He has promised.
• The goldfish in the fishbowl represents how His Holy Spirit, which is in me, is, at present, trapped in my flesh body until Jesus returns to resurrect me and set me free in His spirit and illiminate the spirit of the sin nature, that also resides in my flesh body.

I am sure this could have been described better, but that is the best I can do to get the meaning from my heart to this computer screen.

Be blessed,
Darlene

New Pictures and More!

Thanks to Marlene, we have a whole picture album online. You can access to it by following this link:

http://clearthestageatpinemountain.shutterfly.com/.

If you have any problem with it, let me know and we'll try to fix it.

I also added a new page called Art Work and Testimonies. It is on your right. There are already two postings there. If you have any problem taking a picture of your piece, let me know and I'll take the photo and help you as much I can. I can't wait to read what He did in your life last weekend.

Don't minimize your creation. The Lord moved powerfully among us on the retreat and every time we share, we are exalting His name.

Thank you so much!
Love ya!
Silvi

I belong to the Man from Nazareth

Several of you asked me about this song. This has been a very personal song to me and I felt, for the first time prompted by the Spirit to sing it during our soaking time together Saturday night. I am so grateful that it blessed you. Here are the lyrics and a youtube video that I found today.

Be blessed :)
the Man from Nazareth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVIV3sBF9tw&feature=youtu.be

I belong to the man from Nazareth
He’s got wounds in His feet and scars in His hands
And He loves me with an everlasting love

I belong to the King of Israel
He conquered death and holds the keys of hell
and He loves me with an everlasting love

And I would give anything, nothing withhold
And I will search for you like silver and gold
That I might taste the glory of knowing You, Lord


With all my heart
All my soul
All my strength

It's finally here!

We are looking forward to spend time together and in His Presence!

Here is a song that we will be learning and singing during the retreat. If you have time, just sit back, receive every single word and sing it back to Jesus! Let the video play while you are getting the last packing done. Know that you are His precious daughter and nothing is too difficult or too big for Him.
This is going to be a time to remember...like every time we desire to be with Him.

Looking forward to see all your beautiful faces tomorrow!
Be blessed.

Hiking !!

Sue McCabe has looked at the possible hikes and would recommends two.

For all hikes, bring comfortable walking shoes, water and snacks. For those hiking Saturday, bring a sack lunch to carry so we can  begin hiking right after our morning session. Detailed maps are available at the park office for $5.00. 

At 1:00 the state park naturalist will be leading a 1.5 hour/ 1 mile easy hike from the Trading Post.

Cost is $5.

Bark In The Park Dog Walk

Saturdays 1 PM - 2:30 PM until Mar 30, 2013 

Bring your canine friend and join us for an easy forest romp. New sounds, sights, and discoveries for all of us. Dogs must be on a 6-foot leash. You do not have to have a pet to walk with us.

Supported by the Columbus-area Petsmart. Meet next to the Trading Post. Bring water. $5 parking. 706-663-4858.

For those that would like a longer and more vigorous hike I'd suggest the 

Mountain Creek Trail (medium hard)
Blazed Red and starts behind the Trading Post.

This 3.2 mile-long lop trail introduces you to the plants and animals in a mixed oak-pine forest

found along the headwaters of Mountain Creek. As the trail climbs

and descends,

look for changes between the drier ridges and the wetter stream bottoms.

There are also differences due to past human activities.

Early in the morning or just before sunset is a good time to hear woodpeckers tapping on snags

or see deer grazing in forest glades.

For those who would like a hard hike, join Sue McCabe on Friday afternoon to do the 

Wolfden Loop from the WJSP Tower (hard 3-4 hour 6.7 mile hike) .

Sue will leave the church at 11:30 for anyone who would like to ride with her and hike Friday afternoon before we check in.  We will hike first and then check in. Dress for the hike and bring water and a snack. Please contact Sue McCabe (mccabe5@mac.com, ) if you'd like to do this.

Other nice hikes include the Callaway country store hike (easy) which starts at the country store on Hwy 27 and hikes along either side of Hwy 190 

and Dowdell loop (4.3 miles - medium) which starts at the FDR statue at Dowdell Knob.

This hike has panoramic views especially because of recent storms. 

So come and hike!!!

Just as a reminder...

Check this out! Click on the link.

http://prezi.com/ooon7marhakp/present/?auth_key=61tfaho&follow=6ij3thznrh04

Supplies

This week, look around the house and pick some basic art supplies that you may have. It will be very helpful for our Worship and Art Extravaganza on Saturday Night. It would be great if you can bring these next 3 items:

Besides these... whatever you can imagine and you can bring!!

Thanks!!

Very important too:

   A flashlight!!

 

We have now, on the blog, the menu for the retreat. Check it out! We made some last minute changes regarding the cabins so check out that page too. 

Remember to carpool. If you have space in your car, let us know and we will spread the word. There are still several people that need rides. Thanks you so much!

ON AN EXPEDITION

Yesterday, Eden and I took on an expedition to check out the state park.  According to Eden, we were Dora and Boots. She was Dora and so then I had to be Boots, of course. Well, it was quite an adventure!

One thing that I am pretty bad at is directions. Right now, I don't really know if I am facing north or south! I had a pretty bad reputation with Joelle, my 12 years old...until I got my first GPS. Talk about freedom now!

So, yesterday, Eden and I were ready for this adventure. I was just happy that my phone was charged and the car had gas... Another thing that I am not good at in situations like these is to plan ahead. The day looked great, Eden was in good spirits, I did not have to be home until 4pm... what else do you need? ...well...food! How grateful that I am that my 4 year old is pretty much like me and did not realize about the lack of food until ...well...1:30 pm.

Between listening to music and talking, the time passed. But what do you do when you find out that your GPS has taking you somewhere else? We were around the area; maybe 15 miles away from where we had to be. And not only that, my great GPS lost Internet connection as soon as we got close to hills, and forests, and away from cities. We were lost. A senior couple that we found on the road tried to help me but they lost me at hello when he started to say: "from here you turn right, but not after the second light, and then there is a stop sign, turn left and continue for 3 miles, and you will find another stop light so turn then right there and keep going for 10 more miles..." and so on and so on... Those were not the right directions either!

Where do I go now? I knew, I was going to find the way eventually, even if I had to ask every person in that town! The clock was ticking and Eden was going to realize that there was no food in the car and all the little stores around this town were still closed. But, never fear when there are a couple of pieces of candy in your daughter's bag!! So, Eden was happy because she could eat candy before lunch!! From the back, Eden said "Mountaineers (Rich is from WV...so we all are mountaineers at home) never give up!! " Where did that come from?  I will never know but it made me laugh.

I turned left...somewhere and I found myself again in the main street. That was a miracle in itself. I said, Lord help me... and then I see on my left "Visitor's Center". Yes Jesus!!


We parked and walked in. We were in Warm Springs!

The lady inside was so kind... She gave us a map and made us get to our destination after crossing the whole state park. It was long but it was beautiful!

After another 12 miles of driving, we finally got to the registration office. There was a nice fire going on inside this stone building, a black mummified bear with a big open mouth that got Eden's attention from the beginning because, as she said later on, "his mouth was not straight"... am I going to have a dentist in the family, I wonder? We asked for snacks but they did not have any at that moment, only ice cream. It was in the low 40's outside and the only thing available to eat was ice cream! As you can imagine, the weather is not a concern for a 4 year old and when there is hunger it is not either for her mom.

Here are some of the pictures we took on the Dora and Boots expedition:

May the Lord keep preparing your heart to meet Him and enjoy His presence during the retreat.

Love,

Silvi (aka Boots) and Eden

Eden with her ice cream :)



Eden with her ice cream :)



From Eden's survey:

The best of the day: ice cream

The worst of all: pine cones (because they are prickly)

What made me the most tired: walking around!

The scariest: the bear. The lady ranger said that I did not have to be afraid because those bears did not live around the area....but they live in her house.

I did not like: the bear's tail and that the slide in the playground was wet.

The awesomeness: eating lunch...finally!

Book Review

I just wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying the book, "I Quit."  I decided to download it on my IPad and read it before the retreat.  I have felt bad that I said to you that morning that I didn't need to read a book on over functioning - that I don't have that problem.  Well, reading her definition turns out I did need it.  Thanks!  I think it makes a great book for the retreat and really for anyone at any stage in life.  I will probably use it in my counseling practice for referrals.  Thank you so much!

  

Janice Calzolari 

Find your cabin!!!

The cabins have been assigned! There is a new page called Cabins on the top of the blog. Find your cabin number and the amazing ladies that will be your roommates for the weekend.

Remember that it is better to carpool. There is a $5 parking fee per vehicle.

Have a great day!!

Anticipation

One of the meanings of the verb "anticipate" is:

"To look forward to, especially with pleasure; expect ".

The cabins have been assigned already and the magazines keep piling up for our worship and art together. The anticipation grows. What is the Lord going to do among us during our time together? I don't know...but I can't wait!!

May you be blessed.

To clear the stage...

To clear the stage... wow! What a LOT to ask of us!!! We are women; always much to do, our minds filled with thoughts of even more of what we should be doing... not to mention, our loved ones whose needs seem to grow to insurmountable numbers at times.

 

Does our Father really want us to walk away from all he has entrusted to us? Really? 

 

Well, he revealed to David, a teenage boy, that he would be the great king of His chosen people; then, allowed him to be chased through the wilderness for years... in order to come out truly knowing the God who called him.

 

Let's not forget the current life we are studying: Moses, who was told he would deliver Hebrew nation to the promised land... but first, allowed to remain in the wilderness for 40 years... learning some of the greatest attributes of our Holy One.

 

Of course, our Savior himself, often imposing his own sabbatical to retreat into the wilderness and mountains... for refreshing and even vision, in order to affirm His purpose. 

 

Hmmm... there must be something to this pattern of retreat from the job at hand, the demands of our roles (as we perceive them), time spent removed to the wilderness.

 

Will you heed the beckoning?

 

Laquinta Montgomery 

Just 10 Minutes...

Take 10 minutes today. If it can't be now, ask the Lord to remind you to get those 10 minutes later. Close the door to all distractions. Be ready to meet the lover of your soul. Listen to this song and praise Him! .... Hang in there... Stay. Be willing to join, to sing, and raise your hands to worship Him.

Whatever you face today can't compare to the power and love of our Father. What is impossible to you is possible for Him and with Him.

Just 10 minutes... what a way to start the day...

In the beginning...

Before the retreat team gathered in September to talk about our spring retreat, I had already decided that I didn’t want an overnight retreat.   There was no way I was going to help arrange a weekend away.  Just thinking about all the planning and work – I was exhausted.  Besides, wasn’t last year’s day retreat absolutely amazing - why tinker with success, I thought.  Little did I know that I would be out numbered – 5 to 1.  Nothing I said would persuade them to only have a day retreat (I think I even said go home and pray about it and while you are at it find a place where we could go that was cheap).  I thought I had set them up for failure.  Little did I know the Father’s hand was already at work orchestrating all the details for our time away in March.   His hand was already working on my heart showing me MY need to have time away.

Sue

Clear the Stage Song