Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Tennessee Traveler

For the pathway that lies before me,
my Heavenly Father knows--
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments
just as He unfolds the rose

When I was invited to the Loving Well Retreat in the Tennessee mountains two months ago, something inside said, GO.  I knew only one woman among the intimate group of 20+, but from the moment our Friday road trip began two weeks ago, I knew this would be a special three-day journey.  The four-hour drive gave us four gals time to laugh, chat, eat Mexican in Asheville, NC, and get to know each other.  The cozy cabin we stayed in was our haven away from home for three days, and after the first evening of listening to Session 1 of Beth Moore's Loving Well, we realized how much we needed this getaway.

On Saturday, we all lounged in the main cabin in our PJ's from breakfast until lunch (so fun!).  After Session 3 of Beth Moore's video, we had afternoon free time, which I spent resting, hiking, and talking to God about life's issues He already knew all about.  Without going into detail, Beth spoke on four types of people in our lives who we are commanded to love:
Joy:  Joy is easy to be around.  Hopefully, we know lots of them.  And hopefully, YOU are a joy to be around.
Testy:  Testy rubs us the wrong way, annoys us, and makes us want to run in the opposite direction.  Oh, by the way, sorry to bring this up, but it's usually a family member.  And guess what?  YOU might be someones Testy!    
Foe:  Foe is someone you hope you never come in contact with again; your feelings towards Foe sometimes teeters between dislike and hate.   Do you have a Foe in your life?
Far:  We don't come in contact with Far, but Jesus tells us to love them by reaching out, perhaps by giving an offering or something they need, or better yet, taking a mission trip to meet Far.

The weekend gave me much to ponder and pray about.  I came home refreshed, and I plan to spend more quality face-to-face time, and less social networking time.  Can I get an Amen to that?
  
Thank you, Kathy Owens, for working so hard to make our week-end special and loving.  I made some sweet friends in those Tennessee mountains.

Tips for retreat-travel:  (1) bring a pocket full of flexibility with you. Change is good, (from food to daily scheduling), no matter what you may think. (2)  If your Testy, try being Joy for the week-end and see what happens. (3) Travel light, incase you have to trek up a steep hill to your cabin.

I wish you oceans of blessings and smooth sailing on your next retreat-getaway.  Let me know how it goes!

My foot has held fast to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
Job 23:11 NASB

1 comment:

simplewithsyd said...

Sure love the scrippy, my travel Lady of the Sea! :)

On life's journey, whether traveling around the world or walking around your block, there's lots to learn about life, faith, friendship and fun! so lets dive into a new ocean together ... and lets keep that body movin'!