Oaks Studio's first Interdenominational Rachel's Vineyard Retreat took place this past weekend, and it was wonderful! We had the most unbelievably beautiful weather for all three days! The leaves in their Autumn colors dotted the mountainside near our retreat center, which is located in the picturesque countryside of the Foothills of North Carolina.
Our group worked hard throughout the weekend, and the transformations in the women attending from Friday to Sunday was nothing short of astounding! I feel it is a privilege and an honor to be a part of the experience of such deep and profound healing. To be present and see the Lord minister to these women throughout the weekend is an indescribable blessing to me, and the other facilitators. We laughed together and cried together and shared deeply emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds with each other, while openly worshiping God and seeking His complete healing in every recess of our minds, bodies and spirits. It was awe inspiring! Every weekend I facilitate, I am transported back to my own retreat and realize how changed I was from that weekend forward in my life. I feel immensely blessed to be a part of such a dedicated, and Christ-centered organization, as is Rachel's Vineyard. I am thankful daily for the work that Kevin and Teresa Burke have done and continue to do, along with the thousands of others, like our team, who labor in the Vineyard.
I hope you will consider a weekend retreat, if you are hurting from an abortion experience. We are offering our next retreat on March 15-17, 2013. Women and men are invited to come and spend the weekend working through the program, trusting the process, and experiencing the Divine healing that awaits you. It may seem scary at first to contemplate coming, but in my experience, all who come are so very glad they pushed through and persevered. Give us a call with any questions you may have at 828.919.8020.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Four Huge Outcomes of My Retreat
My Rachel's Vineyard Retreat will forever be a precious memory to me. It was a surreal weekend. It was halloween (which I do not like) that weekend, and the time changed too; these things worked against it, but I minimized their effects in my mind and focused on the "big picture." I loved the rest of the weekend, and will forever be thankful for this gift in my life.
In preparing for some of the activities in the manual for the upcoming retreat, I gained more new insights yesterday. I can't say enough about how much I love insight. Insight is realizing things inside yourself about yourself that you never knew you knew before; it's when the subconscious mind gives the conscious mind a peek inside. Everytime I gain new insight, I consider it a gift from God, a blessing, and I pray for it all the time.
Yesterday, my insight prayers were answered again. I realized that my retreat in 2009 helped me to separate my abortions from my lost children. They are two different things. I used to roll them into one thing. I saw it as abortions=lost children. I didn't realize that I needed to work through the trauma of having the abortions and losing my children...that work is not the same, it is not even parallel. I also realized I had to grieve my lost children, the parts of myself that had died with my unborn children, and my own lost childhood. At the retreat, I was given the opportunity to work on all of this, but even more than that, I was given the opportunity to allow Jesus to ACTIVELY heal these areas of my life. I know when I say that sentence, even if you understand what I am saying, without experiencing it, there is no way you can fully comprehend it. I am saying, I PHYSICALLY FELT healing in my heart, mind and body taking place that weekend. I felt Jesus near me and as real as I can feel a warm blanket wrapped around my skin; and it felt just as cozy, comfortable and as if I was being held close to His beating heart. It was amazing. I wanted it. I was open to it. I let my guards down and focused on my healing, on allowing God to work, to move, allowing the Holy Spirit to be in me and around me and do whatever work needed to be done in those moments of the retreat work.
I pray that if you consider attending one of these retreats, that you will focus not on what people will think of you, how you measure up in the group, whether or not you have anything in common with the other participants or not, or any other superficial thing you can put into that blank. I hope you pray and seek the will of God being done in your life, through the workers who are there because they want your healing for you more than anything else in the world. I pray that it will be just you and Jesus there, with loving spirits there assisting the work you are doing. I pray you will leave the rest of it at home. Seek His healing, His will, His plan for your journey; be open and vulnerable, inviting any and all goodness to come to you and over you and inside you. I pray that you will come to receive the endless gifts that await you, if that's what you hear God whispering in your heart, if you feel lead, if you really want to come. If you come praying for and expecting a miracle, I believe it will happen. I can't wait to witness your healing work and pray that I may be a vessel through which this healing may flow.
I pray, Lord, that you will prepare me to be a loving and effective reflection of You and your mercy. I pray that You will speak through me and the other members of the team, that You will be present in all that we do and say to each other, and that You will bless and heal all who come according to Your infinite power, riches and glory in heaven!
In preparing for some of the activities in the manual for the upcoming retreat, I gained more new insights yesterday. I can't say enough about how much I love insight. Insight is realizing things inside yourself about yourself that you never knew you knew before; it's when the subconscious mind gives the conscious mind a peek inside. Everytime I gain new insight, I consider it a gift from God, a blessing, and I pray for it all the time.
"You will seek me and find me then you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29:13
Yesterday, my insight prayers were answered again. I realized that my retreat in 2009 helped me to separate my abortions from my lost children. They are two different things. I used to roll them into one thing. I saw it as abortions=lost children. I didn't realize that I needed to work through the trauma of having the abortions and losing my children...that work is not the same, it is not even parallel. I also realized I had to grieve my lost children, the parts of myself that had died with my unborn children, and my own lost childhood. At the retreat, I was given the opportunity to work on all of this, but even more than that, I was given the opportunity to allow Jesus to ACTIVELY heal these areas of my life. I know when I say that sentence, even if you understand what I am saying, without experiencing it, there is no way you can fully comprehend it. I am saying, I PHYSICALLY FELT healing in my heart, mind and body taking place that weekend. I felt Jesus near me and as real as I can feel a warm blanket wrapped around my skin; and it felt just as cozy, comfortable and as if I was being held close to His beating heart. It was amazing. I wanted it. I was open to it. I let my guards down and focused on my healing, on allowing God to work, to move, allowing the Holy Spirit to be in me and around me and do whatever work needed to be done in those moments of the retreat work.
I pray that if you consider attending one of these retreats, that you will focus not on what people will think of you, how you measure up in the group, whether or not you have anything in common with the other participants or not, or any other superficial thing you can put into that blank. I hope you pray and seek the will of God being done in your life, through the workers who are there because they want your healing for you more than anything else in the world. I pray that it will be just you and Jesus there, with loving spirits there assisting the work you are doing. I pray you will leave the rest of it at home. Seek His healing, His will, His plan for your journey; be open and vulnerable, inviting any and all goodness to come to you and over you and inside you. I pray that you will come to receive the endless gifts that await you, if that's what you hear God whispering in your heart, if you feel lead, if you really want to come. If you come praying for and expecting a miracle, I believe it will happen. I can't wait to witness your healing work and pray that I may be a vessel through which this healing may flow.
I pray, Lord, that you will prepare me to be a loving and effective reflection of You and your mercy. I pray that You will speak through me and the other members of the team, that You will be present in all that we do and say to each other, and that You will bless and heal all who come according to Your infinite power, riches and glory in heaven!
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