Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
We hope the ‘dog days’ of summer have not got you down. It may be too hot over much of the country (it certainly has been here in the south!), but things at Biblical Families are just beginning to heat up in a good way – we look forward to sharing several new developments, including new radio shows, with you over the coming months – we think we’ll have something for everyone.
This month we want to look back quickly at our July 4th retreat, which saw 55 people come together at a beautiful location, and the weather in the mountains was just perfect – perfect enough to turn a 30-minute hike into a 3-hour affair, even! I’ll just let some folks who attended speak for themselves:
“I was utterly and completely blessed through each aspect. The live praise and worship music did my heart so much good and was only the beginning to having my heart opened wide to the work of the Lord in my life. I can honestly say that God truly did show up at this retreat and made some wonderful changes. Those who allowed God to work in and through them were huge blessings. Thank you for the ministry that you provide and for being willing to allow the Lord to work through you. This retreat has left me changed from the inside out and it's one of those forever kind of changes.”
“My girls had such a great time and are asking when the next time they can see their new friends again is. I feel so refreshed and so blessed to have been part of this retreat.”
“For all of you that have never been to a weekend retreat, let me tell you that it is well worth it. Each new person or family that decides to attend always feels a little apprehensive at first, but we quickly brainwash them and in no time, they love it.”
“I was touched by the courage I encountered in hearing peoples' stories, as well the determination to pursue personal wholeness and surrender to God irrespective of whether or not there is a change in anyone's marital status. The fact that biblical marriage was only a part of the fellowship and not in any way a "hobby horse" theological topic was also refreshing.”
You can read the entire quotes and see who they are from in this retreat thread. Many thanks to Cecil and to Ali for our first retreat with live music! Hopefully it won’t be our last!
Sacramento retreat
So, what’s next? That would be a west Coast retreat in Sacramento, Oct 1st-3rd, 2010. The west coast will be a completely different set of people, so we are really looking forward to this (not that we don’t love all our East coast friends!) We should be ready to announce a location in a few weeks, but now is the time to email us your interest – and if you are trying to make it or will definitely be making it: retreats@biblicalfamilies.org If you want to encourage others publically on attending, here’s a thread that was started on the Sacramento retreat.
New Fall retreat!
After the July 4th retreat, many of the East-coasters said ‘what’s next, we can’t wait until next year to get together!’ So we have a plan – a retreat that may be of special interest to some, with a focus on some ‘heavy thinking’ (we’ll just leave it at that teaser for now) – but still plenty of time for fellowship. (It’s round the clock fellowship at a BF retreat, anyway.) This retreat will be in the south, likely Mississippi or Alabama (it’ll be colder then). We’d like your input to pick a weekend, from these two choices: Dec 3-5th , or Dec 31st-Jan 2nd (since it’s the holiday weekend, we could have the option of extending the retreat – perhaps starting on Thursday night, the 30th.) We will choose whichever weekend will include the most people – so please send your comments on the date to us now: retreats@biblicalfamilies.org
‘Seeking’ by Nathan
Guys, have you ever spent a great deal of time seeking for something that you really wanted, needed or coveted – only to find it didn’t satisfy you for very long? Could be the latest electronics, or a ’68 Mustang, or could be… a wife. That’s what happens so often in our society – a focus on ‘what I need’, and instant gratification of that need – leading to disappointment, and all too often divorce, in the case of seeking a spouse. What did Jesus say about it? “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I absolutely believe that applies to marriage. It’s all about priorities isn’t it? Are we seeking His will first – and trusting him for all our needs? This does mean we can’t ever pursue something – but it does mean making those desires secondary to what He has for us is what will bring lasting satisfaction. Learning to be content (as Paul was in Philippians 4:11) with where He has placed us for the moment, will keep us from always seeking more – and give us the time we often need to distinguish what is really in His best interests for us, and what is just our misplaced desires. I’d encourage you to pray and ask ‘how can I seek your kingdom, God’ – even when it comes to seeking a spouse; it may lead you in an unexpected direction, but if it’s the direction He would choose to point you in, it’s certain to bring long term satisfaction.
We hope the ‘dog days’ of summer have not got you down. It may be too hot over much of the country (it certainly has been here in the south!), but things at Biblical Families are just beginning to heat up in a good way – we look forward to sharing several new developments, including new radio shows, with you over the coming months – we think we’ll have something for everyone.
This month we want to look back quickly at our July 4th retreat, which saw 55 people come together at a beautiful location, and the weather in the mountains was just perfect – perfect enough to turn a 30-minute hike into a 3-hour affair, even! I’ll just let some folks who attended speak for themselves:
“I was utterly and completely blessed through each aspect. The live praise and worship music did my heart so much good and was only the beginning to having my heart opened wide to the work of the Lord in my life. I can honestly say that God truly did show up at this retreat and made some wonderful changes. Those who allowed God to work in and through them were huge blessings. Thank you for the ministry that you provide and for being willing to allow the Lord to work through you. This retreat has left me changed from the inside out and it's one of those forever kind of changes.”
“My girls had such a great time and are asking when the next time they can see their new friends again is. I feel so refreshed and so blessed to have been part of this retreat.”
“For all of you that have never been to a weekend retreat, let me tell you that it is well worth it. Each new person or family that decides to attend always feels a little apprehensive at first, but we quickly brainwash them and in no time, they love it.”
“I was touched by the courage I encountered in hearing peoples' stories, as well the determination to pursue personal wholeness and surrender to God irrespective of whether or not there is a change in anyone's marital status. The fact that biblical marriage was only a part of the fellowship and not in any way a "hobby horse" theological topic was also refreshing.”
You can read the entire quotes and see who they are from in this retreat thread. Many thanks to Cecil and to Ali for our first retreat with live music! Hopefully it won’t be our last!
Sacramento retreat
So, what’s next? That would be a west Coast retreat in Sacramento, Oct 1st-3rd, 2010. The west coast will be a completely different set of people, so we are really looking forward to this (not that we don’t love all our East coast friends!) We should be ready to announce a location in a few weeks, but now is the time to email us your interest – and if you are trying to make it or will definitely be making it: retreats@biblicalfamilies.org If you want to encourage others publically on attending, here’s a thread that was started on the Sacramento retreat.
New Fall retreat!
After the July 4th retreat, many of the East-coasters said ‘what’s next, we can’t wait until next year to get together!’ So we have a plan – a retreat that may be of special interest to some, with a focus on some ‘heavy thinking’ (we’ll just leave it at that teaser for now) – but still plenty of time for fellowship. (It’s round the clock fellowship at a BF retreat, anyway.) This retreat will be in the south, likely Mississippi or Alabama (it’ll be colder then). We’d like your input to pick a weekend, from these two choices: Dec 3-5th , or Dec 31st-Jan 2nd (since it’s the holiday weekend, we could have the option of extending the retreat – perhaps starting on Thursday night, the 30th.) We will choose whichever weekend will include the most people – so please send your comments on the date to us now: retreats@biblicalfamilies.org
‘Seeking’ by Nathan
Guys, have you ever spent a great deal of time seeking for something that you really wanted, needed or coveted – only to find it didn’t satisfy you for very long? Could be the latest electronics, or a ’68 Mustang, or could be… a wife. That’s what happens so often in our society – a focus on ‘what I need’, and instant gratification of that need – leading to disappointment, and all too often divorce, in the case of seeking a spouse. What did Jesus say about it? “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I absolutely believe that applies to marriage. It’s all about priorities isn’t it? Are we seeking His will first – and trusting him for all our needs? This does mean we can’t ever pursue something – but it does mean making those desires secondary to what He has for us is what will bring lasting satisfaction. Learning to be content (as Paul was in Philippians 4:11) with where He has placed us for the moment, will keep us from always seeking more – and give us the time we often need to distinguish what is really in His best interests for us, and what is just our misplaced desires. I’d encourage you to pray and ask ‘how can I seek your kingdom, God’ – even when it comes to seeking a spouse; it may lead you in an unexpected direction, but if it’s the direction He would choose to point you in, it’s certain to bring long term satisfaction.