My mini-retreat

On the theme of "Quiet Time" the Lord has given me a unique opportunity this weekend. My husband has gone on a business trip for the weekend and I have decided to have "mini-retreat" with the Lord. Have you ever done that? Do you ever have a time where you can just get away with the Lord for an extended length of time? You know we take vacations all the time (well, some of us do!) They may be for a whole week or just a few days. They may be to the beach or with family in other states or countries. But getting away from the normal routine is good for what ails you. And getting away with the Lord for a weekend is just what the doctor ordered for me.

So yesterday after Rick left, I got all of my "quiet time" materials, plus some other stuff, and settled on the dining room table. I have been trying to wade through several books by Chip Ingram (Good to Great, God as He Longs for You to See Him) that have been incredible encouragements to my family so I stacked those up as well. I have also been working through A Heart Like His by Beth Moore so it is here, too. The spiral notebook that I keep my quiet time notes in as well as prayers and prayer requests is also here. I have some great music - Chris Tomlin, Nicole Nordeman, etc. Three DVDs that I highly recommend by Louie Giglio (Indescribable, How Great is Our God, and Hope) are also something I wanted to watch this weekend.

After I got all of my materials together, I sat down and began to just read through Psalm 88 which is where I am right now. I read out loud (which is always so good and so effective in keeping you focused and keeping Satan away). Within moments the Lord was speaking to me and I thought of the song I heard at my oldest daughter's church recently:
Beautiful are the words spoken to me
Beautiful is the One who is speaking
Come in close, come in close and speak
Come in close, come closer to me.
He is so real. He is so awesome. As I watched the three DVDs I mentioned, I was reminded of just how BIG our God is and what a privilege it is to be in a relationship with Him. He is the Creator of all things and yet He knows my name and desires to have a relationship with me. How stupid of me NOT to meet with Him in a concentrated way daily knowing that He is IN ME and WITH ME all through the day. Amazing.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the first 8 hours of my mini-retreat were awesome! He wants to speak to us so much but we just rarely ever give Him the chance.

I know many of you are getting ready for your kids to go back to school or back to college or whatever. Can you imagine how a mini-retreat would jump start your fall? Think about it.