I can't remember the first time I heard Norah Jones' song, "Come away with me", but at a ladies retreat years later, her voice and its soulful jazz melodies came rushing back to mind as God reminded me in the midst of a busy and stressful season of life that He wanted me to "Come away with Him!"
In Mark 6:31 we see very clearly Jesus' desire to invite his disciples into rest, even in the midst of a very busy ministry. "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
No doubt, most of us, are in a very busy season. Work, family, children, school, service opportunities within the community... However, the Lord's heart is for His daughters to know and trust Him; His truths, His promises and to be able to rest in Him despite the chaos we can often find ourselves in. And while it can be difficult to get some undistracted time to spend with our heavenly Father, this weekend has been designed to do just that. Our heart is to create intentional space for each of you to be reminded of God's promises to you, to be reminded of the ways He has held you in the palm of His hand, how He has journeyed with you in years gone by, and to allow you to once again be woed by the Lover of your soul as he beckons you - "Come Away with Me"
In order to serve this intentional purpose, we won't be dividing into small groups, and there will be, perhaps, less bonding time with each other, but hopefully, more space to bond with the "Mighty Warrior who takes great delight in you and rejoices over you with singing." We'll hear, via DVD, from Naomi Zacharias, Lysa Terkeurst, Amena Brown and Jeanne Stevens as they bring a number of women from Scripture to life and share God's heart for them and for us. We've also created a number of stations around the church for you to spend some time by yourself reflecting on what's been discussed and rediscovering Scriptures that speak love and hope and reassurance despite our failures and shortcomings.
Looking forward to meeting with you,
Suzanne DeGroot and the GROW Women’s Ministries of UDAC