The Princess Party with Sisters In Christ!

I was Honored to Attend The Princess Warriors' Retreat, April 30 - May 2, in Beautiful Oaxaca, Mexico

I was blessed beyond words by this retreat! 

IF you are looking at this post, I strongly encourage you to read the 4 or 5 posts below this as well. 

Included in those posts are the notes I wrote in my journal as the speakers ministered to us through the Word of God & shared their life experiences. 

Those posts include an explanation of what it means to be a Princess Warrior. 

Also included in those posts are stories about my experiences during that weekend and pictures of the beautiful scenery of Oaxaca, Mexico!  

So, go ahead ~ take 10 minutes & read on!  :) 

The decorating of our meeting room was VERY secretive!  The Retreat Committee wouldn't let us upstairs at all until they "said so!"  Boy, oh boy, what a surprise the transformation was!  The tables were so beautifully decorated!  There were these hand-made shields & swords all over!   There were hand-made princess crowns for each of us!

 

 They had created enough SCRUMPTIOUS tiramisu for each of us to have a gigantic piece! (I think it was Sandy who made it?) WOW, that was amazing = rich, dense, goodness!

 These pretty bags were lit with candles & lined the pathway...

Donna used her photography skills to take this picture of the group, at the end of the night.  BUT, she is not in it...  :(

Ok, yes, I'll admit it ~ I FELT LIKE A PRINCESS!  :)

 

Notable Quotes from the “Contemplative Prayer” Session

Saturday, May 1, 2010 ~ at the Ladies’ Retreat
* Habakkuk 2:20 ~ “The LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

* Contemplative Prayer means Listening Prayer (or Meditative Prayer) ~ it’s not just a prayer of thanks or a prayer of asking God for help with our requests…
* Contemplative Prayer is where we actually spend time allowing God to speak to our hearts through prayer & His Word.
* Meditation follows hearing (or reading) the Word. Meditation leads to prayer. To pray without meditation is not allowing God to speak to us.

* Life is not going to stop to give us time to pray. We need to stop life for prayer!
* It is a CHOICE and I am in charge of finding a time and a place to be still before God!
* We need to make it a regular routine. Others around us need to know not to disturb us during this time. (This would be family, if you’re praying at home, or co-workers if you are praying on a break at work…)

* Isaiah 32:18 ~ “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, they will enjoy peace & quiet in undisturbed places of rest.” (mix of NIV & NIrV)

* Matthew 17:5 ~ But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to Him.”

* I need to enter into His presence, close my mouth, & just allow Him to speak…
* Intimacy through silence brings revelation and revelation brings changes in our lives.
* It is really difficult for us to just sit & be silent! Silence leaves us vulnerable.  But, when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, before our Loving Creator, He will show us areas that need change & He'll affirm what we're doing right...  It's worth the risk of being vulnerable to develop that intimacy!

* IF you are stuck ~ sometimes the best place to start is with what you’re struggling with! (Forgiveness? Contentment? Gratefulness? God’s Provision?) Just look up verses on the topic you’re dealing with. Read a verse or two or three…then, think about those verses. Ask God what He wants you to learn from those verses. Ask specifically. He IS the author of the Book, after all!

* Question to reflect on ~ “How would I pray differently if God was sitting across a table from me?” Do my prayers sound like a conversation ~ or they all one sided?
* Question to reflect on ~ “How would I respond to His Word differently if God was standing in my kitchen?” Would I be so quick to close the Bible after reading it? Or, would I ask the author questions about what I just read? Would I ask Him how to apply it to situations in my life?

* God doesn’t want perfection! He does not ask me to be perfect! He just wants us to walk faithfully, to have a growing spiritual walk, to reflect His love to others! Contemplative Prayer is a tool that enables us to do this!

Notable Quotes from “The Elephant In The Room” Session

Saturday, May 1, 2010 ~ at the Ladies’ Retreat
The session called "The Elephant In The Room" was about getting us to honestly look at our lives, to recognize the strongholds in our lives, & to choose to put God first to eliminate the strongholds that rule our lives.

* “Strongholds” are:
     ...anything that exalts itself in our minds
     ...anything that we allow to be bigger and more powerful than our God.
     ...the idols of my heart.
* If something is an idol in my life, that means I have put it above God in my life.
* If something is an idol in my life, that means I have given it more importance than it deserves!

* I know it is a stronghold when it is demanded in my life.
     For example: I must be shown respect!
     For example: Saul’s ambition against David
     For example: Annanias & Sappharia wanted to look good in the Christian community

* We can identify idols in our lives by examining these statements:
     “I would be completely happy if only….”
     “I don’t care how ________ feels about it, I will….”
     “Please, don’t ask me to give up my __________.”
     “You need to give me _(respect, etc…)_______ or I’ll be upset with you (or become angry with you, or act cold towards you).
     “If only ____________ would change, I would be happy, content, joyful, or satisfied.”

* When I find myself having a huge negative emotion that wells up inside of me, then, that is a STRONG indicator that whatever caused that emotional reaction is an idol in my life!

* The ONLY way that we can be at PEACE and experience FREEDOM, is to lay down our idols!

For anyone who is reading THIS ~ I also wanted to share with you a friend's post that I just read TODAY about this very same issue ~ the idols of our lives.  She is a missionary to Mexico, who is currently on "furlough" (home service).  She's a great writer!  So, go ahead & click HERE to read her honest thoughts about idols.

Some of My Favorite Quotes from Saturday’s 2nd Session

More Quotes from Saturday, May 1st, at the Ladies’ Retreat
* a question for reflection: “Which one of these describes me right now? Am I glowing brightly? Am I shining softly? Am I burning dimly? Or, am I flickering faintly?”

* “When we are in great trials, God has a specific Word for us! God gave a personal Word to: David, Elizabeth, Abraham, Samuel, Daniel, Mary, Joseph (husband of Mary), Joseph (who was sold by his brothers), Hosea, Moses, Paul…the list goes on. Ask yourself, ‘Are these people more special than me?’ Ask yourself, ‘Is God still speaking to His children today?’ Then, ask God specific questions about your situation. Get into the Bible, be still, and listen for His Word directly to you! The word REMA is God’s specific Word, a personal Word for you.”

* “God promises in Psalm 149 that He will beautify the humble. “

* “We ARE Princess Warriors, but we don’t recognize it or believe it! We have a whole arsenal of weapons against the enemy! Our weapons include the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of Truth, taking our thoughts captive, the Holy Spirit, perfect love that casts out fear, forgiveness, perseverance through difficulties, the choice to praise no matter what, the authority of the name of Jesus, the Word of our testimony, fasting, fellowship, carrying each others’ burdens, & truth that sets us free!”

* “We need to choose to praise God, even in the midst of our difficulties. Our enemy can’t function well in an atmosphere saturated with praise! So, we CAN beat him!”

* We need to agree with these verses, even when we’re not feeling it, because they are a promise! Philippians 4:4-9 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

* “Be a vessel, pouring out & giving of all that you have received!”

* “The command to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ isn’t just about having kids. It is also about making disciples. How do we today ‘be fruitful & multiply?’ We need to be constantly growing to produce fruit. We need to be worshipping. We are ambassadors for God, sharing His life with others. Those who believe in the Word because of our testimony is the fulfillment of ‘be fruitful and multiply’.”

Some of My Favorite Quotes (Saturday Morning Session)

Quotes from Saturday Morning, May 1st, at the Ladies’ Retreat
* This session began with the statement and question: “When we know who we are in Christ, we are encouraged and built up! It is much easier to recognize beauty in others than in ourselves.  Am I beautiful?  Let's look in Scripture & see, How Does God Describe Us?” Here are just a few of the answers I was able to catch and write down in my journal as the speaker was speaking:
I am qualified, made fit, delivered, rescued from the kingdom of darkness, a new creation, invigorated, strengthened with all power, forgiven, brought back for Himself, chosen, renewed into a new woman, constantly being remolded into His likeness, freely forgiven, have power to endure all that comes, all my days are foreordained, I am adopted, I was planned, I am redeemed, He has lavished upon me wisdom and understanding, He has destined and appointed me to live for His glory, He is making known to me His plan, He gives me His portion, He extends gracious favor to me, He gives me hope in Christ, I have confidence through Him, He has made me alive, I am loved with intense love, I have been brought into fellowship & union with Christ, I am saved by grace, I am God’s own handiwork!!!!

* Next, I have written in my journal a few of the lines to the song, “Word Of God, Speak” ~ this song has been recorded by several groups, Kutless & Mercy Me are two of my favorites. I guess we sang this song & that’s probably why I wrote it in my journal? MOST of the songs that they sang during this weekend, I was familiar with. Some, were brand new. It was a good mix, to be comforted by the familiar songs & encouraged by the new ones.
I have copied and pasted the lyrics for you here…read them carefully…& let the Word of God Speak to YOU! (OR, to hear the song & see the lyrics at the same time, click here.)
I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is, it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say
Word of God, speak
Would you pour down like rain?
Washing my eyes to see Your majesty
To be still and know You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest in Your holiness
Word of God, speak
I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet, hear Your voice
Word of God, speak

* The next thing in my journal is a quote from the speaker of this session: “I have had a long journey with Jesus of learning to be still, and I am still learning!”

* She asked us to consider this question: “Am I so busy that I am multi-tasking during my daily quite time with God? He says to be STILL before Him! We need to just STOP! REST! LISTEN!” She said, “It is tough, because as soon as we are still, we remember things that need to be done, we are so easily distracted. But, Psalm 46 verse 10 says “Be still, and know that I am God!” But, the rest of the verse tells us WHY we need to be still: “I will be exalted in every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

* Another quote that really spoke to me was: “If we’re distracted and frazzled during our quiet times with God, then we’ll end up frantic and frustrated all day!”

* She challenged us to not let “the white noise of our lives, cause us to become deaf to God’s voice whispering to us.”

* She reminded us that “His desire is for us to sit at His feet so that we can filter the rest of our day through that time of refreshment. But, to listen to God’s voice requires us first to be silent! He wants to fill us, but first we need to let go of worry & frustration, & just be still! It is a CHOICE! We must choose to and determine to be still!”

Day 14 ~ Some of My Favorite Quotes & Pictures

Quotes from Friday, April 30th, at the Ladies’ Retreat, & Pictures of the Beauty Surrounding Us There
It was a team of 4 missionary ladies who came to speak to us at the weekend retreat. They had been missionaries for decades, in various parts of the world. All 4 of them are now based in the United States, working for Wycliffe Bible Translators. They spoke encouragement to us, they taught us from the Word what God has taught to them through experiences, they spoke to us not as superiors but as sisters in Christ, they prayed for each one of us, they taught us new songs, they weren’t afraid to be silly just to make us laugh, they brought us hand-made gifts from the states, they gave each lady a giftbag filled with treasures not easily obtained here, etc… The point is ~ they blessed us in SO many ways!

While they were speaking, I was taking notes like crazy ~ wanting to soak in all the rich goodness! There were hours and hours of teachings, sharing, & workshops… So, I’ll share here JUST A FEW of my favorite quotes from Friday. It is my prayerful hope that whoever is reading this would be tremendously blessed by these words of truth, as I was! (Since I was really amazed by the beauty of this place, I am also going to insert a picture after each of my favorite quotes ~ praise God for the beauty of His creation & for the creativity He has given some of His kids to create such beautiful things!)

* They sang a song to us, then taught it to us.  It included “we can do together what we cannot do apart, we can change the way things are, if we have a change of heart, just like Nehemiah, who needed everyone to rebuild the walls, we can do together what we cannot do apart” ~ We are the Family of God & we need our Sisters in Christ!

* she “was praying for healing for 12 years, but God chose to wait 12 years to heal her” ~ Sometimes, we might not understand God’s way of thinking, why He would allow certain things. But, if we say we trust Him, we NEED to trust Him!

* “when we live with a fear of rejection, we so much want to be seen as perfectly perfect that we are actually approval addicts. Then, when we FEEL rejected, there’s a hole in us with a vacancy sign that the enemy can “enter in” ~ the reality is that life is full of rejections!”

* “it’s about learning to rest, to abide, to sit at His feet & sometimes, to sit on His shoulders, just to get a different perspective” ~ I just LOVE this word picture! I can picture my 3-year old twin niece & nephew insisting that their Daddy (my nearly 6-foot tall brother) carry them on his shoulders. I can imagine that part of the reason they love being up there is because it is special time with their Daddy. But, I can also imagine that they love seeing more of the world around them from that point of view, instead of being their little 3-foot tall selves!

* “living by faith, without feelings isn’t real – the soldiers, David, Hannah, Job, Rachael, Elisha, Peter, Jesus = they all wept!” It’s okay to cry!!! It is okay to be real! It is okay to be honest with our feelings!

* “there’s no container known to man that can contain bitterness – it leaks out to those around us!” WOW! How true is this?

* One speaker shared a personal experience of how she was very upset with someone who had wronged her. She said that “we become chained to those that we allow to bother us.” She read 1 John 4 & said that she “had held onto it, but God said to her that she needed to change the tapes in her brain, God told her to pray blessings over this person, to give the unforgiveness she felt up to God, then to write this person & ask for forgiveness because she was refusing to drag it around with her for the rest of her life”

* “Amazing Grace isn’t just for when we get saved, it’s for now, for everyday!” Boy, oh boy, we DO need grace every single day, don’t we? In speaking with the OCS principal yesterday, he asked me if I would be willing to do something. I confidently told him, “I believe that God provides sufficient grace for whatever He has called us to & for the period of time He has called us to it!” Amazing Grace!!!

* We were all challenged to “LISTEN to the voice of God on the behalf of others. When a thought comes to mind, or when you sense a verse…TELL them, share that with them, because that is God wanting to speak through you to bless others!”

* We were reminded that even in the midst of troubles, “He is STILL the Prince of Peace!”

* These are the lyrics to a song they sang, that I absolutely loved: “When nothing but a miracle can do, there’s nothing He cannot do, He is more than faithful & He will bring you through! There’s nothing the hand of God can’t do, He is more than able to bring you through!”