Spring Retreat 2007

So it was not quite last minute, but it almost seemed that way when I decided to go on the annual Chi Alpha Spring retreat. I know one year I didnt feel al that led to go (and later regretted not going)and another year, I had the stupid writing proficiency exam. It felt weird not going as a college student anymore. As it was, I needed this trip (and mom thought so too, as she told me to go). These past six months or so have been pretty taxing on me, mentally, emotionally, physically...Spiritually, I just needed a good recharge.

Opening questions for the firt night of our weekend, used as sort of an icebreaker i guess:
Favorite family holiday moment
Unique holiday traditions
...and my personal favorite
Name a T.V. family that most resembles yours
I couldnt think of any at first, but as people in our group were mentioning theirs, I racked my brain, finally deciding upon "Home Improvement"s the Taylor family. My dad having, having worked in contruction for ovr thirty years, has a lot of similarities. He is always finding ways to make improvements in the house, and mom is always going nuts because of it.

When we were later goign over the weekend, How Beautiful asked about our traditional bonfire and smores making. "Can we have a forest fire?"

From the time I decided to go on the Spring Retreat, I had wondered who the speaker was goign to be and what the topic was. I learned on the drive home that the speaker the Chi Alpha leadership had hoped for had fallen through, but that one of our staffers had decided that she really wanted the topic to still be on Relationships. It was decided that all four leaders would speak on the topic. (Great job peeps!)

Here are the highlights from each message:

Rocky - Family
Psalm 147:2 and he heals the brokenhearted
Genesis 22:1 and 2 Gods way or my way
Submission to God
God gives a thankful heart
(this road is what led you to Me)

Krysty - Differences b/t male and female
Men and Women of God
Our deepest desires
men
battle to fight
come out the victor
An adventure to live
A beauty to rescue

women
We want to be romanced - we are relational to the core. I am a people person. I crave being around people. I love my alone times, but there are times I am alone that I long to be around people. We want to play an irreplacable role in a man's adventure
We want to be found beautiful

Our deepest enemies
men - passivity
women - abortion (as in our dreams)
we must not be worth it
We can offer our gifts

I am complete in my Savior

Scott - Junk
Junk = Soul wounds
what hurts dating, friends, family members may have caused
Soul Wounds
distrust the idea of love
deep insecurity in our life
"maybe this is my destiny"
dream less, run away fronm real lovers
God -"I am your only healer"
Let God choose the devices for healing

God-sized dreams
allow God to plant new ones, revive the old
require a belief in love
Ask God to reaffirm who you are

Jess - Friendships
Friends cannot do for you what God can
John 15: 13 What ways do I (even miles away) pray?
Friends can become idols

God as Father, Lover, Friend

Saturday night, I sat out by the bonfire for a few hours (or so it seemed). Later on uin teh evening I sat silent, listening to the water run adn looking at the light and dark play upon the water, beautiful. There is something about a body of water (stream, river, lake, ocean) that leaves me in awe of God. I would one day love to live on or near a stream, river or lake somewhere here in Montana. When we moved to Corvallis, Montana years ago, we had horses, dogs, barncats, chickens, cows...and forty acres. I was living a childhood dream. After my parents moved away and I into the dorms and later the girls house I told God thzt if I never got that again it was okay. Aside from all the crazy physical stuff I went through, it was the three best years of my life.I started missing it this weekend. Siting there I felt His Spirit challenge me to hold on to those dreams, to seee what God wuld do with them.

Adventures in Preschool III - Jacks

Do you remember the childhood game 'Jacks', the game where you bounce a ball and pick up so many jacks before the ball bounces again? Anyway, as part of the kiddo's free time, there was a set of jacks on the table, our "manipulatives". i thought it wsa strange that there were jacks on the table and nothing else. I thought to myself'now what are the kids supposed to do with those?", but they found ways to entertain themselves. Children would line them up and count them, for one. I picked one up and spun it on its tip, watching it spin really fast before it suddenly slowed down and then suddenly stopped spinnning altogether. I did this a few more times and pretty soon, preschoolers were commenting on how cool that was . Before i knew it, I had five preschoolers around me all spinning jacks. There were different kinds too, plastic, metal, hard, soft. Some spun easier than others. For at least half an hour, I had different children at this table. One of the teachers walked by me, I turned to her and said "I think I started something". She laughed

Ponderables IV

So I was reading the Parade Magazine in the Sunday missoulian today. One regular article that is run at least once a year or more gives salary amounts of different people in the workforce. Not just famous people but average people too. While reading (I skipped the article and just looked at pictures of people and their job description /$$$)I had a thought cross my mind.

Why do actors get paid more money than people who save lives? Even the President of the United States and his people dont get paid as much!!!

That's really odd.

Artichoke

Live Search Images: Artichoke


Krysty, Rael, Amanda, and her mom were intrigued by my vegetable choice for tonights dinner. With my mother being in town, she has made a few meals in our kitchen. Tonight, I had what was left over from the other night(I can never seem to eat the whole thing!).

I grew up on artichokes basically. What you do is peel the leaves (the pointy thingies) off of the heart (the best part). Some people dip them in butter, but IM grew up dipping the ends in mayo and scraping the inside of the leaf with my teeth. Yum! Then, you scrape the inside of the heart (grasslike stuff, YUK) and slather the inside with mayo and pepper, Then eat the whole thing. Quite good.

The fun part is trying to get the leaves into the pot m,om sets aside. A lot of times, we tend to miss. Oops, what a mess!