Report of Warrior PresWIC's 2009 Spiritual Retreat

If you were unable to join us for the Spiritual Retreat, you were missed!!! We had a great time of fellowship, heard a great speaker, and were sheltered from the very hard rain! (Thanks to Demopolis for supplying the report.)

Please make plans to attend the January meeting which will be held on January 23, 2010 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa.

Warrior Pres-WIC’s 2009 Spiritual Retreat

Approximately 64 ladies and 5 guests met at the Centreville Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Though it was raining (hard) outside, we enjoyed a wonderful time together in sweet fellowship and learning. Edna Gleason was our featured speaker. She spoke on Jesus: the secret to a satisfied heart. Using Hebrews 12:1-3 as our guide. We learned what the Bible teaches us about Jesus and then how to apply that to our lives. Below is a short summary of some points Edna brought to us:

Though we grow weary, we need to get back to the joy of knowing “My Jesus”. We please God by believing and following in faith. Hebrews 10:32-34. If we personalize Hebrews 12: You are my righteous one, one that I have made, you are mine, do not lose heart, continue to trust in me, “Trust Me”, run the particular race that I marked for you.

A little known fact is that in nature, there is a certain order as to how the birds begin to sing every morning. The birds with the largest eyes sing first. If we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, then our hearts will sing.

Peace comes from hearts satisfied in Jesus. We don’t have to be anxious because He has a plan for me and nothing can change that plan.

We then looked at some points of what Jesus is:

• Perfect harmony with His Father
• Creator
• He holds everything together
• He is in complete submission to His Father
• Obeyed his parents (ones that He created)
• He Loved God’s Word
• Lived a simple life (though he created all things)
• Never coveted
• Loves his followers though they were sinners
• Loved children
• He wept
• Loved God with his whole heart
• Loved his neighbor with no sinful anger
• Was always true and reliable
• Compassionate
• Content with what God called Him to do.
• Never worried/or discontented/or dissatisfied
• Never proud
• Never feared man
• Willing to correct but with perfect love and wisdom
• Suffered the rejection of His Father
• He made complete payment for ALL guilt for ALL his chosen ones.

BUT NOW,

• He is exalted to highest place
• He is interceding for ALL of us
• One day we will see Him – not with these eyes (our sin puts a film over our eyes now)

THEN our hearts will sing.

Go back every day to see “Our” Jesus so we won’t forget what He has done for us. Or we will try to do things on our own, and we know how that turns out.

FIX OUR EYES ON HIM.

Practical things:

Women are prone to discontentment and anxiety. (These are sins.)

Discontentment says “Lord, what You have given me is not enough.”

Anxiety is not trusting God. In our own strength, we ca n not “not worry.” We have to look to Jesus. The Cross is big enough for ALL OUR sins.

From Philippians we learn to be thankful through all our trials and troubles. He is using them to shape us. Though they are not pleasant as we pass through them, they are used for our good. We sometimes forget that we are truly blessed.