Did you read about my retreat disasters in Part 1? One unfortunate retreat event can happen to anyone, but after putting together the pieces and seeing that I had an uncanny number of things go wrong, I realized that it was not coincidence.  God never wastes an experience.  My series of retreat disasters twenty years ago have served great purpose in helping us plan retreats today that women are not afraid to attend!

Lessons learned from Disaster #1: Invisible

Got Godly friends? A girl needs Christian friends to encourage and keep her focused on what’s most important in life~ pursuing God.  And Crossline women are THE BEST! I have never encountered more genuine women who have a sincere interest in building up and encouraging each other.  No one should ever experience the feeling of being an outsider or invisible like I felt at that first retreat I attended years ago. That’s why we have the rule that we don’t save seats at Crossline retreats. We make an effort to sit next to someone new throughout the weekend.  When everyone is friendly, it sets a tone for inclusiveness that makes it fun for all of us. Our retreat weekends are fun, meaningful and bonding and I love to watch God connect the hearts of women, as we become fast friends.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11

Lessons learned from Disaster #2: Where do you want me to sleep?

I’ll just say it straight up:  You will not have to share a bed at our retreat!  Everyone gets her own bed. And you get to choose your roommates.  If you want the blessing of meeting new friends, let us know that you would like to room with someone new. You can even opt to room with an old friend and a new one~ one is silver and the other gold ~ both precious. And you could go home with a life long retreat friend like my Brenda

“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

Lessons learned from Disaster #3: The Unexpected

We cannot prevent the unexpected, but we can pray for God’s provision, His protection and His blessing upon our retreat. Every year when we begin planning, I tell our amazing team that the most important “work” we do is to pray.  We have an incredible prayer team that begins praying for our retreat months in advance and prays for you~ and your family, as soon as you register.  Rest securely while you are away from home, knowing that God has you and your precious family safely in His care. Oh~ and I must share with you the blessings I experienced when I had to leave the retreat so many years ago because my son was hospitalized.  I received first hand the blessing that comes from being covered in prayer.  Not only did the women at the retreat begin praying for Brad, one new friend supported us by bringing meals and encouragement for the remainder of his illness. She is one of my dearest friends today and a constant reminder of God’s goodness, even in unexpected and difficult circumstances.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do  not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Lessons learned from Disaster #4: All tears, No giggles

Not too heavy, not too soft, like Goldilocks, we are striving for “just right.” A meaningful retreat weekend is a mixture of moments that tug at your heart and those that bring you to laughter.  We plan for plenty of  fun, but we also pray that our hearts are tender and open to receive a special touch from God. Our goal and prayer is to grow closer to the Lord and go home encouraged and inspired to live for Him.

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

I am a retreat convert.  And if you are not one already, I pray you will become one, too. There is really nothing more valuable than taking a weekend away from the routines of everyday life to draw close to God and invest in Godly,encouraging friendships. By the way, have I mentioned how excited I am about our retreat this year?! Lisa Harper will be our guest speaker, we are retreating at the lovely Murrieta Hot Springs Conference Center, Reveal is our worship band (!) and you can even purchase cute retreat clothes (tanks, tees and a neon colored hoodie)  with our Heartline logo, which we are selling to raise money for scholarships. You do NOT want to miss out! Hop on over to women.crosslinechurch.com to register and order your retreat clothes. I can’t wait to see you there!

I understand. Because they used to scare me, too.

When I first joined my church staff as Director of Women’s Ministries, my usually kind and sensitive mother said, “Now you have to attend women’s retreats.” A detail I had overlooked in my job acceptance.  Indeed, I would not only have to plan, but attend annual women’s retreats.

Most of my girlfriends loved retreats and looked forward to a weekend away from the routine of everyday life. I really did try to get on board. But truth be told, I preferred to stay home with my family. The idea of a women’s retreat brought to mind every insecurity I had suffered as a junior high school girl.  My fears were well founded, based upon tangible retreat-baggage I had accumulated over the years.  In hindsight, I now realize that the Lord took me through every difficult retreat experience to save you the same pain.  Let me explain…

Have you heard of the television show Disaster Dates? Well, another time, another place, years and years ago and definitely not at Crossline Church, I experienced a series of unfortunate retreat mishaps. Not in the form of a reality show like Disaster Dates. These were real life Retreat Disasters.

 Retreat Disaster #1: Invisible

Have you ever attended an event and you were just sure that no one ever noticed you were there? Yes, it happened to me~ at a women’s retreat, of course.  It felt to me like everyone else knew each other but I did not know a soul. They all saved seats for each other at every meal and every session, laying sweaters, Bibles and purses on chairs to block off sections of seats for their friends. I was stuck at the end of an aisle or the back of the room, by myself, left feeling like an outsider, the entire weekend.

Retreat Disaster #2: Where do you want me to sleep?

Different church. Many years later. We had just moved to California, so once again, I was the new girl. I drove to the retreat with a couple of really nice new friends, but was not assigned to room with them.  I walked to my room, determined to be brave and extend myself to more new friends, but imagine my horror when I opened the door of the room and discovered 2 queen size beds. You guessed it: 2 beds for 4 women. I had been assigned to share a bed with a woman I had never met! This story has a happy ending, though. Brenda did not snore, kick, or talk in her sleep. We have become the best of friends and love to tell the story of how we met: sharing a bed at a women’s retreat as total strangers.

Retreat Disaster #3: The Unexpected

Thankfully, I have never heard of this happening to anyone but me. I had to leave a women’s retreat because of an emergency with my son. He had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for childhood cancer for more than a year and my family decided that I needed a weekend away with loving, Godly women. But you guessed it~ I did not know these women.  Brad had been diagnosed with cancer very soon after we moved to California and because of the intensity of his treatments and his weak immune system, I never left his side.  We were rarely able to attend our new church and I had not had opportunity to invest in any friendships. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to the retreat. My mother came to spend the weekend with my husband, to lend a hand in caring for our two young boys. The first night of the retreat really was wonderful and so were the girls I met, but early Saturday morning I got the call that Brad had been admitted to the hospital. A woman I had never met gave me her car keys and I drove her car down the mountain to spend the rest of that weekend in the hospital with Brad.

 Retreat Disaster #4: All tears, No giggles

Several more years passed. Brad had grown a full head of curly hair and was healthy~ we are still praising God for healing his cancer!  I decided to give this retreat-thing another go. This time I had friends to room with, including Brenda  I don’t remember a thing about the speaker, I just remember the general tone of the retreat: very, very serious. Lots of kleenex. Lots of tears. Now trust me. I know tears. I know heartache, that pain so deep that you can physically feel it. There is a whole back-story to my sweet Brad and life has not always been easy. Blessed, yes. But like yours I’m sure, full of challenges. There is a time for serious and a time for tears. God uses those times to bring healing and miracles and growth and to reveal Himself to us in ways we otherwise would never experience the depth and fullness of God’s love. But would I choose this tone for an entire weekend? No. I needed laughter and fun, too. I needed to be encouraged. Instead, I went home heavy hearted and discouraged.

Was there a purpose in experiencing all this retreat dysfunction? How could God possibly use all these retreat disasters for good? Ah, that is His specialty! He delights in showering us with His love and using every circumstance~ even the clumsy, awkward and difficult ones for our good and His glory. Stay tuned for the conclusion of my retreat sagas and the real bottom line:  How God has used all of my scary retreat experiences to benefit you and me, and all the women of Crossline.

“Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:24

Heartline clothing will be available for pickup at retreat. Pick up pre-orders and purchase your clothing at the retreat. Contact Staci Rozas at rozas5@cox.net with any clothing questions.

Contact Cathryn Wade with any retreat questions: cwade@crosslinechurch.com or 949.521.2646

click to register for retreat

Murrieta Hot Springs Conference center
Guest Speaker Lisa Harper    http://lisaharper.net/
Cost $260

Murrieta Hot Springs Conference Center
39405 Murrieta Hot Springs Road
Murrieta, California

Friday check-in begins at 4:00
Departure at noon Sunday

Meet our raffle winner, Caprice Crebar!

Tuesday mornings, the most adorable moms and children take over our campus and fill every corner with laughter, chatter and fun. Where else can a mom find such an amazing warm breakfast, real adult conversation, loving childcare, practical and uplifting guest speakers and encouraging friendships?

The spring session of MOPS has begun!  And it’s not too late to join the fun.  Visit the MOPS page to register or contact Kelli Condon at kelli_condon@yahoo.com to find out how you can get involved.

Or read a book.

Or watch a movie.

And have comfort food for dinner.

On our menu that evening was meatloaf~ a beefy, saucy, Southern style meatloaf. Not exactly the healthy Southern California fare we usually cook up in the Marshall home, although I suppose we could have topped it with a few avocado slices.  But I did not expect to be serving anyone except our family, until the phone rang and some of our favorite easy-friends asked what we were doing that night. Before stopping to consider what was in the oven, I heard myself inviting them over for a game night and dinner~ if they didn’t mind eating meatloaf.   And then another couple called and before I knew it, there were too many of us to fit around the kitchen table, but plenty of meatloaf. And no choice, but to eat in the dining room.

Meatloaf in the dining room.

My daughter would be horrified if she knew that I was serving meatloaf to company.  But seriously, I have a great meatloaf recipe!  And eating in the dining room with dear friends, adding laughter and conversation to the sound of rain on the roof, created a recipe for a wonderful evening.  We topped it off with Banagrams and Scattergories for some of the best old-fashioned fun you can have on a rainy night.

A few nights later, it was girlfriends and Bibles in the family room.

Since it was a holiday, we hosted Monday night Bible study groups in our homes rather than the Fellowship Center.  My small group of friends relaxed on couches and cozy chairs, sipping decaf coffee and tea while we discussed Solomon and shared more deeply than we ever had before.  There’s something about being in a home, relaxed and comfortable, that draws you closer, opens up your hearts and encourages a whole new level of sharing.  Nothing organized or fancy, just real conversation about common struggles and shared desires to live wholeheartedly for our God, that left us feeling more connected and closer to each other.

Casual time with friends, without the fluff of entertaining, is fun and bonding.  And spending time with friends who love God is the best~ it always strengthens and encourages us.  My husband and I call these “easy friends” and they are gems worth investing in.  They are kind, loving and supportive Christian friends, who are fun and easy to be with.  You can be yourself and be challenged to be all God made you to be~ both at the same time, without feeling the need to fancy up or be anything other than real.

Are you part of a small group of friends who are genuine and real~ and encourage you to love and live for God?

When was the last time you invited an easy friend over for a simple and spontaneous evening of fun?

If you’re interested, I’m happy to share my meatloaf recipe

Blessings and Love, Lori

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11,12

 “Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another…” Hebrews 10:24,25

Your generosity enabled us to bless families and children in Mexico with warmth, smiles and lots of Christmas joy. A group from Crossline joined IYI (International Youth Initiative) to make the trip to Mexico on December 17^th to bring the gifts and celebrate Christmas at two different churches.  Cathryn Wade brought back these photos to share with us~ I can’t wait for you to hear the touching stories that go with the photos and see the video when she shares with us next week at Bible study.

If you have been hanging around Heartline, your answer is YES!

We kicked off the Christmas season with “Unwrapping the Gift of Christmas” on December 1st, a festive evening of dessert, coffee and fun girlfriend time, as you can see in the smiling faces below.  We loved our time with guest artist Sylvia Lindsey of Crimson Bridge, who shared her heart, her music and her story.  Fun fact: We learned that Sylvia’s uncle, who wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” rewrote the lyrics after he came to  know Christ to “Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas.”

Huge thanks to the wonderful Crux students who served dessert and coffee…

And thanks, also to the guys from the Thursday night Bible study who helped with clean up, even though I heard they enjoyed more chocolate than our women did

Last week was the last week of Bible studies and MOPS for the year and, of course, each group concluded with a Christmas celebration.

Thursday morning girls enjoyed a Christmas brunch and…

…worship led by Brenda, Debby and Darlene.

So…. even though many of us may have a little more decorating,  shopping or baking left to do before we are ready for Christmas, our hearts and minds certainly are prepared for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Be sure to check back in a few days to find out what happened to all the toys and blankets we collected…

And have yourself a blessed little Christmas!

When was the last time you were excited about something new? Perhaps you experienced the thrill of visiting a new place- a vacation destination that you had been planning for months, or a new restaurant for a special evening out. Or you signed up for a class to learn a new hobby, something you have always wanted to do, like photography or diving. Maybe you are looking forward to meeting a new member of the family- a brother or sister in law, or even a new baby.  There is always something exciting about new, even though vintage and old are in style. In fact, people will spend money to buy “new car” scent.  I like new.  New and adorable little pumpkins, new outfits, new friends, new recipes.  But today, nothing new can match my excitement for….

Our new website!!

How do you like it?  We have been working hard to create this new website for the women and friends of Crossline.  The old one was tired and so very static.  We wanted an updated site that would be friendlier and more interactive- something that you would visit often for updates, information and up-to-the-minute details on everything Heartline.  We’ll be posting upcoming events, podcasts from Bible studies, photos of our happy, smiling faces and most important, encouragement for our spiritual journeys to know, love and serve God with all of our hearts.  Think of it like the new front door to our ministry Where you can visit online and get an introduction to the warm and friendly women who a part of Heartline.  We pray that this is a special invitation to you~ to come in and join one of our small groups, participate in our outreach and service projects, attend our upcoming Christmas event. This is a place where you will find genuine and sincere friends and Biblical teaching and insight that will encourage you in your relationship with God.

Welcome!  I am so glad that you are here.  Please, stay awhile… read, comment and calendar our upcoming events, which you will not want to miss.  There will be constant updates, so make a habit of visiting our website often.  Most important, join us every week at Bible study and/or MOPS. And don’t miss our Christmas event on December 1st~ invite a friend and register on-line now.  I can’t wait to see you!

And just in case you have never seen a fairytale pumpkin, I’ve included a photo.   Don’t you think it’s adorable?

Blessings and love to you,
Lori

At Christmas, and all through the year, we want to be women with a heart to help, eager to share God’s love with those in need. This holiday season, it is our privilege to partner with International Youth Initiative to bless families in Mexico with blankets and toys.  Please bring your donations to the church office or Bible study groups by December 8th. Newly purchased items only, please. Be sure to wrap the gifts for Christmas.  Thank you!

Blankets
Please wrap and  attach a Christmas greeting card with a personal message. Leave the card open and we will have it translated into Spanish.

Children’s toys
Wrap and attach a note to the outside of package, specifying appropriate age and gender of child to receive toy.

$20 (suggested donation)
Donations will be used to purchase food items. Checks may be made payable to IYI.

If you and  your family would like to go with IYI on their day trip to Mexico to deliver the gifts and celebrate Christmas with the families on December 17th  (the Christmas without Borders event), please visit their website at www.iyiglobal.org.

Crossline Women’s Christmas Event

Thursday, December 1st

7:00 – 9:00 pm

$20 per ticket

 

Register Here