Jun 22, 2018
Northwest Association’s 11th annual Women’s Retreat
“….the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.” —Deuteronomy 14:2
—Donna S. Bond
(with Karen Uhlich and Martha Vaught)
It all started, for me, with an $88 credit from my new favorite airline—the one that does not charge for every old bag. I needed to use it before mid-May. But where to go? Obvious answer was to visit my sister, Doreen Davis, near Seattle, WA. My son Levi suggested I attend the Northwest Association’s 11th annual Women’s Retreat the last weekend in April.
What a wonderful idea! Twelve of God’s most treasured creations met on Friday, April 27, 2018, at Lakeview Christian Conference and Retreat Center for three days of studying and discussing God’s word as prepared by Deb Burma for Concordia Publishing House© 2009. Five more of God’s “treasures” joined us on Sabbath day for four sessions.
Doreen gave an overview of Session 1, centering on 1 Corinthians 6:20, “You were bought with a price.”
Marcella Figueroa chaired Session 2, which stressed the transformation process. Just as coal, under pressure, becomes a beautiful gem, God may use pressure to transform us into the treasured women He wants us to be. Key verses were Matthew 6:33, “Seek first this kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” and Romans 8:28, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Sessions 3 and 4 were led by Martha Vaught and Jenny Jensen, respectively, stressing four qualities of diamonds: Cut, Color, Carat and Clarity. Psalm 139:14a says, “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” God has shaped (cut) us for what He wants us to be.
The book of John makes numerous references to Christ as the light. Thus, like a diamond, we have no color of our own, but reflect the light of Christ.
Carat refers to the weight of a diamond. We were encouraged to write the names of Christians whose lives have had a heavy impact on our walk with Him. Along with honoring those saints, we are obligated to make a positive impact on those who come after us.
Finally, Clarity is affected by attitude and sins that dull our light for Him—doubt, greed, gossip, selfishness and lies. An especially common, heart-breaking lie believed by too many women is, “You’re not good enough.”
Alas! All was not Bible study! We also cooked and ate; donned tiaras and other plastic “bling”; sang old favorite hymns; dabbled in Bible journaling during craft time; rested; and viewed an entertaining film, Mama Mia, Sabbath evening.
As we said “goodbye” on Sunday morning, several of my new friends asked if I would be attending the 12th annual Women’s Retreat. We’ll see: it’s a 3000-mile journey well worth making.
