Women's Retreat or Women's Advance?

I had the privilege of speaking at Timberline Ranch this weekend. I always love to share God's Truth with women and I especially love to share it with smaller sized women. (Ages 8-14) As this was a mother/daughter weekend there were plenty of the latter in the group. After campfire on Saturday night we were all walking away from the fire and into the dark abyss and the women carrying flashlights quickly took on the semblance of a Wal-Mart blue light special.....beacons to hover around....as we walked along in the safety of relative anonymity a little voice behind me said, "I really like Paprika, she is so funny."


Now, I know what you are thinking, "paprika is a spice, that when added to my chili does not remind me of Jay Leno or Bill Cosby....funny is NOT the word that comes to mind....Spicy yes, hilarious, no." Paprika is my Timberline Ranch name. The moment that I step onto the grounds, I become Paprika. This alter ego of mine can go places and do things that Krista never could or would. She sings all the crazy camp songs with reckless abandon, she has even been known to ride a horse and coral a few stubborn cows....Paprika tramps around in her grubs and does not do her hair! Krista would not be caught dead with bed head in a public or even semi public location!


Under the cover of darkness, I very quietly responded to Little Voice, "I least you don't think my mother dresses me funny"....There was a longer than normal pause and then Little Voice said to her friend, "Oh! That was so embarrassing". I assured her that it was quite fine and then we all continued to tramp along in silence until we came under the light of the dining hall and turned in every direction as we headed for bed, never looking at each other.


As I thought about what Little Voice had to say, I was struck by a powerful truth:


Whatever you say, say it with love and sincerity, you never know who is listening!


We have opportunity everyday to bless or curse with our voices. Little Voice spoke with love and sincerity. We spent our weekend together looking at what the scripture has to say about Faith, Hope and Love....If “funny” is what it takes for her to hear that message then so be it. Some of us we hear the message though gut-wrenching sadness, still for others, it is through practical insights void of too much emotion.....

Women's Retreats are really not about retreating, but instead are about advancing....advancing our relationship with our Saviour, advancing our knowledge of His written word to us, advancing our desire to be more like Him in every way. Little Voice spoke her heart in love and sincerity.....may we do the same as we advance through our day.


I want to leave you with Ephesians 3:16-19...may these words encourage your heart.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (New Living Translation)

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

The Introduction

Welcome to the Women's Ministry Connection Blog  

8:36pm Beginning a blog is like learning to drive...I think for the first while you are ever so careful to follow all the rules and behave in a law-abiding fashion.....then, once comfortable with the whole thing you begin to take liberties, not so much because you want to be a rebel but because your attention to the nuances of good writing is forced into the backseat....maybe even the trunk as exuberance for the destination supersedes all good prose and grabs the wheel and takes off in the direction that your English professor told you would end in the literary scrap yard affectionately called goobley gook....I DID NOT MAKE THAT UP!

6am: As I write this note, it is important that all of you know that this is the first blog I have ever written and I hardly know what I am doing. I suppose it does not help that it is 6am and I left my coffee cup sitting in the kitchen. That information should lead you to the logical conclusion that I actually did not plan to start the blog right now....but here I am, rambling on about nothing in particular.....life is like that most of the time....we trundle through our days and wonder how life could be made up of laundry piles and dusty furniture and of late in my world, muffin tops....(not the kind that come out of the oven, but the ones that Reitman's says they can help you get rid of with the right pant size )

The thing is, muffins tops, weird curly gray hair that is discovered by your hairdresser on the same day that you announced to your girlfriends that you have no gray...(oops, I think that the Lord heard my less than humble proclamation)..... laundry, dust and bunions are all part of the life that we live.

Before we actually get to the task at hand, I will answer your question....I started this blog at 6am and am finishing it at 8:45ish pm.....the entries are backwards because the other way they don't make sense. Although, either way they hardly make sense.

This Blog is meant to be a place to share ideas and encouragement in and around the topic of ministry to women.

There are a few things that you need to know about this blog:

1. I will ramble at will, especially if something amusing has caught my attention.

2. I will pose questions to you regarding ministry.....all kinds of ministry to women

3. I want you to respond and give input and ideas that we can use and learn from regarding women's ministry.

4. Each Blog entry will have a Question of the Day or a Quote of the Day....something for you to ponder or comment on.

5. I am confident that this blog will morph as I figure out what I am doing.....one thing for sure....we will not take ourselves too seriously!

Question of the Day? How do you know when you are called by God to a ministry?

Thank you for bearing with me...I hope we can enjoy this trip together!

Krista Penner