A Baby Changes Everything

I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Readers!  And Happy New Year!

For the past few months, I have been more or less absent from Retreat-in-a-Bag.  My son and his wife, along with my 4-year-old grandson have been visiting from China for a few months.  They came home to have a baby–my second grandson (born 12/9/16). That major “distraction”, in addition to our women’s retreat and regular women’s ministry activities, has kept me occupied offline…in a good way!

My daughter-in-law’s progressing pregnancy reminded me of a Christmas song (sung by Faith Hill):  “A Baby Changes Everything.”  How true that is!  Because of baby Josiah’s arrival, our family is forever changed!

But, of course, the song is referring to a special Baby who came and whom we celebrate at Christmas–a Baby who truly changed everything. God loved…and sent His Son for the purpose making our relationship with Him possible. He made possible a life free from the bondage of sin.  He changed our eternal destiny, as well as our day-to-day existence. He covers us with grace and mercy. He gives purpose and meaning to life. He changed everything in my life, that’s for sure.

Honestly, this website exists because of Him and for Him and for His glory. God has consistently used women’s ministry and the accompanying retreats and events for my growth. Size of the ministry doesn’t make a difference–we are a small church.  But depth of the ministry does matter.  We shouldn’t waste the few hours a week that we have with our women. Every activity should lead to a deeper understanding of our Savior and His Word, and a pursuing of prayer and fellowship with Him and others.  My desire is to encourage women’s ministries as they strive to take their women deeper through every possible avenue–through regular Bible study, retreats, skits, and other creative means of making His Word real and applicable in our lives.

My prayer, as we begin this new year, is that God would use the resources offered by Retreat-in-a-Bag for His purposes, and that women’s ministries would be encouraged to follow hard after God, to faithfully minister to their women and to reach out to the hurting world around them.  We know the One who changes EVERYTHING!

“It’s about how Jesus came to be born once, So that we could be born again.”   (“It’s About the Cross” J.J. Statema)