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Last Minute Scramble

Not registeredHas this every happened to you? You are at the retreat, and people are arriving. They are coming to the registration table to check in, pick up keys and name tags and booklets and you are checking them off your list.  Everything is going smoothly, until….someone shows up who is not on your registration list!
Well, this year that happened to us, and there was a mad scramble which I missed because I am not normally involved in registration at the retreat, and I wasn’t even present when this was happening.  So today, my guest blogger is Pam, one of our leaders who was there:
Here’s what happened:  Two women showed up, saying that they had registered for the retreat, but they were not on our list.  We didn’t have money for the two of them, we didn’t have a registration card for either of them and therefore we did not have a room for them!  We questioned them a bit to try to track down the mistake, but they were adamant that one of them had turned in their forms and paid.
We were tempted to panic.  How had we possibly overlooked these two precious women?  We had reviewed the registration cards and the rooming lists numerous times prior to the retreat.  How could we have made this error?
This year our retreat was held at a retreat center. Had we been at a hotel, it might have been easy to get another room.  Here we had to guarantee that we would occupy a certain number of rooms and pay for that number, regardless of our final registration numbers, and the place was full.  Fortunately, we had one extra room that no one was assigned to, and we were able to give these two women that room. Had the Lord not provided in this fashion, we would not have turned them away; we would have doubled up on some other room and made a way for them to stay.
Our prayer in the months before the retreat is always that God would make a way for those He wants to come to the retreat.  And He certainly did this time.
A week or two after the retreat, this lady came to the office between services and sheepishly help up the two registration cards that she had forgotten to turn in and the credit card payment slip. We were so relieved that it was not our error, and we had not overlooked her.
This particular situation had never happened to us before, and we pray it will never happen again.  But if it does, we will let the Lord lead us though it and He will be given all the glory!
 

Posted in: Lessons Learned, News & Information, Registration, Retreat and Event Planning

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More Hints on Signs

Regarding doing skits at your retreat, I’ve said before that I like signs! With minimal scenery and props, a sign can give your audience a wealth of information in a small space.
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 While many times we will make our signs by hand, the above are some computer-generated signs created for our recent retreat skit.  I asked Kristen to share some of her “secrets” for sign-making:
To create a sign using Microsoft Publisher, select a custom size blank page and give it the dementions of the foam board you will be attaching it to. Once you have your blank page, then Google to pull up a few websites were you can download free fonts and free backgrounds. I like 1001freefonts.com and backgroundlabs.com.
 
Once you’ve selected your background you can then paste it on the page. Make sure it goes all the way to the edge or a little bit over. Then add a text box with your sign wording. To make your text box transparent (so your background shows through), click Ctrl T when the text box is selected. You can easily move items around on the page by holding down Ctrl and Alt and using the arrow buttons to move the item. This allows you to line up things more precisely.
 
Now that you are ready to print, make sure your printer is ready. Most printers will automatically divide your sign into several pages (if your sign is larger than a standard sheet of paper). After printing, you will cut off all the white edges.  Then carefully glue or tape each piece to the foam board, taking care to line it up perfectly.  This way it will appear to be one large print!
See some of our other suggestions on making signs here.

Posted in: Little Things Make a Big Difference!, Money-Saving Tips, News & Information, Skits

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Giving Up on Resolutions

February 2015.   So…how are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?

Composite image of this year i am going toI have always been a resolution maker…and a resolution breaker.  The word “resolution” comes from the word “resolve” which actually has something to do with finding a solution and solving a problem by deciding on a new course of action.  I want to make a resolution to solve the problems of ME… and we know THAT isn’t something that I can actually accomplish, certainly not by will power, nor permanently!

So, I moved on to “prayer goals” which are a lot like resolutions except that we bring these to God asking Him to accomplish these desires in our life.  Definitely a step in the right direction–realizing that I can’t solve the problem of ME in my own strength.

I’ve had decades to be convinced that I can’t accomplish transformation by my own mental fortitude and determination.  So maybe it is time to die–in the Biblical way.  Die to ME, die to my efforts to “self-help” and DIY.

Here is what A.W. Tozer (The Crucified Life) said:  “The crucified life is a life absolutely committed to following after Christ Jesus.  To be more like Him. To think like Him.  To act like Him.  To love like Him.  The whole essence of spiritual perfection has everything to do with Jesus Christ.  Not with rules and regulations.  Not with how we dress or what we do or do not do.  We are not to look like each other; rather, we are to look like Christ.”

Important for all of us, leaders or not!

 

 

 

Posted in: Developing Leadership, Inspirations, News & Information

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What’s New?

What's new?New and exciting things have been happening at Retreat-in-a-Bag!

I am most excited to announce our new downloadable Retreat Guide.  This is the first of (hopefully) many to come. This Retreat Guide gives you resources specific to the theme “Hidden Riches,” including theme verse, ideas and links to decorations we used, color photos, teaching sessions outline, quiet time study and skit (reproducible theme graphics are not provided).  I have to say that our recent retreat with this theme was one of our sweetest retreats ever, as we compared our Christian life to a mining expedition where we search for hidden  treasures. And the greatest treasure of all is to know the Lord!

In addition, our Retreat-in-a-Bag book series, consisting of three books, is now downloadable. Up until now, they have only been available for purchase as a hard copy.  Now you can get what you need instantly from the Retreat-in-a-Bag website. Compared to the Retreat Guide just mentioned, each of these books covers general information for those planning a retreat from start to finish, but they include theme-related resources as well (graphic, quiet time, skit).

We have been adding content to our free downloadables – with new skits, quiet time studies and even a new downloadable form or two.  So if you haven’t been to the website for a while, it may be worth your time to take a gander, especially if you are planning a retreat for 2015!

Posted in: News & Information, Resources, Starting Points in Retreat Planning, Theme Ideas, Website News

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Wounded by God’s People

UnknownSad to say, but if you have been in ministry very long, you know the hard truth that some of the deepest wounds in our hearts come from God’s people.  The women you minister to have been hurt by those in the church, and you yourself have probably not escaped the hurts, intentional and unintentional, caused by those who call themselves Christians.

I am going to take a moment to recommend a book. Written by Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham), Wounded by God’s People uses the biblical story of Hagar to show how a young Egyptian slave was wounded by God’s people, those she loved, respected and trusted. Like Hagar, when we are wounded in the church, our response may be to run away from those who hurt us, and even put distance between ourself and God.

This book reminds us that God cares. He sees, and He hasn’t forgotten us. He has a unique path for each of us, and sometimes He uses those hurts to prepare us for the next step. He wants to heal our hurts and renew and restore our purpose. He wants us to move forward, and Anne gives us steps to take that lead to healing and forgiveness.

This is a book you should make time to read.

 

 

Posted in: Book Reviews, News & Information, Realities of Ministry, Resources

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