A Bouquet of Thanks

Hey friends!

As many of you know this weekend was the Red Hot retreat!

"So how did it go???" you may be wondering.....

Can I just tell you that God did IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN WE COULD HAVE EVER ASKED OR IMAGINED?! :)

I've been trying to think of some highlights to share....but I loved every minute of it (and I keep crying when I think of God's goodness throughout the weekend).

It was such a huge blessing to serve alongside such an amazing group of servants (retreat committee, sound/tech guys, drama team, prayer warriors, worshippers, etc..).

Here's a picture of our "Lukewarm Church" volunteers. Don't they look "lukewarm"??? :)

I TOTALLY LOVED being led in worship by Erica Simpson, and her "girlfriends", and "boy band". AWESOME doesn't even describe how God used this anointed group!

It was a huge blessing to have so many dear friends (and family members) in attendance.

Spending extra time with my dearly loved Magnificent Monday girls was a blast! :)

Plus rooming with my BFF Julie Richardson was another bonus! (Not to mention when she braved an early morning blizzard to bring me a Starbucks latte ~ thank you, Julie!)

(Here are Julie and Suzanne praying over me before my Saturday teaching....)

I loved thinking of YOU, my dear bloggy friends, and thinking, "Oh, if only they were here! I wish they could see this....." :)

But I think my favorite part (if I had to pick one) was hearing how God spoke to each invididual woman in unique ways through the teaching from His Word! Isn't God's Word incredible?! :)

Here are some of the fun notes I've received (this one being from a dear woman battling an eating disorder).....

"Dear Cindy, Thank you for letting Jesus run your life. Thank you for allowing Him to create the wonderful study for the ladies' retreat. It fed me. I am studying my Bible and devotionals again and I am making it the most important part of my day and life..." (Woo Hoo!)

or here's another....

"Cindy, Thank you for this weekend. WOW. I've been telling everyone that from the minute you stepped up on that stage you spoke with POWER, conviction, clarity and compassion. Thank you for listening and being obedient to the Spirit. Lives were changed. I have just been brought to tears when I think about this weekend. I am just so grateful...."

And I smile when I think of one woman who said, "Cindy, here is what I want to say to you..." and then she leaned over and planted a huge kiss on my cheek!! What fun :)

I wish I could put into words what God did in our midst...but it is so hard to explain. Just know God used YOU and YOUR PRAYERS to change lives for His Kingdom, and I am hubled and grateful (not to mention I never noticed my sore throat even once!)!!

Holocaust survivor and author Corrie ten Boom is quoted as saying, “When people come up and give me a compliment—’Corrie, that was a good talk,’ or ‘Corrie, you were so brave,’ I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of each day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, ‘Here you are, Lord, it is all yours.’

Would you join me as I hand over this beautiful bouquet to the Lord. He is so faithful, good, powerful, and true?! I am in awe of what He is able to do!!

It's all yours, God! It's all yours!! :)

Thanks so much for your faithful friendship on *She Sparkles*! You all bless me so much!!

P.S. It may humor you to know that I am typing this with a shower cap on my head covering the all-natural hair "goo" that is in my hair. The lice is back ~ so we're treating everyone in the home, myself included! :) Lest you think we have risen above the craziness and chaos over here....we've not... ~ back to "my reality", I guess! :)

P.S.S. A huge note of thanks to professional photographer (and Monday night gal) Jill Bergeron for sharing your gift of photography with us this weekend! ~ (You captured the weekend so beautifully, Jill! Thank you for blessing us with your amazing photos! :) )