Rise & Shine: Emancipation

It's hard to believe that after a year of planning, Rise & Shine Women's Retreat '11 will be here in only 8 days!  I am getting excited!

We've been praying for the retreat all year, but recently a small group of us started gathering to pray together.  And this week we started praying for every woman who will attend by name.  It's an amazing privilege to pray for these precious gals...and, in the past, it has been awesome to see how God faithfully answered!  We're anticipating great things again for the third Rise & Shine Women's Retreat.

BUT something hightened my anticipation last week.  When we were praying, one of our prayer warriors, Betsy, started crying as she prayed, then she shared a one word vision for Rise & Shine '11:  EMANCIPATION!

e·man·ci·pate  (/iˈmansəˌpāt/)  Verb: 1.Set free

Synonyms: liberate - free - release - deliver - set free

This excites me!  I love it when God gives us glimpses into what He is doing, so we can sit back and watch Him at work. 

I am anticipating women being released from self-doubt and insecurity at Rise & Shine Women's Retreat...delivered from condemnation...set free from the strongholds of the enemy...liberated by God's abundant love...to "Rise" up and "Shine" as ordinary, yet extraordinarily loved women in a dark world, all to the glory of God! 

Yes, we're praying BIG for Rise & Shine '11 and we're believing BIG too...because we serve a GREAT BIG wonderful God who faithfully answers!   

Later, Betsy shared this verse with me:  Isaiah 61:1b-3a "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

You still have a chance to join us, get your registration mailed in...the cut-off is tomorrow (October 22nd).  Click here to learn more.  We would love to see YOU there!