Do you ever feel blown around by the winds of life?
God invites us to be rooted in Him - like a tree planted by streams of water so we can yield fruit and not wither, so we won’t be like chaff blown away by the wind. (Psalm 1:3-4)
Life on earth will always have both joys and sorrows. The deeper the roots of faith, the greater strength we have to navigate the circumstances of life that swirl around us.
As Pastor Stacey encouraged us on Sunday, no matter our circumstances, if we look deeply enough, we can always find something to be thankful for. I believe a way to move toward a life of gratitude is by letting our roots grow deep into him, letting our lives be built on him, then we will overflow with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:7 NLT)
Colossians 2:7 is the heart of the 2021 Women’s Retreat. Whether you can attend or not, would you please be praying for us and the weekend?
rooted is a weekend designed by women of ECC and Riverside to create space for you to connect with God and other women.
Our guest speaker, Jennifer Dukes Lee, will encourage us throughout the weekend to grow our roots deep in Christ. She will help us explore how to move through the seasons of life into a life-giving, more sustainable pace of living.
Jennifer’s daughter, Anna, is joining us, too, and will also be sharing with us at the retreat.
Anna Lee is a 17-year-old girl whose motto is this: "Love deeply, share boldly." She met Jesus in the church, but she came to truly know Him in the struggle. Through her battle with anxiety and depression, she learned that God is always faithful, not because of her circumstances, but because of His character. She wants to offer teens, and their mothers, hope that it's possible to come out on the other side of whatever they're going through.
Many of us are experiencing anxiety and/or depression – or love someone who is. I believe Anna and her story will remind us all of God’s faithfulness in the midst of our circumstances and how letting our roots grow down into Jesus helps our faith grow strong.
So, I am asking you to really consider attending this year’s retreat. Think about it. Pray about it. Don’t immediately write it off that you’re too busy or that this is a place for others, but not you. Don’t assume you can’t get away for a weekend – maybe God has some creative way that you can! Invite your girlfriend, sister, mom, daughter, or coworker so you can have “your person” with you. Or come—maybe you will make a new friend—I did at my first ECC retreat!
We pray you will accept the invitation and be a part of rooted: growing strong in truth.
If you can’t attend this year – or guys—will you please pray for the women’s retreat? It would mean so much to us if you would.
Additional information and the link to register are at ecclife.net/womensretreat.