message morphing

this last weekend i did something i have never done before. . . i spoke at my own church's womenfolk's retreat.

yeah, i too was surprised that i said "yes" when they asked me.

first of all, i personally think "me" (as their senior pastor's wife) taken in smaller doses is a more palatable choice. i am not typical in that before i put on that hat, i was a youth pastor's wife for a heck of long time (20 plus years) and so do not fit the stereotype very well. . . although i do play piano. . .

second of all, i love having guest teachers in -it so cool to see how God orchestrates their teaching with whatever it is that we as a group need at the moment.

and third, and well, probably most importantly - speaking to the ladies i see every week scared the hooey outta me. (side road - when i take the opportunity to speak to outside groups the odds are good that i don't know them and probably won't see them again. odds are also good that i have zero, zip, nada inside scoop on what is going on politically, socially, or metaphysically with the group. i specifically don't ask - cuz i don't want to know. i like them to give me a topic or theme and tell me the meeting's purpose. then it becomes this journey of faith and dependency on God with a lot of study thrown in for good measure. and when it is all over, i am blown away to see how He orchestrated it all together for them.)

anyways, between the time i was asked and the Tuesday before the retreat, i had my messages prepared and read to go. . . the retreat theme was Better2gether and so i went with that. . . big time. . .
1st teaching time - David and Jonathan - Best Friends Forever
2nd teaching time - Peter and Paul - Two sides of the Same Coin (different men, different ministries, same savior)
3rd teaching time - Mary and Martha - Managing Expectations (don't need an explanation on this one, do i?)

gotta admit that i was pretty happy with the results of my labor. . . just one problem. . . was really not sure that this was a good fit for what was a 24 hour retreat. i mean - i had three point outlines, interesting illustrations, one poetic ending, one video clip, and one humorous anecdote about being married to their pastor - nothing too embarrassing - just life. . . i had a nice variety, hopefully something for everyone.

but to make a long story short. . . a 10 hour road trip, a long discussion with dave (as teacher, not my husband), and realizing that the goal of this time away was really about being better2gether as women who worship and work and play together - the messages morphed. . . and then morphed again. . . and again. . . until they bore almost no resemblance whatsoever to the BFF, Coin, and Sister Talks.
1st teaching time - Me, Myself, and Me (Realizing the universe does NOT revolve around moi)
2nd teaching time - Do Unto Others (Loving others like we would love to be loved is much harder and more involved - it is a choice and brings with it inconvenience and baggage)
3rd teaching time - For God so Loved. . . (Understanding that getting over one's self and loving others as they should be loved are totally exhausting and nigh impossible without a relationship with the God who loved us so much that He gave his only son. . . )

bottom line - i needed to hear those lessons because i need to learn and live those lessons. . .