Greetings

Just a quick note here to inform my (2) dedicated readers that I am, in fact, still alive!

We had our women's retreat, which was super amazing. I wrote a bit about it for the April edition of "The Crossing" (our Church magazine). Since I love you lots (yes, both of you) I've decided to give you a sneak peek into what I wrote. Beware, this is the unedited version (and I'm aware that I lost some flow in the last couple paragraphs - due to the awakening of 2 sleeping beauties and their handsome baby bro). Compliments are, of course, accepted... :) BTW, don't let this sneak peek deter you from reading the rest of the Crossing - we even have a submission from Shannon Ethridge herself!!!

A Bridal Love Story
Written by Moi!

Have you ever been a bride or a bridesmaid? Or even attended a wedding? Take yourself there for a moment. Imagine the night before the wedding, neither the bride nor the groom is getting any sleep. Each of them is restless, excited, anxiously anticipating that moment when they will see each other at opposite ends of the Church aisle tomorrow. She is reviewing each detail of her special day, from getting her hair done to being walked down the aisle, from the processional song to the toasts and first dance. Hoping and praying for each detail to fall into place as perfectly as she’s planned. He is nearly giddy with the anticipation of seeing her glide down the aisle toward him, both nervous and thrilled for their wedding night.

Let yourself be transported for a moment – you are the bride. You wake up ready to be forever united to the one and only man you’ll ever love. Visions of cherubic children and endless laughter fill your future. You stand among your dearest girlfriends and family while they primp your hair and dress. You are about to become the eternal partner of your best friend. Someone slips a note under your door (you know it’s from him – your adoring groom) and you eagerly scoop it up. Suddenly shy, you look around the room at all your loved ones. As only your best friend can, she realizes you want to be alone to savour your love letter in private, and she shoos the girls away. You settle into a comfy chair in the corner, careful not to wrinkle your gown, and delicately open the envelope. Your eyes devour the words of your lover, and you bury his promises deep into your heart, reading them over and again. Your heart is ready to burst, your eyes are welling with tears, there’s a catch in your throat, and your blood is thrumming through your veins. You are going to be MARRIED!!!

You giggle a bit imagining his excitement as he anticipates the moment you arrive. Can’t you just see him? Pacing up and down, back and forth, pulling at his bow tie. His face is flushed and there’s a lump in his throat. His buddies are gathered around him, cracking jokes trying to lighten the moment. But he doesn’t really hear them. All he can think about is YOU. He checks the clock obsessively and asks over and over if you’re limo has arrived yet. Finally, it’s time. He and his groomsmen make their way to the front of the Church. There’s a sea of faces watching him, but he notices no one and nothing – his eyes are fixed on the door that you will come through. The music begins…he shifts from one foot to the other…the bridesmaids make their way slowly down the aisle. Next come the flower girl and ring bearer – he runs ahead of her, and she cries and forgets to toss any rose petals on the floor. Your groom doesn’t notice, he’s still staring at that door. The music changes, the guests rise, and you step into the room on your Daddy’s arm. Your eyes seek out his – he drinks in the full scope of your beauty. The whole world stands still.

This, my friend, is the love relationship your God desires with you! He has eyes only for you. He is wild about you, madly in love with you. He thinks you are the most beautiful creature on the face of the earth! Look up the aisle at Him. Do you see Him, willing you with His eyes to come to Him? You are the bride, Jesus is your Groom, and He longs to feel your spirit married to His for all eternity. Think back…He has written you a precious letter of love. Do you take His Words into your secret place? Do you bury them deep within your heart and soul? Do you let His love wash over you through those words every single day?

For your Maker is your Husband – the LORD Almighty is His name. ~ Isaiah 54:5a

God’s Word is filled with images of His lavish love for His bride, His Church. In our humanness, though, we can be so unfaithful in our love to Him. We give our hearts away daily to our families, our jobs, our ministries. We love the things of this world (like our homes, our cars, our free time) so much that we begin to simply forget how God desires us. Much like an earthly marriage, we begin to take our Groom for granted. We forget to revel in His love letters, we don’t make time to bask in His presence, we just expect that He’ll be there waiting patiently when we finally have the time. Just as neglect can cause our earthly marriages to grow cold, so it can with our relationship to Christ. But we can be thankful that when we seek His forgiveness for our adulterous hearts, He never needs time to think about it. He simply opens His arms up wide and says “I’ve missed you, my darling!”

It may stretch your understanding of God to accept this view of Him as your Heavenly Bridegroom. The Bible is rich with wedding and marriage imagery, but it’s easy to gloss over those parts as if they are not intended for us personally. But if you are willing to let go of your pre-conceived notions of who God is, and open your heart to His lavish love, you can be assured that your life will NEVER be the same again! No more ‘looking for love in all the wrong places.’ You won’t need your spouse, your friends, your children, or your Pastor to fill you up. Their love is just icing on the cake, because your heart and soul will be overflowing from the love of Christ in you!

This is one of the many deep truths we learned on our weekend retreat with Shannon Ethridge (hosted by Women of Worth on March 14-16). We were blessed to hear Shannon speak numerous times over the course of the weekend, imparting wisdom based on her very real life experiences. “She is so real and down-to-earth” was one comment we heard time and again. If you missed out on this incredible opportunity, I encourage you to check out her book and/or her DVD series – “Completely His.” Shannon is also the author of the “Every Woman’s Battle” series (which has now sold over one-million copies in 17 different languages).

As well, I would like to encourage the many amazing women who call CrossRoads home to take the time to experience a women’s retreat – WOW ministry hosts a retreat every year. There is something special that happens in the heart of a woman when she has an entire weekend away to spend with her God. I have not heard of a single woman leaving a retreat unchanged. Time set aside from the busy-ness of our everyday lives, with no responsibilities and no demands. Take the time to rest, to be spiritually renewed, and to experience God’s revelation. Jesus wants to pour out His love over you – will you let Him?

The LORD your God will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. ~ Zephaniah 3:17