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Rest and Rejuvenate at Restore Moms Retreat

Have Fun and Relax at Restore Moms Retreat

Restore Moms Retreat will help you find joy again as a mom.  If you have felt like you needed a “get-away” here’s your chance! I have the privilege of being the key note speaker this year, but you have to register soon.

Christian Mom Events

Join Sue Detweiler in the beautiful hills of Tennessee April 20-22 at lovely NaCoMe Camp & Conference Center.  Sue is bestselling author of 9 Traits of a Life-Giving Mom.

Founder of Restore Moms Retreat

Lisa Sanford was worshiping at church one Sunday, standing next to her husband Steven (whose arm she likes to feel around her as she leans in to God) when she heard a voice. She says the voice wasn’t audible. But it was so clear. God asked her to start a women’s retreat specifically for moms.

“Really, God?” Lisa questioned at first. “I’ve never been to a moms’ retreat, so how could I ever build one?”

But Lisa listened and began doing the legwork, the research, and the networking, all while letting the Holy Spirit lead. You see, she knew how important this task of building a place for rest for weary moms was because after the birth of her second son, she needed rest, she needed restoration. Restore Moms Retreat began to take shape in her heart. 

Restore Moms Retreat was built out of Lisa’s obedience to a God who was there for her when she reached her darkest hours in the grips of postpartum depression. Lisa knows what it means to feel tired and lost and hopeless, and with Restore, she seeks to show women how God sees all they do, from diaper changing to kissing boo-boos, from sleepless nights to mountains of laundry. She wants mothers to remember that they are first and foremost daughters, and that their Father wants to take care of them.

Jesus tells us,

“‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT).

That’s the essence of Restore. Letting moms rest in Jesus.

A New Beginning to Restore Mom’s

Restore launched last year at Five Star Retreat outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Moms cozied up in a lodge, around a fire and learned about their identity in Christ. They made friends, ate yummy meals together, and were taken care of instead of taking care of everyone else.

One attendee of last year’s retreat, Christy Bates, was forever changed by Restore,

“I was dealing with some hard family situations, when I was invited to go on the Restore Moms Retreat,” says Christy. “I was astounded at the deep connections that I made with other Christian moms, just talking about our struggles. We understood each other quickly and filled each other with Godly encouragement.”

Christy continues,

“The speakers gave us food for thought about our prayerful and spiritual journeys. I had no idea that the chance to put myself first for a weekend to really focus on my life was exactly what God wanted for me. The way He showed me how to be more purposeful and intentional, was by not forgetting myself. Each woman I talked to felt they, too, were there for whatever God wanted to give them, and we were sometimes surprised with what we learned. I will never forget the women I shared that weekend with, and that was all because of Lisa and her group at Restore. They gave us the opportunity to really focus on what God wanted from us.” 

Restore will hold its second annual retreat on April 20-22 outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and is so excited to welcome Sue Detweiler to be a key note speaker. Sue is a best-selling author of 9 Traits of a Life-Giving Mom and founder of ChristianMomTalk which gives daily encouragement to moms.  Registration deadline is approaching.Visit www.restoremomsretreat.com for all the details. 

Invite Sue Detweiler to Speak at your next event.If you would like to invite Sue Detweiler to speak at your next event — call 903-776-4712 or email rachel@suedetweiler.com.

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Mother of the Bride – How to Survive 2 Weddings in 6 Weeks

Mother of the Bride: How to Survive 2 Weddings in 6 Weeks

Two beautiful brides. Two handsome grooms. One mother of the bride, feeling sudden season change… Where did the time go?

Mother of the Bride How to survive 2 weddings in 6 weeks

How To Be the “Mother of the Bride” Twice in 6 Weeks…

My mom who is 77-years-old ran through the house shouting “Wedding Bells are Ringing! Wedding Bells are Ringing!” We all laughed and gathered around the see the table setting that Rachel had prepared for her wedding reception that took place on April 12th. We all laughed that day as grammy looked at Angela and sang out, “It’s not just 1 wedding- it’s 2!”

I had to catch my breath and smile as our home over the past 6 weeks has been filled with wedding plates, napkins, and candles. As the mother of the bride I am feeling the sweetness of my daughters each choosing wonderful grooms. I am in awe that my daughters are moving out of our home and into the next season of their lives.

My favorite solo to sing when I was a teenager was “Sunrise, Sunset” from the Fiddler on the Roof. I memorized these words:

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

As the mother of the bride, not only are these 2 beauties moving into the next season of their lives, so am I. So how do I survive the changing of this season which is “laden with happiness and tears”? Here are a few notes I have made to myself.

1. Celebrate Each Moment

When Rachel and I drove to David’s Bridal to pick up her dress, we shared the sweetest moment. She talked about her trust in God to lead her and Dustin in the days ahead. Then as she put the dress on, she had me close my eyes so that I could see her walk out. Of course, my eyes filled with tears as I saw the glow on her happy face. The moment is captured in the special snap-shot-in-my-mind.

2. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Two days before Rachel’s wedding, her wedding coordinator called and said that because of a “family emergency”, she would not be able to be at the wedding. Now, this may not seem like the “small stuff.” In the over-all-scheme of what is happening, this is small. The awesome and mysterious reality is that God performed a miracle on April 12th when Dustin and Rachel became husband and wife -the miracle of being ONE.

God came through! A family friend stepping in as the wedding coordinator. Her presence made the day full of peace and joy. She was able to capture the beautiful moments of love and celebration. She became a part of God’s miracle – just like Jesus turned the water into wine in response to his mother’s desperate plea at a wedding.

3. Embrace the New Season

Having 2 weddings in six weeks has just multiplied the joy. Rachel and Angela, although close in age, are so different in their approach to life and their choice of weddings. Part of the joy is releasing each daughter to be who she is called to be. Enjoying the uniqueness of her choices. Trusting God to lead each one into their unique destinies.

Mother of the BrideIn the middle of these two weddings, my youngest daughter graduated from high school. Towering over her sisters as a 5’10 beauty she held her diploma and laughed. I had this “snap shot memory” of her as a 4 year old when I was attempting to homeschool all of the girls around the table. She got bored with the process, grabbed a marker, and turned and colored the wall.

In the middle of these two weddings — somehow my first book 9 Traits of a Life Giving Mom hit number 1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases for Women’s Issues. Too much was happening to quickly.

HOW DID THE YEARS PASS SO QUICKLY?

My daughter Angela walked down the aisle as a radiant bride.  I remember back to a moment in time when Angela was a baby being dedicated at the altar to God. Now, she is walking out of her wedding, heading to her honeymoon with her handsome husband as everyone cheers.

As the mother of the bride, tears are streaming down my face as I prepare my heart for the days ahead. Soon two brides will become two mothers of their own children… And I become Mimi… Always a mom, yet so much more.

From the moment that our children are born we begin the task of releasing them to their destinies. The sunset of this moment, will be the sunrise of the next day.

The Dawn of a New Day

As I walk into this next season, I don’t walk alone. Not only do I walk arm-in-arm with my husband of over 30 years, I walk side-by-side with my lover, and bridegroom Jesus and surrounded by the beautiful bride-of-Christ. He is a lover that never disappoints. He is the ONE that we trust. In each new season He awakens me with the fresh joy and delight of the dawn of a new day.

 

Mother of the Bride

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Trust God In The Details

“Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.” Philipps. 

 

Do you tend to worry, or trust God with every detail of your life?

Did you know that God cares about every detail of your life.  There is a calm peace that floods your soul when you have a calm conviction that God is present and available every moment of the day. He is always with you and He is always available. He is totally trustworthy.

So, teach your kids to turn to God with every intimate detail, need and concern. I remember when my daughter Angela was about six years old and she had a desire to learn to dance.  We took her need for ballet slippers to God in prayer. Imagine how her faith grew when the next week we found ballet slippers in her size at a garage sale. She began to feel a deep conviction that if she prayed and believed God that He would hear her prayer and answer.

Now she is 20 years old and has just returned home from a summer on missions. She is still listening, praying, and believing God to be intimately involved in the details of her life.  It’s so much fun to live this way: walking and talking and believing God!

 
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