A trip to the ER for stitches in my husband’s finger wasn’t exactly what I had planned for my day yesterday, but my plans are often changed by the Lord, who knows exactly what I need in order to trust Him, do His sovereign will, and grow in Christlikeness. Hence, a blog post wasn’t allowed in the busy events of the afternoon.

I’m headed to Nova Scotia today where I will speak at a ladies’ retreat this weekend. I’m SO excited at this opportunity, though I feel so unworthy of it. I’ll be back here Monday with a yummy recipe for Double Chocolate Biscotti!

What will you be doing this weekend?

With love,
Denise

Sifting flour makes me feel like a professional baker. I dump in huge amounts of flour into the canister, turn the crank, and when I’m finished, all that’s left are the clumps – the little nubby bits that I push through the sieve with my fingers.  Now the flour is so fine; perfect for use in my recipes!

That process reminds me of what I need to do after attending a ladies’ conference, which I was privileged to do last weekend. The time went so fast, and I received so much, so fast. It’s as though all that wisdom has been poured into the reservoir of my heart.  I’ve wished I could go back and redo it all again, but of course that’s not possible.  So to get the most from all I heard, it’s necessary that I sift through it all, letting a little at a time go through the mill of my mind and then fall into my heart, so that it’s ready for use.  Here’s how I do that:

• First, I try to take lots of notes on the things that seem to “jump” out at me during the conference.
• I mark with an * the things that really spoke to my heart.
• During the next week or two when I’m having my devotions, I read through my notes, a little at a time.  I write into my journal things that were important.  The rewriting process helps me remember those points!  I may even draw a little picture to aid my memory or make the note more visual.
• I pray about that point, asking the Lord to help me to incorporate that into my life and make the changes I need to make.
• I continue to make my way through my notes until I’ve reviewed it all.
• I sing the song(s) that was a theme song, as I have my prayer time.

I won’t remember everything that I heard, but using these steps, I will remember the points that were especially convicting or helpful!  After a couple of weeks, I’ve taken that short weekend away and milled through the material, getting the most out of my retreating period.  The Word has become smoother and is now ready for me to use.  It’s like getting a double blessing from the conference!

If you’ve been to a retreat recently, I trust this will encourage you to try to get the most from what was shared.  The speaker was led by God to deliver those sessions and God knew you’d be there!  Sift through the material and get the most from your time away!

With love,