May 30-June 1, 2025 Respite Retreat Summary

Author: Rich Packard
June 10, 2025
So. Much. Happened. Beginning Friday at 4pm with our Texas guests arriving in their Chevy
 3500-HD with a Polaris RZR appropriately mounted to the top of the truck! Yes, (!!) they traveled from their cabin to the host cabin for dinner in the RZR! The Lord created an instant easy rapport from the very beginning and throughout the weekend.

It’s always a challenge to know what to capture and share from the 3-day weekend. We decided to share a summary of one of the four sessions that we share with our retreat guests during the weekend.
The Friday night session is entitled The Great Exchange=Despair for Hope. A brief summary of that session...
The Great Exchange is Despair for Hope. Darkness for Light. Gasping for Air for Breath Anew. The best news is we don’t have to author this exchange. For all who take hold of the hope offered through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit. We therefore have access to the same power that rose Jesus from the dead. It is God’s Spirit within us who authors our hope. Which makes finding hope afresh each day sustainable. He is our Living Hope.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:21-25
We remain humbled that this couple was willing to be courageously vulnerable and allow us to enter their sacred space of suffering. We were honored to come alongside them, and they are preciously tucked in our hearts. Join us in setting aside prayer time to intercede for their grief journey and marriage. How truly humbled that our Living Hope uniquely positioned us on their journey.



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