I’ve just returned from an awesome weekend at [1] our church’s annual Women’s Retreat. A few hundred women all gathered at a hot springs resort for a time of challenge and refreshment from God’s Word.

One of my favorite things about this retreat is that it was built entirely around the teaching of God’s Word. The other favorite thing was that we didn’t have a teacher come for the weekend from outside our church. Our senior pastor’s wife, Carlynn and the Director of Women’s Ministries, Stephanie both delivered God’s Word powerfully straight to our hearts.

The resort was a peaceful place with natural hot springs all around the property and a big pond with swans and ducks, a coffee shop and a bookstore…a great little getaway! Other women’s retreats I’ve attended are all about relaxing and fellowship and then we hear a speaker a couple of times which, in my experience can be more entertainment than spiritual motivation. But this weekend was a great mixture of both rest and fellowship with hard core challenges to be obedient to God’s Word.

The theme of the weekend was “Radically Different: Living by God’s Counter-Cultural Compass” with teaching segments including:

• Living Under New Management
  Is Jesus Lord in our lives?
  Are we slaves to sin, or slaves to righteousness?
• Living With a New Set of Priorities
  Choosing to be known for obedience to God’s Word,
  trusting Him to make all things right.
• Living With a New Level of Sacrifice
  Being willing to risk everything to follow Christ,
  especially by putting other above ourselves.
• Living With a New Perspective
  God is able to use all things for His glory.
  Never rebel against His way for our lives.

All of the teaching was rich and profitable but the most impactful for me was Carlynn’s message–Living with a New Level of Sacrifice. One of her points was something Paul says: Be willing to spend and be expended.

So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.

2 Corinthians 12:15

This hit me powerfully because I really thought about all that Paul gave up–all of his time, his status and reputation, money and any emotional attachments. But it didn’t stop there because we know from 2 Corinthians 11 that he suffered immensely. And yet he continues to give sacrificially, not begrudgingly but gladly. Wow!

Paul’s whole mindset is completely others-oriented but so often I act like time and possessions are my own and I can do with it what I want. Am I willing to sacrifice like this for my church family? I definitely saw that I need to value and be willing to give everything for the spiritual good of others and was really challenged by how Carlynn encouraged us to “Say ‘no’ to self and ‘yes’ to Jesus every time.” If we follow Him like this we will stand out as radically different in this world!