I have had a very blessed life. I know I am spoiled. God has seen fit to give me a great husband to share this life with. (In fact, Bobby and I are celebrating the 22nd anniversary of our first date this weekend.) I sometimes wonder how I will handle things when the “for worse” part of our vows happen. I am not foolish enough to think they never will. We are aging and if nothing else happens we are all still destined to die.
You might be wondering where this is going. Well, Parkview Christian Church is having a ladies retreat on November 12th and the speaker will be Gracia Burnham.
Here is a very brief synopsis of her story. She and her husband were missionaries in the Philippines. They were given a romantic getaway to a resort for an anniversary gift. While at the resort they, along with several other people, were kidnapped and held for ransom. They were imprisoned for over a year. During a rescue attempt, her husband was killed.
Somehow God has used this tragedy for good. I haven’t heard her talk, but from what I can tell, she has faced the “worse” in life and has thrived. That’s the theme of the retreat: Thrive. I am looking forward to hearing what Gracia has to say. I hope I am able to gain some strategies on how to face the tough and terrible things that may happen because we live in a fallen world. If you are a woman and you live near Wooster, Ohio, I encourage you to think about attending this retreat. It is just for the day from 9 to 2:30. You may get a registration form from the church’s website. (click here.)
Here is one of Gracia’s books (affiliate link):
