Gateway Women’s Retreat Journal CD
Track one - the spoken introduction and verses over meditative music with some verses repeated for emphasis, then the closing verses and the Lindsey Kane song, “Measure of Beauty”, then the Frederick Buechner quote.
Track two - meditative music only.
INTRODUCTION
Lord, we come to you to reflect on Love, Freedom, Beauty, Grace…
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things
Philippians 4:8
Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.
Colossians 2:7
Love:
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8
*When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. 1 John 3:19
God is all mercy and grace— not quick to anger, is rich in love.
Psalm 145:8
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
John 3:16
Freedom:
But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away. 1 John 1:9
Jesus said, "Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23
*My friends, you were chosen to be free. [So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want.] Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love.
Galatians 5:13
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:32
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
Psalm 118:5
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free
Psalm 146:7
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:1
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7
Beauty:
*Your beauty [should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it] should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4
We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Grace:
You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.
Nehemiah 9:17
*Let us [then] approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
Jonah 2:8
"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:16
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:17
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:9
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness "
CLOSING
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14 (passage Lindsey Kane refers to)
All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.
Solomon 4:7 (passage Lindsey Kane refers to)
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[a] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 1:4, 7-8
INSERT LINDSEY KANE SONG HERE
Passage from Frederick Buechner:
- “After centuries of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn nobody's much interested any more. Not so with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left. Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth. A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody? A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”
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