...that pertain to life and godliness...

                                             A view from where I was sitting                            Some of my dearest friends, Stacey and Heather

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence."

2 Peter 1:3-4

I was blessed to be able to attend a women's retreat with our church.  It was challenging, inspiring and just plain fun!  We were able to listen to 4 women, who are incredibly gifted in speech and thought, and are wise beyond their years!  They spoke on being a Godly woman, wife and parent.  There were so many morsels of goodness that I couldn't begin to capture them in this blog post.  So I will give you some snippets. 

I came home from this mini retreat with a burden on my heart for our family.  I was thankful that Tim and I had some time when I got home to go through the several pages of notes I have and discuss some implementation of the wise words we were given.  

Below is just a bullet point list of a few of the many things that really touched my heart at this retreat.   I am prayerful that a few of them may touch yours as well. 

• For someone to be convinced of a God who saves sinners, they must be able to see someone who is Holy.
• God looks at the heart, not our outward appearances, EVERYTHING should reflect our faith.
• Disciple your children through your lifestyle.
• To be a godly woman, we must be servants.
• Our service to those around us show the truth of the Gospel.
• If we are not willing to submit to God's headship design everything will be destroyed.
• A Godly woman is a woman of prayer and devotion.
• The intake of God's work is the foundation of godliness.
• The promises God makes, He keeps!  We must be obedient to receive them.
• You are no greater than your prayer life.
• The most important mission is raising your children. 
• There must be consistency in your attitude: you cannot sin against your child, and then tell them about a Holy God and have them believe it. 
• We are not to delegate our children to anything: Media, Church, School, Peers.
• When outside influences shape our children we are failing.
• Character is learned.
• Is your life what you hope to see in your children?
• If you are lax in one area, your children will fail in that same area. 
• We are stewards of our children.
• Security is discipline.
• Self esteem is found in the Word of God.
• If you fail to teach them to love God, Satan will teach them to hate God.
• Discipline is key to a Godly life.
• Training doesn't feel good, but is necessary.
• True love is sacrifice.
• We are partners in the work of God's grace to sanctify one another.
• Is the way I behave causing my husband to be more like Christ?
• You can memorize scripture, but unless you apply it to your life, it is a waste.
• If you bury all of your treasure in someone other than God, when they are taken, you will be destroyed.