Rest and restoration are on the agenda for an upcoming women’s weekend retreat, but learning how each woman is an image-bearer of God is the heart of the event.
Captivating Heart, a new retreat in the Northwest Arkansas area, will be Oct. 5-7 at New Life Ranch in Colcord, Okla. The retreat is sponsored by Strings Attached Ministries, which is based in Lowell.
The teachings at the nondenominational retreat will be based on the book “Captivating” by John and Stasi Eldredge and the Bible, according to a news release.
Cari Kaufman of Strings Attached Ministries last fall attended Captivating, a retreat in Colorado sponsored by the Eldredges and their Ransomed Heart Ministries. She wanted to bring the message to this area so more women could hear it and tomake it more aff ordable, she said.
“We can begin to live a freer life with our love” once women learn and embrace what their hearts and God say about their identity, Kaufman said. Women bear God’s image in their hearts, she said, and the core desires of every woman’s heart are placed there by God.
Kaufman and two other speakers, Brenda McClure and Rachel Peterson, will present 11 sessions on topics such as discovering one’s true identity, healing wounds and life after a fall from grace.
In addition to these sessions and prayer and worship time,women will have time to meet in groups to share personal stories and free time for resting or for outdoors activities, such as hiking, kayaking, canoeing and horseback riding.
Kaufman wants women to come away from the retreat with a stronger sense of who they are, she said.
“It’s so easy to forget who we are and who we were created to be. ... God created us to be special and to play an irreplaceable role,” she said.
The retreat will have a little bit of something for everyone, Kaufman said. “It’s not really about religion. It’s God’s message to us. It’s really open to anyone who wants to understand who they are.”
Religion, Pages 10 on 09/29/2012