This past weekend, twenty of us had the pleasure of gathering together at the first ever Five Minute Friday Retreat.

We’ve been talking about it for months, and it finally happened.

It was such a gift.

You can read all about it in this special edition link-up right over here, where some of the retreat attendees have shared their reflections on the weekend.

 

 

We talked until we ran out of words.

 

We laughed till it hurt, and might have wiped a few tears, too.

 

 

And since Five Minute Friday is the thread that ties us together, we paused the talking and laughing, took five minutes, and wrote.

 

 

Then we read the words that God laid on our hearts. And we applauded the gifts He has given.

A highlight for me was meeting Trillia Newbell, author of Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves.

 

 

She is such a bright light, and a wonderful encouragement.

 

 

 

We heard powerful stories from Amy Breitmann about the amazing work and ministry of ViBella Jewelry.

 

We were inspired by authors Ann Kroeker and Charity Singleton Craig to cultivate healthy habits that will lead to a writing life that lasts.

We fistbumped Dan King from Fistbump Media and learned ways to improve our web presence.

 

We might have even played rollercoaster.

 

All I can say is, it was a gift.

The Lord went before us, and He was with us all weekend.

And I’m so grateful for His goodness in making this retreat the blessing that it was for all of us.

Thank you to all who prayed! God answered those prayers in amazing ways. We’re thankful.

 

***

 

In case you missed it, we’re kicking off our FREE online discussion group THIS MONDAY, August 17th, on the book, On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life that Lasts, by Ann Kroeker and Charity Singleton Craig.

 

More information can be found here, and you can get a copy of the book here.

Would love to have you join us!

 ***

This week’s Five Minute Friday prompt is:

 

 

Set a timer for five minutes, stretch your typing fingers, and let’s GO:

 

We learned a lot this past weekend.

We learned things that can’t always be learned through a screen.

Those real-life, in-person learnings that are caught by the senses, not always conveyed by a keyboard.

We learned which of us are extroverts, which are introverts, and which teeter in between.

 

We learned how each other’s laughs sound, and what brings them out.

We learned which of us are the early risers, and which of us aren’t that excited about being drawn for breakfast duty.

 

 

[Tweet “We found heart sisters and soul friends.”]

We learned about listening.

 

 

We learned about doing.

We learned that it’s possible to change the world with a scissors and a pair of jeans.

 

 

We learned that sometimes brave means getting out of the boat.

And sometimes it means staying right where we are.

We learned that my brave might not look like yours.

My “big” might be your “normal.”

 

We learned that’s okay.

We learned that God shows up in mysterious and unexpected ways, and His presence is always a blessing.

We learned that sometimes it’s good to jump, and sometimes it’s good to wait.

 

 

Fear is not our master. God is.

He knits hearts and souls and words.

And He is good.

 

 

STOP.