Friday night and Saturday morning I had the privilege of sharing the Personality Puzzle Workshop with the women attending the Victory Church Women’s Retreat in Lancaster, PA. What a wonderful experience.
I loved the combindation of ages between teens to sixties. It’s certainly a sign of a healthy group to have such a wide span of ages present. Their hunger to learn, warm response and keen observations during processing blessed me.
Laughter, quietness, intensity and competition filled the room as the women completed the puzzle interaction. What an intersting experience seeing the different personalities in play. The women at one table were quiet, reserved and steadily working — Peaceful Phlegmatics and Perfect Melancholies for sure. At another table the ladies were just the opposite. On their feet standing and bending over their puzzle pieces they were intense on winning as they worked quickly together to get the puzzle done. Every once in awhile we could hear screams of joy as they progressed and they never quit talking in the process. Yes, you guessed it, they were the Purposeful, Powerful Cholerics and Playful , Popular Sanguines.
Most of the other tables were a combination of the four personalities with the Powerful Choleric barking instructions, Sanguines talking everone through the process and others dutifully following the instructions or just sitting and watching. It was interesting to hear one Powerfl Choleric actally request the ladies at her table to “find the edges first” rather than demand them. Her firend explained that she had learned that skill as a teacher of small children. There’s hope for us yet, Cholerics.
As usual, one lady didn’t want to participate in all the fun. Was she a serious Melancholy who didn’t like to waste her time on such firvolity? Or was she a purposeful Choleric who realized it wasn’t worthy of her commitment? Maybe she was a Peaceful Phlegmatic who just didn’t feel like expending that much energy after a hard week of work. One thing for sure, she wasn’t a Playful Sanguine; they are always ready for fun.
Along with the laughter were some tears as we shared the emotional needs of each of the personalities. One lady had taken time to invest in herself as her husband took over at home with their special needs child. I pray that her whole family benefits from what she learned. As I watch their faces I knew that God was speaking to their hearts and elping them apply the truth – “it okay to be me and I am valuable just because I’m His.”
Being energized by being with so many women, the Sanguine in Kathy and I decided to have some fun and go shopping at the Craft and Flower Warehouse in Blue Ball before coming home. Then since I’m a Choleric I risked using a different route to get from Blue Ball to Gap and onto Route 41. It was a winding, narrow road with a speed limit of 45 but it only took us twenty minutes to drive what would have been a sixty minute drive another way. We saved forty minutes just because I was willing to leave a different way.
Hopefully, the ladies left the retreat different than when they arrived. They risked their precious free time on Friday night and Saturday morning --time that could have been spent with family and chores. I hope the time and heart they risked will far outweigh the cost. May they go a different way.
Women of Calvary, you have an opportunity to invest in your Spiritual growth by participating in our own Women's Retreat on April 18th and 19th here at Calvary in the main sanctuary. We are expending prayer, time, energy and money to make this a refreshing and life changing opportunity for you.
One of the ladies selling tickets told me that someone said, "Oh, I've heard her speak before; I won't be coming." The last time I checked, you've heard Pastor Coon before and myself but you come to hear us.
I just talked with Muriel this morning and we're expecting God to perform some miracles in your lives. Do not let anything frivolous keep you from your Divine Appointment with God. This may be a time for His seed to be planted in you for growth, a time of watering for further growth, a time of breakthrough over strongholds, a time of healing of issues and pain of the past, a time of refreshing and God using you in ministry. But God's powerful presence and specific Word for us will be manifested.
Here are a couple of changes:
1) Friday night is free to whoever wants to come. We will receive a love offering in which you can help with the costs. You do not have to register or present your tickets at this time. We want you to come and enjoy. If you decide to come the next day then you will need to pay.
2) Saturday morning schedule change: 8:30-9:30 is continental breakfast and registration. If you have a ticket ahead of time you won't need to register; just come and present your ticket. The service will begin at 9:30 am with worship.
3) If you want to sponsor someone or more than one we will sell two tickets for $50. That is a saving of $10. So you could buy your ticket and someone else's for a saving of $10. Any tickets you buy over two will be $25 each.
4) If you buy your ticket on Saturday and there is no more room for lunch then your ticket is $20.00.
Ladies, don't let the price of a ticket keep you from attending. Many of you take family to the movies for much more. The investment in your spiritual journey is worth it. Who knows, maybe you will be one of those who leave "another way."
