Breezy & Rebekah at the Father & Daughter Retreat
April 12, 2010
My dear sister, Breezy.
Our sweet friend, Rebekah.
On Saturday during the Father and Daughter Retreat, our family went on a walk with Rebekah and her father. The scenery was beautiful, with flowers blooming along the path and greenery covering the ground and trees (something that we had yet to see in Indiana this year). We stopped to take a few portraits, and above are a couple of them.
P.S. Breezy is wearing a dress that she made specially to wear at High Tea. You can see more pictures and read about her dress here!
Notes from the Father & Daughter Retreat – Part Two
April 10, 2010
Below are brief summaries of a few of the sessions during the 2010 Father & Daughter Retreat put on by Vision Forum and held at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Click here to read Part One of my notes.
I hope that they are as much of an encouragement to you as they have been to me!
(Please note that these are not necessarily direct quotations,
but rather short summaries of what I wrote down while listening to the talks.)
Whose Daughter Are You? Examining Our Affections and Identity by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin
Are you God’s daughter or your own daughter? Are you pretending to be God’s daughter? You can do the right things, act the right things, and think the right things all the way to hell. You must have a true relationship with Christ.
Let go of everything that you want, and desire the things of the Lord. Identity is a matter of the heart, not appearance! What fruit are you bearing? (Matthew 7:16-18) What is your attitude towards God? Do you have fear of other things rather than a fear of the Lord? (Psalm 73:25-28)
Who are you going to be? Embrace the place where God has placed you and study to be prepared and ready for the battlefield. Actively place your love in the right place! (Proverbs 6:20-23)
A Twenty-First-Century Vision of Biblical Womanhood by Doug Phillips
We all have a religion – we either worship God or we worship man. Culture is religion externalized. The things we see in the culture (Hannah Montana, MTV, etc.) are all an expression of religion.
Cultivate a passion for defending the culture of life in the midst of a culture of death.
When you carry yourself like a lady with true femininity and grace, men treat you differently. When you act like a lady from your heart, others see that beauty and many times other women will desire to follow. Ask yourself, “How can I be a daughter in my father’s house and fully fulfill my God-given task as a submissive daughter?”
Model the virtues of femininity and womanhood in a world of androgyny. Be a truly beautiful woman, one that is characterized by strength, grace, love, faith, hope, joy, and femininity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ministry is serving God in the domain He has placed you. Seven Biblical Missions of the Christian Home: Worship, Industry, Education, Evangelism, Hospitality, Culture, & Care.
Be joyful, serving, and obedient! Love your daughterhood, embrace it, rejoice in it!
Picnic at the Father & Daughter Retreat
April 9, 2010
On Friday evening during the Father & Daughter Retreat the warm sun was shining while fathers and daughters ate a picnic dinner (of hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, etc.) atop blankets spread out on the grand lawn.
Notes from the Father & Daughter Retreat – Part One
April 8, 2010
The speeches were most certainly a highlight for my father, sister and I. The Lord has used the speakers mightily in our walks with Him, and it is always such a blessing to hear them speak such wonderful words of wisdom from the Word of God.
Below are brief summaries of a couple of the sessions during the 2010 Father & Daughter Retreat put on by Vision Forum and held at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia.
I hope that they are as much of an encouragement to you as they have been to me!
(Please note that these are not necessarily direct quotations,
but rather short summaries of what I wrote down while listening to the talks.)
What It Means for a Daughter to Have a Father by Doug Phillips
Fathers are God-given and God-appointed. Fathers are wonderful gifts that the Lord has given and they help us to understand our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
There are many orphans who spend their days yearning, praying, and hoping for a father, and yet the world is telling daughters who have fathers to run from their fathers in independence.
Those girls without daddys would give everything to enjoy just a moment of the pleasure we take granted every day: the blessing of having a father who provides, protects, guides, and cares for us. Be thankful for the father that you have and pray for those dear girls who do not have daddys.
Proverbs 31 and the Daughter of the King by Scott Brown
The Proverbs 31 woman is a treasure, a strong, virtuous woman. She is very difficult to find – her rarity shows her value and that she is not a “cheap” girl. The Bible puts enormous emphasis on women and Proverbs 31 is no exception! A virtuous woman is priceless and we have a wonderful purpose!
She is Christ-centered above all, and through that she focuses her time and energy in her God-given role towards her husband, children and the home.
All the things in Proverbs 31 are fruits of the fear of the Lord. Be willing to take every bit of chastisement that will come, because His ways are pleasant ways. Do not falter. Do everything in Him, through Him, and for Him. What a wonderful life to be called to!
More notes coming . . . don’t miss them!
The 2010 Vision Forum Father & Daughter Retreat
April 5, 2010
My dear daddy, Breezy, and I at the Father & Daughter Retreat
(Photo by my dear mother.)
Last weekend we attended Vision Forum’s Father & Daughter Retreat, which was held at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
The event lasted from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, and it was a wonderful experience! During the weekend there was:
Father & Daughter Unity Games – Unity games were held on the Grand Lawn. Each game had a purpose: in croquet the daughter played and the father corrected when needed, the three-legged race helped fathers and daughters practice working together, and for the obstacle course the daughters were blindfolded and had to follow their fathers voice, testing how well they listened to their father.
Picnic on the Grand Lawn – The sun was shining on the grand lawn, with a cool breeze flowing by while fathers and daughters ate a picnic dinner (of hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, etc.) atop blankets spread out on the ground.
Speeches of Great Encouragement – The speakers included Mr. Botkin and his two daughters, Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, Doug Phillips, and Scott Brown. Topics ranged from What it Means for a Daughter to Have a Father to Proverbs 31 and the Daughter of the King. Each and every session was edifying and we left with a bountiful amount of biblical instruction and encouragement!
High Tea – At noon on Saturday was High Tea. This was a time for daughters and their fathers to enjoy having an elegant tea together while getting to know other fathers and daughters. Included during the tea were many delicious and sweet treats to enjoy! (And my dear mother was one of the wonderful, sweet ladies who helped to set up the lovely tea!)
Fellowship with Like-Minded Believers – How sweet the fellowship is between those in the body of Christ! We all gathered each of us sharing something very special in common: daughters having fathers and fathers having daughters. It was precious to see fathers turning their hearts to their daughters, and daughters hearts to their fathers!
The entire weekend was such a blessing and I can wholeheartedly say that the nearly dozen hour trip was worth it! If any of you have the opportunity to go, I encourage you to eagerly take up the opportunity – I guarantee that it will be a great blessing and a life-changing event . . . and it is worth every sacrifice that you would make to attend!
Over the next few days I will be posting notes from the talks and a few pictures of the delightful trip! Stay tuned!
A Conference, Giveaway, & Paper Doll Sale
December 16, 2009
Myself, Kyleigh (who lives in the Middle East), and Breezy.
Last weekend we attended, along with over 2600 others, the National Center for Family Integrated Churches’ Sufficiency of Scripture Conference in Covington, KY. The conference began on Thursday night and ended Saturday night (we stayed through Sunday so that we could be there for the church service and travel home awake).
Two of the Long ladies posing for a picture with Lauren.
There was a plethora of wonderful, godly speakers including Paul Washer, Geoff Botkin, Doug Phillips, and Voddie Baucham. Their messages were both edifying and convicting. I was unable to take notes at very many of the sessions because taking photographs kept me pretty busy.
Myself and Emily.
Above are a few shots from after the Sunday morning service. I hope to post more photographs after I receive them from the NCFIC. In the meantime, for more pictures, you can visit the NCFIC blog.
Speaking of the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference, Life in a Shoe is giving away three audio collections of the messages that were given at the conference – to three entrants. Head on over there to enter the giveaway (it ends tonight)!
Also, today is the last day for the big sale over at Vision Forum. As a special treat for the last day, our bundle of Daughters of His Story Paper Dolls is the Deal-of-the-Day at 55% off—the lowest price yet! The sale ends at Midnight, so you will want to head on over to Vision Forum to order some paper dolls (and look at what other encouraging things they have on sale!).
Friends from the Crossroads Conference
July 23, 2009
Aside from being encouraged by the sessions, the wonderful part about conferences is getting to visit with other like-minded families!
Emily and I. We were able to have Emily and her mother over for lunch the first day of the conference, and found out that we live not too far from one another.
Katherine, Breezy, Laura, Madeline, Me, and Caroline. We met two of these sisters at the Father & Daughter Retreat in March, and this time we got to meet the whole family.
Me, Nowelle, Kate, and Breezy. We were able to get to know Nowelle and her family better (we met her at the first Crossroads), and Kate is a close friend (who happens to be very much like my sister).
Oh, the joys of Christian fellowship! (There were other dear ones we enjoyed visiting with during the conference, but we didn’t get a picture of them all.)
While living the life my Lord has blessed me with, I am at home with my family enjoying being a daughter, homemaker and artist. My highest goal is to give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. It is He that has saved me with His amazing grace and is continually molding me; to Him I owe everything. Read more . . .
