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A place to rest & receive from your Savior

Spring 2023: May 11-13th, near Muskegon, Michigan

You long for a place that feels like home.  A place where you can let your guard down and let love in.  A place that’s safe, where no one’s asking anything of you or judging you.  A moment in time that’s just you and Jesus, like you remember having before life’s responsibilities and pain came crashing in.  A space to hear his loving voice tell you you’re ok and that together we can heal that hurt.

This is the Come Away Retreat.  This is the Savior calling you to the space he prepared just for the two of you.  With the backdrop of the serene lake and trees, and every detail of your day taken care of, Jesus is ready to hold you and whisper the words you’ve been craving.

This retreat is not a regular church conference.  This is not a bunch of highly caffeinated women urging you to try harder and get your life together in just 5 super difficult steps (though there will be coffee involved, yes).  This is simply a weekend space designed to help you succeed in connecting deeply with your Savior yourself, with experienced women affirming you along the way.  Everything we do is planned with you and Jesus in mind.  Only he knows what will fill you up, what will heal that pain, and what you need to do to move forward in new life when you get home. 


Come away and get what you need from the well that never runs dry.

For next steps to book, click here!

What to expect


Spirit-led Worship

Worship time several times a day with optional ministry time one-on-one with trustworthy, compassionate, and Spirit-led women.


Guided Practices

Helpful worksheets and guided practice from experienced leaders on hearing God’s voice for yourself.


Heart
Check-in

A special time for working through disappointments and deep hurts, leaving more whole than we’d ever thought we could be.


Create & Rest

Peaceful and life-giving free time options like an art room, prayer room, and relaxing self-care options, all geared around connection to the Savior.


Connect

Meaningful connection with women like you, who are bringing their whole selves to Jesus and watching him show up in our needy places.


What not to expect

Shallow, hyped-up messages that make you feel good at the retreat but leave you unchanged and unprepared for real life as you go home

Lots of excitement and a packed schedule.  This retreat is meant to allow space for slowing down and having breathing room.

Just a fun girls weekend.  While there will be plenty of time for deep connection with others, the focus of this retreat will be you and Jesus.

Women’s experiences at the Come Away Retreat

“The Come Away Retreat was very well done. Certainly the Holy Spirit was here! He led the retreat through Heather and the team beautifully. It was all God-breathed, and lives were changed, including mine! I realized age is totally irrelevant to God!”

Barb C.

“The retreat was relaxing, helpful, motivating, and beautiful. The small groups were most helpful. Speaking things out loud to women I trust helped me let go of so much pain.”

Ruby D.

“The retreat was way different than I imagined. I was scared that because I wasn’t some perfect Christian God wouldn’t talk to me so it was not possible to have experiences like everyone else. But that was just a lie the devil fed me and I was able to break free of that this weekend!”

Cassidy M.

“The time I got to spend with God, journaling and doing the Immanuel Process was so healing. I felt his presence immensely. I learned exactly how God feels about me. I now know that God doesn’t see me as damaged or a lost cause. He sees me as worthy, exclusively loved, and flawless. I am not the same person that walked in, truly.”

Morgan B.

“I have not taken the time to sit down and journal or pray the way I have here in a long time. I’m walking away with peace that I have been craving for so long now. God surely met me here and we are walking away from this weekend hand in hand.”

Harlee C.

“The retreat was cozy and meaningful. It wasn’t fluff—it was the real deal! Deep meeting with Jesus in truth. I believe bars of steel were broken off of people!”

Gerry A.

“The most important thing I learned at the retreat was I have no shame! I am wearing a crown that will not tarnish even under the dirtiest circumstances!”

Brittany F.

@glimpses.of.the.sanctuary
That place in your life, the one so destroyed you That place in your life, the one so destroyed you can't even believe it's yours, God sees it all. On those days where it's more than you can take, He sits in a crumpled ball on the floor with you, adding more tears to the puddle than you could ever believe. 

And while he mourns, he doesn't mourn without hope. While you can only see the destruction, He can see the future, and let me tell you, it's bright. Blindingly so. His creative power is flowing right now, breathing life right into your rubble. And He's not just going to rebuild it as it was. He's Creator and Redeemer. What's coming will be more brilliant, more resilient, more alive than it ever was before because it's been built and grown by Grace Himself, weaved right into its fabric like a tapestry of gold. 

If you need a hope and faith-filled space and community to hand God your ruins, this spring The Come Away Retreat is for you. Half the spots are already filled, so check out the link in my bio or story today!

"They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations."
Isaiah 61:4
This tiny necklace is my new "spinning top," like This tiny necklace is my new "spinning top," like in the movie Inception, my tangible token to know what is reality from fiction when my mind slips into unhealthy patterns of thinking.

Working through counseling has shown me some "maladaptive schemas," areas where my way of thinking and acting can be out of sync with what a whole, healthy person does. "Self sacrifice" and "unrelenting standards" have been two big ones. I asked my counselor, what does it mean when you're proud that those are the ones that showed up? 😅🙈 (pray for me lol)

But we came to the realization that the remedy to both of these is the same:

GRACE

Undeserved favor. A love that covers all. A Savior that keeps pursuing me even if I'm running the opposite way. A Love that says "there is no flaw in you" even though you know you're marred with millions. True love that keeps coming in power and persistence, just like the ocean. One wave, after another, after another, after another, with no chance of it ever ending, no matter how bad or good I might be on a given day. 

There is One who says you are worth the blood of His Son, and nothing you can do or not do will ever change that. 

So the next time you see or think about the ocean, let His never-ending, tireless Grace wash over you afresh.
Floating, snorkeling, cabana-ing in Haiti 🐠☀️🙏
Bahamas day 🌴🌊 so grateful for a trip to the Bahamas day 🌴🌊 so grateful for a trip to the ocean and sun in the middle of the cloudiest and coldest winter months 😭
At a recent counseling session, as we worked throu At a recent counseling session, as we worked through some sources of stress in my life, we came to a pain point most of us probably share: too much to do in too little time. As I read from @johnmarkcomer book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” for homework, I was struck by this quote:

“If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”

I’ve lived my whole life reaching for the ideals in every area, and life with Jesus has been no different.  Somewhere deep inside, I want to change the world.  I want God to do the miraculous through me.  But these wild “life of Jesus” experiences don’t come apart from following his rhythms and ways of doing life. We can’t pick and choose.  It’s a package deal. 

One of the apparent truths about the lifestyle of Jesus is He often went away to be alone with the Father. Sometimes at the most inconvenient times.  We can’t expect to live the miraculous life of Jesus without dedicated alone time with the Father.  Connection with God on the go is great, but it is not a substitute to meet the need of intimacy deep in our souls. 

I hope this frees someone up who, like me, sometimes feels there’s something wrong with you because you crave alone time.  No, friend, that desire is holy.  And part of the “why” behind The Come Away Retreat.  To give you a space to come be alone with God, with time and the tools you need to connect with Him.  So if you need to start with a weekend on the calendar, check out the info in my bio.  But either way, ask God with me in this moment: “God, what needs to shift so I can live more in sync with you and your ways?”
We have a Savior acquainted with grief. Whatever i We have a Savior acquainted with grief. Whatever is weighing your shoulders down, whatever causes you to groan in the secret places of your heart, He's already there, feeling the weight and groaning with you. Would you close your eyes and see the tears streaming down his face as He sits next to you? You'll never be alone and never be unloved.
"...all that we treasured lies in ruins." (Is. 64: "...all that we treasured lies in ruins." (Is. 64:11)

We all have those crushing moments in time. The ones where the thing we clung to most tightly, the thing we gave our all to protect, crumbles right before our eyes. Where the level of rubble surrounding us is so unfamiliar that it's disorienting. Whose life is this? Where do I even start to pick up the pieces? 

What if you could find a place safe enough to hear the Savior whisper, "It's not over." What if your heart could be whole enough to believe it and hope again?

The Come Away Retreat is carefully crafted to give you that safe space and time, as well as the tools you need, to hear God speak to your heart exactly what you uniquely need to hear. In a beautiful setting with supportive and experienced women guiding the way, you will witness God breathing life right into your most devastated ruins.

This spring, May 11-13th, you're invited to come away and find rest and healing in Perfect Love. This will be our smallest retreat to date, so check out the link in my bio and take the steps toward booking today.
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