Retreat

RETREAT

withdrawal from enemy forces, 

to pull back from what is difficult, dangerous, disagreeable,

a place you can go to to be alone to find rest and repair.

Sound like something you need?

I know I do.

As a teenager, I remember Fall Retreats

at Toccoa Falls, Epworth by the Sea,

      GA District Camp Adrian, State Parks

     or North Georgia mountains. 

Activities included

campfires, 

                                  pillow fights, food fights, A sardine fight (yes, one unplanned and unnecessary!  Never happened again!)

                                     rolling down hills, climbing hills

                                                                           (the side of Toccoa Falls 

                                                                                                    straight up, no concrete walkway!)

                                                            white water rafting, and tubing

                                                                                                                  playing UNO until 3:00 am.

            Late night talks in the hall or the staircase

                                                     chapel services by the lake or the sea 

                                                                       and most importantly, relationships built and

                                                  decisions made for Christ.

These times are forever etched in the memory of my heart.

Just a small group in a small condo, laughing, crying, 

praying and singing together. 

The Theme, Psalm 139

"Where can I go from your Spirit:

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me, 

your right hand will hold me fast."

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them, 

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake I am still with you."

My prayer then and today is,

"Search me O God, and know my heart

Test me and know my anxious thoughts,

See if there is any offensive way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Bonnie:)

Youth, Braves Baseball and Newsboys

We did absolutely nothing on Labor Day.

Guess what we did on Sunday?

After church we boarded the church van

and went to the Braves game with a

rowdy bunch of teenagers.

Not really rowdy.  Just teenagers.

Some of the best days of our lives have been spent with youth.

Anyway, Mr. H is the biggest kid of all.

My mind says YES, my body says NO!

I can tell you, I don't do cramped up, 

hot and thirsty and humid on a bus.

It didn't seem to bother these guys one bit.

There was a great breeze up top.

And I can tell you we were up top!

The guy on the right?
Our new youth pastor, James Pendell.
YEY!

An Atlanta school choral group sang the National Anthem. 

It was absolutely the best I have ever heard. 

Simply beautifully done!

We had nosebleed seats, and

I was scared to death!

I could hear the crackle of knees and the pounding of my heart.

Can't you see a big blur of red, white and blue

rolling into the first base line?

I am hyperventilating just thinking about it.

The Faces of the Game

The Crazy Kids

The Other Bunch

Sane?  

Naaaa!

I love these guys. 

So sad that they are back in the real world of college

and employment. 

SIGH!

Thankful for the ones who will stay and will miss the ones who go.

The Post Game Concert 

featured 

NEWSBOYS!

It was awesome to see at least 20,000 youth

worshiping and singing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The 90's crowd rocked the stadium as

Michael Tait writer and singer

 for the former DC Talk sang

JESUS FREAK.

I stood with chills as I watched the entire 

stadium proclaim 

I believe in God the Father

I believe in Jesus Christ

I believe in the Holy Spirit 

and He's giving us to new life.

I BELIEVE!

Wow!  What an experience!
What a way to end the summer!

Glad I went, 

Bonnie:)

Oh yeah, we hit a deer on the way home.

How Do You View God?

I can hardly fathom the magnitude, 

the magnificence, the wonder

of an awesome God. 

My view of him is like a child looking at 

a tall tree from the bottom of the trunk.

There's no way to fully explain or 

fully comprehend God.

God's name as we know it in the English 

is so limited. 

The Hebrew words are more defining.

I'm not a Hebrew or Greek scholar.

Even if I were, there's no way in my finite mind that 

I could attempt to define God.

The word for the God of Israel was Yahweh.

His name was so holy that it was written YHWH

and often prayed, El Shaddai, God Almighty.

To use the actual name was considered an unholy

act of irreverence.

Jehovah Jirah, the God who provides

El Roi, the God who sees

Johovah Rapha, the God who heals

El Shilaom, the God of peace

My times of worship most

often begin with praise

in words that I understand God to be, 

Almighty God, Most High God, Sovereign Lord, 

Everlasting Father, My Rock, My Refuge, 

My Present Help in Time of Trouble,

Awesome in Power, Holy God, Prince of Peace.

One thing I know,

He is a personal God.

He desires a relationship with me. 

He desires to walk with me, hand in hand. 

This I can relate to. 

How Do You View God?

Bonnie:)

Blessed Be Your Name (worship video w/ lyrics)

Cornerstone - Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics)

Tamela Mann - Take me to the King lyrics

A Heart Full of Thanks

My son called early

Saturday morning, 

"We've been at the hospital since 12:30 am.

She is now at 8 cm. You may want to come."

"Where is Connor?"

"He's with Aunt Lori (Christina's aunt),

and they will be here shortly."

At 12:00 noon, Chad comes out 

and says, 

"We're getting ready to push."

Cora Joy Hitchcock

is born at 12:30 p.m.

NO C-SECTION!!!
For this we prayed.

Mommy, Daddy and Baby were able to spend
some special tender moments together
before the mad rush of everyone.

Daddy tells BIG brother all about
his Baby sister, Cora.

Special privileges are made for the PA.

I got my first glimpse through the nursery window.

(I snuck in!)

Cora weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces.
What a pretty head of hair!

At first glimpse,
Cora looked just like Connor.

The next she looked completely different.

Grandy

and BonBon are in awe of
God's perfect creation!

We are in LOVE!

She's already got her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

I'm already making plans for my next trip to Nashville.
Three weeks is too far away!

With a Heart Full of Thanksgiving,

Bonnie:)

Today I Am...

I got my blog inspiration today from
Patty at Reasons for Chocolate.

Her post was uplifting
 with a promise and a rainbow.

1.  Today I am reading the newest
novel by Doretha Benton Frank,
Porch Lights.

Her novels are set in the Low Country
of South Carolina.
They are filled with romance, humor
and a little mystery.

2.  I am praying for my children.
I pray daily that God will build a
hedge of protection around them,
my sister's family,
and my brother's family.

My daughter Christy and her husband Troy
have decided that now is the time
to proceed with IVF. 

There seems to always
be some sort of delay for them, so
today I ask you to pray specifically
for perfect timing.

Thank you for your prayers already!

3.  Today I am listening to
Charles Billingsly LIVE album
from Thomas Road Baptist Church.

https://twitter.com/cbillingsley

Praise and Worship is my heartsong.

4.  Around the house I am doing no
cleaning or decluttering.

As usual, I'm just adding a little
of this and  little of that.

5.  I am thankful for so many things.

My son was appointed to run a new clinic
at St. Thomas Heart at Midtown
in Nashville, TN.
His work is to assist with diagnosis
and treatment of Atrial Fibrillation.

Chad has such a giving heart.
The wife of one of his patients who was upset
about her husband's diagnosis
said, "Thank you for being so kind."

Chad told her,
"You know how some people are called to
be preachers or missionaries?  I feel that
God called me to help sick people."

My daddy had the same diagnosis
and Chad was his granddaddy's heart.

He said that one day a man came in
who looked very much like his granddaddy,
had all the same medical conditions,
and who had lost his wife recently.
He said, "I started to cry and I had to turn away."

I said to him,
"Don't turn away."
As the saying goes,
"People don't care how much you know.
They want to know how much you care."

I adore my family.
They are my joy and my delight.

6.  The Thing I Fear the Most 
is that I will miss God's calling for my life.
In 1987, he called me to "teach women."
I am still waiting for open doors.


Share who you are!
I'd like to hear:)

Bonnie:)