Alabama Emmaus Walk 379

Oh my goodness - I have pictures uploaded for several posts - Christmas and new year's eve . . but I am still so "full" from last week-end that I wanted to do a quick post. Way back . . .many years ago . . .I went on my Emmaus Walk - Walk 104 - Table of Ruth - at Camp Sumatanga in Gallant, AL (which is about an hour north of our house). You can't take pictures during and Emmaus week-end so I don't have any photos!! (actually-somewhere I do have a group photo from that week-end and also a picture that someone took of some of us in Hutto - they must not have known the rule!!) That one weekend changed my life for good. I grew up in church - I knew Jesus - but I didn't know about grace. Back then (I don't know about now), grace was not talked about very much in the Baptist church. I had been in the United Methodist church for several years as a young adult, young wife and young mother but I just didn't know the scope (not sure I will ever really understand the depth) of God's grace. I'm rambling - I know that! Our kids were in kindergarten when I went on my walk and I came home hoping and praying that Mark would attend a walk . . .he had no desire at that time. Peer pressure got to him though and he finally went on his walk when our kids were in middle school. He was always supportive of me and my desire to be involved and he always kept the kids and I would come home on a Sunday night and the house would be clean. . . but he just didn't want to go. I can say this now - his Emmaus week-end experience saved our marriage. He intended to go and then no one could bug him about going again. We have a few people in our church who are rather pushy about folks going (this is not a good thing!!). He didn't intend to meet God in a mighty way that week-end but he did. So . . .now Emmaus is something we do together. We don't have a lot of things in common. He's outside working in the yard right now (actually, I hear the blower - he's blowing out the basement) and I'm sitting here on the computer still in my nightgown. Emmaus (and our church and faith) is something we do together. Which I guess is the most important thing of all.

Last weekend, we were privileged and honored to be asked by Shawn Lipscomb and the Holy spirit to be involved in walk 379. She started preparing a year ago for this weekend. She asked me to give the study talk and she asked Mark to be in the prayer chapel. Oh my goodness - what a blessing to be with the ladies at the table of Esther for three days. What a blessing to spend 72 hours with God. What a blessing to be away from the computer and the phone and work obligations - all the worldly distractions - and spend 72 hours allowing God to be at work in me. I don't know how many times we have served on teams . . .but I do know that God is always saying, "Lisa - let's work on such and such this year." During an Emmaus week-end, I slow down and am quiet enough to hear him speak.

What an incredible week-end - how great for it to follow the wedding. Several folks thought I was nuts for planning those two week-ends back-to-back but I knew that God was calling. I felt it deep down inside.

The ladies at the table of Esther were amazing - we all clicked from the first moment we were together. The talks were great during the weekend and the chapel services were amazing. I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful Christian community!!