I learned a valuable lesson this past weekend.
Stay true to yourself

 I have been told that one of my greatest gifts is that I am me.
No matter where I am, no matter whom I’m with, what you see is what you get. I do not don masks.  And I love that about me.
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Let’s play “Find all the mistakes!” How many can you spot?

This is the project I worked on for 18 hours this weekend. ​It measures approximately 12 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches tall.

I was invited to a sewing weekend with a group of ladies, most of whom I know from church. Our goal was to complete a wall hanging, that was supposed to be 12x12 inches square, a tote bag and contribute to a quilt that would sold to benefit a local charity.

I never did get started on the tote bag.

For me, it seemed like Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday until noon were a great way to make a mess. It was a lesson in futility. Some of the time my sewing machine worked just fine. But there were long stretches where I wanted to pull my hair out because it stopped working well and I couldn’t figure out why.

The fact of the matter is, I'm not a quilter. I do, on occasion use my sewing machine but I've never enjoyed quilting and even though I've tried several times in the past to enjoy it I just haven't.

But I did have good times. I knew almost all of the women there. And now I know the women that I didn't know when I got there. There was a lot of love In the room.
On Sunday morning we had worship music from Ann, Valerie danced her worship and Chrissy sang a song. 

What really attracted me to the weekend, beside the fellowship of likeminded, loving  women, was the redwood sauna. America's Keswick has a recreation building that houses gym space for sports and a swimming pool with a redwood sauna next to it. 

Now, having my own redwood sauna is 2nd to the top of the list of my aspirations in life!

There is nothing more soothing and relaxing to me that a long lay down in dry room heated to 105*+ and a dip in tepid water afterwards. And I got to enjoy that pleasure two evenings in a row.

I hope I get to go to the sewing weekend next year. When I do, I'll bring a special knitting project to work on while the other ladies sew. That's being true to myself and it's also being true and loving to those around me. I'll be much more comfortable as I include myself into a wonderful weekend of creating.
 

https://www.judygoddardart.com/intimacy-with-jesus.html 
Do you love the outdoors? Do you love places that seem wild and woodsy?  
Does the Lord's creation fill you with wonder?  Do you love to create?
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​In March, 2023 I took a huge leap of faith and signed up for an online course that is teaching me how to be a  Destination Retreat Leader.
I’ve learned how to create an avatar; a person I imagine that needs exactly what I’ve got to share. The idea is to market to people who share those attributes. People who are in love with God but want to build deeper intimacy with Him. People who are creative and want to include Jesus in their artistic process. People who want to step out in faith and share their gifts with others.
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I knew when I took this on that it would be challenging, and it has been. But I feel like the time is right.
I have things I want to share with others, things that I think are vitally important. I’ve been saving up knowledge for years. Some of you know that I speak openly about there being No Guilt and No Shame in the Kingdom of God.  
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​So, I’ve built a retreat syllabus titled, “Intimacy with Jesus Through Prophetic Art.” My intention is to help Christian Creatives come into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and learn how to live fearlessly using the gifts He’s given us.

The retreat will be held from Thursday evening, September 19 through Sunday evening, September 22 with a departure date of September 23, 2024.
The location is Skyland Lodge in Shenandoah National Park, VA.
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Skyland Lodge is a rustic resort that offers outstanding dining, comfortable accommodations and beautiful opportunities to be outside and experiencing the Lord’s creation.

I have a web page dedicated to the retreat. You can find it at
https://www.judygoddardart.com/intimacy-with-jesus.html 
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Then, if you have any questions, I’d love to answer them for you.
If you’d like we can have a video chat in Messenger, a phone call or a text.

I’m really excited about this new adventure in my life! Skyland Lodge is a place I know and love and I want others to know and love it too!