Let Me Tell You About A Youth Retreat I Taught At 4/28/96

There use to be a very dear couple that lived in town and asked me to teach a segment at their youth retreat. They were so encouraging to me. I think I wanted to back out once or twice and the wife would say to me just speak what God is showing you. I did. At the time I was journaling a lot and I purchased a new journal book. The Holy Spirit showed me to let the kids and the adults print or sign their name in the book along with their age and I would pray over them each time I opened my book up. I taught them on ways to pray and one of the ways was via journaling. I let them take a page out of the new journal book when it was time for them to write. I just prayed for them now. The youngest was my daughter at 10 1/2 years old at the time and she is now 24 years old. This was probably the first time she witnessed her mother in a ministry setting. The oldest in the youth group retreat was 18 at the time. Many of these children back then are probably married now with children of their own.

Prayer is turning one's mind and heart to God. In prayer we look to God simply, sincerely, lovingly, trusting in God's goodness and mercy, depending on God's help. Prayer is communication with God: verbally, in our thoughts, deeds, gestures or just by opening ourselves to the presence of God. Prayer is multi-faceted and has many forms. We will be exploring 2 forms today through meditation and journal writing.
Meditation is a prayer form in which we quiet the body and mind and open our hearts to God's spirit. Think of a journal as your private letters to God. Sometimes we talk to God out loud in prayers as an example during your church service, and sometimes we talk to God in a letter or a journal. The journal is like a diary, a book of writings or letters that we can keep private.
Before we begin our journey I would like you to close your eyes and open your hearts up to the Lord and as I say a prayer quiet your body and breathe in and out slowly and deeply taking in God's love and light and with each exhale breathe out anything that is not of God's love and light, darkness or doubt. I then said the Prayer To The Holy Spirit.
Continue to keep your eyes closed for we will together begin our journey. This exercise will be experienced through listening to excerpts from my own personal journal entry dated 4/20/96 (in which I already posted.) In which I wrote at 1:35 PM in the afternoon. I shall read from John 6. The story of the multiplication of the loaves of bread and fish. I began to play music at this point (I think it was the sounds of the ocean.) This story took place by the Sea of Galilee so the music you are hearing has the sounds of waves. The candle burning is called "The Sea." Let our imaginations take us back to the time of our Lord, Jesus Christ as He walked the earth. I then read the journal entry along with the scripture.
Now visualize in your mind: from your heart to your mind to your pen or pencil. Now open your eyes slowly and take your pencil/pen into your hand and let the words flow onto your paper your very own journal. Listen to the words that the Lord wishes to share with you or words that you wish to share. Let the Lord inspire you... At this point the children were released to go and write some remained inside and others went outside. I can still remember the excitement of some of them as they came back and started sharing with us what they wrote. To God be the glory. We gathered in a circle and prayed as a group and the Holy Spirit covered those children and adults in that room that very day and touched those children. Again, to God be the glory.