1. Women go to retreats be fed and nourished spiritually, as well as for the fellowship. Women love to be in the Bible, so enlist a speaker who is willing to help you lead your group into Scripture. (Can’t find a speaker like that? Then consider using one of CTA’s new free women’s retreat planning guides: Recipe for Life or Woman of God. Scroll down to find the retreat planners.) 







Women of God - Moments of Grace Devotion Book

2. Find a way to include a “Personal Retreat” time for the women towards the end of the retreat. This is an hour or more when they go off by themselves to have quiet time with God. They are in the Word and prayer and they can reflect on what they have heard at the retreat. Many women never have a whole hour of quiet for devotions and they relish this time without the normal distractions or busyness of life. (Both of CTA’s free retreat planners have built-in activities just like this!) 




3. Try to book a site where women can enjoy God’s creation—walking, sitting outdoors, or singing around a campfire. But be aware of costs. You don’t want to exclude anyone because the retreat is too expensive. Might you scholarship some women who might not otherwise get to attend? 




4. Include time for discussion! This could be during the presentations with pauses to talk with a partner or small group—discussion questions are included in both Recipe for Life and Woman of God.




5. Music! Food! Candles or decorations on tables! Mixers! Crafts! Chocolate!  




6. Prayer partners: If possible, have women who aren’t attending the retreat pray for specific participants ahead of time and during the retreat. They could also write personal prayer letters ahead of time which can be given to the attendees as they arrive. Participants will love knowing that someone is praying specifically for them and took the time to write them a personal note. 




7. Allow time for sharing at the end of the retreat—either with a partner, in small groups, or in the large group. Sharing helps everyone think about ways God touched them through His Word. Women love to hear how God is at work in their sisters’ lives. 




8. Keep registration forms simple and easy to use. Think it through! The part registrants send in should clearly include contact information so you can reach them before the retreat if you have questions. Pre-address it if you can so there’s no question about how to return it! The part the registrants keep should clearly list retreat dates, times, the retreat location/address, contact information in case they have questions ahead of time, and a list of what to bring.




9. Door prizes are always fun. No need to spend a lot of time gathering them if you use one of CTA’s retreat themes. Inexpensive, fun items are available for both Woman of God  and Recipe for Life. 




10. Bathe the retreat in prayer: for the speaker, that God would bring women, for the committee, all the details, the weather and especially that Christ would be glorified and everyone who attends would be encouraged.

Many thanks to Renee Gibbs and Amelia Fortmeyer for the valuable ideas and advice they contributed to this article!

Short. To the point. Powerful in its simplicity. First John 4:19 is all that and more. I call attention to this verse as I work with my kindergarten students and as I talk with my own children each year whenever we focus on Valentine’s Day. 

Looking around at the flowers, hearts, cupids and candy that overflow from store shelves this time of year, I know I can feel overcome by the commercialism of it all. That’s when it helps me to focus attention God’s love for us. And that’s the message I work to communicate to all the children in my care every day.

This year, Ash Wednesday comes just three days after Valentine’s Day. As Christians observe both, our Savior reminds us of his love for us, despite our sins. In the weeks of Lent ahead, as we prepare our hearts for Easter, we will think often about the mercy and compassion of our Lord Jesus who died on the cross because He loved us so much.

God himself is the source of all love. He is the essence and definition of the word love. In response to all he has done and all he will do for us, both now and throughout eternity, we actively look for ways to demonstrate his love by serving others.

Check out the CTA website for some great ideas about keeping children (and adults, too) connected to their Savior throughout the Lenten/Easter season. You will find many products and projects there that will make the all-important truth of God’s love a fun and easy one for your children to learn. Now that’s something to celebrate!

The kits were easy to assemble and the children loved the experience of “creating” their own nativity set, especially since they have read and learned so much about Jesus’ birth this month. 

Traditionally, the Christmas season in liturgical churches starts on Christmas Day and extends into January, culminating with Epiphany on January 6, so it is not too late to use the nativity kits.

Christmas Day will soon come and go, but we will have some winter vacation days at home with our children before they must go back to school.  This craft would be an excellent activity for one of winter’s cold and snowy days at home! 

Enjoy your families and may God grant you all a blessed and Merry Christmas!

Just as we adults can feel bombarded by the materialism of our society at this time of year so, too, can our children. They can so easily be drawn into the glitter and bright lights of the shopping season, deceived by ads designed to help them confuse “What I truly need” with “What I really, really want.”

As Christian adults and children, we believe a relationship with Jesus fills our deepest need. We know that his love for us is the one gift that truly lasts forever. Together, we remind one another of this—in church, in our families, in our circle of friends. For example: 

• During this Advent season, we sing songs focused on God’s gift of a Savior.
• We plan ways to do kind things for those around us.
• Maybe you remember the practice of putting a handful of hay or a single straw in a small ”manger” when you do something helpful for someone else during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Children still love that practice! It works!
• In my class, we always plan a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” party as well.

CTA has been an enormous help to me, both as a mother and a teacher, in helping children keep the main things the main things during the Christmas season. I encourage you to check out CTA’s Christmas crafts and gifts for children.

The Christmas Story Pen is a meaningful gift all your students will find intriguing and fun–and for only 99 cents each when you buy a dozen! You might even buy two for each student and help them learn to use the second one to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth with a friend.

Want to know more? Check  out the video description!

• Those volunteers at your church do so much. You want to remember them at Christmas with a meaningful gift. But what!?
• You work with a great group of professionals on your church staff. You want to share your respect and affection for them this Christmas. But how?!
• The teachers and Sunday school teachers, janitors, and teacher aides make an enormous impact on the families and young people of your church, parish school, and community. You want to encourage them all with Jesus’ love. But the budget won’t cooperate. So now what?!

Scenarios just like these led CTA to create and trademark the very first Ornaments of Faith® in 2002. Since then, they’ve become a year by year favorite of CTA customers. Are you among our fans yet?

Here’s what CTA co-founder, Steve Darr, says about these popular products:

The purpose of the Ornament of Faith® products is to provide unique and attractive ornaments to encourage the faith of believers and to plant the seeds of faith in pre-Christians.  We do this by combining traditional Christmas and biblical symbols designed in interesting and engaging ways and packaged attractively with a simple poem and corresponding Scripture. 

All these elements work together to share the truth about Christmas and the good news of Christ’s coming.  Ornaments of Faith® products include children’s ornaments, unique ornament Christmas cards, as well as a line of quality pewter –finished ornaments manufactured in the U.S.A.    

 It seems so natural now that a company like CTA would offer Christian Christmas ornaments, but seven years ago, it was unheard of—especially at a price under $4.00 per ornament. What set off the spark  that brought this idea into reality?     

Steve says:

We started very modestly with the Ornaments of Faith® line by producing a couple of unique designs in various types of materials.  We found that customers really seemed to appreciate the pewter-finish ornaments the most, and thus we have responded to that feedback by providing even more unique and purposeful designs that that could use to encourage the faith. 

Many customer have started collecting these ornaments and purchase them annually to give each Christmas. Our customers really seem to appreciate the value and the purposeful designs of the Ornaments of Faith® that our product development team creates each year.

Looking for a unique and meaningful gift for all those colleagues who mean so much to you and add so much to your ministry? Take a look at this year’s Ornaments of Faith® collection. You won’t be disappointed!

View a video about this year’s Ornaments of Faith®.

View a video about how one pastor has built a tradition around Ornaments of Faith®.

As you walk or run today, think about the Scripture below. Ask yourself the questions. Talk with Jesus about your answers. Enjoy your time with your Savior! 

[Jesus] went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. (Matthew 14:23 NIV)

Runners (and often walkers, too) pay particular attention to their knees. Knee injuries can ruin an athletic career or an exercise program. 

† As I serve today in Jesus’ steps, how diligent am I in my “knee work”? 

† When have I seen my Savior respond to my prayers? What do I want to say to him about that today?

 Lord Jesus, you graciously choose to hear my prayers. You promise that my prayers touch your heart. Lord, teach me to pray, just as you taught your first disciples to pray. Amen.

Starbuck’s employees take pride in knowing what time their customers come in, being able to name their favorite drink, and knowing which table they pick. Employees strive to “surprise and delight” their customers, turning an ordinary cup of coffee into an extraordinary experience. Starbuck’s is a place to relax, a place where someone knows your name. 

That’s what we try to do with our Parent’s Day Out program. We want to care—physically, spiritually, and emotionally—for a community. 

As a leader in this program, part of my job involves knowing and caring for each child. I love to see the surprise and delight in the children’s eyes and on each child’s face as we sing a new song or master a new skill. 

When one of our children has been blessed with a new sibling, we intentionally work to help the big brother or sister feel special. We realize that all the attention at home may seem to focus on the new baby. Mom may well have less time for the older child(ren). And so we make an intentional effort to care for that child. 

Throughout the year, we stay as connected as possible to families, striving to learn what is going on in their lives so we can support parents and affirm the special role God has given them in the lives of their children. We look for ways to show them a God who turns life’s ordinary details into extraordinary blessings. 

We want to model a personal God, a Savior who knows, loves, and forgives each of us personally. We want every family member to know they matter—individually—to him.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. . . . Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Romans 12:10-12, 13-15 (The Message)

I find this to be a very special time of year, yet another beautiful season God sends us to enjoy. With these changes, we also begin to see pumpkins and scarecrows. Whether we live in a farming community or not, we begin to hear talk about the fall harvest.

In my classroom this time of year, we talk about the differences between fall and summer. Although many of my kindergarteners prefer summer, talking about all the positive aspects of fall helps them discover God’s glory in every season. As they name their own fall favorites, cooler days, raking leaves, bonfires, and going apple-picking almost always find their way onto our class list. We talk about the harvest, and about how God has blessed us with food for the winter months ahead.

Children love pumpkins, especially carving them and decorating them. I teach that just as a pumpkin with a candle inside shines with light from one end of the neighborhood to the other, we can shine with the light and love of Jesus. He lives in us and that means his love radiates from us into the lives of all the people we see every day.

CTA has some wonderful resources to help reinforce this theme. Check them out on CTA’s Fall Festival pages or look for G.L.O.W. or S.H.I.N.E. products.

Happy autumn!

As you walk or run today, think about the Scripture below. Ask yourself the questions. Talk with Jesus about your answers. Enjoy your time with your Savior!

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us. (Romans 8:26 NIV) 

† When do I “breathe in,” spiritually speaking? When do I “breathe out”?

† What will I ask Jesus to do for me, personally, today?

† What will I ask him to do for those I serve?

Lord Jesus, you once said, “I . . . enabled you to walk with heads held high” (Leviticus 26:13). And you have! Because of your cross and the grace poured out there, I walk with my head high—in forgiveness and hope! 

Help me as I breathe in your love today. Help me sense the aroma of heaven, and let it remind me why I do what I do for your people. Especially right now . . .