Podcast Transcripts

Participating in a Silent Retreat to spend time listening to the Lord will allow you to slow down, focus, pray, and Listen. Our lives are full of things clogging our minds, a Silent Retreat provides an opportunity for giving your mind a rest. 

 

Please enjoy this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Although efforts were made in editing, this transcript may include a few typos. It’s difficult to catch some minor errors. Enjoy! 

 

Introduction 

Welcome to Hanging Out with Jesus Podcast. I'm Lyvita Brooks, Christian author, Bible teacher and founder of The Me Project Academy, bringing your interviews, book reviews, Christian news, reminders about who you are and who you are in Christ Jesus, and information on how to live a clutter free life so you can Go & Do what God's called you to do.  

This podcast gives you a wakeup call to spending time with the Lord and how practicing spiritual disciplines helps you maintain a growing relationship in Christ Jesus.  

You can find this episode transcript, our free Christian Blueprint and much more at www.hangingoutwithjesuspodcast.com. 

Now on to the episode ... 

 

 

This is episode 68 and I’m with Andrea Hampton who started and event called Silent Retreat at Sandy Cove. We are sharing words of encouragement on how and where to treat yourself to have a moment of silence. Yes, Saints, I’m talking about no talking, being in a place where it invites you to sit at the feet of Jesus.  

If you enjoy this episode then check out our first episode about practicing Silence or episode 44 called “What does Watching and Praying Look like?” which will provide support if you decide to go on a Silent Retreat. 

So the interview with Andrea Hampton is coming up in the interview section. 

 

 

2:15 – Saints 2023 is around the corner, so how are you planning for the New Year? I’d like to share a few suggestions to get you motivated and moving forward into Going & Doing what God’s called you to do. 

1.   First start off with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you through this process of planning for the New Year in order to see the truth instead of what you want to see or what the world thinks you should be seeing. Remember God has plans for us that goes above and beyond the limitations of man’s thinking or science’s understanding of what God is doing. 

2.   Take stock of what you did this year. What were your goals? Did you complete anything that you started? What hindered you from proceeding or helped you grow? Did you live within in your means, why or why not? You could also do this for your business but ask questions about revenue. Did you reach your expected financial goal? Look at where your money source is coming from and which is producing the most. Simply, Saints, ask yourself questions about your successes and areas of concerns surrounding the goals you set for the year.  

3.   Don’t forget to write them down as you go. This way you can see where you need help or where you stand out.  

4.   Now write down all your goals for next year. Including those you wish you completed in 2022. Tell why you want to complete these goals. 

 

5.   Now this is the hard part and will take some prayer time, select only three things you want to pursue in 2023. This way you want feel overwhelmed and please don’t try to group everything into those three steps as subtopics. Remember this isn’t about you but about what God wants to do in your life. 

 

6.   If you need help in focusing or finding time to do this, then join us for the 21-Day Spiritual Diet Challenge. It will allow you to take the time to read scripture, meditate, sit in silence, but also talk to the Lord about your goals, while completing steps one to five above. It begins January 8. Click the link to register and receive the free booklet or download it onto your computer or ipad. It allows you to set your schedule within the routine that is being provided. The 21-Day Spiritual Diet Challenge, challenge yourself to a better year by planning with the Lord. Or you can do this activity in one weekend at Sandy Cove Christian Retreat and Conference Center. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7:00 – Some personal updates … 

Praise God the revisions are back for the book I’m writing with my mother’s poems and reflections and my poems and flash fiction. I worked on it a little bit last week, but will do more after Christmas. I’ve also found a company to publish this so that it will free up more of my time to write the marketing and promotional plan for the book, as well as, allow me to do some writing. 

That reminds me. I wrote a blog for the Christian Indie Publishing Association called, “Are You Scheduling Time For Jesus?” Saints, I am laughing because God blessed that this article came out the same time as this episode about the Silent Retreat. Check it out. I put a link in the show notes and the transcript. 

If you are new to this podcast, join our newsletter where you can find out ways to communicate with me, receive new releases of the podcast, blog and more oall in one emil sent twice a month. It makes this feel more like a conversation. 

Now for my blessed regular listeners, thank you for your support. I pray that you are being blessed by all I and the guest share and it’s helping you to let go of the clutter in your life so you can Go & Do what God’s designed you to do. Please share this podcast with others and if you haven’t rate and review this episode so that it can reach others.  

Saints, you can find this episode, the blog, the academy newsletter, bible studies and my contact information on www.hangingoutwithjesuspodcast.com. I’d love to hear from you because then like I said, it makes this feel more like a conversation. 

Now come walk with me where we intentionally and daily hang out with Jesus. 

 

 

Let's pray. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for  the listeners that are driving or walking, laying down. Father, do we just thank you for everyone who's listening right now, that they truly hear that you want them to take time with you, that they truly understand the importance of getting all of those noises out their heads, to just listen for your voice sometimes, Lord, we think it's hard to be quiet sometimes, Lord, we think it, it just takes too much time to, spend time with you. But Lord, I pray that we pray that during this episode, your listeners,  your people, your saints will hear your voice saying, come. Just sit at my feet cause I have some things I wanna share with you, Father God, we just asked us in the name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

Key Topics With Time Stamps / Transcript With Time Stamps 

10:50 – Saints, I just returned from a weekend Silent Retreat at Sandy Cove Retreat and Conference center in Cecil County, Maryland. It was the best. Now you know I am constantly talking to you about spending time with the Lord: taking time to sit quiet and listen for Him to speak, even after studying your Bible or praying just listen instead of rushing to get up. It’s in those quiet moments that you can hear the Lord without all those distractions coming from the world, family, friends, others and things. 

Yeah, it was a blast. I mean, I had a good time spending time with the Lord and y’all  already know I hang out with him as much as I can, but this was different. And I just want, I just want you to know, time with the Lord is important. We, we've been studying this year about, not just spending time with Him, but after we have Bible stu Bible study, after we pray, we should just sit and listen and don't allow those distractions from the worlds, from family members, our friends, and from things to, to take us away from that time that we spend with Him. Saints, there were times, to listen, and sit quietly observing the scenery. I even learned a little sign language in the process of being at being on a the Silent Retreat. So I just want you to know that this is something that is vital. You gotta take time.  

We do all sorts of things. Now, it's time to take a trip to spend time with the Lord.  

This is why I invited Andrea Hampton, the program director of Sandy Cove Christian Retreat and Conference to join us. She’s  gonna talk to us about being a participant on a Silent Retreat. Hi Andrea.  

Hello Lyvita. Thank you so much for inviting me. And hello to your listeners. Hello. Thank you so much for having me.  

Oh, I listen, I know that there are a few people who say, whoa, Oh, she got the director to come on the podcast.

Yes.

Lyvita talks about this place.

Yes.

So now on, I want, I want you to share with us a little bit about yourself before we actually get into the episode. 

Well, I think Lyvita I can start out with saying, um, I am someone who is always just like at the silent retreat, seeking God's word and, and, and just seeking his presence. You know, my, uh, scripture reference, that I've been holding close to my heart, especially since the COVID when we shut down, has been First Samuel chapter three, where it says, speak Lord, your servant listens. Um, And so that has been a driving scripture for me. Season of my life. And so I am a, a breast cancer survivor and Yes, indeed. Yes ma'am. Those of you, you can't see it on the podcast, but she says what? Yes, a breast cancer survivor, along with my sister, who also I share that, that one of my sisters with, um, also, I just enjoy just discovering new things. Lyvita, let me tell you one quick, fun fact I have. I have enjoyed doing triathlons. There you go. That's the fun fact. . Yes, for long, you know about, A dozen years ago, it was part of my, uh, health journey and I just enjoyed the discovery of trying something new, the discipline, uh, and just trying those things. So, so those are the quick fun facts about me, I think. And as program director at Sandy Cove Ministries, I truly enjoy just allowing people to come and experience in their own way their experiences with God.  

Wow. I'm sorry. I'm, I'm, I'm on the triathlon part, uhoh .  

Whoa. I'm strictly back of the pack, but I enjoy it. 

Oh, I understand. That's a blessing.  

Uh, uh, that's a lot of discipline.  

Yes. Yes. It's, yes, it's, but you know, just like our experiences with, um, our Walk with God, you enjoy the journey. You enjoy each of those moments as you, as you practice, as you practice triathlons, as you practice the disciplines in it. But just like we're practicing the discipline of our Bible study, our prayer life, we enjoy the journey. We have some highs, some lows. Uh, we might fall off the bike, but we get back on it. We might fall off the Bible a little bit because Uhhuh, we come through a dry spell, but we get back. , that's what I'm talking about. Get back, get back. Mm-hmm. .  

So, so you said, uh, this happened in, uh, 2020. Is that when you came up with this idea, like, what were you, what were you doing? 

Well before 2020, I regularly greatly enjoy, uh, my going to a silent retreat. And yes, and, and I enjoy doing it because I, if I can get away from five days to a silent retreat, no talking  that feeds my soul because it allows. 

Oh, ok. You know, that's my, that's my next, uh, yeah. Yeah. I wanna do that.  . You've in indeed. 

You know, and I, I just enjoyed the journey of being able to get away, um, and just walk and pray and talk. And just like you're talking to your friend who Jesus is, who was, you know, I'm outside GE escalating and, and talking to him and having moments where I say, Andrea, just be quiet, and listen. And so I just found it so enjoyable and I thought, why not have something like this at Sandy Cove? And so 2020, uh, when we shut down like everyone else, um, at that time I was the women's ministry director and I thought, Lord, I am missing the ladies. How I am missing the people. And so I just allowed him, um, to put upon my spirit, uh, these programs that that would be beneficial to the body. And that was the Silent Retreat. And so that's how the Silent Retreat was, the genesis of it. And so I hold one, uh, three times a year and the theme is the same for those three times. And right now the theme is “Abide In”. Taken from John 15. So that's where the joy of facilitating these Silent Retreats came from. Uh, And so I just love it. 

So it came from a silent retreat.  

Yes, . That's right. 

I hope you're hearing this that, that when you spend time with the Lord, you actually have the opportunity to hear what He is saying. Encouraging you to do. That's right. Cause that's, that's one of the things I, I want you to take away from this is that when you, if you are struggling with trying to figure out, well, Lord, what it is I'm supposed to be doing in my life? Or Lord, did you really say what I think you said to me, take time to go on a Silent Retreat. There's a spiritual discipline called Silence and Solitude. So that means you are going to a place which is a retreat, and just shut everything down. I called everybody that I knew would talk to me and told them, listen. At four. At four o'clock, it's over. Don't, don't call me unless it's an emergency. And I'll be ready to talk on Sunday at 11 o'clock.  

Yes.  

Yes. I did have one person that kept calling me and I finally just texted and said, I'm on a silent retreat.  

Yes.  

And they sent back and said, oh, I forgot.  

Yes. And you know what Lyvita, and you know, how I want to encourage your listeners is, you know, we set our intention, they may set an intention when they go on their silent retreat, and that silent retreat may be simply, simply five minutes in their home in a room, and let's say they set their intention, you know, I'm not gonna talk, I'm not gonna get on my modern technology. And they end up doing so for a brief moment. We need to give ourselves grace. Yes.  and understand that, oh, I did that. It's okay. Just hit that reset button and keep going. 

 

Saints, we just heard we can take five minutes. Yes. And be quiet. And we still hear. Yes, we still hear from the Lord.  

20:03 – Yes, this is so true, Lyvita, because often, just as you just expressed, we have such busy lives. We have so much going on, whether in the house, outside of the house, so much going on, and often we have one so many things we want and need to pray on and then we feel like I just don't have the time. Well, Lyvita, one of the things I like to do at my own Silent Retreats, which I do at the one at Sandy Cove, is we have five minutes of silence together. And one of the tips that I give folks is what you should, what you can do in that five minutes is just focus on one thing. Focus on one thing because oftentimes, like I said, there are so many things we need to pray for and we feel like we're not giving them justice or we feel frustrated or what have you. Well, let's just focus on one thing and have that in that five minutes of prayer, and then just take a quick moment to. What the Lord may have expressed to you, maybe a scripture, uh, He's illuminated, um, a change you might have to do that sort of thing. So those five minutes can be extremely fruitful.  

And, and I did exactly what you said, cause I took, since I couldn't talk, I wrote down my prayers. Mm. Now I'm the one who, who was taught that you should be able to say out loud your prayers, cause you know you're speaking to the Lord. You, you speak to your best friend. You speak to the Lord, right?  

Yes.  

21:44 – Yes. So the concept of writing down my prayers to me felt like this was going to take too long. 

Yes.  

But because I couldn't speak, I mean, my finger, that pen was going on the paper, I mean, it was rolling and it, everything, it's like the thought in the pen became one.  

Yes.  

And it was, and it was, I was getting everything out about one topic.

Mm. One topic, marvelous, you know?

And then I turned the page over and I, I waited for the Lord to speak. I said, and if I didn't hear in that five minutes, I said, okay, now Lord, I think I took maybe about 10 minutes. Trying to just write this stuff down. Mm-hmm. . So let give you, Mm-hmm. , you know what I'm saying? So it was like even in the process of the silent retreat, I had learned that writing the prayer down, that's not a bad thing. That's cool.  

22:48 – Yes, because you know, Lyvita, in practical terms, this is how we communicate with God as well, and we use the analogy of how do we keep friendships with people? Well, we do it by talking on the phone. Do people still talk on the phone nowadays?

I think so.

We talk on the phone, we do this Zoom activity or think back. We also write a letter, and this is one of the ways that we stay in communication. And so similarly, what you did was you wrote it out, that is gorgeous because we are still talking to God as we write this letter to Him. 

That's right.  

That's right. Cause He, He's already in us, so He already, you know, it's, it's that communication. It was the best thing. And yeah, you know, we also text nowadays too, so. 

That's right. I won't forget the modern technology way. 

So what do you do when you're trying to kick all the noises out your head right before you spend time concentrating on the Lord? And what do you do when, when all of a sudden it is nice and quiet and the next thing you hear, is: “Oh man, I was supposed to lock the door. Did I?” “Did I wash the dishes?” “Is the sink clean?” “Did I clean the dished?” What do you do? How do you bring yourself back to being quiet?  

24:24 - Yeah. You know, uh, what I do is first off, like I said earlier, I give myself grace and I don't get caught up in the fact that, oh, I quote, unquote, did that wrong. No, some, something, just, just, it's, it's just that we have so much to do. And so what I do is I just stop and just say, okay, what should I, you know, and in that moment, and I don't always get it right, you know, we quote unquote, you know, it varies from time to time. But like I said, I find that when I am moving, I am better able to, to talk to God and really able to speak to Him and hear from Him like just this and I think that's because I intentionally am walking and when I stop trying to pay attention to, oh, am I gonna trip over a rock? You know, I'm, I'm so focused on looking down or something, and just all of a sudden, Lyvita, I'll look up, or I'll be silent and I'll hear three different birds calling to each other and others, you know, you can hear these different sounds and from there, that takes you into this wonderful exploration of, that's God's creation. 

We also write a. We write a letter, and this is one of the ways that we stay in communication. And so similarly, what you did was you wrote it out, that is gorgeous because we are still talking to God as we write this letter to him. Mm-hmm. . That's right. That's right. That's right. Cause he, he's already in us, so he already, you know, it's, it's that communication. 

It was the best thing. And yeah, you know, we also text nowadays too, so That's right. , I won't forget the modern technology way. 

So what do you do when, um, you're trying to kick all the noises out your head, uh, right before you spend? , you know, just concentrating on the Lord. And, and, and what do you do when, when all of a sudden it is nice and quiet and the next thing you hear? Mm-hmm. . Oh man, I was supposed to lock the door. Did I? 

Yeah. Did I wash the dishes? Is the sink clean? Did I clean the, what? What do you do? How do you bring yourself back to being quiet? Yeah. You know, uh, what I do is first off, like I said earlier, I give myself grace and I don't get caught up in the fact that, oh, I quote, unquote, did that wrong. No, some, something, just, just, it's, it's just that we have so much to do. 

And so what I do is I just stop and just say, okay, what should I. , you know, and in that moment, and I don't always get it right, you know, we quote unquote, you know, it, it, it, it varies from time to time. Um, but like I said, I find that when I am moving, I am better able to, to talk to God and really able to speak to him and hear from him like just the. 

and I think that's because I intentionally am walking and when I stop trying to pay attention to, oh, am I gonna trip over a rock? You know, I'm, I'm so focused on looking down or something, and just all of a sudden, levita, I'll look up, or I'll be silent and I'll hear three different birds. Calling to each other and others, you know, you can hear these different sounds and from there, that takes you into this wonderful exploration of, that's God's creation. And then it takes you into a wonderful exploration of some parallel issue that you're thinking about. You know, so the, these are one of the ways you just stop and go, okay, let me hit this. Let me hit the reset button and go from there. But, but again, it is, uh, to your listeners, it is so very important that we give ourselves that grace and understand, um, that He speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through his word, through circumstances other people.  And so we want to just keep ourselves. To the possibilities.  

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  

Being intentional about that and yes. 

26:26 – Yes, yes, indeed. Something unique happened on this retreat. Everybody was quiet. You know, we, we were truly, truly focused on spending time with the Lord. But I decided if I don't look at anybody, cause I'm the kind of person that, that if I look at, look at you, I'm gonna talk to you.

Yes.  

You know, especially at the dinner table, you're supposed to be eating and talking. That's right in my head.  

That's right.  

So my thing is, make sure you sit by yourself. Ah, don't sit with anybody else. The session, I think it was dinnertime  on Saturday.  

Yes.  

We had to sit with another person at the dinner table. That just messed me up because I'm sitting there, I have to make sure I don't look at the, the, the lady across from me.  

Right?  

Because if I do, we might talk. 

Now this was another retreatant.  

Yes.  

Okay.  

Yes. And she’s the one who later taught me to sign, right?  

Yes.  

So I'm, she's over here. I'm looking all like over here. Cause I can't, I can't look at her.  

Right. 

Look to the left. But these people came into our area that was, um, from another, um, group and they were talking  

Yes.  

Right?  

Yes, yes. And so you came over and you told them nicely that this section was reserved for our group. What had happened was I started looking at the other people in the Silent Retreat group to see what their expression was.  

Yes.  

And that means that in my head I automatically turned to the right. Yes, and that lady was laughing just like I was. The next thing I know, I was being taught sign language, passed a sheet of paper back and forth. It was the funniest. I mean, it was funny. She was turning red. I was trying not to choke.  

That's right.  

That's right, that's right. But you, but you, you, you know what Lyvita, the, the, the good thing about that was that parallels what we are trying to encourage at the Silent Retreat is that  

Yes. 

Yes. 

28:51 – Even in the midst of our intention of, of being silent things.  

Yes, yes.  

Things happen and, and I always encourage that it's not necessarily that your environment have to be silent, but you put yourself in a position of being silent, of hearing from the Lord and, and just like you can have this silent moment in your house. You have your three kids or you have whomever in the house, there is stuff going on, but we still are able to say, Lord, that was a funny moment, but. In the moment right now, and I am just gonna dwell on You, I'm gonna laugh and then I'm gonna release that and continue on, and that's an excuse me. And that's exactly what we did. 

It was so much fun. Say this was, it was a blessing. More was than one. 

 Amen.  

 

 

29:41 – And when you do, when you set in your mind that this is what you're going to do even the distractions that do occur they don't stop you from moving forward because we laugh, had a good time, learn something, and then when we left, We laugh and then we went, you know, and did what we wanted to do with the Lord. That's right. So that was a blessing. Now, what advice would you give a person that may be struggling to spend some time with the Lord?  

30:12 – I would suggest, um, it's, it's just like our physical fitness efforts because I'm also a Personal Trainer and a Cancer Exercise Trainer, and one of the things I encourage, um, clients or, or someone who wants to start working out, or even myself when, when I've hit a, a dry spot, just get. Just get started and do something small because, you know, we wanna come right out of the gate. I'm gonna read the entire Bible in this one sitting. You know, and, and while that's, that's wonderful. And maybe someone has that amount the time, most of us do not. So I think their encouragement is just get started. Just get started. And it maybe that you just go to a familiar passage. John three sixteen. “For God so loved the world that He”, and start there, you know, and then allow him to take you from there. Start with just the five minutes, you know? Just get started and realize that you don't have to go from zero to a hundred right off the bat. 

Yes.  

Yes. Remember, remember, give yourself grace and just get.  

I like that. I have to remember that. Give yourself grace. That's great and just get started.  

Yes ma'am. 

So now I see. At Sandy Cove, one of your programs have to do with physical fitness.  

Yes. Yes. Yes.  

Okay. Well, what's the name of that?  

I can't think of the name of that. Yes, yes. That is Hope For Me. And that's in, in late January. And we partner, um, with an organization, um, first Place for Health, and they bring that ministry to Sandy Cove, spiritual and physical movement. So at at Sandy, my programs, I have a wide variety of programs for men, women, couples. One of the things is a Caregiver's Rretreat. Uh, and so. You know, it's, it's a wide variety, but definitely that fun that hope for me, which used to be called Fun and Fitness is one where, where it's all, it's four women, um, can come and get spiritually nourished as well as some. Movement physically as well. But it is for, they're saying that first place for health, for health is that it is for everybody. 

Right, right, right.  

And that's the one that's in January, right?  

Yes, yes.  

32:59 – Wow. Okay. All right. Okay. Now, because in January we're gonna be doing a 21Day Spiritual Diet Challenge. Mm. So it should end around January 28th, somewhere like that?  

Yes. Yes.  

So yes. Come check that out.  

That's right. Come to Hope For Me.

That sounds like fun. So is there anything, uh, you'd like to share with us before we end this episode?  

33:19 – Yes. Well, well, you can find me. come and join me at Sandy Cove. Check out our website www.sandycove.org. Uh, We are a Christian conference retreat center, and the programs that I host, like I said, um, are just robust in, in that we have speakers and worship leaders at the vast majority of them. Um, because, you know, we, we, we all like to get away in, in different ways. You know, some of us want intentional Bible study time, and that's why I have women digging deeper. Uh, some of us need to come with our spouses, that that's why we have the couples retreat. Um, one of the, uh, speak Lord your servant listens programs was the caregivers retreat, um, which we hold several times a year, which is for those people who are professionals or you caring for a loved one Lyvita in home or, or you know, someone in your Um, that you're caregiving for. And so come on and join me and, and say hello and, and just come to the fullness of, of one of our programs and, and I would love to say, hey, to each and every one of you that came result of being here with Ms. Lyvita.  

The most fantastic thing. Is when you go and sit on the lawn chairs? 

Yes.  

And you watch the sun, the sunset.  

Yes, ma'am.  

Oh, yes. That never gets old.  

Yes. Mm-hmm.  

I make sure I see the sunset.  

That's right.  

You talk God's creation. That's where we are, right there.  

Yes ma'am.  When you see the sunset, that is God's creation. 

Yes.  

That's it. And my, my family, I, I know it's called Sandy Cove, but I call it my Lake House.  

That's alright.  

But this is a blessing. It really is, but in God's timing. God's timing.  

Lyvida, thank you so much for having me.  

Yes, thank you.  

Yes, it definitely was God. And then to end the year, just saying, Hey everybody, spend time with the Lord.  

Yes, yes.  

And then we gave them some, everybody, some choices too. You know, the five minutes and all. Oh, that, that was a blessing. So yes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

35:51 – Yes. You know what, Lyvita, before we end right quick. Another tip that I love to give what I do at my Silent Retreat, because sometimes I think this will help people as well, is sometimes I feel like everyone else I have so much to pray for. And what I will do is I will list on a separate sheet of paper each one of those prayers. And then I will fold them up. I'll put them in a hat, so to speak, and I'll pull out one and I'll say, this is what I'm gonna pray on for the next 30 minutes when I'm away on my Silent Retreat. And in this way, I'm praying just for this one thing and I allow myself to journal to see what he said. Maybe, maybe there's nothing said. Maybe I'm just praying about it and, but in this way I feel a little bit more, uh, organized, so to speak, and that I have given justice. Sometimes to each of these prayer things. And so when I get away at my silent retreat sometimes that's what I'll do. I'll list out and say, I'm going to pray just for this thing in this amount of time, and that way I can feel like I'm not feeling anxious that I haven't gotten to certain prayers yet. 

Oh, wow. I'm gonna try that one. I'm gonna try that.  

Yes.  

You say you put them in a jar.  

Yes. Or you just, you know, just lay them on the table. You fold each piece of paper up, lay it on the table, and then you just sort of reach over and you pull one and you say, this is what I'm gonna pray on.  

Hmm. Okay. Alright. 

37:32 – Yes, yes. I tell, I tell you, Saints, time to spend, time to spend time with the Lord. Amen.  So make sure you start planning your time now and send co. Register for the 21- Day Spiritual Diet Challenge and then plan a stay at SandyCove.org in January or one of their retreats. Look out especially for the next Silent retreat.  

Yes indeed. Yes indeed. 

And Andrea, can you pray us out? 

37:49 –  I will. Yes indeed. Father, we just thank you so much for this divine opportunity and I pray first off that if there is anyone listening to this podcast who does not know you Lord, um, that they will come to know. Special and unique way, and that they would find your tangible touch in their lives via a church, a friend, a family member who can help to shepherd them into a life that is full and rich in you. Father, I also pray James one five that says, if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to. . But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt. And so Father, I pray for any and everyone listening, your James one fifty-six word and encouragement that tells us that if we're seeking that wisdom, we're to ask it of you. But we must believe in Christ's name we pray. Amen.  

Amen. Amen.  

Amen. Amen. 

We can’t end this year without taking Holy Communion together. So rather you have your chip, bread, cracker, juice, water, wine or not, let’s first examine ourselves, because 1 Corinthians 11: 27 to 32 says: 

“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” 

Let’s take a few moments to ask for forgiveness (give 30 seconds) If you need more time then pause before going on. 

Next let’s take communion, even if that means imagining right now that we have the bread and wine, because it’s about remembering what Jesus Christ did for us.  1 Corinthians 11: 23- 26 reads,  

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  

(Let’s do that together) 

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  

(Let’s do that together) 

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 

42:55 – Saints, thanks for including me in your life these past few years and I appreciate all your comments, prayers, and words of encouragement. May God bless you richly in 2023 as you practice being in His presence in order to Go & Do what He’s called you to do. 

So until we meet again over the airways intentionally and daily hang out with Jesus.  

Lyvita and Andrea: Shalom! 

 

Resources Mentioned on the Episode and suggested reading & social media handles: 

• Contact Andrea Hampton, Director of Programs at Sandy Cove Christian Retreat and Conference 
• Sandy Cove Christian Retreat and Conference 
• 21- Day Spiritual Diet Challenge 

Calls to Action: 

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