I remember feeling so disconnected from the Lord. I was actively involved in ministry but feeling totally out of it.  I had no idea what I needed, but I knew that I needed something. My husband was feeling the same thing. Our model for ministry was to give ourselves fully to loving people and teaching the Word. And five years into our ministry, we felt like we were going through the motions, doing the right activities but our hearts weren't in it. We knew something needed to change.

A friend recommended a prayer retreat, simply spending twenty-four hours with a small group of people in prayer. My husband decided to go and he came home a new man. So I took a day away, and found a carrel in the CSULB library and asked the Lord to warm me back up. About 75 pages into one of Max Lucado's books, No Wonder They Call Him a Savior, my eyes filled with tears as the love of God broke through. I came back to life that day and I never wanted to find myself so cold and distant again.

I've found that it's amazing how refreshed we feel when we stop all of our "religious" activity. Spending time letting the truth of God's love soak into our heart, falling in love with Him all over again, seeing His hand in our lives and hearing His call, restores my passion and enables my ministry to flow out of my devotion. We have to pay attention to our own soul care if we are going to maintain our love for the Lord while we serve Him passionately.  This is what NEWIM is all about, and this is why I'm honored to be Newim’s President. Come away for a retreat with us. You’ll return home a new woman.