Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Welcome to spring, friends! Well… it sure seems like it this week with the warm temps. My dining room table is covered with seed catalogues, so you can tell that spring fever flares up for me at this time of the year…

The other stuff piled on my table is books! Of course. I re-read the Billy Graham book he wrote in 1975 called “Angels” this week. I put his book on your “optional” reading list and as I am reading it I decided to HIGHLY recommend it! It is encouraging, empowering and downright strengthening! God is so good to us to provide angels’ help in little and big ways.

With some national ministers/prophets saying that they feel that God wants us to pray for an increase of angelic presence for the church and individuals in 2012, “Angels” helps us to understand what it is all about, and why we might really want to do just that!

Graham’s book has been on our bookshelf since the ‘70’s, but I hadn’t read it in a long time. So it was a huge blessing to me.

I am already studying and preparing for the April retreat. God is giving me plans for the summer retreat as well. I thought I would remind you of the dates for the summer retreat, and encourage you to be sure to put it on your calendar. It is so easy to fill up your weekends in the summer months. As I see how God is building on each of the retreats, I would hate to have anyone of you miss even one retreat.

Note the date for the October 2012 retreat as well as the January 2013 one. Those two retreat dates are negotiable for a time, so if you see a conflict, now is the time to speak up while I can still make some adjustments… Otherwise they are set in stone.

I am trying to connect with each of you by skype, phone or visit. If I haven’t talked to you since the January retreat, please get in touch with me so I know you are alive, okay and happy! When you talk to me or your coach if it isn’t me, be sure you are beginning a discussion about a possible senior project. Some of you already have some ideas, which is really fun.

Please post any prayer requests or thoughts on the school blog; it is a good way for us to keep current with one another. By the way, I am thrilled you “city folk” are doing some gatherings on your own!

School is such a wonderful blessing to me. As I “handle” this God-stuff, my conviction and commitment to him and his Kingdom work just deepens. It is a huge gift to be passing this precious stuff on to you. I have been thinking about the Mercy Me song: “Spoken For”.  “take this world from me, I don’t need it anymore…”

It occurred to me that this is the heart of NRSD: I want to spoil you for this world (cosmos). I desire for you to fall so deeply in love with the things of God that nothing else will satisfy… “My heart is spoken for…”

Love to all of you. Hope to hear from you soon, and just know I am praying for you.

Joan Tyvoll

UR 1-3: April 20-22, 2012

UR 1-4: July 27-29, 2012

UR 2-1: October 5-7, 2012

UR 2-2: January 11-13, 2013

UR 2-3: April 19-21, 2013

UR 2-4: July 26-28, 2013

GRADUATION!