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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Retreat (as in quiet time away) (08/01/05)
Gemma has had enough! She has only been seeing Luke for three weeks and he already is talking about marriage. After her last disastrous relationship she is not about to rush into this one especially since she is not even sure if she is on the rebound or not. As if that is not enough the transition she is going through in her career is causing her a lot of anxiety and she is wound up so tight, she is scared that she would snap any minute. She had even resented her responsibilities in church lately because her well had run dry and she has nothing to give, yet people are pulling on her.

She decided to take time out and refresh herself in the Lord. She heads off to her favourite retreat in Sussex, the serene scenery of assorted flowers and the cool breeze of the lake always had a soothing effect on Gemma.

She dumped her bags stuffed with her concordance, bible dictionary, and various other books in her room and headed for a walk along the lake. She grabbed her journal and scented pens and she rushed off.

She finally found somewhere she could settle down and she lets out a huge sigh. She stared at the still water in front of her for a long while and she could actually feel herself relax. She started scribbling at a frantic pace “Lord, what’s going on, I do not know where to start, everything seems to be in a muddle. What should I do about my career I do not enjoy, and I am not sure how to break into what I really want to do.” The wind blows a wisp of Gemma golden fringe of her face. “Father I prayed about entering this relationship with Luke even though I was not sure if I was ready, why is he talking about marriage after three weeks? I am scared! What should I do?”

Gemma got up and paced a while and then got back to her journal. The scrawling continues “Lord! Are you listening? I am tired. Tired of work, tired of church work, and Luke is making me nervous.” She lets out another sigh and stayed quiet for a while. She leans against the wooden chair and closed her eyes. When she opened them the sun was setting and it was a beautiful sight.

She gazed at it for a while and silently thanked the Lord for giving her an opportunity to come away and have a break. She felt the presence of the Lord like a cloak, and his gentle voice saying “In returning to Me and resting in Me you will be saved, in quietness and trusting confidence shall be your strength.”
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This article has been read 1114 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Dixie Phillips
08/09/05
LOVED THE VISUAL, "felt the PRESENCE of the LORD like a cloak!" Mmmmmmmm Good!
Sally Hanan
08/09/05
This is good; your jumping from past to present tense in almost every sentence make it a bit hard to read though.
Beth Muehlhausen
08/10/05
I like that she found the presence of God to be the answer. So often we seek specific responses to circumstantial needs rather than HIM. A good lesson, here.
Debra Brand 
08/11/05
Cast all our cares upon Him. Good visuals.
Maxx .
08/13/05
Another strong entry this week. Very well constructed. Igot a little confused on some of the tenses, but the strength of the story came through. Well done!
Shari Armstrong 
08/13/05
A very relatable story. Try to keep your verb tense consistant :) Other than that, very nice.