God's Answers to our Needs

Have you ever thought to  yourself : if I could just ... Then I'd be happy! We all have moments when we feel that way, but did you know that the Bible answers the question - how can I find contentment? God gave the answer of how to fulfill the unquenchable need in your life thousands of years ago in the Bible. Join us the weekend of Oct 2nd - 3rd as we examine what God says & discover the blessing that He has for you!

This Year's Study...

We see the word "blessed" a lot in the Bible. So much so, we sometimes forget what it means. Blessed, especially in the Bible, is another word for "happy". Try substituting Happy for Blessed as you read verses.
For example:

"How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God," Psalm 146:5

Ultimately in life, we want to feel complete and satisfied. We seek this through many avenues: relationships, accomplishments, religion, etc. Then we measure our success by means that are not prescribed in the Bible: i.e. comparing ourselves to others, personal ideas of what we should be, adopting whatever idea of success that society tells us. The truth is that we will never be truly fulfilled unless we are right with God. Join us this year we will be exploring what it means to find contentment in Christ. 

For more information about our upcoming retreat stay tuned to this blog or contact me at maryebobo@gmail.com. We look forward to sharing this time of study with you!

Also, a big thank you this year to Jeremy Thompson, for providing our artwork!

Meet the Speakers, Part 1

Here's a glimpse at the ladies who will be speaking this year. Since I came up with the idea of writing bios it's only fair that I go first. 

My name is

Mary-Elizabeth Bobo (yes, that’s really my last name), and I’m a member of Elizaville Christian Church near Lebanon, IN.

(This is me.)

Favorite things

·        ·         COFFEE
·         COFFEE
·         COFFEE
·         COFFEE
·         COFFEE
·         COFFEE

I     

(I probably like other things, but I can't remember them once I start thinking about coffee.)

My Ministries

I LOVE my church, and a lot of the ministries that we have going there.  I teach Sunday School & Junior church, sing (mediocrely - yes, I made up the word) in the choir, and head up our Women of Faith Group. I LOVE our WOF – we have some amazing ladies serving in our church, and I learn a lot from them.

Before coming to Elizaville I served in various other churches and ministries, including being an overseas missionary in Paris and Limoges, France.  (Where else could you get these fantastic pics? J)

With my amazing friend, Christina

I attended l’Insitut Biblique Baptiste de Paris (Paris Baptist Bible Institute) while serving overseas for three years, and graduated with my Bachelors in Missions from Indiana Baptist College, right here in Indiana. God has blessed me with a wide variety of cultures and experiences over the years, and I’m grateful for them all.

How I Became a Christian

I grew up in a Christian home. Both my dad and granddad were pastors. I was given the plan of salvation in the delivery room (Thanks, Dad!), so I thought I understood what that meant even at a very early age. One afternoon while playing with my brother, Johnny, and cousin, Matthew, the subject of heaven came up. This isn’t surprising as we all had been in church all of our lives. Matthew asked how to get heaven, and being a know-it-all at even my youngest of years, I began to spout off an incredibly incorrect list of things “to do” to earn salvation (i.e. go to church, read your Bible, etc.) My brother, only a year older than I, interrupted my heresy to explain that the ONLY way to be saved was to realize you’re a sinner and ask Jesus to save you.

Now a lot of children at very young ages say the sinner’s prayer. Because what kid wants to go to hell? And sometimes, there is no real conversion, because the poor child doesn’t really understand that they’re a sinner and need Jesus. That wasn’t the case with me. All that day, I kept thinking, IF I DIE, I’M NOT GOING TO HEAVEN. IF I DIE, I’M GOING TO HELL. I realized something important (that all know-it-alls need to grasp at some point), all the things I did which made me believe I was good enough for Heaven were NOT good enough. Jesus did not have my heart. It bothered me so much that I couldn’t sleep, and I woke my brother up, so he could explain salvation again. He prayed with me to accept Jesus as my Savior. That night a true sinner got truly saved, and I’ve never been the same.

My Favorite Verse

Save the Date for 2015!

Our retreat has been set in motion, ladies! We will be meeting on October 2nd - 3rd this fall!

We will be meeting again among the trees of the beautiful Goldman Union Camp (same locale as last year).  9349 Moore Rd., Zionsville, IN 46077