January 16, 2007
GN 1189 FD/MM/FM
By Maria 3615 11/06
Please read this GN unitedly with all voting members at least two weeks prior to your scheduled Feast dates‚ so that everyone has time to adequately plan and prepare.
Dearest Family,
1. It's so wonderful that it's Feast time again! You all really deserve the rest and spiritual retreat‚ and I hope you're looking forward to it as much as Peter and I are. The Lord has once again laid a delectable spread for us to be nourished and strengthened by.
2. The theme of this year's Feast is resting in the Lord. And‚ as a special treat, He has given the suggestion that each Home can take off even more than three days if you feel you can work it out.
3. I'm very thankful that the Lord asks us to set this time aside each year for the Feast. I'm thrilled with the messages He has given for our Feast this year. And I believe you will be too. It's all very happy news, and you can look forward to it, knowing that you're going to like it. It's going to be a relief to you, an encouragement, a boost. It's going to give you what you need to carry on for the Lord. It's going to renew your spiritual strength. It's what you need to make it for the long haul.
4. So you can be encouraged and look forward to this time of spiritual retreat with joy and anticipation and no worries! During this time in the temple‚ the Lord wants to encourage you, comfort you, wipe away your tears, answer your questions, hold you close, and relax and enjoy this time with you. He wants you to lay everything else aside and rest in Him completely—put all your weight down, physically and spiritually.
5. The Lord knows that these years have been busy, incredibly so. Peter and I and those we work with have certainly felt the increase in both the workload and the spiritual battles. You've felt it too. We all need this time in the temple to be refreshed and have our vision renewed.
6. (Jesus:) Come, My loves, with anticipation and joy, knowing that in this time I will satisfy you completely. I will care for you in every way.
7. I will take the burdens you've been carrying and give your weary muscles rest. I will guard you in spirit against the Enemy's attacks as you rest in My arms. I will renew and refresh your mind and restore clarity to your spiritual perspective. I will renew the joy of your salvation as you take in My Spirit in great abundance. I will replenish your stores of spiritual and physical strength. I will pamper you, dote on you, and take you away in the spirit to beautiful places.
8. I have prepared special pavilions of rest and renewal for you, My brides, and I can hardly wait to have your undivided attention so that I can take your spirits there. This is going to be a time of great joy for both of us—for I have so much to give, and you have such a need to receive from Me.
9. So come, My loves. You don't have to do much to prepare, except to be ready to lay everything down and leave all your burdens at the door. They have no place in our bedchamber, and will only hamper your enjoyment and relaxation.
10. Imagine yourself coming to a time of full relaxation. Whatever works for you, that's what I want you to picture in your mind. Whether it's a glass of wine by a fireplace, a long hot bath, a full body massage with scented oils, a long night's sleep in the bed of your dreams, or a gentle stroll in green woods with a rippling brook, none of these activities are enhanced or made more relaxing by a big pack of rocks and sticks and awkward and heavy objects piled on your back.
11. So put everything down in the spirit; leave all the rocks and sticks of daily life outside as you enter the Feast time, and come into these days ready to relax with Me. I have so much to give you, I can hardly wait! (End of message.)
(Jesus:) Spiritual retreat can mean different things for different people. You each have special needs, and I want to meet those needs for you and help you to find activities that will be restful and renewing for you. Here are some ideas, but please do seek Me as to what you personally need. Praying about this in advance of the Feast is one way to make the most of this time.
1) To start with something obvious, reading My Word is one tremendous way to be fed in spirit and renewed, and it's always a treat when you can spend more than the usual one and a half hours in My Word‚ and just keep reading till you feel satisfied, rested, and like you could keep reading for hours. It often takes a while to reach that point, especially when you've just come out of the wings, and that's probably why many of you feel a nagging urge during your regular Word time to get back to work. Besides the Enemy trying to distract you, it's human nature to feel pressured by all you have to do, and you're not in a relaxed state in the spirit. So part of "laboring" to enter into rest is persevering past the restless stage until you're really and truly resting in My arms.
It doesn't happen often that you have this extra time slotted to be with Me, and I encourage you to use some of it to keep reading, calming your spirit, resting, and reading some more, until every pore in your spirit is soaking up My Words, and you feel no rush to get up and go anywhere‚ but are content just lying in My arms. That's when you can know that you're deeply absorbing My Words, as they penetrate the depths of your spirit and strengthen you, not just reading enough to get by or make it through the day.
You don't have to just read‚ either. You could team up with someone and read to each other, or you could listen to the Word on your computer or an MP3 player. You could gather in a group and take turns reading while others close their eyes and listen and rest. There are all kinds of things you can do. The important thing is to absorb My Word and get as much of it as possible in this time, in a restful, enjoyable way.
2) Going out into My creation is a wonderful way to calm your spirit and change gears. Whether you have a place that you can lie outside and relax (weather permitting, of course), or whether you go for a nice walk in nature‚ being in My creation is renewing to your spirit. You can also combine it with listening to music, praising Me‚ reading My Word, or fellowshipping with one or more of your mates and loved ones. If you have the opportunity and the place to do so and the weather is conducive to it, I highly recommend being out in My creation as part of your spiritual retreat.
3) Listening to music‚ especially songs of love and praise to Me, is another wonderful way to let your spirit relax and be strengthened and uplifted.
4) Taking a nap, especially if you're reading or listening to music and you just sort of drift off, or if you are praising Me in your heart while relaxing, is a wonderful way to spend part of your time of retreat. I want this time to be restful for not just your spirit, but also your body. You have all been working so hard, and this time is needful for you. Sleep is a wonderful healer‚ and I want you to have the opportunity to have more sleep than normal during these days, if you need it. It is part of your refreshing.
5) Having a special time of loving Me intimately, whether alone or with a partner, is another good idea‚ and brings with it a special infilling of My Spirit and renewal.
6) Even just having a date with someone is a good way to rest and relax and be renewed—for I've made sex to be satisfying and relaxing for both body and spirit. At the same time, you're making a vacuum for Me to fill you with My love, as you share My love with others.
7) Spending time with your mates and loved ones in positive fellowship is one more refreshing activity for your spirit that I would highly recommend.
8) Pouring out your heart to Me in prayer—for whatever is on your heart—is yet another wonderfully renewing and refreshing activity, because you're actively putting everything in My hands to take care of. You can either do that alone, or with a partner who you're close to or feel comfortable sharing your heart with—because you'll want to be able to really get deep with Me in prayer, be totally honest, and commit everything to Me. In order for it to be a renewing and "spiritual retreat" type of activity, it's most effective if you don't have to measure or guard your words, but can speak freely. So whether you do it alone or with a partner, give Me everything that's in your heart, and see how much better you feel afterwards.
9) Pulling out a guitar and singing to Me, either with others or alone, is a beautiful form of praise and relaxation which will benefit you and bring sweet rest to your spirit.
10) Hearing from Me in prophecy, especially about topics that are not real "heavy" or problematic, is a good thing to do during times of spiritual retreat. Ask Me things like:
"Jesus, what are some of the things You love about me?"
"Please give me a praise prayer to You, expressing all the thankfulness of my heart that is sometimes hard to put into words."
"Tell me something about my reward in Heaven that will encourage me."
"What is something I decided in Heaven that I wanted to learn on Earth that You've already brought me through?"
"Tell me more about my spirit helper‚ ______." Or ask one of your spirit helpers to share more about themselves, their background, or some interesting things you'd like to know.
11) Taking quiet time to meditate on Me and My love for you, My Words to you, and freeing your mind and opening yourself up to Me and to anything I want to impart to you, is another worthwhile exercise that will feed and encourage your spirit. (See GN 1153, "Training Winning Teams‚ Part 4," for more on meditation.)
12) The activities that I've prepared for your Home to do together during this Feast will also contribute to your spiritual retreat, if you will enter into them fully. Don't be afraid to laugh with Me, cry with Me, sing with Me, and praise Me with all your heart and soul in total abandon. The more you give your whole heart and all your thoughts to these times of fellowship and feeding when you're in them‚ the more they will benefit you and contribute to the overall experience of spiritual renewal.
Whatever you do during these … days, even if you're with the children or cooking a meal or tending to something necessary for the Home's continued functioning‚ add praise to the mix. Keep lifting up your heart to Me, asking Me to pour My balm of love and renewal on it‚ so that you never really have to leave the temple in spirit‚ but can keep the spirit of rest and refreshing, even through your necessary duties. (End of message.) (ML #3569:13-15,17,19-30, GN 1155).
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12. (Mama:) Peter and I are praying daily for all the preparations for your Feast time—physically and spiritually. We are claiming the keys of peace and asking the Lord to make this time very calm and restful for each of your Homes, free from any emergencies or distractions.
13. Please pray with us that this Feast will be restful and renewing for every single person in the Family. We all need it. Please pray for yourselves and for each other, that we'll each do our part to enter into the rest that the Lord has provided for us. Please do your part to prepare in advance as much as possible, to ask the Lord what you personally need most during this time of spiritual retreat, so that you can get the greatest benefits from it. A big thank-you to those of you who pray about and organize your Home's schedule so that the children are well cared for and the Home needs are met, and so that everyone has as much time off for spiritual retreat as possible. It's a big job, and I (and your Home, I'm sure) thank you.
14. 1) Because this year's Feast can be expanded from the usual three days, its organization and the plan for various activities can be more flexible, and for the most part you are welcome to organize the activities as the Lord leads you, and as you feel would be most restful and beneficial for your Home.
15. However, whatever the length of your Feast, the aspect of spiritual retreat would remain the same. In other words, you wouldn't simply spread three days of spiritual retreat over a longer period of time (for example, having a week–long Feast with work in the mornings and spiritual retreat in the afternoons, adding up to three full days of Feast spread out over a week), nor would you break up the Feast days with business in between (for example, two days of Feast, then a day of business, then two more days of Feast). The Feast days should be consecutive, and set apart for spiritual retreat just the same as when you hold a three-day Feast.
16. 2) As usual‚ you'll want to keep your Feast days completely free of other engagements and obligations.
17. 3) The pubs team has prepared some feeding and enjoyable activities for the children, which hopefully will help them to have an inspiring and memorable Feast time as well‚ and require little planning on the part of those who are caring for them.
18. 4) In order to have quality spiritual retreat time, it's important to give people longer blocks of time to have it in. This gives them time to unwind more fully and relax and rest, without feeling like they have to go anywhere or take care of anything. So it is ideal if you can arrange your Home's schedule in a way that people have longer slots of time for rest and renewal, and can take care of their Home duties in one day‚ or one morning or afternoon (depending on how much time will be needed from each person). Of course, if that isn't possible in your situation, we know the Lord will show you a good alternative that will work well.
19. 5) Like last year, please try to schedule things so that everyone—including parents and those who don't usually have the opportunity—has the opportunity for extra rest and sleep, including a sleep-in if possible.
20. 6) One main feature of this year's Feast is audio material, most of which is for personal devotional listening and not required to be listened to unitedly. You are of course welcome to organize times for these to be played in a place where others can attend if they wish. It's up to you how you want to do it. Some of these audios are long, but it's not required or even recommended that you try to listen to them all at once. They are for your enjoyment and spiritual feeding‚ your relaxation‚ and you should listen to them however you will best enjoy and appreciate and benefit from them—in shorter segments or in relaxing locations, or whatever suits you best. They are to help you unwind‚ enter into the Lord's presence, and spend time with Him, so you'll want to play them during times when you can relax and give Him your full attention. These audios for personal devotions don't have to be finished during the Feast if you don't have enough time.
21. It's very important that every member of your Home has access to these, or a way to listen to them in a setting that will be restful and inspiring. If some members of your Home don't have a way to listen to the audio files (either an MP3 player, or a laptop‚ desktop computer, or PDA), please organize playings that they can attend‚ or work it out for them to borrow a device to listen on, so that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the audio files. (You will be receiving these MP3 files on DVD with your January mailing, Lord willing, and they will also be available for downloading on the MO site one week before the Feast period begins.)
22. 7) You might want to organize an optional outing for those who would like to go out in creation for part of one of your Feast days. The theme of the Feast is resting in the Lord, and being in creation is very restful for some people. So if there is a pretty park or nature setting nearby where it would be quiet enough for people to read, walk, sleep, meditate, or just soak up the beauty, you might want to organize a trip for whoever wants to go. This is weather permitting, of course, if your Home members would appreciate it.
23. 8) Please try to keep your house as quiet as possible so that those who are resting or sleeping or taking meditation time can do so without distraction‚ as much as possible.
24. 9) Please pray personally about the Feast time and ask the Lord if there's anything specific that you should do in preparation, or any words of counsel He has for you about how to look at it, or what to focus on. In doing so, don't feel like you have to ask for a big list of "to dos," because this isn't the time to try to knock off a long list of spiritual projects—or projects of any kind. This is a time to rest in your Husband's arms and let Him renew and refresh you. And a lot of that will come simply through reading and listening to the material that is provided for you and ready–made. So there isn't much that you have to do at all, except show up ready to rest and relax in our Husband's bed of love. But asking the Lord if there is anything in particular that He'd like to tell you as preparation might be the cherry on the cake or a key to getting even more out of the Feast than you normally would have.
25. 10) The Lord is encouraging us to rest and relax, both physically and spiritually. He is encouraging us to spend a lot of time with Him, meditating, resting, being renewed. He also wants us to spend time with our mates and loved ones and co-workers in spiritual fellowship and relaxation together. So feel free to have fun together as a Home and enjoy one another. As usual‚ the Feast is not the time for System entertainment of any kind, so please refrain from any movies or Internet browsing, System music, or any form of System input during your days of spiritual retreat.
26. 11) As the Lord explained last Feast, whether you're married or single‚ please ask the Lord for a good balance in what activities you do with others (your mates, friends and co-workers)‚ and what time you reserve for Him alone. Both aspects are an important part of your spiritual retreat, and neither one should be neglected.
27. (Jesus:) I want time alone with each of you, My brides, and I want times with you and others together as one bride for Me. Keep this in mind during the Feast, and let Me give you a good and healthy balance—both of giving love to others and enjoying Me together, and times that you reserve for Me alone, when you enter My secret chamber and shut everything else out.
28. Let Me lead you and give you sweet times with your mates and co-workers, and let Me renew and refresh your spirit alone with Me. Both are needful, both are essential, and both will contribute to your spiritual renewal and regeneration as well as to your unity and strength as a winning team for Me. (End of message.)
(Mama:) How much your JETTs and junior teens participate as regular Home members, or have a slightly different schedule tailored to their needs, is up to you to counsel and pray about.
Because your JETTs and junior teens probably carry a lighter workload on average than the adults in the Home‚ they probably won't be as eager to have hours of undisturbed rest and retreat time, nor would it benefit them as much. As I mentioned earlier, you might want to consider scheduling them to help with the children for part of the time, and then having someone scheduled to pour into them and do an activity or Word class or hike or something with them during other times.
Their needs are different from the needs of the adults, and many of them would appreciate being needed to help with the children and Home duties for part of the time, knowing that it's going such a long way toward everyone having a good Feast, and then having something specially tailored and planned for them and their needs as well. Some of the meetings and activities would be very inspiring and beneficial for them to participate in, others less so.
A lot depends on your particular teens and JETTs and what they need and enjoy. I know the Lord will show you how to best work it out as you pray and counsel together. You could either discuss this as a Home or you might want to delegate it to the Steering Council and the JT counselor to figure out.
As usual‚ please ask the Lord about how much/who to include in this Feast. If your Active members are far along, you might want to consider inviting them to join you for your Feast. They could not only participate, but also help share the load of the children and Home duties, and it could be very inspiring and encouraging for them to be included and participate. Or, they might be younger in the Lord and would require more shepherding and specialized input in order to benefit from it, in which case it probably wouldn't be best to invite them.
Please remember that this is a time for you—full-time Family members—to be strengthened above all. So when you ask the Lord what would be best in regards to your Active members, please include in your question what would be best for your Home members. You don't want to be inviting sheep over who need to be fed and poured into, if it will take away from the time your Home members would be spending with the Lord and relaxing during these days.
This special Feast time only comes once a year, and the purpose is to strengthen and refresh you so that you can then pour out better during the rest of the year. So please, do take a break during this time as much as you can. It might be very worthwhile to invite your Active members, or it might add too much strain. Please consider these factors and let the Lord show you what's best for your situation. (ML #3569:51-57, GN 1155).
29. This meeting would ordinarily be for 16 and up. However, it could be suitable for JETTs and junior teens‚ provided your Home members realize that the young teens are attending and keep any personal love words to the Lord mild enough to be appropriate for them. Because of the theme of the evening, it's not likely that the personal words of love would be inappropriate for younger audiences, and the messages from the Lord are also age-appropriate. But whether or not you include them is up to your Home to decide. If you wish to keep this united meeting for those 16 and up‚ that's perfectly fine. If you'd like to include your junior teens, or even JETTs, you may do as the Lord leads you, provided you use age-appropriate language. If you decide that it would be better not to include them in this united event, you could always use parts of the plan presented in the GN and do it again with them later.
30. For this activity, please try to set up the room in a way that will be comfortable for everyone, with nice soft lighting, comfortable seats, and pleasant ambiance. Soft instrumental music is an optional part of this evening, if you can set up some form of speakers or sound system.
31. If your Home would like to serve a glass of wine or a drink, that is optional. The plan for this evening, which you can adapt as the Lord shows you, will probably take one hour to complete, or possibly a little less. There is no advance preparation required on the part of the Home members, and preparation for those leading the activity is minimal. (Those planning this activity, please see "A Journey Through Time‚" ML #3616, GN 1190, for the plan and material to read.)
(Because this talk presents the overall theme of the Feast, it should be played on Day 1. The other Feast material can be read or listened to whenever it's convenient.)
32. Please try to set up the meeting room in a way that is comfortable and cozy for everyone. Start with prayer and praise and a couple of songs, and then press play! The length of Mama's talk is about half an hour. You're welcome to have this meeting in the late morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening—whatever works best for your Home. (See ML #3618, GN 1191.)
(The remainder of the meetings and materials are not linked to any specific day of the Feast—other than the closing message.)
33. This is a 45-minute audio from Mama to the children, with stories about children who made a difference. This is part of the children's Feast plan, but we recommend that you play it at a time when the adults can come too if they wish. It's an optional activity for the adults, but you might find it inspiring—and the kids will probably find it inspiring that you're there too, listening to Mama with them. Very young children probably wouldn't enjoy listening to it all in one sitting, so they could have it broken into smaller sittings for them, and would probably get more out of it that way. (See ML #3617, GN 1199.)
34. Two hours of short messages from the Lord, with soft instrumental music in-between, to help you disconnect from the world and think about heavenly things. Read by Mama. (See ML #3622, GN 1196.)
35. More than three and a half hours of hymns, reflections, anecdotes‚ messages from the Lord, and commentary from Mama—all on the theme of resting in the Lord, communing deeply with Him, and meditating on Him. Read by Mama. (See ML #3623‚ GN 1197.)
36. A GN full of exercises to prepare you for meditation‚ help you to praise, pray‚ meditate, and otherwise connect with the Lord. (See ML #3620, GN 1192.)
37. Three GNs of messages on how to make resting in the Lord your new lifestyle! (There's also one file of Letter links available with these GNs.) Also read on audio by Simon Peter, if you would rather listen than read (listening time is a little more than 5 hours). (See ML #3621, GNs 1193-1195.)
38. A compilation of promises and insight into what our future will be as we continue along the path of strengthening and become what the Lord has destined us to be! Again read on audio by Simon Peter, with a listening time of approximately one and a quarter hours.) (See ML #3624, GN 1198.)
39. A spirit trip! (50 minutes) (See ML #3619, GN 1191.)
40. A special class with Word, movie clips and anecdotes on our special calling as disciples. This class is in HTML, and is designed to be given by a teacher. It was put together with JTs in mind‚ but probably most anyone would find it feeding and inspiring. It could be an optional activity for anyone in your Home who wants to join in and participate‚ and could possibly be broken into a couple of classes, depending on how long you want them to be. (See "The Cadre" subdirectory on the Feast DVD. These files need to be copied off to a computer and can be watched there, or the computer can be connected to a TV and the class can be displayed there. Wherever you decide to watch it, you'll want to check your equipment beforehand to make sure it displays well‚ the sound is audible, etc. Also posted on the MO site.)
41. An Xn special with stories of young people who made a difference and changed the world around them. This is specially for you JETTs and teens, but is enjoyable and feeding reading for all.
42. A new LJ CD!
43. New instrumentals by Michael Piano, created especially for the Feast audios. These are the full versions of the melodies, which you can use to enhance your relaxation, meditation‚ times of fellowship with one another, or communion with the Lord.
44. The idea is to have a special time together as a Home to celebrate, praise our Husband, bond and enjoy each other's fellowship, and be happy in Jesus! Please plan something that your Home would enjoy. A nice dinner together is something most people enjoy and can easily fellowship over‚ but if there's something else your Home would prefer and that would be feasible, you're free to plan whatever the Lord leads you to.
45. Please try to plan for this as much as possible before the Feast begins. Special meals and events for a Home take time to prepare and pull off, and preparing for this special dinner and celebration time could possibly be someone's "duty slot" during the Feast, so that it is scheduled in and doesn't take away too much time from someone's spiritual retreat. Whatever you decide to have doesn't need to be fancy or expensive; the idea is to have something enjoyable and memorable for your Home, whatever that might be.
46. There is a short (7-minute) audio to play at some point in the evening, with commendation from our Heavenly Husband (read by Mama; see ML #3625, GN 1190).
1) Pray about the scheduling of the childcare and Home duties during the Feast, and work out and post the schedule in advance of the Feast so that everyone knows when they will be "on duty" and when they can "check out" of work mode and just focus on resting and being refilled, so that they can plan their time. Let people know which meetings or activities they are responsible for planning or hosting well in advance of the Feast, so that they can plan and prepare for them as much as possible ahead of time, and so that it doesn't take their time during the Feast.
2) Pray/discuss/decide on the schedule for the JETTs and teens, and how they can best have their needs met, as well as share the load with the children, etc. The person planning to show "The Cadre" to the teens should familiarize himself with it, as well as set up the equipment beforehand.
3) Pray/discuss/decide whether or not to include Active members in any portions of your Home's Feast.
4) Pray/discuss/decide on the closing celebration dinner or activity, so that you are prepared and have any necessary items available before the Feast begins‚ to avoid taking from Feast time to coordinate this activity.
5) Pray/discuss/decide as a Home regarding optional activities, such as whether you wish to schedule an outing in creation, or united times of listening to audio files, and if so, plan the details of these activities and include them in the schedule.
6) Check to make sure you have all the Feast material listed in this introduction on hand. The audio files will arrive with your Feast mailing on DVD; the Letter links will need to be downloaded from the Feast section of the MO site, as will any Letters or material in the list below that you're missing:
(Note: Audio times listed are approximate in some cases.)
[ ] "A Journey Through Time‚" ML #3616, GN 1190.
[ ] "Meeting with Mama," ML #3618‚ GN 1191.
[audio file: 3618 Mama's Talk on Resting in the Lord.mp3 / 33 minutes].
[ ] "Closing Message for Feast 2007," ML #3625, GN 1190.
[audio file: 3625 Closing Message for Feast 2007.mp3 / 7 minutes].
[ ] "Mama's Talk with the Children for Feast 2007," ML #3617, GN 1199. [audio file: 3617 Mama's Talk with the Children for Feast 2007.mp3 / 41 minutes].
[ ] "The Art of Dependence—A spirit trip," ML #3619, GN 1191. [audio file: 3619 The Art of Dependence—A Spirit Trip.mp3 / 51 minutes].
[ ] "Entering into Rest," ML #3620, GN 1192
[ ] "Resting in the Lord" series‚ ML #3621, GN 1193-1195. [5 audio files: 3621 Resting in the Lord, Part 1-5.mp3 / 5 hours and 10 minutes].
[ ] "Resting in the Lord" Letter links [file: 3621lnk.rtf, available on the MOv3 site]
[ ] "Words to Meditate On," ML #3622, GN 1196. [2 audio files: 3622 Words to Meditate On, Part 1–2.mp3 / 2 hours].
[ ] "Foundations of Faith," ML #3623, GN 1197. [4 audio files: 3623 Foundations of Faith, Part 1-4.mp3 / 3 hours and 43 minutes].
[ ] "A Fantastic Future," ML #3624, GN 1198. [audio file: 3624 A Fantastic Future.mp3 / 78 minutes].
[ ] "The Cadre" (JT class) [HTML files on DVD; text also available on the MOv3 site.]
[ ] "Change the Course of History," Xn 83.
[ ] "You Are Alive" CD (for MP3s of these files, see the Feast DVD).
[ ] "Heavenly Melodies" instrumentals (see the Feast DVD).
Note: Also included on the Feast DVD is a directory called "ExtraAudio," which contains MP3 files of a variety of Word on audio—Dad's old talks (read by Dad), MLs read by Simon Peter and Simon Setfree, the MB2K, TJWL, FJWL and more, read by Simon Peter. These are for your use and enjoyment in future Word times. These do not need to be saved for the Feast, nor do you need to feel like you should listen to them during the Feast. The DVD simply had extra space on it, so it was a good opportunity to get these MP3 files to you and save you downloading time. If you do decide to make use of these files in advance of the Feast, please make sure that the Feast files (everything in the directory called "Feast") are not copied off or listened to in advance.
Although all the audio files should reach you on DVD, if for some reason they don't arrive in time, or your DVD is bad‚ or for any other reason doesn't work for you, these files will also be on the MO site and you can download them.
7) Make all the personal reading GNs, Letter links, and audio files (except the ones designated for a united meeting) available to all Home members by the night before the Feast, and ensure that everyone has easy access to them. It would also be helpful to coordinate the availability of devices to listen to the audio files, to ensure that they are available to each Home member. If you are able to print or photocopy the GNs, it would be nice to have enough paper copies so that people can mark them as they study them, as well as be able to read them outside, or in their beds, or away from their computers, as they feel led.
Please take a little time before the Feast to ask the Lord if there's anything specific He wants to tell you about it, anything that would help you to prepare or get the most out of it. Remember that this is not the time to compile a big to-do list of things you want to read or get to during the Feast. It's not the time to try to work on all your NWOs, or to get into introspection. This is a time that is designated for spiritual retreat and rest in your Husband's arms. So what you should ask Him is if there's anything that will help you to benefit more completely from this time. Then just show up, ready to rest and relax and be refilled spiritually.
By the Pubs department
This year, the children's Feast material will be similar to the theme of the adults' Feast material, although, of course, presented on a child's level.
There will be morning and afternoon scheduled Word and activities. This year's Feast plan will be a little more loosely scheduled to allow for more time to prepare for the activities and to make it easier on those who will be with the children during the Feast.
Each day will focus on one of these three topics: meditating on the Lord, children who have made a difference, and having fun with Jesus. This plan will also include an audio from Mama directed to the children. You will receive two new MLKs and one Heaven's Library on these topics to read with the children, as well as corresponding activity and coloring pages for both younger and older children. Along with the activity pages, there will be a new spirit helper card game that should be a blast for both young and old. We will also post two new spirit helper models that can be downloaded from the MO site, which the older children in particular may enjoy assembling.
More details and the general schedule for the children's Feast plan will be included in FCP #93. Those who will be caring for the children during the Feast should read that Feast plan in advance, as well as look over the children's Feast material that pertains to the slot they'll take with the children, so that they are familiar with the plan before the Feast begins and have adequate time to prepare any items needed before the Feast.
Please feel free to adapt these plans as the Lord leads, according to the age and specific needs of your children. The plans are meant to be a help and make things simpler and easier for you, as well as provide the children with solid feeding and fun. But if something won't work for you‚ don't hesitate to ask the Lord how to best adapt it for your situation and children.
We pray that this Feast plan is a blessing to both you and your children!
Copyright © 2006 by The Family International