spa

L e a d e r G u i d e

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• eachwomanwillneedherLavenderSprings Spa Participant Guide (You’ll find one copy in your Lavender Springs Spa director’s Kit. order more at group.com.)

• pens(1perwoman)

• purplepermanentmarkers (about 1 per 5 women)

• whiteplastictablecovering

• tapeorotherwalladhesive

• Music of Lavender Springs Spa Cd*

• Worship Instrumental Cd*

• CDplayerorsoundsystem

• Duringeachsessionoftheretreat,women will be guided to write on a “poster” that has been hung on the wall. This is a length of white plastic tablecloth material (like you’d put over tables at a picnic). it comes on a roll and is usually about 40 inches wide and comes in various lengths. You’ll need at least 5 feet of this plastic—or more depending on the number of women coming to your retreat. We had 50 women at our retreat and used a little more than 10 feet.

• Usetape,CommandStrips,orasimilaradhesive to affix the plastic to one wall. Women will write on it throughout the retreat, so put it at a height that is easy to reach. When we did this, we used two layers of the plastic—one that women wrote on and one beneath it as an extra barrier to be sure marker didn’t get on the wall.

• Placethepurplemarkersonasmalltableor in a basket near the poster area.

• PlaytheMusic of Lavender Springs Spa Cd softly in the background until you’re ready to begin.

Setup

* You’ll find this in the Lavender Springs Spa director’s Kit. additional copies are available from Group Publishing (group.com or 800-447-1070) or your church resource supplier.

Supplies

SAMPLE

WelcomeThe Lavender Springs Spa Director will open this session with a welcome and any announcements.

The Worship Leader will lead women in an opening activity where they will get into small groups called “Spa Circles.” She will also lead a time of singing. The Worship Leader will then introduce you.

Greet everyone enthusiastically!

Say: At Lavender Springs Spa, our time will be both restful and refreshing. Let’s start with a spa moment to help us begin to feel a bit rested.

Have women sit back or find a comfortable posture to sit in and close their eyes.

Play the “Peaceful Waters” track (track 9) on the Worship Instrumental CD. This will be the sounds of a gentle stream flowing and will then turn into instrumental music. Encourage women to simply rest and listen.

When the music begins to fade, continue.

What is it about the sound of water that is so restful and relaxing to us? Many of us long to vacation near rivers and lakes and oceans where we can hear the sounds of water. And

many spas use the sounds of water to help us relax. Certain kinds of music are also restful to us and even lead us to worship. Music can definitely affect our emotions as well.

Some people say you can tell a lot about a person by the music he or she listens to. So let’s get to know the women in our Spa Circles a little better by opening up a bit about our lives and the music of our lives.

In your group, tell about a song that’s meaningful to you. Perhaps a song that was played at your wedding or prom, a song that you sang in high school choir, a song that reminds you of going to camp, or a song that brings back a happy memory. For me…

Briefly share about a song that is meaningful to you. Model the type of sharing you hope women will do in their Spa Circles.

Now it’s your turn. You’ll find that question in your participant guide on the page that begins with the Session 1 heading. Take about 8 minutes to share your stories.

Allow 8 minutes for discussion; then continue.

S t a r t

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It’s fun to think about songs and consider the emotions they create or the memories they bring up. Songs can remind us of younger days, of a certain person, of a milestone event, or of a specific season in our life. Psalms often include memories and emotions as well.

Psalms is a book of the Bible. These psalms are poetry, prayers, and meditations. Many psalms reference musical instruments or singing, so the common belief is that psalms were meant to be sung and, even more specifically, that they were sung as part of a worship service. Some psalms seem to be written for general use—like we might sing a worship song at church. Others were created for special use such as at a specific festival—like how we might only sing certain songs at Christmas.

We know that David wrote some of Psalms, and some people who study the history of the Bible believe he wrote all the psalms. Others think that there were additional people who wrote some of them. We don’t know for sure, but we do know that the purpose of these writings was to worship and communicate to God.

There are 150 psalms in the book of Psalms, and just as songs can be categorized by jazz, country, rock, pop, and so on, the psalms can be categorized as well. Some fall clearly within one category, while some include elements of several categories.

During our retreat we’ll look at different categories of psalms and see what we can learn from each of these.

For this session of our retreat, let’s look at praise psalms.

Praise PsalmsPraise psalms tend to include a command to praise God. For example, Psalm 96:1 tells us to “Sing a new song to the Lord!” This is not just a suggestion. It’s a direct order! Sing!

They also include general reasons for praising God. Psalm 96:4 says, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!” The praise psalms are different from the psalms of thanksgiving—we will look at those later in our retreat—in that they focus more on praising God for who he is—for his character. Who God is, is the basis of our praise. It’s all about God, not us. Praise is not about what we feel (I don’t feel like praising). It’s about God’s character and the fact that he is worthy of praise.

Continued

SAMPLE

A Look at God’s WordLet’s look at a few psalms with our Spa Circles and see what we can discover!

Have women refer to their participant guides under the heading “Praise the Lord!” for instruction.

Let women know they will have 20 minutes for this discussion.

Suggest that one person in each group keep track of time so women are able to get through all the questions during this time.

Point out where the poster area and markers are so that when women get to that part in their participant guides, they’ll know where to go.

After 20 minutes, have women turn their attention back to you.

I’m going to turn on the sounds of water again, and while that sound plays, please call out some of the praises you wrote down—either in your participant guide or on the poster. This will be a prayer of praises to God.

Play the “Peaceful Waters” track (track 9) on the Worship Instrumental CD.

Lord, we praise you because…

Wait as women call out words of praise as a prayer. When it seems that most women have called out their words of praise, close the prayer:

Amen!

Let women know when the next session will begin, and then dismiss this session.

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unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, new Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013. used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, inc., Carol Stream, illinois 60188. all rights reserved.

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