When There’s No Time or Money to Retreat
My bags are lying half-full on the floor. My phone keeps buzzing with last-minute details. Today’s the day! We’re off to retreat with the Velvet Ashes Unplugged Retreat. For years now, retreating in the spring and fall has been our rhythm—a sacred pause woven into the seasons. My soul is ready. I feel the need, […]
Grandma Knew the Clay
When you arrived at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, you always came in through the back door. Only visitors used the front door, but family came around back. And when you stepped foot through the back door, you were in Grandma’s pottery room. Big blocks of clay lay wrapped in plastic on the counter. Her wheel […]
As Cross-Cultural Women, We Need Two Things
Welcome! If you’re new around here, we hope you’re enjoying this month’s tour of Velvet Ashes. I’m Danielle Wheeler, founder of Velvet Ashes and director of spiritual development. As we are nearing the tenth anniversary of our community, I already find myself waxing nostalgic about our humble beginnings. When the idea of Velvet Ashes first […]
A Retreat Sounds Wonderful, but It’s Just Too Hard
An entire day to get away. A day to unwind. A day to rest. A day to soak in the Word. A day to simply be. This sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Can we be real and blunt for a moment and admit that it also sounds completely unrealistic? Yes, yes, we all agree that going […]
What Does It Even Mean to Trust God?
Trusting God. It’s that sticky, ambiguous thing that we know is super important. But we don’t often know what it really means, much less how to actually do it. It seems we Christians often think trusting God means hoping really hard that things will work out the way we want. But if we’ve lived long […]
3 Lies We Believe About Forgiveness
Forgiveness is one of the greatest struggles we experience as humans. When you’ve been deeply wounded by someone else, forgiveness can be a consuming battle. Maybe this is you today. Maybe you have a fresh wound that’s bleeding out. Maybe you have an old wound that is scarring over, but you feel the resentment and […]
Three Words for Those Who Fail at Prayer
Prayer can be our shameful little secret. We are women in ministry, serving Jesus around the world. Our prayer newsletters inspire and challenge many. At our home churches, we are called upon to pray out loud for all to hear. For we are the prayer experts. Or are we? Maybe many of us struggle with […]
A Retreat Experience for Your Weary Soul
I was very pregnant when I hosted the 2020 Unplugged Retreat. I longed for fellowship due to the restricted socializing with COVID and I was desperate to be with and hear from the LORD. At the time I was unsure whether we should fight to stay in Kenya or return to the US and so […]
It’s a Big Day Here at Velvet Ashes!
It’s a big day here at Velvet Ashes! We’re officially launching registration for our 2021 Unplugged Retreat. Last year we asked the question, “Would you like another Velvet Ashes Retreat experience, but in a simplified format that frees you from technology?” The answer was a resounding “Yes!” So many of you joined us for Velvet […]
Kicking Off Retreat Week
It’s here! We’re officially kicking off retreat week here at Velvet Ashes. This is the first time we’ve ever offered a retreat in October. We are absolutely thrilled with how many of you are joining us for this all-new Unplugged Retreat. We’re inviting everyone to retreat wherever you are for one day this coming week […]
How to Actually Be a Mary Instead of a Martha
“MOM!” the three-year old yells from the toilet where she is waiting for me to wipe her bum. “MOM!” calls the 12 year-old from the dining room table. She needs to know why her Zoom call for algebra won’t connect. The pile of work looms behind me as I glance at the clock and then […]