When You Long to Hear God
I’m sitting here today with that sweet post-retreat glow. I’ve just returned from retreating with twenty-four of you in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, and our team is still in awe of how God met and ministered to each woman. As I flip through photos and savor the memories, I’m reminded again of the heart […]
This Month’s Theme: Listen
In a life filled with language learning, cultural navigation, notifications, expectations, and the constant hum of responsibility, listening can feel like a luxury. And yet, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” Listening is not optional for the Christian life–it is relational. This month we explore what it means to listen to God with our […]
Table Moments: Awkward and Sacred
Can you imagine if a group of us got together and started sharing our food stories? You’ve probably been in this scenario. There’s nothing like the one-upping of global workers when it comes to the wild things we’ve eaten and the awkward situations we’ve found ourselves in around a table. I vividly remember the moment […]
Where Are You Feeling the Brokenness?
Do you feel it? Today, as plastic Easter eggs lay empty around my house, I’m feeling the post-Easter tension. The tomb is empty! The temple curtain is torn in two. Everything has changed. The Spirit of the living God now dwells in me. And also… brokenness is still incredibly present. In me. In those I […]
Is It Okay for Protestants to Use Prayer Beads?
Raise your hand if you ever struggle to keep your mind focused during prayer. I know I’m not the only one with my hand in the air. My thoughts can feel like monkeys in my brain, jumping randomly from one thing to the next. I long to say with David, “I have stilled and quieted […]
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 […]
Hold Me As We Travel the Rapids
Ruth touches gently on her experience of a miscarriage. If this topic is triggering for you, there is grace for you to move on and come back another day. I was sitting surrounded by some of my favorite people. My heart longed to share the pain I was carrying, but I couldn’t. It was too […]
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 […]
Is This Really Happening?
As I type this, I’m sitting in my chair with bleary eyes from my 2:00 am arrival home last night. My body is stiff from flying over the Atlantic, but my heart… oh my heart is overflowing at what I just got to experience. After nine years of offering Velvet Ashes retreats, we did our […]
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 […]
Please Come In: A Retreat Story
Last month we got to enjoy the backstory of how Kathleen and her group got connected. Today we are thrilled to hear a bit more as she shares her group’s experience of recently going through the Temple: My Heart. God’s Home Retreat. We had so many plans. For example, we wanted everyone from our last […]
Not Too Busy to Retreat
Last year we offered a virtual group Retreat experience for those who couldn’t gather because of the pandemic. For Kathleen and her group, the impact grew far beyond their Retreat weekend. We are thrilled to have Kathleen sharing with us today! Mark 1:35 The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house […]