We crashed at midnight. Registration for Together Called opened at 9pm and the next hour or so looked pretty much like this.

We’re such tools. Look at us looking so intense and Apple crazy. Looks like we got so serious we even threw our mouse out of the way as if it wasn’t fast enough for us.

I was still abuzz this morning as we readied the crew for school, going over the names of the couples who registered, thinking about all we need to do, calls that need to be made, people I need to follow up with.

Running off to the kindergarten bus stop this morning with all the ideas still circling, I saw a little girl I had not noticed before. She stood with a group of children who are in daycare before school who wait for the bus under the supervision of one of the daycare staff. And, she was crying. She wasn’t just crying; she was struggling to catch her breath, her cheeks streaked with tears with no one beside her as if no one even noticed…but I did.

Oh, baby, we have tears this morning!

to which the woman watching the children replied…

We have tears everyday. She just got here from Guatemala, and she cries all the time. If we try to do anything, she just cries more.

The bus pulled up as the lady was speaking, and this sweet little girl did what she was supposed to do without hesitation and climbed those big stairs and found the first open seat, sobbing all the while.

I may or may not have gone slightly overboard intentionally speaking my heart aloud as we watched the bus pull away.

Oh, poor baby. It must be so hard for her, leaving all she knows and not understanding the language. She must be so scared. No wonder she’s so sad. My heart just breaks for her.

I walked home with images of her round tear-filled eyes swirling in my head, joining the Together Called images that were there already.

As I walked through the park home, I passed a man sitting on a bench beside a cart filled with bags. His hair was long and unkept and he wore several layers of clothing despite the sunny morning. I said good morning with a smile to which he responded in kind. And, I kept walking, thinking about the little girl and Together Called and the quiet time I was about to have in Titus…about 30 more feet…and turned around to head back. Could I really be heading home to read my Bible and not turn around?

Would you like something to eat?

…yeah…I would.

scrambled or fried?

scrambled.

you got it. I’ll be back in a few.

As I scrambled up those eggs and packed him a lunch for later, God fed me.

With spatula in hand, truth penetrated my heart. This is why we are doing what we are doing. Together Called is not about homeless men or struggling immigrant children, true. But, It is about knowing, really knowing and feeling, that this world has a lot of broken in it and knowing that He’s not called us to simply notice it but to gaze upon it and then enter in. He’s called us to put our own stuff down and be willing to have messy hearts and messy hands as we serve those He’s put before us—because that’s what He is all about, that’s who He is. As we’re there and saying, “What in the world am I doing?” He hears us and answers: “you’re here because I’m here. You’re joining me.”

We’re calling Bear Creek this morning to ask if we can get a few more spots so that we don’t have to move to a waiting list just yet and we can squeeze a few more couples into Together Called. We don’t want to turn anyone away. There is a long list of logistical tasks before me as we run with all the preparations that go into this retreat and serving those 100+ couples who are servants themselves. But, all those programming ideas and thoughts that were swirling in my head earlier as I was all a-flutter still from registration last night, God just settled them all down and quieted me.

I delivered a paper plate with breakfast and a full paper bagged lunch for later. The man smiled and said to me,

Will you sit with me for a little while before you disappear?

I did. And, that’s what I’m doing with Him too. It’s not all about filling spots and securing incredible worship leaders and choosing the right meal options and getting sponsors. It’s about being mentored by the best retreat planner in the universe who counts every tear and provides every need and knows how to give rest. I’ll just sit with him for a little while because He’s got this.

You don’t need another conference. There’s a lot of great conferences out there. I’ve been to them. I’ve taken copious notes, gone to lots of seminars, and met a lot of people. I’ve been blessed by those conferences. But, I can tell you, we don’t need another conference to build some sort of pseudo-resume. We need connection; we need each other; we need rest.

Together Called was born to make that happen. It isn’t just another conference. It is an opportunity to come together, a place for husbands and wives to step out of the chaos called everyday life and be encouraged, a place for us to learn and fellowship together as individual couples and as a community. It’s a weekend set apart so that you can take a deep breath and commit to lock arms again with your spouse so you can press on in what you have been together called to do.

Please join us there.

We want you to come gather with us at this retreat designed just for you March 27th-29th, 2015 at the beautiful Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Berks County, Pennsylvania (easily accessible from Lehigh Valley International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport). Randy and Kelsey Bohlender, our keynote speakers, are going to bless our socks off; I just know it.

Because we’re friends—you reading my words here makes us friends—I’m giving you a bit of a heads up. Last year, Together Called filled in under 5 minutes. Yeah, no joke. We watched our inbox fill with registrations from couples from 14 different states across the country until every spot was gone, 4 minutes and 16 seconds later. We moved to a new venue this year to make room for a few more couples, but we’re expecting it to fill again. So, friend, go ahead and grab your phone now and set your alarm for 8:55pm EST on Sunday. Registration will open at 9:00pm EST. We’re eagerly anticipating seeing who those 100 couples will be to join us there this year.

Wanna know more? See the Upcoming Events page at www.sparrow-fund.org for more details like a schedule for the weekend, the cost, and that sort of thing.

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Together Called is offered to families below actual cost because of the generous support of sponsors who know how valuable this retreat is for families around the country. Those sponsors include Norman L. Graham, Inc., Bethany Christian Services’ Lancaster office, Living Hope Adoption Agency, Madison Adoption Associates, America World Adoption Agency, and the Attachment & Bonding Center of PA. We still need additional sponsorships so that we can meet all the expenses of this retreat. If you wanna hear about what sponsorship entails, email info@sparrow-fund.org.