PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 215: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, PT 26
LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 215: THE LAND OF MOTHERHOOD, Part 26
Allison Hartman is with me again, and we continue speaking about living in rest as a mother. That doesn't mean we are living easy, peaceful lives. Allison and her husband Daniel run a photography business, plus Allison has new ideas and projects coming out of her brain every day.
Our home is continually overflowing with people. What does it really mean to live in rest? Allison also shares about her vision and purpose to raise productive children who know how to work hard! Her family are certainly a testimony. It is amazing what they accomplish.
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Today we’re going to carry on with another point about the land of motherhood.
No. 16. IT’S A LAND OF REST
This is going to be something beautiful to speak about. It’s another adventure in this land, as we walk through it to find all that there is in it.
And, I have Allison Hartman with me again today! Before we get on to it, there’s one or two things I’d like to ask you, Allison. Last week, remember? It was actually just a little while ago, but we send it out each week. I was asking you about, how do you take your children from your ceiling for it to be their floor?
I was thinking about MacKenna, your oldest daughter. In motherhood, and how when you started in motherhood, you were a lot like most of us. We didn’t know what we were doing. But because God began to show you, by the time MacKenna was ready to be married, she was going into motherhood with a far different understanding. Tell us about all that experience. How did you start? And then, how did MacKenna start?
Allison: I don’t think I even realized. I think if all mothers of larger families, if we listed our blessings and benefits of having a large family, I don’t even think that that would have been on my list. I don’t think I realized it until just recently. We talked last time about desiring our children’s floor to be our ceiling, meaning we want our children to start where we left off, instead of starting from scratch.
Talking about motherhood, when you have raised, MacKenna’s our oldest of eleven children. She just recently had her own baby. You’re right, it is so incredible to see how far advanced she was in the world of mothering. There weren’t many things that caught her off guard. Maybe a little bit with the nursing, breastfeeding. She had a little bit of trouble there because that is something that is truly, you have to experience yourself.
But other than that, she has gotten on so well with being a new mother, because she’s truly such a natural at it, because she’s done it. She has changed thousands of diapers. She has dealt with hundreds of discipline issues. We're a little bit different from some families, where our older children, we have given them a lot of authority. When we’re busy with our business, we’re self-employed. We give our children that permission to be our substitute when we’re not there. We give them a ton of responsibility.
RAISING ADULTS
So, when MacKenna got married, she completely could run a household, completely! Probably better than me! As a mother, she was so much more prepared. When I got married, I can truly say I had never made a pot of rice! I’d never done a load of laundry! I didn’t do a load of laundry until I was in college. I got married right after college.
The things that MacKenna and Eden and Hallie, our oldest three girls, they are all, even our 16, 14, 11, 8-year-old, are probably more ready for motherhood and fatherhood than Daniel and I were when we were 23 and 29. I mean, far better. Because we are not, I’ve always said I’m not raising children. I’m raising adults. I’m raising mothers and fathers. My job is, when they are 16, they’re ready to completely run a household and know how to do that, in and out. Trust that they can make a meal from beginning to end, they can . . .
Nancy: They’re the most wonderful cooks. So amazing. In fact, when did you last cook a meal?
Allison: Oh, oh, I don’t know! [laughter] I can’t even say, I don’t know. It’s probably been five years? I don’t cook! I don’t cook. My girls don’t want me in the kitchen because they’re such better cooks than I am. We have this fancy coffeemaker, and I don’t know how to use it. If they leave me, I just sit in my bed and cry.
Not completely, but the thing is, they have raised their younger siblings to take their place, because they are gone so much. Now Hallie’s getting married, and MacKenna’s married, so they have trained their replacements. Hallie has trained Anna Lee, who’s eight, so she can make me a complete, amazing cup of coffee that’s just like Hallie’s. The eight and eleven-year-old girls can make a complete meal, from beginning, all the way to cleaning up and having the house spotless, if they needed to. A lot of times they don’t have to do it by themselves completely because the older ones are still at home.
But that’s my goal, not that you want to be, because I’m not lazy. I work so much, but I do different things, and that is not my strength. I don’t enjoy cooking. I wasn’t taught. My mom was a great cook, but her thing was always, get out of the kitchen, get out of the kitchen. She never taught us how to cook.
Nancy: So, how did your girls become such creative wonderful cooks? Was it because of necessity? [laughter]
Allison: They were absolutely starving! No, they really did pick a lot of it up on their own. We started doing Trim Healthy Mama, probably, I don’t know, ten years ago. Every Sunday, we would get the recipe book out, and we would say, OK, let’s make something together. Of course, that meant they did it. I just watched. [laughter]
They would make it and it was incredible. Then they would make it again, and make something else, and make something else. Now they can literally cook just about anything. They can throw stuff together and not even follow a recipe.
Nancy: And they can cook for a great big party. Doesn’t matter how many people.
Allison: Oh, yes. We have people over. Sometimes we’ll have 200 people over, and Eden will cook for everybody. It doesn’t even stress her out! I get stressed out. They are so calm.
Nancy: Yes. But anyway, ladies, we’re talking today, and Allison will share with us too, about motherhood being a land of rest. Here we are, we were just laughing before we started this podcast, because when the Hartmans come, you never know what’s going to happen. Here we are, just all peaceful, and all of a sudden, OK! Daniel says, “We’re going to paint downstairs! Everything’s going to be moved.” Then the girls go to paint the kitchen cupboards, so the whole kitchen is turned around. We’re going to talk about, it is a land of rest. [laughter]
Allison: Well, you might need another guest. [laughter]
Nancy: No, the amazing thing is that rest is not inactivity.
Allison: Sleeping in your bed.
Nancy: No, rest is not inactivity. Jesus said, “My Father works, and I work.” God created us to work. He gave the principle of work before sin came into the world. It’s a funny thing. When I was a young girl, I used to think that work came after sin came into the world. We had to work because sin came in. But no, that is not true.
Allison: Oh, wow.
Nancy: God gave the principle of work before ever sin came in. When He put the man in the garden, He told him to work in it, and to guard it. Work was given as a principle at the very beginning, as soon as He created man. Work is necessary for our well-being. It’s necessary for a good night’s sleep. It’s necessary for creativity. Creativity comes out of work. You’re doing something. People are doing this, and “Oh, I can think of a better way of doing this.” They create something, or a better way. Everything comes out of work.
When the Bible also talks about living in rest, it’s not just, OK, I’m having a vacation for the rest of my life. No! It is a rest in our souls. We can be so busy. One man of God, he used to sign his letters . . . we say, “Yours sincerely,” “Yours faithfully.” He would sign his letters “Restfully busy.”
Allison: Wow! I love that!
Nancy: Isn’t that lovely? “Restfully busy.” We can be busy. We can have everything happening around us. We can have chaos, and we can still have rest in our souls. That’s the rest that we are talking about.
Allison: I think that there is, as everything is, culture has tainted what God has planned. They have this thing where they’re putting into women, “You need time for self-care. You need time of rest.” When they say that, that means to do what? Veg. Do you know what that word, that phrase in America, we say, “You just veg on the couch.”
Nancy: I don’t even know that word.
Allison: You don’t even know that. You don’t even have that. So, to “veg on the couch” means you sit on the couch, you put your feet up, and you have a remote control in your hand. You sit, and you watch TV. You do nothing but sleep. That’s rest. That is what today’s culture, when they say, “You should rest, you should put your feet up, you should watch some TV, watch some movies. Do nothing. Sit and eat, and enjoy yourself.” That’s supposed to be it.
That is something that we don’t do well at our house. We are constantly busy. My goal is to be raising children that have such a wonderful work ethic. They’re never going to have to worry about how they’re going to afford to buy food for their family. You do see a lot of work ethic issues with children, especially some of them, because maybe they’ve been homeschooled, and they haven’t been diligent about deadlines, or doing what you’re supposed to.
Nancy: Can I say something there? I am such a great believer in homeschooling.
Allison: Oh, I am too.
Nancy: The thing is, I was a high school teacher, back in the days before I was married. But I cannot compare the school system then to what it is now. Parents have to be aware of what is happening in our schools now. The whole agenda is transgender. They want to bring it right from the very beginning. They’re seeking to bring this in and promote it.
They promote Islam. They promote alternative lifestyles. All this is promoted in our schools, our colleges, our places where they are determined to turn out socialist young people. It is ultra-socialism. We’ve got to bring our children out of this absolutely diabolical system that it’s become.
But there is a disadvantage, in that I notice there are many homeschoolers, who, as you mentioned, that word, they do not know how to keep to time and schedules and how to keep working. This is not everybody, but it can happen. They can do a little bit of schooling, and then they say, “Oh, well,” and lie down and read a book. Or “I’ll just do this,” or “I’ll do that.” They’re not really motivated in a strong work ethic. Now, of course, there’ll be many homes where they are, of course.
Allison: I’ve been amazed. I’ve had people come and stay with us for a weekend around family. I can’t even imagine. My children, they wouldn’t even try. But some of these families, their children, during the day, are on their phones, or watching TV. That, to me, is like another world.
My children know that they’re allowed to do school. They’re allowed to do Bible bee, or they’re allowed to do a project, or a house chore. Those are the only three things that are allowed. Or they can eat. They can get some food. But a lot of times I’ll say, “Eat while you’re working.” That’s something we need to do better. We need to take time to sit and rest and eat.
Nancy: That’s when you do. Now, it’s interesting, because God established the work ethic. He also does want us to live in a state of rest in our inner being, even in the midst of great busyness, and everything happening. But He also gives practical ways.
He gives the day of rest each week, which I cannot say I’ve been faithful in that all my life. I’ve been more of a workaholic. But I realized you can’t do better than God. God knows what is best. He knows what is right. We are meant to have one day of rest, although most people today have a whole weekend. God says, “Thou shalt work six days, and the seventh thou shalt rest.”
But also, He wants us to rest at mealtimes. Those are times when we’ve got to eat, but they’re meant to be times of rest, where we sit and we eat. But we take time to fellowship, and to discourse with one another.
I notice there’s a Scripture. I didn’t bring it with me, but I’m just remembering it now. Jesus had been praying for the people and healing the sick. They were all surrounded by people. Just imagine, if you were surrounded by people from morning to night, you’d be getting pretty, whoo! Would you be feeling very restful?
But Jesus said to His disciples, “Now come. We’ve got to eat. So let us go and find a place where we can sit and rest our souls.” Everything in the Word is there for our learning. It’s there as a principle. It’s there as a lifestyle. God puts His lifestyle there. (Scripture at end).
Allison: That’s something we talked about, learning from each other. Every time I’m here, I always enjoy watching you. You value mealtimes and that’s something I really have learned. My husband grew up with a single mom. So, mealtime was not fun. She would make maybe a pot of something, and it would stay out. You would serve yourself and then you went and sat in your room.
We have really valued, based on learning from your experience, and what you’ve taught us. We really do value and honor mealtimes, especially evening, because we are always busy during the day. But we really do. We’re not morning people. But we do, at dinnertime, we’re very faithful to that.
Nancy: That’s interesting, isn’t it? The day is for work. OK, but we take time to eat, especially the evening meal. It’s interesting. I’m thinking of it now. Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
When we look up that word “sup” in the Greek, it is the exact word for the chief evening meal of the day. That’s the chief meal of the day, when the family comes together, or whoever’s coming. The workday has ended, so we’re coming together to fellowship, and eat, and chat together.
That’s what God talks about when He comes into our lives. He says, “I want to come in and sup with you.” It’s the word “supper.” To sit at a meal and fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us. He even uses that description for when He comes into our lives to fellowship with us. That evening meal is a very important time of the day. “
Let’s look at a few Scriptures, and we’ll talk about them as we go. Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I often think of that as the first rest, because we go on to a second rest here.
The first rest is when we come to Jesus. We come with all our sins and mess of our lives. We ask His forgiveness, and we are forgiven and cleansed through the blood of Jesus. We’re born again. We find that rest of sins forgiven and guilt gone. How amazing!
But then it goes on to say that Jesus said: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” I think there’s even a greater rest than forgiveness even, because there’s a rest we have in our souls. We have that as we learn of Him. We learn of His ways and we learn His truths. As we come into them, it brings more and more rest into our souls, doesn’t it?
I think there’s a rest. This rest in motherhood, we’re talking about this land of motherhood as the land of rest. Well, you may be thinking, lovely young mum, “Help! I don’t feel restful at all! I’ve got children screaming. Oh, goodness me, I’m just overwhelmed with it all!”
JESUS IS YOUR REST
But, dear mothers, OK. Even when it’s all going haywire, and everything’s happening, you can have rest in your soul because Christ is your rest. It’s not your circumstances that are your rest. It’s your rest in your soul. Christ, who comes to dwell within you, is your rest.
We learn. We don’t learn that all at once. We learn it more, that, “Yes, I can have rest, Christ is my rest. I’m not trusting on having all my circumstances perfect.” Because if you wait for perfect circumstances, you’ll never have rest! But in the midst of imperfect circumstances, we can have rest, because Christ, who is our rest, dwells within us.
Allison: Can I share a practical tip about rest? As you described, we’re definitely not a restful-type people from the outside. But one tip that I have found, being a mother of eleven children, and now having all the way from a nursing baby to a 23-year-old. Many of you know this. Training your children is so important.
But even our oldest, at three, I taught her how to do simple things, like make my bed. I love my bed being made. But that takes time. Me making my bed takes away from me doing something else that maybe she can’t do. So, at three, I taught her how to make my bed exactly the way I wanted it made. Then I would praise her. She would make it and I would praise her. Then the next day, she would get up and say, “No, no, no, no, don’t go in your room! I want to make your bed!”
Now I have her, at 23, and all these in between, my children pretty much take over and do everything that needs to be done and help. I don’t necessarily do a whole lot of the stuff in the house, like the daily chores, because I’ve trained them to do them. That in itself can give a mother rest.
You may not have a 20-year-old, and a 19-year-old, and a 17-year-old living at home that you can say, “Do this.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t start, even when they’re three. Let them put away. Let them fold the towels. There’s no reason that a three to five-year old should not be doing all the towel folding in the house.
Now, what you’re going to have to do is maybe not worry if they’re done perfectly. I don’t care. I’m not a micro-manager. I’m not a control freak. If they fold that towel and it’s semi-folded and in my drawer, I’m happy. But what that does, is while they’re folding those towels, they’re learning how to be a mother. They’re learning how to be an adult. But then I can get to do something else. To me, it’s a great practical tip of how to have actual, a little bit more free time when you’re not doing all that.
Nancy: There are these practical things too. And of course, you mention nursing. Oh, that’s the most beautiful thing that we receive in motherhood. When we’re nursing a baby, you know we have oxytocin, which is such a beautiful, calming hormone. It’s even called “the bliss hormone.”
While you’re nursing a baby, you have these, God gives you these glorious, calming hormones. It can be such a, wow, when you’ve got little ones around you, and everything’s happening. One’s crying, and one needs you for this, and another needs you for that. In the midst of it all, your baby cries. Oh, wow, you hardly know what you’re doing. But you put the baby to the breast, and all that wonderful, calming hormone just fills you. Isn’t God good?
Yes, it’s another wonderful part of the land of motherhood, where a young mother, or an older mother who’s still nursing her baby, still having children. That’s the wonderful blessing of having children! Many mothers stop at two, or maybe three. Then they stop this wonderful blessing that God gives to motherhood, this wonderful, calming hormone of oxytocin. You can keep having it if you keep having children! You’ve still got it now! It’s so great, isn’t it?
THE REST AND THE REFRESHING
Oh, and here’s another one that’s very interesting, too. Let me go to Isaiah 28:9-12: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
I see that in the whole context of teaching our children. Here the Word of God says, how are you going to teach them? Well, it’s “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little.” It’s that beautiful life-teaching in the home. You’re teaching life, and you’re not sitting your children down for three hours and saying, “OK, this is what’s happening.” No, it’s little by little. And in doing that, it’s very restful. What does the Bible say? This is the way. This is the refreshing.
It’s the same thing as Deuteronomy 6, that we’re to teach our children when we’re sitting down, walking by the way, which means driving in the car, or wherever we are. We’re teaching, and this is the rest. This is the refreshing. It’s not this great big thing, “I’ve suddenly got to become like a public-school teacher.”
No. The interesting thing, too, it says here, “But they would not hear.” Many people think, “Well, I’m going to homeschool, but I’ve got to do this great big thing.” But no, it doesn’t have to be like that. We can do it in rest. It’s interesting that often when the Bible speaks about rest, there’s a resistance. In this passage, there is a resistance.
I had a mother come to me one time, and she said, “Nancy, I’m totally overwhelmed! I just can’t keep up with life.” I said, “OK, tell me what you’re doing.” She said, “Well, Monday I have to take my children to violin lessons, Tuesday we’ve got to go to this lesson, Wednesday I’m doing this,” and she was just carting her children everywhere, all around, to all these lessons!
I said, “You’re making me tired just listening to you! How do you do it?” She said, “Oh, but I’ve got to do that.” I said, “OK, your choice. You can carry on doing that. But if you want rest, you don’t have to do that. The Bible says your children will learn just “line upon line, here a little, there, a little, precept upon precept.” You don’t have to do what everybody else is doing!” Have you found that out too?
Allison: Oh, that’s so good. That’s so good. You know, we’re an athletic family. We love sports. But I tell you, that the times, and we did do sports, but we always did it as a family. In looking back, the amount of time that you spend running, and keeping your appointments, and, “Oh, I’ve got to be here!”
It’s too much. You’re right. That is exactly I think why families are so “stressed out” all the time. But that’s also why they lose their children’s hearts. They lose them in those older years because they’re running so much. They don’t really get to spend time sitting down, talking with you. They’re being influenced by all these outside things. It’s so dangerous.
Nancy: Yes. And sports, organized sports are usually at that later part of the day. Therefore, the mom is running them around, and doesn’t get home in time to prepare the meal. They don’t get time to sit down together as a family. Therefore, they’re not going to read the Word together. They’re not going to pray together. They’re just going to be out there with some sport. OK, families have got to work out what they are going to do. You’ve got into volleyball, didn’t you? But you did it as a family.
Allison: We did. We did.
Nancy: And you have to watch that, OK, the sport that one child is having is not overtaking the whole family. Most of our grandchildren have never been in any organized sports out here.
Allison: But they’re all so athletic!
Nancy: Oh, yes! And, of course, they play out here on the lawn. They play soccer, they play football. Of course, they play volleyball on the volleyball court. They’re constantly having that, playing sports, and with people. But it can take over your life.
Allison: Some people might be thinking that they don’t have cousins, and they don’t have what y’all have here. But that’s been the beauty of this Above Rubies retreat that we’ve done. We have met so many other amazing families through this. Just a weekend here, and a weekend there.
We’ve traveled. You can find your people. You can create, but I think we have to be very intentional when we do get together with other families. That we find those like-minded families, and we fill those . . . Because every child wants to do what everyone else is doing. But that doesn’t mean it has to look like everyone else.
It could maybe look like you’re taking your family and you’re going to Florida, and you’re spending time with our family. We’re playing volleyball as families, and we’re going to the beach. They want that activity, and they want that interaction. But don’t feel like it has to look like everyone else, where you have to put them in a youth group, or you have to put them in a school.
We go to a family-integrated church where there is no youth group, and oh, I love it! After church, all the boys play football for probably an hour. It is wonderful! You can find a family-integrated church where everyone is doing things together. You’re filling that need, and you’re not having to do these practices five nights a week. That will wear anyone out.
Nancy: It does! Oh, yes! You cannot be a family. We’ve got to find that rest in family life. There is rest in that. When you be. The greatest, I think one of the most enjoyable things is that when you can sit down with family and talk and fellowship together. That’s usually around the mealtime. That’s a wonderful restful thing.
Allison: But rest isn’t necessarily just laying down. I was just thinking about my children right now. They’re doing a project. You can have a great, fun, restful time by doing the project together. Let’s redeem something. Let’s buy a camper and remodel it, and then go camping! Thinking of ways to do things as a family. Or helping someone out. Going over and redecorating someone’s house together.
We just recently, last week, had a family from Orlando. We’re not the neatest, most organized family. She saw that. She brought her children to my house, and they stayed for a few days. They worked as a family, and got my house all organized. It was so neat! They didn’t rest according to what the world would say. But we had a blast with them, working. But then we would, at mealtime, we took them out to dinner. We made dinner at home. It was a wonderful time, but we were able to get a lot done.
Nancy: Yes, absolutely! Now, I just think back. I would find, when my children were young, they would play. When they’re little, they love to have a time playing. It wasn’t just playing with a few little toys! No, toys were so boring! But they would have this project.
I would allow them to turn my whole house around. They would get all the chairs, and they would make it into a train. They were just little wee things. They could hardly push the chairs, but they did it! They could push sofas around! That’s what they wanted to do! They would arrange this whole thing. I don’t know what it was. It was going to be a train going somewhere. They’d spend hours doing it, and then they’d be so tired. What they were preparing it for, they never played. It was the actual project of getting it done.
That was preparing them for life. It was their play, but it was real life. It shows that the greatest fun you can have is actually making something happen.
Allison: Then they’re so proud of themselves. Like what they’ve done here at your house. They don’t brag on themselves, but you can tell they’re like, “We did that!”
Nancy: While we’re talking here, they are working!
Allison: I know! We’re just sitting here talking, doing nothing, and they’re down there working!
Nancy: I know! I said to you, “OK, the last time we had this painted, we got in some professional people. It took them a whole week to do the downstairs.” I said, “You simply cannot do this in two days!”
You said, “Yes, we can!” Well, now, you started this afternoon, and apparently, it’s just about, amazingly finished already! Help!
Allison: Yep, but many, many hands make light work. They’ll get a bunch in there and help them.
Nancy: Yes. Oh dear, well, time goes so quickly, doesn’t it? So, dear lovely ladies, young mums, you’re just in the midst of your little ones all around you. You haven’t yet got older ones to help. But be faithful to train them, because you will find that you’ll reap the blessings. Middling and older mums, do be encouraged. Be encouraged to give your children a vision, and work, yes, and projects! Oh yes, you will be so blessed. May God give you vision, give you wisdom, and show you His ways.
“Lord, we pray for each mother listening today, each young person listening today, that You’ll give them great wisdom and understanding. Lord, we know that every family is unique. Every one is different. Not one of us going to run our homes the same way, and we don’t have to. But Lord, we pray that You’ll show us how You want us to manage our homes, how You want us to train our children.
We thank You, Lord, that You are with us in this great, amazing, incredible career that You have given us as we train children to be the next generation, and to impact the whole nation. That’s what we’re doing as mothers. We thank You, Lord, for this great, powerful, influential role that You have given to us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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QUOTE:
“If you wait for perfect circumstances, you’ll never have rest!
But you can have rest in the midst of imperfect circumstances for Christ who dwells within you is your rest.”
SCRIPTURE ABOUT EATING IN REST:
Mark 6:31: “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were m any coming and going, and they had no LEISURE so much as to eat.”
HERE ARE THE DATES!
THREE FAMILY RETRATS FOR LAGUNA BEACH, FLORIDA IN 2023!
Families come from all over the States to these retreats. Some are coming from overseas!
January 4 – 11 - The winter retreat!
If you live in the cold in a northern state, take this opportunity to come down to the warmth and sunshine of Florida and receive wonderful blessings as a family at the same time!
Above Rubies Gulf Coast January Family Retreat 2023
Registration fee: $200
Housing is VERY limited, assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers
This coming January, from the 4th-11th
Speakers: Nancy and Colin Campbell
Teaching, worship, prayer, small groups, great fellowship, family activities, volley ball and basketball competitions, fun games on the beach. The schedule and meal info will be released soon.
If you would like to join us for our first ever WINTER family retreat, make sure to register asap!! We only have about 25 housing units available for this retreat, and they will be first-come first-served to those that register and pay through the link below!
*If you are not satisfied with the housing that is available by the time we get to your name on the list, we will refund your registration at your request at that time. Otherwise, the $200 registration fee is non-refundable. The great news is that we will get the winter rates for campus housing, and the prices are incredibly affordable!!!!
Gather your friends, old and new, and join us for this exciting week of fellowship together! We can’t wait to be with you!
If you have any questions about this new retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Registration link:
https://forms.gle/dJcXHQCbwJw1UTmw9
April 19 – 26 – The popular annual retreat!
Above Rubies Gulf Coast Spring Family Retreat 2023
Registration fee: $200 (non-refundable)
Meals $60/person ages 3+
Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment for your housing will go directly to Laguna.
This is our biggest retreat serving over 100 families during our week of fellowship, sessions with Nancy and Colin Campbell, breakout sessions with gifted speakers and teachers, family activities, and incredible worship! Come as a friend but leave as family! If you aren’t already registered, sign up now! We still have room!
If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Registration link:
https://forms.gle/iERkREjdmgkA6D1V7
August 9 – 16 – The Reunion
Above Rubies Gulf Coast Family Reunion 2023
Registration fee: $100 (non-refundable)
No meals are offered at the reunion, but potlucks tend to happen a few times!
Housing is assigned through Gulf Coast Above Rubies Organizers, but payment will go directly to Laguna.
Have you attended one of our family retreats before? If so, we’d like to invite you to a reunion on the beach! Join your favorite families for a week of fun and fellowship! Nancy and Colin will join us for a few sessions, and we will host a handful of family activities, but this week is much more laid back than the typical retreats.
If you have any questions about this family retreat, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Registration link:
https://forms.gle/oMhpTs7a6GyEz8bg7