Marci Seither - Lakeside Retreat: Life-Giving Devotions from a Restful Shore

Living Expressions invites you to explore Gods Word in a way that is refreshing to the spirit and restorative to the soul.

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Lakeside Retreat: Life-Giving Devotions from a Restful Shore

Copyright 2022 by Marci Seither. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior images are the property of their respective copyright holders, and all rights are reserved. Calligraphy pattern vestalana/Adobe Stock; antlers Yes Foxy/Creative Market; leaves Anastasiia/Adobe Stock; watercolor trees Silmairel/Adobe Stock; plaid Mint Fox/Adobe Stock; wooden background by Diego Passadori on Unsplash; note papers Picsfive/Shutterstock; camping, cooking sets Lucky Project/Shutterstock; journaling paper Lost & Taken; duck swimming by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash; geese flying by Josh Massey on Unsplash; bird in grass, reeds kostanproff/Adobe Stock; bumble bees valeriyabtsk/Adobe Stock; flock of birds Alexandr Bakanov/Adobe Stock; pebbles Aliaksandr Siamko/Adobe Stock; lily pads Lembrik's Artworks/Creative Market. Driftwood frame provided by author and used with permission.

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ISBN 978-1-4964-5317-4

ISBN 978-1-4964-5319-8 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-5318-1 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-5320-4 (Apple)

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To the memory of Cliff Vennerstrom and his forever blushing bride of more than sixty years, Shirley Vennerstrom.
Together they exemplified what it looks like to live out the gospel, not just on distant shores of the mission field but also around the table at home.
The love they had for the Lord and for each other is a legacy passed on to their children and their childrens children.

Welcome to Lakeside Retreat

B EYOND SPRAWLING FARMLANDS and past groves of birch and maple trees is a lakeside lodge nestled against the shore of Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. This rustic retreat has been in the Vennerstrom family for generations and is a place of refuge and respite.

Inside, on a worn wooden bookcase, sit albums filled with photos taken over the years: kids with their first fishing poles, cousins sunbathing on the floating raft, a picture of Great Grandma Swann taking a moment to read on the porch. The cabin is lovingly referred to as Swann Stuga, named after Great Grandma Swann and stuga, the Swedish word for cabin.

For nearly thirty years, my husband, John, and I have considered Bob and Ginger Vennerstrom among our closest friends. We met when John and I moved from California to Minnesota. Bob and Ginger were also new to that area. Bob and John loved soccer, and Ginger and I enjoyed making strawberry jam and raising kids. We have laughed together, cried together, and prayed for each other.

For years during the summer months, Bob and Ginger always headed to their cabin to spend time with extended family, while John and I traveled in the opposite direction to visit our family on the West Coast. Because our travels took us westward, we never got to experience the cabin that they loved and talked about so much.

When John and I moved back to California, we remained close friends with Bob and Ginger in spite of being separated by miles. So when Ginger invited me to spend time with her at Swann Stuga, I couldnt refuse! It was an opportunity we both looked forward to.

Ginger met me at the airport, and then we picked up Ginger and Bobs granddaughters Lydia and Gracie. We planned to spend a fun-filled week together at the cabin before Bob and John joined us.

From the moment I walked through the cabin door, I felt an overwhelming sense of tranquility and comfort, like being wrapped up in one of Gingers hand-stitched quilts lying across the foot of each bed. The thought of taking a canoe across the lake to get a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar versus being stuck in midday traffic was refreshing.

Sometimes rest feels like something we try to schedule or accomplish on a Sunday afternoon between church, family events, and errands. I didnt know how much I actually needed it until I began to unpack my suitcase.

I set my flip-flops next to my floppy brimmed sun hat and powered down my laptop. Then I put my suitcase in the closet, sank onto the soft bed, and looked outside my window. Tall trees framed the lake as though reaching toward the sky in worship. I could feel myself relaxing. A soothing calm washed over my mind and soul. There is a big difference between being rested and being fully relaxed, but at that moment, I was experiencing both.

Maybe you also need time to rest, relax, and renew. Close your eyes for a moment. Inhale. Can you smell the scent of pine trees? Now listen. Can you hear the loons call echoing off the water and the geese honking as they fly overhead? Now imagine tasting delicious, gooey marshmallows roasted over the smoky campfire. Think about feeling the warm summer sun on your skin and the cool breeze against your face.

A place of respite awaits.

Lets go to the lake!