It's been two years since we started this blog and I have enjoyed every minute of it however, we've decided it's time to move on.

If you're like me, when you find something you really like, you want to tell your friends about it. Maybe it's a new restaurant, a new museum exhibit or an amazing live show.

Well, I want to tell you about our Facebook Fan pages and hope you’ll head over to Facebook and check us out.  The Glorieta and Ridgecrest Fan pages are where we will be continuing to update you on the happenings at our Conference Centers and hope to connect with you about your experiences there.

To join the Ridgecrest Fan Page, click here.

To join the Glorieta Fan Page, click here.

I hope you'll join us on Facebook today, I'll look forward to seeing you there. And remember if you're a meeting planner check out our Ministry Serving Ministry blog where you'll find helps for planning your next event.

Devotional Passage: Psalm 42:1-11  
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:11

A man was demonstrating his amazing skill with the yo-yo. With deft movements, he manipulated the string and made the toy continue its rapid spinning while he guided it through a number of loops and positions. It bounced along the ground, and then, with a flick of the man’s wrist, it soared high into the air.

Human emotions are much like a yo-yo. They can go from the ground to the sky, from depression and sadness to joy and delight. We have no idea what caused this psalmist’s battle with depression, and his yo-yoing between despair and hope. At one point he wrung his hands and wept in despair. Then he remembered God’s lovingkindness, sat himself down, and gave himself a good talking to. Like the soaring yo-yo, he emerged again with praises to his God.

Is your life like a yo-yo today? Hand God the string, and see what can happen!

Forgive me, Father, for trying to control my life through difficult times. 
My hope must ever be in You.

©Fall 2008 Open Windows devotional guide. Used by permission. For information about Open Windows, go online: www.lifeway.com/magazines

Glorieta Conference Center Interns hard at work during the CCCA - Christian Camps and Conference Centers Association meeting held at Ridgecrest Conference Center.

Glorieta Conference Center Christmas Village in New Mexico Hall.

Ducks at Glorieta Conference Center find some cold water for a swim in the nearly frozen lake.

In our first summer of Glorieta Family Camp, we asked a few families to tell us what they thought of Family Camp. Here it is!

Family Camp Interviews from Robert Suggs on Vimeo.

Glorieta Sales Manager Mark Heckle setting up the Christmas Village at Glorieta Conference Center.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, I thought I would share with you another of my favorite recipes for making and giving this year.

Glazed Lemon Drop Cookies
Drop Cookies
    * 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
    * 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
    * 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    * 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
    * 1 cup granulated sugar
    * 1 large egg
    * 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze
    * 2 cups confectioner's sugar
    * 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
    * 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest with a fork.
3. In a large bowl beat butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined.
5. With mixer on low beat in flour mixture.
6. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets.
7. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the center of the oven until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. When cool, spread lemon cookies with lemon glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

Lemon Glaze: In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, and 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice until smooth and of a good spreading consistency. Add more lemon juice to thin the glaze and more sugar to thicken it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and please share your favorites with us.  This recipe makes about 2 dozen Glazed Lemon Cookies.

The Thanksgiving gathering at Glorieta Conference Center with several of the staff, volunteers and interns.

Devotional Passage: Proverbs 28:12-18
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

I shall never forget the day, as an 8-year-old child, when my father asked me if I had taken something that was not mine. I lied and denied the act. What I didn’t know was that my dad had seen me take the item. He already knew I was guilty. He wanted me to respond honestly and face up to my wrongdoing.

My punishment was nothing compared to the realization of the pain I had caused my dad.

In the same way, our Heavenly Father always knows about our sins. He wants to grant us mercy. The price for that blessing is to first acknowledge the wrong we did and ask forgiveness. The Bible says He not only forgives but forgets. We are then given a new beginning with a clean slate.

Do you have unconfessed sin in your life? The time to get right with God and any others you have wronged is today.

Father, thank You for forgiving and forgetting the wrongs I do. Help me to faithfully acknowledge my sins, seek forgiveness, and move forward with the gift of a new beginning.

©Fall 2008 Open Windows devotional guide. Used by permission. For information about Open Windows, go online: www.lifeway.com/magazines