My sister Ashley and I went to a mid-winter retreat at the camp where we are counselors a couple of weekends ago.  Not only was it really fun, but it was also a really powerful time of connecting with God.  I want to share some things that we did and talked about, and how God spoke to me.  Most of this will be taken out of my journal.

    "Friday night we spent 30 minutes in prayer, and that was a really powerful time.  Saturday morning we read and meditated on the sermon on the mount.  The phrases 'poor in spirit' and 'hunger and thirst for righteousness' stuck out to me the most....
    "Saturday night was the most powerful.  We did 'experiential worship' - 12 'stations' [for lack of a better word] you could go to to read verses, pray, and 'experience' things with all your senses.  It all centered around the cross.  I took communion, lit a candle to pray for others, nailed my sins into a wooden cross, prayed using incense, read about and touched a crown of thorns, and prayed and meditated by the cross."  Other things you could do included drawing a picture for God, writing poetry, etc. 
    "The place where God really spoke to me was at the crown of thorns.  The verses there were:

'And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head...Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.  Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man!"'
John 19:2-5

'In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.'
2 Timothy 4:8

'Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.'
James 1:12

    "Jesus gave up His royal crown in heaven for a crown of thorns, so that we could have a crown of righteousness and life.  It is incomprehensible. 
    "I had a conversation with God while I sat there.  I asked, 'Why?  Why would You do this for me?'  Immediately He answered, 'Because I love you.'  I asked, 'But why?  Why do You love me?'  And immediately He answered, 'You're My daughter.'  But I kept on.  'But You loved me before I was your daughter.  Why?'  Immediately He said, 'I created you.  You are my creation.  Why would I not love you?'"
    Have you ever had a conversation with God like that?  Where you don't even have to wait for His answers, you can just talk to Him like you would anyone else?  It's an amazing thing.  And even more amazing is when you're struck with just how much He loves you.  No matter how many times it hits me, it's still just as amazing as before.  
    "At the big cross in the middle the verse was Colossians 1:22.  I read the verse several times, and then I went back and read the passage around it, starting at verse 13."  It's rather long, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.  The last verse (verse 22) is even more powerful when read in context with the rest of the passage, not to mention the fact that there are some really good verses in there.

"'For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or domains or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.  And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.'

    Once again, I encourage you to read this passage.  Look it up in your own Bible so it's in the language you're familiar with, and read it through very slowly, contemplating and savoring each verse.  If it's difficult to understand, read it several times, asking God to give you insight into what it means.  In other words, don't just fly through it; meditate on it.  The pastor that was speaking at the retreat told us this: read the Bible as if it were the love letter from God that it is meant to be.  If you received a love letter from your sweetheart, you wouldn't just scan over it or fly through it.  You'd savor each word, reading it again and again until you practically had it memorized. 
    To me, this passage is amazing.  "He rescued us from the domain of darkness" - does anyone else have visions of God as our knight in shining armor, coming to rescue us on a white horse?  "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" - Jesus is everything!  Without Him, nothing would have meaning or purpose, or even exist!  "He Himself will come to have first place in everything" - Amen!  I wait anxiously for that day!  "In order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach" - me?  Holy and blameless?  And not only without reproach, but beyond reproach!  This is how God sees us.  Amazing.

My Lord, what love is this
That pays so dearly?
That I, the guilty one
May go free!
Amazing love, oh what sacrifice.
The Son of God given for me!
My debt He pays and my death He dies
That I might live.
That I might live!

                                   ~Graham Kendrick