Reality Check with Ann Downing...

Wow, just experienced another Christmas season.....waiting for the New Year. Don't know about you, but this week "in between" is sorta "different" for me, started to say "weird", but that doesn't sound right..it's just a mixture, I think, of joy, rest, peace, sinkin' a little, reflecting, bit of fear of the future...trying to let go, looking ahead. Right now, I have a deep thankfulness in my little heart and soul that in looking back on 2011, I can see His Hand more clearly now...why it takes me getting to the end to see it that clearly, don't know! In looking towards 2012, not sure what to think....but I'm thinking I'm thinking that if His Hand has been clearly visible and active in my 2011, then surely He's just gonna be more and more involved in 2012. That's what I'm thinkin' and believin' right now on this Wednesday evening. I'm kinda thinkin' that I'll have as much of Him in the upcom

There are days, like today, when I'm more nostalgic than I am on others. I have no clue how that works....what triggers those memories that seem to be a wee bit more than just "thinking back". It's akin to "melancholy", I guess? I just know that I miss Paul today....I really miss him. But you know what is just glorious? I miss the stew outta him, but it's not that stabbing, empty pain that it once was. It's almost like a warm blanket of comfort that reminds me he isn't far away. And neither are those you love who are no longer on planet earth in their body. It's true...life is a vapor and then it's gone...and being here and gone is the finest of lines. Hallalujah!!!! Thank You, God for the memories that are continuing to heal.

When the good times come, it's easy to get sucked into this belief that it'll always be this way...and I say "sucked in", because we seem to look and look and look for a way to have the "good times". Of course nobody wants the "not so good times"....but let's be honest, some of our greatest "growing times" take place then. Trusting in the Lord with all your heart isn't for those who are looking and dwelling on getting to the "good times" as a goal. But those "good times" will come in your heart if you trust....whether the times are good or not so good.

In watching Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, and seeing just now one of the Rangers striking out, I'm reminded how so many times that ball has missed my bat, as well :). We grin, but don't we sometimes dodge the truth, if we can? Yeah, I've been way tooooooo slow in taking responsibility for "missing it"....would be so much easier to fuss about that ball continuing to miss my bat. I first heard this scenario from Gloria Gaither....seems that Benjy, as a little guy, and his grandmother were playing baseball and he frustratingly blurted out...."You did it again, Grandmother, you missed my bat again".:). Of course I grinned and thought to myself how cute Benjy's comment was. Now, after a lot of years....it's just kinda convicting. How can God forgive that which I don't "own"? How can He help me to work through losses, goofups, disappointing circumstances if I won't admit my

As I'm lovin' a simply gorgeous few days here in my little Middle Tennessee part of the world, I find myself more and more praying something like "Oh dear Lord, please don't let me miss anything as I'm walking around the block, driving to the post office, sitting in a long line at the bank's drive-thru lane...please focus my eyes upward, around, down, wherever You are 'showing up'. I'm sorry to say that I've been notorious in going for days with scales over my eyes, I guess, 'cause I know I've missed a lot of God's handiwork and joy! I don't wanna do that any longer. One of my best friends of encouragement, Bob Benson, used to say something like..."if you can walk 50 yards anywhere and not see Him, hear Him, feel Him, then you just aren't seeing, hearing, feeling. I agree, Bob Benson!!!!

Just got the news that long time friend and fellow minister Jessy Dixon has made the journey from here to there....walking that "highway to Heaven" with great dignity and love for His Lord. I first met Jessy when we were on the same record label in the 70's....then worked some telethons with him in the 80's, and of course then the beginning of the Gaither Homecoming videos brought us into each other's company over and over again. Some of my fondness memories were the Gaither cruises we shared....and just those concerts and video tapings where I could always count on Jessy to tell me he loved me and had missed me. I would feel so proud when someone would say, "I like to see you and Jessy sitting together on a video"....I kinda felt they were saying we had great respect for each other and it came through in our interacting...which I always appreciated very much. I will miss my friend...I have to admit I'm not one of those folks who easily call

It occurred to me this morning that far too many times I've spoken out in fear more than faith. I'm not talking about not considering reality, but just over and over looking at the "lower side" of a situation before me and "talking" that, choosing to function in that instead of "talking" and functioning from the "upper side". Wonder why we can sometimes believe in Jesus Christ for salvation more readily than in His Father God's provided way for everyday stuff? Seeing things through faith that God really did love us enough to send Jesus for our salvation could help us to see His love is enough to send HIS help to us for today?

When we keep trying to open the door....trying to push hard on the door....even kick in the door in frustration and it won't budge, we gotta be grateful, in looking back. How many times has it really worked to keep pounding away to force something to happen the way we think we just gotta have it happen?? And sometimes God just gives in and says "ok, I'll give you what you're insisting on having"....and then later we find that it just wasn't His will, His best, His answer. But we got it because we just would not see, hear, feel, experience the "not now's". We HAD to have it our way. Wouldn't it be easier to just pull up our "faith bootstraps" and say, "I'm believing in your closed and locked doors, dear Father God, so I'll wait".

Just read something that struck me in my deep gut of faith today..... "Don't measure the size of the mountain...talk to the One Who can move it". Oh my...how often do I do that? Not very, I'm guilt-ridden to say. How many times have I analyzed, measured, calculated the "mountain", only to be exhausted and without answers. Ultimately, I won't have the answers, will I? Unless they're HIS...and sometimes they seem an eternity in coming! Why does He do that??? :). Later on we always know, don't we? I'm facing a huge mountain right now....probably 5 years ago I'd have said I couldn't do this....I still can't, but HE CAN MOVE IT....or help me around it, maybe even mine my way through? Don't know, but I don't have the "measuring tools" adequate to do the figurin' out, but He has the WAY!!!

I don’t know…maybe I’m just picky, weird, you can define me , but it sorta bothers me that we aren’t too good at listening to someone sharing a special encouragement they’ve received or learned without seeming to feel we just gotta try and point out how we’ve also been there, done that….and honestly it comes across as if we’re saying “I can top you”. I am sure that many of these comebacks aren’t intentional, but can we try a little harder to give them a “great”, “proud of you”, “proud for you”, “praising with you”, or something akin? In other words, let them have their “moment” .

I have these two nightgowns that I've had for years and years....love to wear them all day when I can :). I've wondered why they just keep looking pretty good year after year after year, even tho I bought them at Walmart for next to nothin'. Today I'm wearing the pink-checked one with various colors of "sliced lemons" splashed all over. I was headed to the bathroom a few minutes ago and again noticed that cute pink button that's on the inside just above the hem. It's obviously not in the right place...should be at the neckline where there ARE buttons :). Was reminded again that the reason these gowns have lasted forever is they're made out of great fabric, well sewn, yet have some good thing out of place, in the wrong place....but should I care that there's a missplaced button??? No, I'll just care that this gown has lasted for probably almost 20 years...through allll those wash cycles and medium hot dryers. Shouldn't I be reminded t

I really do like Mondays....it's like "here's a chance to do it over again and hopefully do it better!!!!" :). I love beginnings....I'm a lover of "openings", "premiers", "launchings".....something about a "reset" mode, if you will. Sooooo, here I am on a Monday afternoon....I'm beginning again to say I wanna do it better, Lord Jesus....I wanna take what I've learned from last week and bring it here to this one. And just think....I'll get to learn something this week to take into next....and the beat goes on and on and on and on. There's eternity up ahead, ya know? AD

There are times, aren't there, that it just seems like God couldn't continue to love us when we've acted so stupidly, even in our "work" for Him. To be honest, I think I'd have given up on this mess of folks here on earth by now, but nooooooo, I just sensed another wave of His joy and love in my heart, and He's not given up. He meant it when He said that all day He stands with His arms outstretched to a stubborn and obstinate people. Oh boy, I'm soooooooo glad....I'm soooooooo thankful!!! I think I know of a stubborn and obstinate someone who needs those arms, mightily, right now!

I can easily remember when, as a kid, it took a lot to entertain me...I was always wanting to do something a little more exciting. Growing up on a farm just didn't always do it for me :). I loved my family, loved the people there in the Oldtown community in Calhoun County, MS...and loved my friends and school friends...but I was always wanting MORE to be happening. I just returned from a week there in that same location in North MS....funny, the things I now have "warm fuzzy" memories of are those times when little happened to entertain me that resembled what I craved as a kid. I loved just driving around....visiting Ellard Mountain and the rock :), singing to the top of my lungs with Scarlett and Vern and Jimmy as we drove to visit Jimmy's sister in Tupelo, hugging necks and eating and visiting with my cousins at the Clark reunion, shooting fireworks (some good ones, too) on the evening of July 4th...being thankful all the while for my freedom as a citizen of

A couple of days ago Karissa and I were driving along through a beautiful part of Arkansas. As we topped a long hill, something akin to a mountain, she made the comment as she looked out over the valley and river below that that must be what the promised land looked like. We discussed the historical, Biblical fact that Moses didn't get to pass over into the promised land after leading those wandering people along for forty years, listening to their groans, whines, naysaying, etc. God's plan was for Joshua to finish that mission. Now, I'll admit, I'm not sure I can understand that part of God's plan, not that I'd need to. It sure seems unfair on the surface of things, doesn't it? That Moses would do all the work, and then not be allowed to experience the "finish line benefits"? But he did get to experience it, didn't he? When it's God's will, it's the right "finish line", no matter. How many times have we been

There have been times I was convinced a certain somebody didn't like me. Just a little "signal" here and there that I thought I'd picked up on that said something was wrong with me in their eyes. Then, more than once I've found that that person didn't feel that way towards me at all...in fact, have learned that in some cases they were thinking the same thing..."she doesn't like me". What's wrong with us?????? :). Jan Silvious wrote...."when I go into a room, I just assume that everybody in that room likes me, then whatever happens, I won't feel insecure...imagining someone doesn't like me". I think that's a pretty good way of looking at it, don't you? I mean, if they like you, you aren't surprised, if they don't like you, you'll likely not even notice.

It really is true that you can't know what someone else is feeling or where they're living if you've never walked in their shoes....and of course, we can't walk in those shoes with another, no matter how much we'd like to. However, there is something powerful in hearing assurances like "I love you and just wanted you to know that". I have to be honest and say I wasn't very good at showing mercy, love and understanding before my husband Paul's 56-day stay in critical care 250 miles from home before his journey to Heaven. It would have been next to impossible for me to go through those days and nights without reassurances over and over and over again that I wasn't alone. I admit I don't remember many of those pieces of advice that were offered...but I never fail to remember with a grateful heart those kind and comforting "I'm walking as close to you and with you as I can", "I hurt with you", "I'm so

I confess that I find myself asking fairly often, “what have I done to cause this?” Just earlier today, I said out loud (I was alone  )….”Dear God, what else do I need to repent of?” Now, I don’t know if I would have said that if I had been standing face to face with Him in the physical sense, but I do believe that He must have kinda thought about it a bit….’cause the phone rang. It wasn’t a huge deal, but enough to say to me that sometimes it’s not about repenting, it’s about waiting. And to be honest, most of the time it’s easier to repent than to wait. During these last few minutes, I’ve found myself remembering the Scripture..”While you were yet sinners, Christ died for your sins”. If He has died for me in my sins, then I’m just gonna believe that He’s loving me enough to see my heart and not always judge me as guilty guilty guilty just because the struggle is hard in finding a way to believe. Yes, I need to repent when I’ve missed His “mark” for my life....I’m jus

Oh my….sometimes the words just won’t come, will they? The pain is far too great to put into words, the fear can paralyze and make it very difficult to express what we’re feeling. I see TV accounts of towns blown away, meaning lives were lost and hearts were broken….I hear hurting men and women and children talk about how hard it is to just keep going…it just makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Why? Why? Why? I’m so grateful that Romans promises the Holy Spirit will pray for us at such times….when we can’t say to God or anyone what we’re trying to communicate, God will hear….the Holy Spirit sees to that.

One of my first songs to co-write was “Learning to Trust a Trustworthy God”. The terrorists’ attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred shortly after Marty Funderburk and I finished the song….in fact I’d just started staging it. One Sunday morning as I was introducing the song the thought hit me that maybe one of the reasons Marty and I had written the song could be to remind us how important it is to continually be longing and learning to trust a God Who is indeed trustworthy. It’s easy to trust God when things are running smoothly, isn’t it? But for the hard times, it’s all about building our trust in a God Who can keep us steady, even in a level of peace, when the whole world around us is crashing down.

Well, of course God is good. But, He’s good whether we feel it, see it, hear it, believe it or not. How many times have you heard someone say “God is good, all the time, all the time God is good” when things haven’t gone exactly as they’d wanted or prayed? Don’t we say it easily after a prayer has been answered pretty much “our way”? If you’ve heard me in concert or speak more than a few times, you likely have heard me share what Corrie ten Boom had to say on this….someone said to her, “Oh Corrie, wasn’t God good to bring you out of the concentration camps?” to which Corrie responded, “Oh, He was good when I was still in the concentration camps”. Now, if I can be realllll honest here, I don’t think my lips have very often spoken those words, “God is good” during those times of confusion, fear, complexity¸lack, etc. But let me SEE, HEAR, FEEL the difference He’s made and it’s easy to mouth the words..and believe them. My next quest, I think, is to see Him, feel Him, hear Him

I don't know, but I'd just bet most of us find ourselves questioning over and over if we're really doing what God has called us to do. You know...it's like we ask again and again, "dear God, what is Your will?" That's a good prayer to pray, a good petition to make to God. But really and truly, don't we already know, or pretty much know what His will is?? Are we sure we aren't just wanting somebody to say we don't really have to follow through with those commitments we already know we are to make?...especially if it's hard, if it takes time, if it calls on us to do more than we really want to invest right now? Maybe more than anything, we just need to show up everyday and say something like, "Dear Abba Father, here I am, I'm showing up, listening, looking, wanting to represent You well this day".

Quitting was not a word heard very often on the Sanders farm where I grew up. Daddy was a cotton farmer…and my sister Lavern, my Mama and I were the biggest part of his “equipment”, so to speak. Cotton farming was hard work….but I can honestly say that I could count on my two hands the number of times I ever heard Ernest and Lillie Sanders say they were tired after working in the field from sunup to sundown, literally, with about a 30 – 45 minute break for lunch, which Mama had cooked before leaving for the field very early in the morning (and this was after she’d cooked a full breakfast). What I did hear a lot of was “well, we got a lot done today”, or perhaps “feels good to be tired so I can sleep better”. So, I often say…. when somebody questions me as to how I drive the long hours, stay in a studio for an eternity to record an album, personally stay in touch, as much as I possibly can, with all those who communicate with me on email, Facebook, via my website’s fANN forum mes

It's the Easter season....life is everywhere! But there had to be and still has to be death first. I'm asking myself today...."what do you need to let 'die', Ann?". I'm not good at change....seems you need to hang onto everything without having to say "goodbye" to it, which seems sad, even if it's the arrangement of furniture in my living/great/gathering room. I have no idea why I feel it's sacred to let things stay the same...at the risk of sometimes having to drag the "old" day after day, wearing myself out,leaving little energy for the "new" things God could perhaps want to do in my life. I'm working on the trust in letting go. I'm watching a couple of guys work in my little courtyard, digging out those awful looking plants, or whatever they are :)....they're taking out a lot of half-dead, ugly stuff, but oh my, what beautiful pieces of green grass they're putting down,my shrubs look somewh

My sweet sister, Lavern, once commented that she was amazed at what some folks refer to as "problems". She added that so many of those things some of her friends described when saying "I've got this problem......"was what she called "life". I have to agree with my big "sis". Don't you agree, too? Now come on and be honest....are we really always going through a "terrible" time, having a "horrible" day, ready to give up on life when we hit a rough spot??? Even on those worst days, do we really have "problems" or do we struggle in not having the "tools" to work through those hiccups and hard spots along the way? Aren't we just a little miffed, sometimes, that we aren't having days and days of ease and things perhaps not going our way??? Can I challenge you (and me) to consider that SOMETIMES we have the "not so great" days in order for us to learn a whole lot more about His

I've made some real stupid choices in relationships...I mean those "committed" kinds of relationships, where there is to be equal commitment, equal sacrifice. I realize that all relationships are healthier if both are on even ground, I believe that's God's plan. But even more so in those life-long commitments!!! We can't pretend the red flags aren't there IF THEY ARE!!!...we can't ignore what our gut says and believe it'll just "work out". It won't...commitments to relationships just don't happen in a day. I remember something Dr. Charles Stanley said long ago..."if you don't know for sure which step to take, don't move". If we find ourselves in any kind of situation where we're interacting constantly with someone, are beginning to commit to be true to the development of a life-time or long-term "walk" together, whether it be at work, in a marriage, professional relationship, wherever....it

A lot of you are familiar with or at least know of my only niece, Scarlett (or Sweet Scarlett, as I often refer to her). A brilliant gal in the prime of her life and career was involved in a horrible car accident at the age of 36, leaving her with a severe brain injury. God has brought her so far….so many accomplishments that she wasn’t “supposed” to ever achieve. A couple of years ago while she was going through a particularly hard struggle, she said to me, “Aunt Ann, I know I’m gonna make it, but right now I’m in that in between place”. I knew exactly what she was saying…and I’d imagine you do, too, right? We believe that God’s gonna walk with us and get us to the other side…however, sometimes it just seems like a longggggg way from here to there, doesn’t it? We’re gonna make it..but there are times we sure do need a hand to hold or place to rest on the journey….’cause we aren’t “there” yet…and we need to hear from somebody, who actually cares where we are struggling, that w

My neighbor across the street has two oak trees in their front yard....they seem like good friends of mine 'cause I love watching their progress in the spring and in the fall in doing what oak trees do. The one on the left always starts to bud out in that faint green first each spring..and the one on the right just sits there for a few days before you see even a leftover leaf drop. Then swooosh, it takes off and before you know it it's as green as his brother over there...doing, again, what oak trees do...providing shade and a beautiful "arbor" for the front yard belonging to Ray and Gail. Of course, in the fall, you guessed it....Friend Tree on the left starts to bow his head and start turning a different shade before Mr. Righthanded Tree, but they both end up with the browns in their "resting time" for the winter. Now, I'd like to be first in "gettin' it", wouldn't you? But maybe I'm to remember that it's not about w

Recently, I've thought quite a bit how privileged I am to have a lot of people loving me....now, I hope that doesn't sound as if I'm bragging that I have more folks loving me than anybody else. Noooo, the beauty of this line of thinking is to realize that there are scads of people who love us...they just love us. So, when we're confused, feeling like a failure, wishing things were different, have a struggle, struggle, struggle, let's not forget to ask ourselves.."hey, feel those arms of love wrapped around you?" Let that squeeze you real good so you'll once again be assured that you aren't walking through this world alone....you got a whole bunch of neat folks on the journey to Heaven with you who really do care about you. They may not get around to reminding you very often...in fact, you may not have heard it at all...but right now, this very minute, embrace it...believe it...YOU ARE LOVED. Of course, He created that love! John 3:16

Why write a song? I’d asked that question a million times to answer someone else’s question. I’d been asked over and over and over if I wrote…I’d say, “oh no, I just enjoy interpreting what someone else has already written”. Not a bad answer, but it wore thin, and God finally got my attention. When Paul passed away and I made the decision to go back out on this singing/speaking ministry, I started doing everything. I did all the booking, packing, setting up, tearing down, travel plans, correspondence and all office duties…along with trying to have a minute here and there to spend with friends in an attempt to build a new life as a single woman. I would give myself the excuse, concerning songwriting, that I just didn’t have time. I even said to God several times with confidence that if I had some part-time help, I could possibly have time to concentrate on writing. Well, one day THAT part-time help came along…what was I gonna say now??? Then one day I was sitting at my kitch

I’ve often said that one of the most glorious parts of God’s creation days was when He created friendship. I’ve also heard it said that if you have one good friend you are rich….if you have two good friends you are a millionaire. But of course you can’t put a monetary value on what friends mean to us, can you? I think I caught a glimpse of that several years ago at sweet Roger Bennett’s funeral. When I walked into the foyer of the church I immediately felt better because I started one by one seeing friends I don’t normally see. One of the downsides of what I do is that I’m usually doing it alone, not with other artist/ministry friends. Of course that’s one of the real upsides of being a part of events such as those Gaither video tapings…we get to hug, pat and catch up a bit on what’s going on in each others’ lives. It was difficult for me as I watched Debbie walk back up that aisle behind Roger’s casket, leaving for the burial. It brought back a million painful memories of

I’m a dreamer…and I’ve been known to look back a lot, too. Know what that means? It means I don’t live TODAY to the fullest. We don’t have a promise of tomorrow, do we? We can’t go back and redo yesterday, can we? What can we do? We can live today, experiencing every second!!! I love how Bill and Gloria Gaither have always written songs like “We Have This Moment Today”…taking those very ordinary things such as a cup of coffee, ketchup on their kid’s nose, playing baseball with a grandmother to encourage us to look at it all….those ordinary events that can whiz by, if we aren’t careful, and we’ll miss something that could be lifechanging. I don’t know why we look for the big stuff…missing the little stuff. And hasn’t God been “guilty” of talking more about those ordinary daily things like playing with children, fishing, plowing in the field, etc. to get His point across than parting seas, rescuing from lions’ dens, feeding thousands with hardly nothing. Of course those a

Written a few days ago... On the plane somewhere between St. Louis and LA…..all I know is it’s a gorgeous day, which means no bumpy stuff . Flatlands are everywhere…probably ranches, maybe a farm or two….then waaaay out there to the right is a beautiful snow-capped mountain risin’ up as if it’s waving to us. I sooooo love God’s creation(s), and yet I know I have my eyes shut waaaay too much of the time while riding or flying. Makes me think of something my wonderful friend Bob Benson said more than once, before going to Heaven…..”if you can walk the equivalent of a city block and not see God or hear Him or ‘feel’ Him, then you aren’t looking, listening or allowing yourself to feel”. I don’t want to miss HIM in all his “works”, do you? He’s there….He’s talking to us, providing new surprises in His beauty, reminding us that He IS a creative God, and it’s all for our enjoyment and His glory as we experience every second and mile of this journey.

Tonight I'm in Anderson, IN.....some of my best friends live here...Bob and Kathy Blume. They found out my schedule was bringing me to this area (since they always seem to keep up with where I'm gonna be :) ). Kathy got in touch, they were busy today and tonight, I wasn't going to be getting into Anderson until rather late tonight, but Kathy wouldn't have it any other way but for them to meet Karissa and me in the lobby of the motel when we arrived, just to say "hi", hug and catch up a bit. Kathy is an early "go to bedder"....but she said for Karissa and me she would stay up later :). Now I realize that that isn't the biggest sacrifice on the face of the earth that she's made, but it sure felt she cares about me. And in addition to catching up, sharing some stories, adding to each other's lives by just celebrating our friendships, I was reminded "hey, I'm not going to Heaven alone, it really matters to at least two people

Several years ago a friend shared with me that his route to work every day took him through a toll booth....and he tried to always choose a certain booth. This is because the gentleman manning that booth was an elderly man who always had something "bright and sunny" to say to him. Every morning my friend would hear "Have a good day, no matter what!" Now, there were days my friend drove up to that toll booth with zillions of questions in his head of how he was gonna make it through a challenging day that was always before him when he arrived at his workplace. But he just kept those words in his head...and heart..."Have a good day, no matter what". Now, that's a choice, isn't it? "No matter what"???? I don't know about you, but I honestly don't find that coming naturally to me...it's a struggle to find sunshine on those cloudy, dreary mornings...'cause it just doesn't show up in my eyesight. But, that's w

Here I am on the "middle day" of a good week to begin, with a bit of fear and trembling, another way to stay in touch with whoever wants to be in touch :). I do believe connections are important...can't imagine that anyone would wanna live in a cave, attempt to make it one hour without knowing that somebody was somewhere in their lives. One of the comments I hear often in describing an AnnD concert is "I appreciate you coming out into the audience with us"....I think they're saying "I like to be 'noticed' and feel involved". Sooooo, let's be "noticed" and be "involved" here. I'll be "rambling along" from time to time...jump in and "ramble" with me, ok? Happy Wednesday all day long..... ad

"Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning!!" Joy, we shouldn't have to fight for it, but the "joy stealers" are out there looking to convince our minds that hope is frail... smiling is impossible... faith is an illusion. We have to protect our joy. We've sung it all our lives, "The Joy of the Lord is our Strength!" And what do you know... it's true!   So as we celebrate this 20th year of MTWR bringing joy to the hearts of women from all across the USA and Canada, it is my deepest desire that while we "Bring on the Joy", we will also bring our faith to a higher place of trusting in the God who can help us face those "joy stealers" head on. He will restore the hope that allows us to experience JOY JOY JOY as we walk together on this homeward journey. BRING ON THE JOY!!! CLICK HERE TO PRE-REGISTER FOR THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE WOMEN'S RETREAT!