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 April-May-June 2014 |
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" Unity of the Spirit," from Ephesians 4:2-3, will be the theme for the 35th Annual Tres Dias Assembly, hosted by North Georgia Tres Dias July 25-27. See invitation below |
In this Issue
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 The President's Letter
Why I Attended Tres Dias
I often hear stories about people who have invited a friend to attend a weekend--even extended the invitation several times--and can't understand why the friend keeps saying no.
That happened again recently, and it provides me with the opportunity to tell my story about why I attended Tres Dias.
Sometime around 1983, a friend at church told my wife and me about a three-day weekend experience that was the greatest thing he and his wife had ever attended. We needed to go too! My wife and I looked at each other and said we would think about it, but with the understanding between us that there was no way! We had both been in church all of our lives and had attended every retreat, every Bible study, every special teaching, and every other church-related event you could think of, and we knew we didn't need anything else!
Over the next eight years, every member of my family attended a Tres Dias weekend, and every time we went to a family event, we heard all about how GREAT it was and how we would LOVE it, and how much we should want to attend a weekend. But every time we asked what it was about, all we were told was that they couldn't tell us, but it was the BEST!
At that point, my wife and I were resolved that we wanted nothing to do with it.
Over the next couple of years, I observed my family members and their walk with God and saw a profound change in the joy and peace evident in their lives. One day I told my wife that I wanted to attend a weekend. She looked at me as if I had swallowed the poison and simply said "Why?"
I explained how I had observed big changes in my brother and brother-in-law and was curious as to what they had experienced on a Tres Dias weekend that had influenced them in such a manner.
After several weeks, she agreed, reluctantly, to sign the forms.
In 1993 we attended our weekends and the rest is history. I had found a ministry where men were able to discuss issues with every sin I could think of and some I hadn't thought of, and to do so without condemnation, and in an open and loving atmosphere. And it wasn't just lay people, but pastors as well who shared deeply personal issues. We heard all the talks and testimonies, and cried and prayed and laughed and rejoiced together in what I can only describe as what the biblical church should look and act like.
So when I hear about someone who has invited a friend to a weekend and had the invitation declined, rather than ask why that person said no, I like to turn the question back to the potential sponsor. How much have you invested in that friendship? Have you and your spouse demonstrated the love of Jesus in everyday life to them? Have you figuratively washed their feet?
This is where trust starts and where victory begins. You have heard the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. Show them the picture of how Jesus has changed your life and then tell them... "You deserve to enjoy a three day celebration of what Christ has done in your life!"
P.S. Never tell them they need to go and never tell them it's a secret! Just be completely open and let the light of what He has done in your life be your witness!
President, Tres Dias International Secretariat
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A special invitation
All community presidents/chairpersons are invited to meet with the leadership of Tres Dias for dessert and informal discussion, Friday evening, July 25, at the Annual Assembly in Atlanta.
Please plan to attend. Details to come.
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Rolling Out the Electronic Library
Technology--it's changed our lives and the way we do Tres Dias. And now TDI is taking a giant leap into the digital age--we're rolling out an electronic library. Gone are the days of ordering documents like the Rector Guide and the Essentials brochure.
We are now providing these items electronically, without charge. Yes, if your community prefers paper form, we can oblige with a fee for paper, printing and shipping. But, for those chartered communities who want to simply print from a computer or modify non-copyrighted material, your International Secretariat Services Committee is making that happen.
We are also providing an FTP software download, such as Filezilla, to access the library where the files are stored. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a program used to move files from one computer to another.
TDI is constantly looking for ways to be more supportive to communities, and the Electronic Library is a valuable tool toward that end. For those who want to take advantage of this new format, we will provide details and whatever assistance is needed.
We will add more items as they're made available. This is a listing of what's currently available.
Blue Pilgrim's Guide.pdf
Constitution July 2013.pdf
Green cover Pilgrim's Guide.jpg
Green TD Pilgrims Guide.pdf
TD Growth Guide cards.pdf
TD Living The Fourth Day Brochure newest - Copy.pdf
TD Rector Guide- scanned - Copy.docx
Team Guide for Team Members.pdf
The Essentials of Tres Dias 2012.docx
The Essentials Presentation.ppt
Tres Dias Music Director Guide 07 23 2007.pdf
The address is http://tresdiaslibrary.worthyofpraise.org. A link will be prominently displayed on the Tres Dias website.
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A "Stories from the Weekend" feature
Rough Edges and Reminders
By Matt Redfearn, North Texas Tres Dias #40
In the early part of 2008, God nudged a friend of mine to invite me to a Tres Dias weekend. It wasn't going to be an easy sell. I had been hurt deeply by the church, and my faith went missing fifteen years prior. I never lost my faith in God, but I had stopped listening to His voice and heeding his call on my life.
And to be honest, I had been bashing church-going Christians for years.
My friend said, "Don't give me an answer right now. Just pray about it." Okay, but I was certain my answer would be no. After all, why would I want to hang out with a bunch of Jesus freaks for three long days? True to my word, I did ask God, "Do you want me to go to this Tres Dias thing?" And for the first time in many years, I heard an undeniable "Yes." Really? Maybe I should set up a test to prove it was really God speaking. And before the end of the day, he had won out. I called my friend back. "Sign me up," I said. "And Tonya, too."
Looking back, it's clear how The Lord's hand had directed me all those years, teaching me more about Him and His unfailing love. During the weekend, one Rollo after another took well-placed aim on my broken walls. At one point I stepped away and knelt down in front of the cross. "I can't go back to the way it was," I told God as I wrestled. I couldn't go to my wife's church, and she clearly wasn't going to switch and follow me anywhere.
Just then a team member walked in, placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke softly in my ear. "God does not care where you go to church, just that you do." I looked around, and he was gone. God nudged him to speak those words to me, though he couldn't have possibly known my struggle. The very next Rollo was The Church. The church is not the building, but the people in it. The church is you, Matt, as well.
Suddenly, I was reminded of all those years I tried to convince people to leave the church. So you won't get hurt like I was. What a revelation. Instead of helping people, I had been hurting them, just as I had been hurt all those years ago. And God wasn't done with me yet. At dinner that night, I noticed a simple little wooden cross on my plate. I looked around. Nobody else had a cross, nobody. It must be a message from the Lord, I thought, tangible proof that He is always there, to give me strength to carry on and to do what He wanted, even though I don't think I'm capable. Even more, that He loved me and cared about me.
 I put the cross in my pocket, and that's where it's been every day since that Tres Dias weekend. Now, whenever I feel like something is too difficult, that I am out of strength to go on, I reach in my pocket and feel that little wooden cross. The rough edges, the hard lines are a reminder what Jesus did for me, and the pain He endured, all because He loves me. God is here now, in the present, and through Him all things are possible. It all began at Tres Dias. Now, I have the courage to stand up and face any adversity with strength and confidence that God will see me though.
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A "Stories from the Weekend" feature
The Serenade
A Healing Connection
When Sharon Reagan arrived at camp for North Texas Tres Dias #11, she felt totally out of her element. Just a few hours before, her husband Charlie had given her some send-off advice, "Just enjoy it."
Fine for him to say, she thought, he was on the other side of his weekend. Sharon was uncomfortable with people she didn't know and was filled with absolute dread.
It's a familiar scenario for many of us, and Sharon, being the "closet rebel," played along while she balked and cringed inside. "I felt like an alien dropped down into a foreign planet," she told a friend afterwards. But when Saturday night came around, and the men piled into the dining hall to surround the room to serenade, everything changed. "When they raised their arms to intercede for the women, I felt my resistance dissolve. It was such a powerful thing.*"
While the men sang, she looked around the room at the women. "So many were coming undone." And she sensed herself losing control. Why am I crying, Lord?
On a logical level, Sharon was forever aware of the abuse in her past, but at that moment, in the midst of a cacophony of men's voices, she made a healing connection. As a child, Sharon felt unprotected by the men in her life, so naturally she had misgivings about God in that role. So she held back in secret distrust.
"Suddenly, I felt the Lord saying, 'Sharon, you can count on me.'" It was a moment of restoration. "I understood finally and fully that the Lord is my protector."
Many Tres Dias communities opt for a Mananita (little good morning) where the community serenades the candidates on Sunday morning. Both have the same memorable effect of bringing a shower of God's love to a ready heart. "When the Body of Christ serves in that way," Sharon says. "There is nothing like it."
Reported by Jan Coleman *See story below
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Excerpt from
The Army of God Serenade
Editor's note: In the event referred to in Sharon's story, the men encircle the women and ask for forgiveness for all the hurt they have ever caused. The words and actions my vary from community to community, but the following excerpt is typical. The women perform a similar ritual at the men's weekend. We will publish both texts at a future date.
Heavenly Father, We come before you as men, broken and humbled and aware of our guilt. We know that men like us have been involved in or the cause of much of the pain that these women have experienced in their lives. We know that these ladies have been hurt by their fathers, their stepfathers, their grandfathers, their uncles, their cousins, their brothers, by their half-brothers, by their sons and stepsons, by their husbands and ex-husbands, by their boyfriends and ex-boyfriends, by their neighbors, by their friends, by their co-workers, by their bosses, by the man in the street, and yes, sadly, even by their pastors and priests.
We ask you to forgive us, Lord, for any harm, any hurts that we as men have caused our sisters in Christ. We ask you, Lord, and we ask you, our sisters, to use those of us encircling you tonight as a stand-in for any man that has damaged the heart, body or soul of any woman sitting here. Accept our prayer of repentance and please give us forgiveness:
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An invitation to the...
35th Assembly of Tres Dias International
July 25-27, 2014
Hosted by Tres Dias of North Georgia
Welcome ! We are so very excited to welcome each of you to Atlanta, Georgia, where Southern Hospitality awaits you!!! We at Tres Dias of North Georgia are thrilled to host the 35th Tres Dias International Assembly with pescadores from around the world!
Our theme is "Unity in the Spirit" and our scripture is Ephesians 4:2-3, "Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace." Our team has exemplified this scripture as we have worked unified in the spirit throughout the past year.
Tres Dias of North Georgia had its first weekend in 1983 and in the past 31 years has been honored to sponsor over 42 communities. Our prayer this weekend is that the unity, friendliness, joy, love, graciousness, sincerity and genuine caring from all of us here serving you is truly visible as Jesus with skin on to each of you.
We truly hope the lovely Atlanta Perimeter Marriott Center or wherever you are staying and the spacious North Atlanta Church of Christ are comfortable and to your enjoyment.
Let us encourage you to purchase tickets for an opportunity to win one of our two beautiful lap quilts. We are blessed with many talented Pescadores in our local communities and two of our ladies have donated many hours to hand make, not one, but two different lap quilts that both represent the theme of this Tres Dias Assembly! We are excited about this and that all proceeds will go toward establishing new Tres Dias communities. We are sure everyone will want to participate to support new communities and hopefully take home one of these gorgeous quilts. We will have further information coming soon on our website.
We have prepared for you fun entertainment, great food, awesome worship, blowing of the Shofar, terrific workshops, an abbreviated Parade of Banners, and "Dessert with Bruce" for all secretariat chairmen and presidents (current and upcoming). We are so glad that you will share this great fellowship with other pescadores in Christ, here in Atlanta, Georgia! Please register at
www.tresdias.org or www.tdassembly2014.org .
May God bless and protect each of you with His travel mercies and good health as we come together to do His work through the ministry of Tres Dias.
Please let us know if there's anything any of us can do to help you.
Thank you and we love you in Christ's love,
Cathy and Jim Brooks
Co-Chairmen of Executive Planning Committee
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And it's not too soon to think about 2015  Annual Assembly, when representatives from every community worldwide will join together to praise the Lord The International Secretariat is currently laying the groundwork to make the 2015 Annual Assembly a landmark event, the first time in Tres Dias history that delegates from all chartered communities will gather together in one place. Because this involves planning on a global scale, your community will soon receive a letter asking you mark the dates well in advance and explaining how financial support can be provided to those communities, including those overseas, that may not have the resources to send a delegate. The dates are July 10-12, 2015. Abundant Life Tres Dias and Northern Illinois Tres Dias will co-host the event. |
Announcements
Future Meetings
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| | July 25-27, 2014: Assembly & Secretariat | TD of North Georgia (Atlanta area) | | October 10-12: Secretariat | Northern Virginia TD |
| | March 13-15, 2015: Secretariat | North Florida TD (Tallahassee area)
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| | July 10-12, 2015: Assembly & Secretariat | Abundant Life TD & Northern IL TD |
| | October 2015 (dates TBD): Secretariat | TBD |
| | March 4-6, 2016: Secretariat | Tampa Bay TD (location TBD) |
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The Colors of Tres Dias International is published by the Services Committee of the Tres Dias International Secretariat. Don Bohl and Jan Coleman are co-editors. Ned Heffington chairs the committee and serves as associate editor and proofreader. Send comments to newsletter@tresdias.org. Our objective is to publish six issues a year. To read prior issues, use this link: Newsletter Archive
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We encourage you to distribute this newsletter to members of your community.
Would you like the members of your secretariat to receive the newsletter directly? If yes, send us first names and email addresses in an spreadsheet and we will add to our distribution files.
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