2026 women’s retreat
Please plan to join us for a weekend of fun, friendship and connection with God! We will be hearing messages on our friendship with God and with each other. There will be time to be alone, craft, hike, play games, eat good meals and enjoy some friendly competition.
Price: Early bird $235 - register by March 1. Regular $250 - register by April 1.
Women’s Retreat Speaker: Donna Thoennes is beyond grateful to be saved by God’s overwhelming grace. Her best days start with her Bible on her lap, her Golden Retrievers at her feet, and a cup of English breakfast tea in her hand. Her best days end with a clean kitchen, a snuggle from each member of Team Thoennes, and a book freshly laid on the night stand.
Donna recently completed twenty-five years of teaching in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University, and continues to teach women’s bible study at church, college campuses, retreats and conferences internationally. She is thankful to get to teach and write on biblical and theological studies, discipleship, church life, marriage, and parenting.
She got to marry her high school sweetheart 37 years ago, much to the disappointment of many of her classmates in Essex, Connecticut. She and Erik celebrated a recent anniversary by hiking in the French Alps. Her absolutely beautiful children look nothing like her! Caroline, Paige, Sam, and Isaac were adopted from Taiwan and China at ages 6-8 and are now 19-25. She is humbled that God chose her to be their mom and regularly tells them so!
Donna also loves hiking, gardening, hospitality, pickleball, and skiing among Giant Sequoias!
Resources
Listen to our handcrafted MUSIC playlist **here**
Need to go on a Media Fast? Here are some great books to read:
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - One of our favorite books for women on how to study the Bible with both your heart and mind.
When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper - Are you a little down and out during this unprecedented time? Now is a great time to preach to ourselves and fight for joy in the midst of these troubled times.
The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul - Nothing in our lives is more important than our understanding of who God is. One writer said, “…..holiness is not merely a peripheral attribute of God; it is at the core of all He is and does”. Great Book!
Alone with God: The Power and Passion of Prayer by John MacArthur, Jr. - There are so many needs and so much to pray about.
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne A. Grudem - What we believe affects how we live. This is a great book for new Christians and a quick brush up for mature Christians. Also, it is a great tool for witnessing to the lost.
The Remarkable Women of the Bible: and their Message for Your Life Today, by Elizabeth George - This book discusses how God enabled ordinary women to live extraordinary lives by turning their weaknesses into strengths, their sorrows into joys, and their despair into hope.
Looking for a great Daily Devotional?
God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life by Timothy Keller - Proverbs is God’s Book of Wisdom, spelling out how to conduct all of our daily life and choices with God at the Center.
Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship, by Ruth Chou Simons – This book is a beautiful display of art and defines the message that we become what we behold when we set our hearts and minds on Christ and His redemption Story.
Need a great online Bible Study? It’s free!
Go to Disciplers Bible Studies online. You can choose a study from a book in the Old Testament or the New Testament of your choice. Download and get started on your study.
