What do you think of when I say, “Military Sisterhood”? That was the question Kristin Goodrich posed to about 50 women at the beginning of a weekend retreat last March at OCF's White Sulphur Springs Conference Center. One West Point cadet’s response stood out amid the varied responses, "Sisterhood? What sisterhood?"
Today you’re going to hear from Kristin, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who is now the Executive Officer for Planting Roots, a ministry for Christian military women. She will talk about the importance of building community among women within OCF, the importance of friendships, and will zero in on a couple points of author Peter Scazzero’s list of the “Top 10 Symptoms of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality.”
You can also read more from Scazzero in his book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.”
A second Leading Women Retreat is scheduled in 2020 from March 26-29 at White Sulphur Springs Conference Center in Pennsylvania. So mark your calendars now. Check out the OCF and White Sulphur Springs websites for more information about the retreat. Those sites will be updated as details and registration become available. You can also join the Leading Women private Facebook group by clicking here (or by sending an email to Kristin if you have trouble accessing the group).
// WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT
- Introducing Kristin Goodrich, her involvement in USNA OCF and later OCF Council, and her calling to military women ministry.
- What was the purpose behind the Leading Women Retreat at WSS?
More about the question “What do you think of when I say Military Sisterhood?” and why you asked it. - What sorts of answers did you get, and what did those answers tell you?
- How did others respond, and then how did you follow up to continue that discussion?
- You said friendship in an art, not a science. How so?
- What is a key takeaway for listeners regarding friendship?
- Peter Scazzero’s “Top 10 Symptoms of Emotionally Unhealthy Spirituality.” Kristin talks about two of the ten points: Dying to the wrong things, and doing for God rather than being with God. “We have become human ‘doings’ rather than human ‘beings.’ We work for God rather than with God.”
- How does emotionally unhealthy spiritually tie back into military sisterhood? What kind of questions were generated by going through that Top 10 list?
- Kristin talks about the military community largely being Type-A, mathematical, with strategic mindsets leaning towards a “science mindset.” But the art of friendship is subjective on how to make it happen.
- Any books you recommend? One book used during the retreat last year: John Ortberg book “Soul Keeping.”
- Kristin recommends “Free to Be Brave: Moments with God for Military Life” and “Flourish Wherever the Military Sends You” for those wanting resources that point women to Christ so they thrive in military life. More information can be found at the Planting Roots website. You can hear from Planting Roots Director Kori Yates in Episode 25, when she appeared as a guest on Crosspoint.
- What’s the takeaway for listeners from our conversation? Kristin’s final thought: That Christian military women accept the challenge to develop a healthy sisterhood, to view each other as a sisterhood—encouraging, exhorting each other, telling the family stories where we can poke at each other, and yet we are all for each other.
