Dear friend,
God's best to you in this new year! It is hard to believe that our next retreat is just around the corner on February 10-12, 2019. The topic of this retreat is Prayer: Deepening Our Intimacy with God and our aim is not just to talk about prayer, theorize about prayer and figure out how to teach others to pray; it is to actually pray ourselves.
Reflecting on Our Last Quarter…
What a joy it was to see members of this community start to enjoy each other’s company and settle into the commitment we have made to journey together for these two years. From what we have heard, it sounds like the small groups came together very well and many of you have already experienced God’s grace in the selection of your companions for this journey. Thanks be to God!
The Leaving Service was a highlight as we committed ourselves to this journey and brought our covenants to the altar as a sign and symbol of the commitment we are making to the journey of transformation in this community. If you did not have the opportunity to bring your covenant to the altar, you can still do so at this retreat.
Preparing for the Upcoming Retreat...
Don’t forget to prepare your reflection paper for your own benefit, for the certificate requirement, and also as preparation for sharing with your small group over dinner. Use the following questions from your During the Quarter document to get you started:
- How, when and where have you practiced solitude and silence over the last months?
- How have you experienced God with you (or not) during such times? What questions have your practice of solitude and silence raised for you?
- What have you learned through the struggles and challenges of incorporating solitude and silence more intentionally into your life
- What readings have you found most helpful? How have they supported your practice? How have they challenged you?
Those of you who wrote papers last quarter should be receiving them back either right before this upcoming retreat or soon after. We hope you are experiencing this writing commitment as a means of going deeper with the readings and with your own process of transformation. Grappling with new thoughts and soul issues in writing has the potential to be catalytic for your spiritual journey and our readers are committed to reading and commenting thoughtfully and prayerfully. Writers and readers, keep up the good work!
Oswald Chambers wrote: “The radiating influence from ONE person rightly related to God is incalculable.” I am praying that this experience of transformation in community will help each of us to be that person! If there is anything that is of concern to you about your community experience, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Blessings on you all,
