Photo: Jeremy Bishop
As the New Year begins, would you consider retreating?
Recently I’ve enjoyed considering the idea of retreat as both a noun and a verb. As a noun it’s “a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet.” As a verb, to retreat is “the act of withdrawing or going backward (especially to escape something hazardous or unpleasant).”
I began taking personal retreats alone with the Lord as a college student. My first one was compelled by an urgency to meet with Jesus and get a “Yes” or “No” from Him about a boy. I headed to Eugene’s Hendricks Park where I spent an afternoon engaging in both the noun and verb of retreating. I withdrew to a quiet place.
The farther I get from that day, the more clearly I see how transformative it was and the greater is my desire to offer the same opportunity to others.
Our Dare to Be Still team has intentionally scheduled retreating opportunities for you early in 2019. We have planned a place and time for you to withdraw into the quiet.
We would like to invite you to a weekend experience with God in Mt. Angel on February 23-24. We’ll share tools for you to embrace as you choose – ways to engage your mind and your heart in God’s presence. But mostly, you’ll have time to enjoy your unique and intimate friendship with God.
Many years ago, after having taken personal retreats with Jesus for decades, I began writing a why-and-how-to book for others who also craved MORE of God. My prayer as I studied and wrote was something like this, “Lord, please keep this book from being purchased if not practiced.”
God, graciously, kept the book off the shelves. Instead He asked me to lead retreats and share my story. In short, rather than read about it – we retreat.
Recently I discovered the book I attempted to write - - written successfully by someone else. Invitation to RETREAT: The Gift and Necessity of Time Away with God by Ruth Haley Barton.
Ruth makes a strong case for retreating:
“Not only are we distracted from the present, we are distracted from our very lives,
we miss out on the comfort that is there for us when we are present to our own depths in God’s presence.”
I hope you’ll consider taking two days to retreat. I believe you’ll be encouraged, comforted, guided, and inspired. God knows your need and promises to meet it.
and learn more about our upcoming retreat:
DARE TO BE STILL
February 23-24, 2019
Sisters of Benedictine / Queen of Angels Monastery
in historic Mt. Angel, Oregon
Check our FAQ page for more information
If you live in the Eugene/Springfield area, please also consider joining us for a special evening:
A TASTE OF STILLNESS
New Hope Eugene on January 14
Admission is free, however you'll need to click here to register
Check the Home page for more information
Pull up a chair and sit still
"Retreat" – to withdraw to a quiet place. If Jesus needed it, surely, WE do. Please consider stepping into your New Year with a special touch from the Lord.
“Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”
Luke 5:16
“In silence we can actually discern the movements of God’s spirit
rather than doing everything ourselves.”
Ruth Haley Barton