Happy new year! I hope you were able to have a healthy holiday season with those you love. We are approaching our 5th retreat February 19-21 entitled Flesh and Blood Spirituality: Honoring the Body as a Spiritual Discipline. Believe it or not, we are at the halfway point of our Transforming Community experience!
This will be a full retreat in every way so I am offering the guidance below to help you prepare in ways that are good for your mind and your body!
PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING RETREAT
Since the theme of our next retreat is learning how to honor the body as a spiritual practice, we will be offering several experiences that focus on different aspects of life in the body. During solitude, we are offering an optional silent guided yoga session. We will talk about this more on retreat, but if you are interested in participating, please bring a yoga mat if you are able. Pack a refillable water bottle to make it easy for you to stay hydrated.
As you pack, bring clothes that are comfortable and allow you to move about easily. Since our solitude time will include guidance for a prayer walk and other "in the body" experiences, please be sure to bring warm clothes and comfortable walking shoes. Feel free to bring items related to comfort and joy in your body….a favorite pillow so that you rest well, or anything else that would help you enter into this time of retreat focused on encountering God in your body. REFLECTING ON THE LAST RETREAT
Continue to use the lectionary and A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, allowing God to use Scripture as a tool for transformation in your life. Remember to prepare your reflections on the following questions, both as preparation for sharing with your group over Sunday dinner and as a paper to submit for your certificate:
How would you describe your relationship with Scripture coming into this retreat? What was/is your longing and desire regarding Scripture?
Where are you finding
yourself in the Biblical story? What insights and/or guidance are you discovering in that story? If you have not found yourself in the Biblical story yet, don’t force it. Just continue to be open and let God show you.
How was your experience with lectio divina? Was it the same as or different from past experiences with Scripture? What was God’s word to you and how is it impacting your life?
How have you utilized A Guide to Prayer and the lectionary for your own private devotion? What has it been like to have a more communal approach to engaging the Scripture?
