It is hard to believe that our next retreat is just around the corner on September 10-12, 2023. The topic of this retreat is A Leader's Journey into Solitude and Silence. We look forward to the ways God will meet us in the teachings and experiences offered on this retreat.
REFLECTING ON THE LAST RETREAT
The theme of our first retreat was the nature of spiritual transformation, the significance of a leader’s ongoing commitment to his/her own process of spiritual transformation, and the importance of desire as the dynamic that fuels the spiritual journey. It is important not to rush this part of the process. So, how is your desire? Are you still in touch with the longing you named in God’s presence on retreat? How are your longings calling you to cultivate spiritual rhythms that are consistent
with what your heart most wants? As St. Augustine said, “The entire life of a good Christian is never less than holy desire.”
Desire is sometimes frightening in its intensity. It can be hard to stay true to our desire, especially if it seems too far out of reach. However, as we learned from Bartimaeus, naming our desire in Christ’s presence, while it feels risky, opens us to God's fulfillment of those desires—sometimes differently than we expected or envisioned.
PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING RETREAT In preparation for our gathering, please spend time reflecting on our first retreat, along with your experiences and readings over the quarter. If you are earning a Certificate in Spiritual Transformation, please plan to submit your reflection paper by the Friday prior to retreat. Even if you
are not earning the certificate, you might want to write a 2–3 page reflection paper in order to process your learnings. The following questions might help to stimulate your thinking:
What was the desire that you began articulating while on retreat?
How are you experiencing your desire these days? Has it intensified, lost intensity, or stayed the same?
What choices or changes have you made in response to clarifying your desire? What new rhythms have you explored that enable you to live in ways that are more congruent with your heart’s desire?
How have you experienced God with you and for you in the midst of your desire?
What questions or challenges have arisen for you in the context of your reading and exploration?
Be sure to
interact with Scripture and with the required readings that have been valuable to you. The written reflections are for your benefit in summarizing the learning and experiences of this quarter, and they will also form the basis for your sharing in Community. These questions can also be found in the During the Quarter handout in your folder.
SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Small Groups. A part of this coming retreat, you will be introduced to your small group on the second evening. There will be teaching and guidance about how to enter into this time and a structure that will hold you well. As I mentioned during our last retreat, the process of assigning the small groups is covered with intercessory prayer, and we would appreciate your prayers regarding this important component of the Transforming Community experience. If any of you know other TC19 participants from any other area of your life (past or present church, community or employment), please reply to this email ASAP, so we will not place you in the same group. If you already did this at the last retreat or via email, thank you!
Community Commitments and Covenant. Please reflect on the teaching regarding spiritual community and go over the Community Commitments and Covenant handout we distributed at the first retreat. During the retreat, we will take time to discuss the covenant, receive your feedback, and then commit ourselves to it together.
You will receive an additional e-mail before the retreat with some logistical details. Watch
for it! In the meantime, may God enable you to stay faithful to this journey of spiritual transformation that God is inviting you to and may you discover delight along the way.
