retreat

by

Take a Mini Break To Recharge Your Batteries

It’s amazing what a mini break will do for you. Recently, we took the opportunity to get away for a couple of days and it turned out to be just what we needed.

relaxing-on-beach

I wouldn’t say that all short getaways are relaxing and rejuvenating. In some situations they can add to the hurried pace we already live at.

When you take a weekend and go somewhere new, you usually don’t end up changing your pace of life that much. Thus you don’t experience the rest you need to recharge your batteries.

Don’t get me wrong, those kind of getaways are nice. They say that sometimes a change is as good as a rest. But when you get back to work and the regular schedule you keep, you still feel like you could have used a breather.

The reason is, when you go somewhere new, there is the urge to see or do that something new.

So by the time you get back home, you feel like you’ve been in a bit of a whirlwind, like it was great and all but you feel exhausted, tired, or hurried.

However, when you go somewhere familiar, some spot that is yours, there is a comfort in that place that puts you at ease, encourages you to relax.

We had two days – less than 48 hours – at our cottage, but as soon as we got there we were in chill mode. There was nothing to check out, nothing that was unexpected, no arrangements that needed to be made once we got there.

It was like coming home and, much like the way you feel after being on an extended vacation, it always feels good to get back home. Well, it felt good to be at the cottage again.

There was nothing to set up, no pressure, everything was familiar. We didn’t have to unwind; just being there unwound us.

We got up when we wanted to, no checkout time, no appointments to keep … except the self-imposed meeting with the beach. There was nothing hurried or pressing, just life in “slow mo”.

It’s like when they show you a highlight on Sports Centre in regular speed – it looks amazing. But when you see it in slow mo, then you see details you missed in regular speed.

That’s what it’s like to take a mini break somewhere that’s familiar. You enjoy the little details, the colours in the yard, the conversations around the fire pit, the quietness on the deck, the sound of the waves.

In a very short amount of time, the dial gets turned down and your muscles start to relax. Your heart beats a little slower and you feel like you’ve had a rest.

Here’s the thing: Life can get you all twisted up, all tied in knots, and spiritually you can feel disconnected or distant from God, making your Christian life a drudgery. The best way to get things back on track is to take a mini break with God. He and His Word are what’s familiar. But then do something out of the ordinary: spend a little extra time with Him, ask yourself new questions about the text, spend some time quietly listening to Him, change the location of where you meet with Him. Whatever time you spend with Him, make it a little extra. You’ll feel rested and rejuvenated if you do.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Where could you go to take a mini spiritual break this week? Leave your comment below.

by

Lasting Memories

This past week Lily and I attended our 27th district prayer retreat.  Prayer retreat is a getaway for pastors and their wives.  It’s a time to be refreshed and renewed, and focus on ourselves both emotionally and spiritually.  I look forward to these retreats every year.  Just three days, but they’re special.

winter-day-view

Over the years, the retreat experience has varied in a number of ways.  When I started in ministry in Alberta, our prayer retreat was in Banff.  Now THAT was a tough place to be with the mountains, the hot springs close by, and the shops lining the main street that Lily loved to check out.  I’m not sure we ever bought much there, but we did have to go in every one of them!

At prayer retreat we reconnect with all our friends, many whom we had gone to college with.  After the evening meeting we couldn’t wait to get to the restaurants or hot springs just to hang out.  We’d even hang out at the Christmas shop on the main street. It had a bench just inside the door, I called it the husbands bench. My buddies and I would sit there and make comments about and to those coming into the store, while our wives shopped. We had some great times, a lot of laughs together.

Because prayer retreat was always in the off-season when the rates are cheap, we got amazing deals on great accommodations … except for one year, and my friend, Dave, and I continued on and on about it until our wives were ready to kill us.  (But Pastor Dan’s room WAS bigger than both our rooms put together!)

So, it was a real change moving to Ontario and attending our first prayer retreat at Joy Bible Camp.  The contrast was extreme!  We were in the middle of nowhere; we stayed in tiny rooms where we either shared a washroom with another couple, or had to walk outside and down a flight of stairs to get to the shower.

But Joy Bible Camp had a gym, and every night after our meetings many of us hit the gym for some ball hockey, or basketball.  It was so different from the retreats in Banff, but in some ways, the retreats at the camp had their own charm.  Oh, those afternoon broom ball matches, with Gerry knocking bodies around!

And, at the end of the retreat, there was always the bonus excitement of whether the cars would start … retreats in those days were at the end of January with temperatures well below zero!

Well, this year prayer retreat came full circle.  The retreat was in Huntsville, at Deerhurst Resort (that’s right – where the G8 Summit was held).  Our accommodations certainly rivaled those days in Banff.  And, like the retreats at Joy Bible Camp, there was even a ball hockey game!

Now, I haven’t said much about the speakers and times of prayer.  Over the years, I’ve been challenged, encouraged, made fresh commitments, prayed for others and been prayed for by others.  We have had rich times with God and each other.  And Lily and I have experienced them all together!

Here’s the thing:  God puts a variety of experiences in our path, and He brings a variety of people along to experience them with us.  God uses those experiences and those people to shape us and mold us along the way.  We should treasure each experience we have and cherish every person He brings alongside.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What experiences has God used to shape you? Leave your comment below.