I took a Spiritual retreat on Tuesday to Stutzman's Retreat Center. It is a cabin owned by the college about 7.4 miles away. It was a good day of reading, praying, journaling, and reflecting.
I started off by riding my bike there on the back country roads; all sand and gravel. I walked around the grounds and enjoyed the quiet of the cabin. I was mostly quiet during the day, with a few vocalized prayers, and a song of praise.
I wrote a lot of thoughts as they came to me. It was confirming to look back at a journal from April of 2006, and see the intense struggle that I was going through. It was a fight with myself to come out here to Hesston. I found a list of things from that journal entry that I needed to expound on. Some of them were excuses, some where doubts, some where areas of growth. The neat thing was to look at the 10+ items and see that each one had been changed and confirmed in the last 2 years. None were left in confusion.
The great writer, theologian, and encourager - Bruce Hamsher - said, "It is of utmost importance that we record these moments of obvious confirmation." Why? "Because the following years of ministry will bring times of question and doubt, and I will need to be reminded of these moments of surety."
The only disruptive part of the day was a snake that was watching me a little too closely. It happened to be in the cabin, and then it was out. Unfortunately, without it's head. (That is a very short version of a long struggle that ended in death.)
1 comment:
Sometimes a day by yourself is good. We all need time alone - to think, to dream, to wonder. Three essentials of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for. Shawn, remember as your life unfolds, that to be a good pastor, you need a willing heart and a tender touch.
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