Winter Retreat 2010 - a big hit!

The kids really got out of the comfort zone and reached out to new kids. Click on the picture to see in picture what happened at this years winter retreat 2010 - Just Go For It!

3 day spiritual/study retreat

Well after 3 years I was blessed by my wonderful wife and church to get away for a 3 day retreat. It wasn't a retreat that I would call spiritual in the since I just focused on God and my relationship (I did get a chance to do a simple labyrinth) but more a review of my studies, readings, and writings I have produced throughout this past year (2006-07). Below is a list of key words I made from this retreat. Each word has thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. on them for me to use as a usable resource for me to turn to in the future.

Anger, Authority, Believe (belief), Brakes, Choice(s), Community, Creative, Experience,

Fail(ure), Faith(fullness), Family (Parents), Fellowship, Grace,

Heal(ing), Hope, Humble (Humility), Joy, Love, Mercy, Morality, Mystery, Need(s), One, Others (Relationships), Prayer, Purpose, Responsibility, Restore, Simple, Stories, Success, Time, Trust (Truth), Wisdom, Word, Worship.

I hope each year to do the same thing and get better and more productive at this.

My Historic Retreat

This was a historical retreat for becuase in a book report post on Scot McKnight book Jesus Creed I explained an application from his book I wanted to use. Here is that application (if you would like to read the whole book report pls click here):
The very simple and practical application that I am using is this:

1) I have started reading a chapter a day from the Bible (I started in I Thess.)

2) From that chapter I find at least one verse that stands out to me

3) I then write a short (one sentence to three sentence) explanation of why that verse stood out to me.

4) My goal is to take a ½ day ever 6 mths to look over all of my short explanations and see if I find some kind of common theme(s) in them.

5) I take that common theme(s) to help me plan my next set of books I read, what I study in the Bible, change my person quite times to contemplate this common theme(s) better, etc

6) Grow in my understand of how to love God and love others better.I know this seems simple but for me, who needs things to be simple, I’m very excited about what God might do in my life while using this simple application.

Today was my first ½ day retreat where I wanted to see what I had wrote. WOW!! This has been the best retreat of my life when it comes to looking at God's Word. I found out that I can’t do this only every 6 mths but need to do it monthly. I had 12 pages worth of “short explanations” to read through, categorize, and study. I still have a lot to study but I’m even more excited than ever about this. But God is doing something - Lord use me, PLS!