A Guide To Retreat is designed to assist you in a time of reflection, prayer, and renewal. The resources included are intended to help you turn more fully towards God, to drink more deeply of God, and to prepare you for faithful ministry. The author examines facing the desert times in our lives, explores personal identity and its meaning in ministry, and much more. A book for conducting one's own ministerial/spiritual retreat, facing such concerns as "When All I Hear is Silence," "The Tension Between Doing and Being," and "Who Really Calls and Sends?"
Many of us find it difficult to be alone with God because we are not sure what to do and have no idea what to expect...there is no reason to be afraid of drawing closer to the God who is love. Alone with God was written especially for people who have the desire to spend time alone with God and to be more attentive to God's presence in their lives but do not have a practical sense of how to begin. Drawing on his background as a spiritual leader and retreat leader, Ron DelBene has a format for personal retreats that is flexible enough to be used in a two-hour block of time or expanded to as many as eight hours. He explains each part of the retreat format in detail, providing a thorough understanding of what is to take place and how best to put it into practice. Twelve retreats explore different themes, such as Seeking Forgiveness, Overcoming Anxiety, Called to Serve, Freedom - all designed to guide participants through their time alone with God.
These days more and more people are scheduling getaways to retreat centers for their spiritual well-being--over 1.2 million Catholics alone during 1997. Located throughout the United States and Canada, these centers cater to the needs of people seeking quiet time, regardless of religious affiliation. Retreat possibilities range from one day of solitude surrounded by nature, to a few days of quiet time under the guidance of a resident spiritual director, to a week experiencing the rigorous rhythms of community monastery life. In A PLACE FOR GOD, Timothy Jones shares the wisdom of his pilgrimages to retreat centers as diverse as a mountaintop hermitage overlooking the Pacific and a monastic oasis on Chicago's South Side. First he explains everything about retreats: what they are, why people go, how to prepare, what to pack, and what to do while there. Then he provides an extensive directory of over 250 retreat centers in all fifty states and Canada, complete with all the information readers need to contact the retreat center that is right for them. A PLACE FOR GOD is the perfect resource for anyone who wants to find spiritual fulfillment or simply a place to get away.
A PERSONAL RETREAT. We've never needed it more. We run from one place to the next - from meetings and appointments to our kids' soccer practice, from work to class to choir rehearsal, from the grocery store to small group - and then drop into bed later than we hoped, exhausted and dreading the morning. We want to slow down but don't know how and don't really believe that we can. And often, the idea of a personal retreat - time for solitude and silence - makes us feel as anxious as all our frenzied rushing. What in the world would we do with an hour, an afternoon or (gulp!) a whole day of solitude with God? But what is the cost of our frantic pace? What are we missing by not slowing down for reflection and meditation on Scripture? What kind of toll does our anxious running take on those around us - and, even more deeply, on our own soul? In Resting Place, retreat speaker Jane Rubietta addresses soul matters with retreat topics such as: dealing with our fear of abandonment; wrestling with discontent; overcoming our attempts to control others; fulfilling our deep desire to be loved Spiritual retreats help us enter Psalm 23 rest, a place of true rest and trust in our loving, gentle Shepherd. With Scripture to meditate on, quotes to contemplate, questions, prayer and journaling ideas, and creative exercises, Resting Place leads us to and through times of rest. The silence and solitude will follow us into our everyday world as we allow Jesus to guide, comfort and restore us. Come to the Shepherd and find the true rest your soul longs for.
The frantic pace of our noisy world and conflicting demands bombard our souls. We find it hard to hear God in the chaos of our everyday lives. How can we slow down to be with and experience his presence? One faith practice many people of faith follow is going on a spiritual retreat. Spiritual Retreats: A Guide to Slowing Down to be with God is a manual to learn about retreats, the many types and benefits of attending one, how to best prepare your heart before arriving at a retreat center, and how to bring home and apply to our daily life, the lessons learned from our time with God. We often find it easier to live in our comfortable routines, excuses, and fear of the unknowns about a retreat. This book through its practical tips, resources, blessings, stories, and inspiration will motivate the reader to put aside the busyness, clamor, and stresses of life to be with God. "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Perhaps you feel that you are too busy to take time out for prayer and reflection. Or perhaps you would like to make a retreat but are unable to find one that is located or scheduled conveniently for you. This book encourages and reassures anyone who wants to embark on the adventure of setting aside one day for God. The clear structure offers gentle guidance through the day, beginning at dawn and ending before bedtime. The one day for God includes silence and Scripture reading, reflection and prayer, exercise and relaxation. Besides being a guide to retreat, One Day For God offers inspiration and practical suggestions to all who find prayer hard work and spiritual life in need of guidance.
Retreats are increasingly popular and, in stressful and anxious times, perhaps the need to refocus our lives on what will nurture and sustain us inwardly is greater than ever. This versatile resource offers a complete kit for making a day, weekend or week-long retreat without leaving home. It is both gentle and challenging, recognising that some can only grab a brief interlude of solitude on the way to work or when the children are asleep, while others have more time on their hands than they would like.
Details the joys, challenges, and benefits of a personal retreats and offers step-by-step instructions that will enable anyone to make the most of this dedicated time with God.
The Alone with God Workbook teaches us to pray the scriptures. Each week participants read and pray together a single scripture story during the group session. Then, each participant is invited to read and pray that same scripture daily during the coming week. Participants will probably spend 20-30 minutes daily with God's WordÐin a time to slow your pace and listen more closely to what God is saying to you. The Alone with God Workbook contains individual daily scripture readings, meditations, and prayers for thirty days based on the six weekly themes. Scriptures explored include the good Samaritan, the woman caught in adultery, and Mary's visit to Elizabeth. Each daily format includes * a prayer * centering time * a brief quote from the Psalms * the scripture passage for the week * a time for reflection and response * an opportunity to respond inwardly to God's Word
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." (Mark 6:31b) Jesus calls His disciples to come with Him. This is a call many people need to hear today with fresh ears. The world moves so quickly, and the pace is frantic. Everything is urgent, and it seems impossible to stop long enough to hear the whisper of God. The desire to pause is a longing God has placed in our hearts. It is a longing to spend time with Him. Most will people do not know how to open the gift of the Sabbath. Sanctuary in Time invites you to consider setting aside a special amount of time for the purpose of discovering a new or refreshed intimacy with God. It leads you to get away with Jesus to a quiet place and rest in Him. It is carefully crafted to guide you into an experience of the presence of God in a deeper and more meaningful way as you pause to be with Him. It will awaken in you a desire to have Sabbath become a regular time in the rhythm of your life. "As a leadership couple involved in global missions for 40 years, we have come to realize the importance and value of Sabbath rhythm. It's so very easy in ministry to focus on performance rather than spiritual intimacy with our Father. We have indeed grown through our experience with Sanctuary in Time: A Sabbath Retreat Guidebook. Chuck Cervenka takes you deep into Scripture while providing a practical guide to understanding and experiencing Sabbath. During our Sabbath Retreat we each found ourselves overwhelmed with the presence of Christ. The retreat experience allowed us to pull away for a time of spiritual renewal but also provided a path forward to include Sabbath rhythms in our daily lives. We highly recommend this guidebook for anyone in ministry who finds themselves in need of some time and space to reconnect with their Savior." Perry & Sandi Bradford, Executive Director Barnabas International Chuck Cervenka is the Senior Pastor at Calvary Community Church in Williams Bay, Wisconsin where he lives with his wife Karen. He loves being a shepherd and has a heart for people to find the rest God has designed for them by opening the gift of the Sabbath in their lives.
