Retreats

Upcoming Retreats / Retreat Topics / Christian Retreat Centers / Monasteries

“He leads me beside the still waters….” Psalm 23:2

In the increasingly noisy, chaotic world we find ourselves, more people are responding to Jesus’ invitation:
“Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest….” Mark 6:31.
A retreat is time and space set apart to enter into communion with God, empowering us to return renewed to a life of service.

One-day and weekend retreats are offered monthly as paths of shalom. For more information, click a specific retreat listed below.

UPCOMING RETREATS

Day Retreat – Stumbling Blocks June 2, 2012

Brigit Retreat July 13-14, 2012

RETREAT TOPICS

(addition retreats are offered at the request of church groups).

1. A Holy Banquet for Hungry Hearts

Spiritual Disciplines du Jour: Scripture meditation (lectio divina), fasting, journaling, spiritual direction, keeping Sabbath, hospitality, and service.
“Abide in me, and I will abide in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must abide in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4)

Many in the modern church are yearning for a deeper walk with Jesus Christ in the midst of an increasingly busy, complicated world. We know there is more to the abundant life than we are experiencing with endless demands on our time and energies at work and in the community, the home, and the church. Yet a deeper spirituality eludes us. Protestants are beginning to rediscover the ancient spiritual disciplines which give order and balance to life through solitude and community, rest and work, prayer and service. Joan Chittester describes spirituality as the way we express a living faith in a real world. It “does not set out to avoid life….but to live the ordinary life extraordinarily well.”
This retreat offers instruction and practical application of one or more spiritual disciplines. A good companion book for retreatants is Soul Feast, by Marjorie Thompson.

2. Filling Your Cup of Life
“We have this treasure in jars of clay…” (II Cor. 4:7)

A cup is a container that must sometimes be emptied out to make room for the new. Like a cup, our spiritual journey is a process of emptying and filling, of giving and receiving, of accepting and letting go. The contents of our lives are meant to be given and shared in a generous gesture of compassion, just as the purpose of a cup is to be poured out. Sometimes our lives reveal chips, stains, and flaws like any well-traveled cup – yet God is able to use us.
This retreat asks participants to bring a favorite cup with them or ideally offers them the
opportunity to create a cup from clay during the retreat. It is recommended that a group be offered weekly for six weeks following the retreat, using The Cup of Life, by Joyce Rupp, during daily devotionals.

3. Faithbooking: Telling Your Story
“Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to your children’s children. (Deut. 4:9)

God tells us over and over that we should remember what He has done for us and that we should teach others about Him. This retreat is designed to help you see and record God’s hand in your life. By recognizing Him in your past and present and by knowing He will continue to be in your future, your faith will grow and you will be on your way to discovering amazing joy and peace. By recording and sharing your stories, illustrated with photos and memorabilia, you’ll follow God’s command to teach others – influencing generations for Christ!
This retreat can last for a day or a week. The principles and techniques can be taught in three hours, but there is great benefit in allowing retreatants time to actually begin their writing with guided meditations and help along the way. There is a material fee which includes a Creative Memories album and minimal supplies and retreatants are asked to bring specific photos with them.

Good resources for this retreat include: To Be Told, by Dan Allender and Remembering Your Story, by Richard Morgan.

4. Sabbath
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”

What does that really mean for us today? Rather than a prohibition of what we cannot do, God intends it as a holy gift for us. So why is it so hard to receive His gift? The more work we do, the more we need to rest and to listen and to wait on God. Doing His will should yield strength and joy, not exhaustion. In the midst of all our busyness, God invites us to take time to be still and listen for His voice.
John Calvin says that the Sabbath calls the faithful to “refrain from their own works, in order to leave God to work within them.

5. Midlife: A Time for New Beginnings
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11)

Midlife is defined more as a time of transition than a particular age. When women find themselves moving from one stage to another, it is always a time for celebrating what God has done and looking forward to what He will continue to do in our lives. Mothers facing an empty nest, career women facing retirement or a restlessness to do something new, women facing new physical challenges or limitations – all are in midlife and in need of a safe time and place to face fears and limitations and explore what lies ahead. This retreat offers a balance of personal quiet time for reflection and group sharing. Participants often arrive with no hopes or plans for the future, only to discover that they have hidden dreams that have been dormant for years.

6. Praying the Psalms

The psalms of scripture provide an endless resource for our prayer life. Confession, praise,
lament, anger, suffering…..every possible emotion is expressed by the psalmists! In Answering God,
Eugene Peterson asserts that “we cannot bypass the Psalms. They are God’s gift to train us in prayer that is
comprehensive and honest.” Another excellent resource is Walter Brueggemann’s Spirituality of the Psalms.

7. Simplicity

This retreat models simplicity and is a time for quiet reflection and periodic group sessions to consider practical ways God calls us to simplify our lives. Suggested readings have included Gift of the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster. He writes: “The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward life-style. Both the inward and the outward aspects of simplicity are essential.”

8. Monastery Contemplative Retreats

Abbey retreats are silent, unstructured and undirected Our focus is usually on discerning God’s call for the coming months and discovering ways to be still and hear God’s still, small voice in the midst of our busy lives. We have been to Gethsemane, KY, Mepkin Abbey, SC, Conyers, GA, and Culman, AL.
Recommended resources: A Good Life: Benedict’s Guide to Everyday Joy, by Robert Benson, and Music of Silence: A Sacred Journey through the Hours of the Day, by Steindl-Rast and Lebell.

9. Time Out for Moms!

Whether a day or weekend, mothers savor time to be still and focus on their walk with God. Topics include how to experience God in the chaos of raising a family and how to plan ahead for the coming season, considering each child’s needs in addition to marriage and personal needs.

10. Liturgical Retreats

“The Circle of Life: Beginning by Waiting” – Advent
“The Circle of Life : Marked by Ashes” – Ash Wednesday

CHRISTIAN RETREAT CENTERS

The following centers offer a wide range of services and cost and hopefully you will find a place to meet your particular retreat needs. Unless noted, all provide opportunities for both individual and group retreats. Check the websites for more information.

Cross Point Ministries - Norris Lake, Washburn, TN

Monty and Elizabeth Walton 865-922-0594
www.crosspointretreat.org

Cedar Springs Retreat Center - Ozone, TN (Crossville)

865-291-5226
ronmitchell@cspc.net (Cedar Springs Pres. Church)

Eagle Rock - Maryville, TN

Lon and Bebe Gillooly
(865) 983-6688
www.eaglerocktn.com

especially good for youth retreats

Grace Point Episcopal Center - Kingston, TN

865-567-1159
www.etdiocese.net

Green Bough House of Prayer - Adrian, GA

478-668-4758
private retreats

Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center - Maggie Valley, NC

704-926-3833
www.catholicretreat.org

Moonshadow Lodge - Townsend, TN

Steve Suggs @ 865-558-98
www.moonshadowlodge.net

Snail Pace – Saluda, NC

snail@mail.tds.net
www.thesnailspace.com

Whitestone Country Inn - Kingston, TN

888-247-2464, 865-376-0113
www.whitestones.com
romantic getaways, luxurious accomodations

MONASTERIES

I have stayed at each of these monasteries and although I am not Catholic, they have each been hospitable and welcoming when I have attended both for personal and group retreats. They stay full and you will need to make reservations well in advance. Generally, they run on a Friday – Monday (3 day) and Monday – Friday (4 day) schedule and free-will offerings are appreciated.