Come — A Turning Point Come. Just like every day before, Bartimaeus sat on his mat, begging for his food, sitting in darkness though the sun was shining overhead. Was there any hope in this life, living off the meager gifts of those who walked by? Come. A spark, a thin thread of hope flashed...
Category: Foundations
“What then is my God, what but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord, or who is God but our God?
O Thou, the greatest and the best, mightiest, almighty, most merciful and most just, utterly hidden and utterly present, most beautiful and most strong, abiding yet mysterious, suffering no change and changing all things: never new, never old, making all things new, bringing age upon the proud and they know it not; ever in action, ever at rest, gathering all things to Thee and needing none; sustaining and fulfilling and protecting, creating and nourishing and making perfect; ever seeking though lacking nothing.” — St. Augustine
How to Use this Book
The purpose of this book is to help you retreat and spend extended time with God. But even as I use the word “retreat,” I need to clarify — by this I don’t mean only a once-a-quarter or once-a-year weekend away with God. Think more of the pattern of Jesus, how He retreated regularly and...
Retreat Components
The activities and suggestions in this book fall into several categories. Understanding the purpose of each will help you plan and structure your own times alone with God, whether it be one hour or a full day. Scripture Meditation Meditation on Scripture is the bread-and-butter of time alone with God. If you add nothing else...
Key Attitudes
Remember to slow down. Intentionally slow down each thing you do during your time of retreat. This can help you engage more deeply with God and be more in touch with how you are really doing — the thoughts in your mind and emotions of your heart. Let this slower pace impact every aspect of...
Example Retreats
The following are some ideas for how you could structure personal retreat times ranging from 1 hour to a whole day. Try starting small and slowly working your way to longer times alone with God. Don’t consider any of the following examples or templates as rigid — change them and rearrange them so that they...