Time

One of the wonderful gifts of the Springs is time. Time to consider who we are in our heart before God. Time to purposefully consider and experience the grace of God in Christ. Time to let the word of Christ transform and shape who we are. I don't know why we stay so busy at home, but it just seems impossible to find long stretches of time. I really value the hours of time for me to be alone with the Lord that are built into the retreat's agenda.

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Fasting

It's interesting to me that I find so much value in silence and solitude but only once a year or so fast...and I never fast at the Springs. In fact, I always find that I want to snack all of the time at the Springs. We laugh about chocolate being an essential part of spiritual retreating, but it's so nice to have a hot cup of coffee in the morning and good food. Maybe I should try fasting.

Willard talks about the purpose of fasting is so that "we may consciously experience the direct sustenance of God to our body and our whole person."

He says: Fasting is feasting. When we have learned to fast it will bring strength and joy, we won't be miserable (which is why Jesus told us not to look miserable--Jesus doesn't ever tell us to fake it). Fasting is a way of seeking and finding the actual Kingdom of God present and active in our lives. Fasting can give us a deeper sense of dependency and closeness to the Lord.

Maybe I should try fasting at the Springs sometime.

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Solitude, Silence, Reflection, Prayer

Come join a small group of women from diverse backgrounds and various Christian churches on a spiritual retreat.

We will have times of coming together for Biblical teaching, worship and prayer and then times when we will have lovely stretches of solitude for our personal devotional practices and prayer.

The Springs offers 3 tracks. In the first track, the leaders will walk you through how to have a personal retreat. There will be times of coming together as a group and then long stretches of time for you to spend time on your own with the Lord. The second track offers less structured program and more time for us to be alone with the Lord. The third track is totally on your own. It's for women who want to have three days with the Lord at a retreat center where other women are also retreating.

Women from all of the tracks are invited to chapel times where we have a short devotional thought from the Word and time to sing and worship together. Chapels move us from community times to times of solitude and silence. We meet for chapel the first thing in the morning (as we break our evening silence), at lunchtime, before dinner and as we end our day.

The retreat is held at a retreat center. We each have a private room and private bath so we can rest, take a nap, pray, and spend time with the Lord without interruption. There are lovely grounds at the retreat center, statues for contemplation and trails to walk, chair set about in lovely places to give us opportunity to be in nature, to reflect and read.

I hope you will consider joining us.

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