Suggestions for a Half-Day Retreat
Suggestions for a Half-Day Retreat
by Editorial on July 30, 2011
Start with prayer. Ask God for the grace to enter into this special time with an open mind and an open heart.
Create a sacred space in a quiet corner, near a window if possible. Let that be the place where you pray. Find a cloth for the table. Assemble objects that feel sacred — an icon, candle, Bible, photograph, a book of poems, roses, stones. Take your time, and ask God’s help in gathering what you need. Don’t settle until the space feels right.
Find music you love that lifts you, whether from Taizé, John Michael Talbot, Anonymous 4, drums and flutes — whatever. Music is a wonderful way to enter into prayer. Put a portable CD player within easy reach of the prayer space.
Devise a simple rhythm for the day, with the understanding that it can be adjusted in keeping with God’s lead. I chose to opray the Liturgy of the Hours for morning and midday. … this rhythm joins me through Psalms and other scriptures with praying Christians all over the world. …
Take time after your prayer period for journaling. Record what came to you from your readings, what stirred you during the silence. You might also want to record your dreams. The psalmists tell us that God speaks to the beloved in sleep.
Take a midmorning walk — rain or shine. Notice things: the sound of birds, the smell of earth. Spend time with a flower. Let yourself be awed by the wonders of the world.
When you feel hungry, enjoy a light lunch, then take a nap or rock yourself to rest, or do some spiritual reading.
Make time for midday prayer. Return to the Psalms or dip into a favorite prayer book. Let God lead you. Practice lectio divina with scripture. Read a passage slowly and notice what draws you. Ask God to guide you as you ponder its meaning for your life.
- Johnson & Lang
Time Away: A Guide for Personal Retreat
From page 46, Time Away: A Guide for Personal Retreat by Ben Campbell Johnson and Paul H. Lang. Copyright © 2010 by Ben C. Johnson and Paul H. Lang. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
by Editorial on July 30, 2011
Start with prayer. Ask God for the grace to enter into this special time with an open mind and an open heart.
Create a sacred space in a quiet corner, near a window if possible. Let that be the place where you pray. Find a cloth for the table. Assemble objects that feel sacred — an icon, candle, Bible, photograph, a book of poems, roses, stones. Take your time, and ask God’s help in gathering what you need. Don’t settle until the space feels right.
Find music you love that lifts you, whether from Taizé, John Michael Talbot, Anonymous 4, drums and flutes — whatever. Music is a wonderful way to enter into prayer. Put a portable CD player within easy reach of the prayer space.
Devise a simple rhythm for the day, with the understanding that it can be adjusted in keeping with God’s lead. I chose to opray the Liturgy of the Hours for morning and midday. … this rhythm joins me through Psalms and other scriptures with praying Christians all over the world. …
Take time after your prayer period for journaling. Record what came to you from your readings, what stirred you during the silence. You might also want to record your dreams. The psalmists tell us that God speaks to the beloved in sleep.
Take a midmorning walk — rain or shine. Notice things: the sound of birds, the smell of earth. Spend time with a flower. Let yourself be awed by the wonders of the world.
When you feel hungry, enjoy a light lunch, then take a nap or rock yourself to rest, or do some spiritual reading.
Make time for midday prayer. Return to the Psalms or dip into a favorite prayer book. Let God lead you. Practice lectio divina with scripture. Read a passage slowly and notice what draws you. Ask God to guide you as you ponder its meaning for your life.
- Johnson & Lang
Time Away: A Guide for Personal Retreat
From page 46, Time Away: A Guide for Personal Retreat by Ben Campbell Johnson and Paul H. Lang. Copyright © 2010 by Ben C. Johnson and Paul H. Lang. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
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