Retreats...

Greetings from Colorado…

This week has included a wide range of conversations; A couple from Germany work in a missions agency, a school teacher from Switzerland in her 20’s seeking God’s will for her future, a retired judge from Texas, a dental specialist who sold his practice and now works for a mission based out of Aurora, Colorado… these are just some of the folks that have constituted, “Study Week” at Ravencrest Chalet in Colorado where I'm just finishing Romans.

Last night I was privileged to go out for supper with a few of them, where I also met up with a previous student. The time around the table was positively European, as we shared pieces of our stories, and conversation ranged from politics to the emotional health of churches to divorce/remarriage to discerning God’s will, and much more.

There’s something valuable, it seems to me, about getting away from everything for a week, because it’s in this context of not shopping, not cooking, not cleaning, not working, that we have the leisure to listen more carefully: to God’s Word, to the glories of creation, to one another. For two weeks this summer, I’ve had the joy of opening God’s Word to people in these settings, and have been blessed and encouraged, more than I can express, by the eager hearts, and profound transformations that God is doing in lives.

If you’ve never done it before – why don’t you try it next summer. For those of you in Seattle, you might consider Capernwray Harbor. It’s an economical option for such a week, with waterfront activities, crafts, child care, and Bible teaching for all ages. I’ve found such weeks to be, at times, a foretaste of heaven, and am incredibly grateful for those who serve in these settings, devoting their summer to enabling such ministry to happen. The week in nearly over, but the sweetness of the fellowship will linger, at least until the leaves have dropped off the trees this fall.