Rest, Retreat, and Initiation

It was great to spend the second half of last week on retreat with the staff. There was plenty of hype about how fun and beneficial the previous retreat was, and this one did not disappoint.

It is amazing how gathering together to learn about each other can ground people into a new way of being. Centered in worship and sabbath, we opened ourselves to the wonder of God and asked God to be with us in our work and play throughout the retreat. Three tools were useful in helping us learn who we are: Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, the Enneagram and People Styles.

By using these tools, we are now more able to understand where each of us is coming from and how we can best support each other in the work and ministry that we do.

I feel like we got to know each other more in those couple of days than we had in the first six weeks that I was here. By getting to know each other and how we work with one another and process the information we confront, it seems that we are more equipped to live out God's calling for us as the staff of a congregation. I think of all the times that Jesus tried to get away with his disciples. It often happened without much preparation, and only with a few at a time. When they were able to get away, Jesus was most clearly revealed as God's son...at Jesus' baptism, on the mountain with James and John at the transfiguration, at the last supper and with Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus.

Getting away is so important. It allows us to re-evaluate who we are and remember whose we are. It is a gift to be able to get away these days of busyness and productivity. Yet, I would argue that it should not be a gift, but a regular rhythm of life. Take time to reflect and live instead of letting it fly by. Socrates said, "An unexamined life is not worth living." That is far to common an occurrence these days. It's sad.