Like Arthur Dent from A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I consider myself an introvert and determined homebody. Leaving my house takes an almost embarrassing amount of energy. What could be worth it?

Even for one such as myself, I have to admit - retreats are worth it. Towel in hand, I set off for a retreat with hope that discomfort will give way to familiarity, that small talk will give way to communion, and that the investment of time - which seems simultaneously meager and hard to negotiate - will reap gospel benefits I cannot anticipate from my couch.

As our COTC Men’s and Women’s Retreats approach (5/12-13 and 4/14-15, respectively), I want to invite the gregarious and reserved alike.

Go for you.  

Getting out of our normal routine, our everyday spaces, to be present to the Lord and one another is fertile soil. We need God’s voice, we need friends, and we need instruction and practice in the way of Jesus. It’s hard to find a more cultivated setting for this than a retreat! 

Go for the others that will be there. 

It’s easy to underestimate what we bring to the table at retreats. Maybe we’re not exactly “chipper” in the morning, or we don’t sleep well the first night somewhere new. What’s so critical about our presence? It is in fact those who stumble with me towards the coffee, in whose knowing-and-not-yet-awake eyes I find camaraderie. Your presence in those ordinary moments speaks a word of friendship, of holy hospitality, that our Sunday preparedness cannot.

Go for those that won’t be there. 

The formation of our community in Christlikeness is a gift to others - those in our households, in our offices, in our city. As we learn to pray the psalms (Men) and as we see and experience our Good Shepherd more fully (Women), we return from retreat with gifts to share, more prepared to live lives of cruciform love in the name and company of Jesus.

See you there,

Sarah+

P.S. Don’t let cost be a hindrance to participating! Connect with me (women) or Peter (men) and we can make a way.