August 10, 2008

• Church Advancement This Weekend

  Chewy and I attended our church’s retreat this weekend.  I use the word “advancement” in the title only because of what my best friend, who is a non-believer, said to me several years ago.  That went something like: If it’s an event that is supposed to help you grow spiritually then why use the word retreat?  Retreat in a military sense means to draw back so why would you want to withdraw spiritually?  Yes, it does make sense.  However, we believers see these “retreats” as methods to help a person grow in their spiritual walk while retreating from our normal day life.  Personally, I like the idea that it’s a spiritual advancement and the focus of the event.  No retreating for me. 

  From a spiritual teaching aspect, I really enjoyed the “Walk Through the Old Testament” program and the worship time. Even the food was half decent this year.  Not that it was planned but we were both pretty anti-social during this retreat.  Yeah, not the best thing during a church retreat.  Most of it I blame on our work schedule.  Chewy’s just been grinding the stone these last several months and I’ve just been busier than normal as well.  If anything I did catch up on my sleep this weekend.  That’s something I doubt I’d ever would have said some 10 years ago.

  Some memorable phrases said during the retreat:

  • Do you ever feel like Moses?  Which one?  The one who felt like he couldn’t do anything or the one who saved God’s people?  (That being a paraphrase)  Not that I ever compared myself to Moses but there are a lot of times that I shrink before a God given challenge.  Moses on the other hand got through it.  I just shrink.
  • This is an example of when the minority was correct (in reference to Caleb and the 12 spies).  I snicker only because of some theological decisions our church is going through.  The group that I side with some how got labeled the “minority.” 
  • Some liberal pastor said that the place where the Jews crossed the Red Sea was only 4-inches deep.  Then a lady in the audience said “What a miracle!”  The pastor asked why and her response was that it was a miracle that the Egyptian soldiers drowned in 4 inches of water. (Yet another paraphrase)

  • 10:02 pm
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