Good morning friends and family,
October is already here and the leaves on the ranch have turned yellow to red faster than you can say autumn! For the sparse fall we often get in Colorado, I must say the trees and grasses are flaming and dancing. My September was an incredible journey of risk, beauty, vulnerablity, and immense blessing. I ‘m looking back over this whole year as the winter approaches, standing in awe of the people I am surrounded by every day. It is with immense gratitude that I write to you about the retreat we ran in September.
The whole week was formed around the phrase “Rabbi, I want to see.” Taken form Mark 10:46-52 when Jesus calls out blind Bartimeaus and heals his sight. We read the passage every day and held group discussion about what was stirring. Attendees included my dear friend Johan who lives in northern Italy with his wife Iohanna as missionaries. The goal was to help stir up understanding about what whole-life spirituality looks like. Often times, many of us live our life burned-out and even resentful of the work before us. Many of us truly believe that this is the only way to survive. But, through my own journey of digging in and finding healing, I realized that God is working at all times and in many ways to help us thrive in who we were created to be. The vision for this retreat was to take that message to Italy where though beauty abounds, there are also cultural tensions, anxieties about the future, and burnout about one’s own calling.
Our time was spent in communal conversation, art study, meal times, city excusions, nature walks, one-on-one conversations, prayer times, and space to take in beauty and culture. It was truly magnificent!
Many people walked away with a conviction to stir up their desires as they hear Jesus say, “what do you want?” And to allow the risky faith of trust in God to take us on a journey outside of what our world says is possible.
Let this be a question as you face the coming months of holidays and the end of the year. “What is it that you truly want?” Because underneath all of the to dos, shopping lists, outside pressures, and stresses, there must be something deeper and more real than just getting on to the next thing. Desire points to a deeper need within all of us. We need sight to see. There needs to be a full reset of our minds and emotions to hear the Father’s voice tell us how much he loves us, so much that he desires us to thrive back to our original creation. We need to go back to the garden and sit at the base of the tree and rest in the presence of Jesus Christ.
With many more things to say, here are some lovely photos of one of my favorite weeks of all time:
