I have been very fortunate to be able to take several personal retreats in my life. One of them was when I was able to take part in a personal retreat at St. Augustine’s House, a Lutheran Monastery, in Oxford, MI. Part of the retreat was silent, and there were many opportunities for worship, as the Monks normally worship eight different times a day. I was able to make several of their worship periods each day, and I had time for my own prayer, reading, and reflection. The Monks were very welcoming and gracious to me while I was there.
It was a very good experience for me, and I came away with a few good insights for me and the ministry that I feel called to. I would encourage you to think about taking part in something like that, somewhere, some day, when moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. You could also do a mini retreat, by just going off to a park, a waterfront, the mountains, an empty church; basically, any place where you can feel calm and quiet in your inner core, where you are able to pray, read, and reflect. Any time is a good time to do something like this, but the Lenten season has been set aside for prayer and reflection. Peace, Vernon T.
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