PrayerReach — Guided, contemplative prayer retreats
“Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness.”
Dallas Willard and many others teach us that prayer and time alone with God are the foundations of our faith and the abundant life in Christ. Yet we receive little training in these basic practices that anchor and sustain us in the busyness and loneliness of our often hectic lifestyle.
Come join us on a half-day, one-day or longer PrayerReach guided, contemplative prayer retreat as we explore recovering ancient Christian practices that have sustained the church for millennia. Typically, each retreat begins with a brief introduction and teaching on prayer. The rest of the time will be broken up into several sessions of private, silent prayer as we experiment with different prayers and build our confidence. Your guide will introduce the theme of each session and give a few suggestions then we each go find our own quiet place to pray, listen to the Lord, and journal. This can be a good time for you to discern where God is working in your life or perhaps hear God’s voice concerning a decision you may be facing.
Keep reading for more about these retreats. Then let me know if you are interested in attending, or possibly helping host, a PrayerReach retreat in your area.
Why a guided, contemplative prayer retreat?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together has been referred to by many as the classic guidebook for Christian community, or ‘how we do church’. He divides his book into five chapters, each devoted to a specific aspect of Christian community. One of these chapters is titled, The Day Alone. One fifth of his book on community is devoted to teaching us the importance of being alone with God. Bonhoeffer cautions, “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community.” He then goes on to show why a day of silent prayer alone with God is vital to the Christian life and to Christian community.
Bonhoeffer is not the only one calling for time alone with God. Throughout the Bible we see God calling his people to come away from the busyness and distractions of life so that they may hear the “small, still voice of the Lord”. Our Lord Himself often stepped away from the crowds to spend extended time with the Father and He taught His followers to do the same.
But this can be a little intimidating if we’ve not done it before. What will I do for a whole day alone? What and how do I pray? First of all, remember this day is about being, not doing. It’s about listening much more than speaking. It’s about setting aside the distractions in our life and just simply being with the Lord. However, we will have a framework or structure for your retreat and offer some guidelines and helps, but our goal is to hear much more than we speak. Relax and let God be the true guide for your time alone with Him!