Psalm 131 says, "O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore."
THE NEED
When our hearts and eyes are full of desire and longing, and we struggle to rest in what the Lord has provided, how do we calm and quiet our souls? Many of us are able to do this for short bursts of time, but we often fail to protect plans for any extended time with the Lord.
THE MODEL
We propose a quiet retreat to help. Jesus modeled for us the importance of retreating in order to be alone with the Father. (Mark 1:35 - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went. Jesus got up and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.) The Psalms give us examples of prayers diligently seeking the face of God. (Psalm 46:10 - “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” and Psalm 119:97 - “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long!”)
THE CONCEPT
A quiet retreat is an extended time to be alone with the Lord, seeking to listen and be transformed by His Word and Spirit. For a specific amount of time, a person retreats (stop) from their everyday routine and relationships, meditates (listen) on God’s Holy Word, and then does what His Word says (follow). The purpose of a quiet retreat is to stop, listen, and follow.
On our quiet retreat, the goal for each participant is to open the Word of God and listen. A Bible and journal are all that is needed. Good things, even music, books, instruments, computers, and cell phones can keep us from hearing the voice of God through His Word and Spirit. Each person on a retreat is coming to pray and listen for God’s agenda, not her own. As the Lord leads, we are confident that He will make Himself known in a way that will have a profound impact. Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Your words were found, and I devoured them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart!”
THE LOGISTICS & SCHEDULE
We are headed to a lodge at Shocco Springs Conference Center with private rooms in the Twin Lodge.
Friday, April 12
2:15 p.m. meet and depart from Gateway, use 1hr 40min car ride intentionally to build connection & relationship (carpooling strongly encouraged)
4:00 p.m. arrival, check in, learn the facility… gather & pray together as we start
5:00 p.m. dinner at the dining hall. We can expect a lot of people to be there and this won’t be quiet. Enjoy the meal together.
6:00 p.m. quiet hours start… turn off your phone. bring your Bible, journal, whatever resources - pray, take a shower, head outside, walk a trail after dinner, find a spot in one of the meeting areas, etc. one of the main points is to get alone with God. It may take some time to settle into your quiet, and that’s okay. Bring a physical Bible & notepad so you’re not tempted to use your phone to take notes or share updates. Write it down old school and you can talk about it tomorrow! Go to sleep whenever you want - everyone has their own room. Just try not to disturb any neighbors. Resist the urge to text or call anyone before bed! (This will be hard for us all!)
Saturday, April 13
7:00 a.m. breakfast available - those who want can eat at the dining hall. You can make that decision and eat on your own. You’ll end up being around people at the dining hall. Feel free to smile and say good morning, but try not to be overly social. Embrace the idea that the Lord is with you everywhere you go… you’re also welcome to keep food in the kitchen in our lodge, or fast.
Continue your quiet morning. Resist the temptation to check your phone! Sleep in! Go outside! Keep praising, praying, petitioning, and seeking the Lord. We will have handouts with suggestions available if you’re unsure about praying or studying Scripture for extended periods.
10:00 a.m. gather in the meeting area of our lodge and sing! Praise the Lord together! Tell of His wondrous deeds. Share what God has done. Pray for one another.
11:30 a.m. clean & pack up
12:00 p.m. lunch at the dining hall together. Continue the celebration and encouragement.
1:00 pm head home! The 1hr 40 min drive is for relationship building. Sing songs, tell each other stories, or pray about the little things. We expect to be back to Gateway by 3:00 p.m.
THE COST & REGISTRATION
If you’ve made it this far, you want to know how much this costs. Gateway is covering more than half of the cost of members and regular attendees to make it more affordable for you to attend and have this time to seek the Lord. The cost then for a private room and all three meals is only $50. If that cost is still prohibitive for you, please ask about a possible scholarship to assist with it.
To participate, you must register in advance.
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED
If you are interested in attending, please contact Alycia Jeong (see below) to inquire if any spots remain.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Alycia Jeong.