In this season of waiting, breathe in life. Life of the One who created all things, whose image we bear. In this season of waiting, breathe in love. Love of the One who gave a precious Son to live as one of us. In this season of waiting breathe in peace. Peace of the One who calmed the sea and quiets the tumult of our souls. In this season of waiting breathe in hope. Hope that the One for whom…
Candles and Christmas lights are beginning to shine all around us now and the 1st candle of Advent has been lit. As the sun sets earlier, it's often a joy to light up the darkness with the glow of candles as we prepare for the birth of Jesus during Advent. This can be more than purposeful light though. There are many analogies that can be drawn from the candle. Let's prayerfully read this cute, but poignant story about our Advent…
Even at the gates of hell, Believe in redemption. Let my grace and power work, Where you have none. It is only for you To believe and to trust. Be confident. Trust. Love. Do not condemn. Believe, In the face of unbelief. Hope against hope. This is faith. This is the gift most needed For those who have suffered So deeply, and lost all. You must manifest love and hope. It is only then That my people will begin to…
We're sharing the beginning of a series written by our friend, Fr. Michael Schleupner. This opening reflection certainly has us conjuring our own unique image of God. Does it inspire you too? Our Image of God - 1 Dear Friends, What is your image of God? What words, phrases, maybe sentences would you use to describe God? How do you see God? What is God like to you? As I am writing this reflection, I am in my personal prayer…
Tee Biddle, Executive Chef here at the Retreat & Conference Center, shared the reflection below during our weekly Planning Meeting on Tuesday. Take a few quiet moments to close our eyes and sit with each sentence after you read it. Envision what this means for you. Let's put our gardening gloves on and work in our gardens! Remember, read this slowly, pausing after each line. Imagine your mind like a garden and your thoughts are the seeds. You get…
“Fruits of the Spirit” by Max Lucado It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of…
Today's reflection is another by Fr. Michael Schleupner, which he shared last week as he celebrated his 50th jubilee! Let's read about how he tied together readings from the gospel for his role as a priest and how we can use this within our own communities. We look forward to seeing more of Fr. Michael when he's here for our July and August Directed Retreats, serving as a spiritual director. Please comment below to congratulate Fr. Michael on an amazing…
Words are difficult to find after the shooting in Texas this week. We share this prayer from our health system and quotes passed along from the Sisters of Bon Secours. To learn more about the ongoing efforts of the sisters to end violence, please click here. Pray with us. Act with us. A prayer for healing and change Loving and merciful God, our hearts are broken. Our anger, frustration and sadness are overwhelming. We are crushed by this tragedy and…
For today's blog, we're catching up on two recent writings within a Lenten series from Fr. Michael Schleupner. Fr. Michael is a favorite retreat presenter and spiritual director here at the Center and we really appreciate how he shares his writing with our blog audience! We hope that you're blessed from his words of inspiration during this sacred season of Lent. Lent Musings - 2 Dear Friends, My March 13 'Temptation' blog concluded with my saying that fasting from food…
Today we continue our Black History Month poetry series with inspiring pieces from the beloved Maya Angelou. She was not only an incredibly gifted writer, but a civil rights activist too. "Equality" was written in 1990, yet that the dream of equality is still yet to be fully achieved. The 2nd poem we're highlighting was written in 1995, entitled "Touched by An Angel" and focuses on something that can make her vision of equality possible, love. We hope you enjoy…
