What Are Retreat Attendee Are Saying...
I am not a person who knows how to rest or be in the presence of God for more than a few minutes at a time. The retreat gave me the road map and opportunity to grow my ‘rest muscles’ and sit with God for more than a quick, mostly one-sided, morning prayer. It was an opportunity to practice rest, listening to God, and enjoying His presence out in His creation. It made me want more – more rest and more of God.
I recently finished completing the Virtual Seeking God Experience with Leah Kline. I would highly recommend this class to anyone that wants to deepen their relationship with God. Leah gives you lots of practical tools on how to do that. The class is chock full of valuable information that is easy to put into practice. I especially loved the songs I learned and the scripture meditation method. It was an invaluable class and I learned so much! I am so grateful to Leah and all the knowledge she so generously shares. It is making a huge difference in my life. Thank you Leah and God Bless You.
I was reminded of how much I love that feeling of awe and that reminder that... I’m not alone. I’m Not Alone. I didn’t even realize that I was believing I was alone and that I was operating alone. I didn’t even know I was doing that until I experienced the awe... trust you’re not alone.
...As I began to write, as I read scripture and then allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me to encourage me... whatever I needed it began to come through and your life is so busy that it’s hard to stay still for long enough for us to be able to clear our mind and our Focus from so many other things when we’re at home you can’t do that. You look away and you see something that needs to be done and so when you’re up there it was it and I was allowed to write and I’m not a big writer but it came to me and and what I wrote was meaningful and it flowed from scripture and it flowed for me and I’m sure it did for everybody else and so I think that was my biggest surprise again. I would certainly encourage anyone to go and just to step out in faith. Saying that you might say ‘Oh, that’s not really for me,’ ‘I’m too busy’ or whatever but we are too busy and that’s part of the problem and so to go and just in faith knowing that God is going to meet you and then to be able to carry that with you and know that it’s not a one-time thing. Yeah just step out in faith and like I said to have [Leah] as a guide not telling us what to do, where to do, but how and I think that was just so helpful...
I think the biggest benefit I recall at the very end thinking to myself that I really felt God’s love for me as his child through that experience reading his word and praying and communicating with him all day long you know for many hours at a time and I think one of the biggest benefits also was just having many hours in his presence and being conscious of his presence. We’re always in his presence but on a spiritual retreat you’re very conscious of him and you’re totally focused. There are not other distractions to occupy your mind so that is what I think for me was was the biggest benefit... I would encourage you to go. I think it’s a great thing in your spiritual walk in your journey to experience a spiritual retreat. I don’t think it’s the same exact experience for everyone but I think it’s always when you’re communicating with the Lord. It’s always positive. It’s always something that strengthens you, encourages you, builds you up in your faith so I would definitely encourage [going on a retreat].
I would say don’t overthink it, just don’t overthink it, give yourself the gift of that time don’t expect it to meet any agenda or to be a like a vacation, ‘well we had to make sure we saw all these spots’ or ‘we did all these things’ and not that kind of vacation anyway. It’s not that kind Retreat and Leah’s prayed over it I know and and just let the retreat unfold. Your experience is going to be different than anybody else is there even though you might be at the same places. This is about you and your relationship with Jesus and be able to just express yourself or receive it’s really a chance to receive get out of your own way and receive and that’s what I think I would tell somebody else is just give yourself that gift and don’t plan it just let it happen all right.
Don’t miss the opportunity. It’s easy to say, ‘we’re too busy’ or ‘we don’t need it’ or ‘we’ll do it later’ but it’s really a gift to yourself and you need it. Really, it’s about stopping to reboot, refresh, sharpen your own saw so that you can go back out and and cut more wood rather than just continuing to cut wood with a dull saw which doesn’t get very far...and then you’re frustrated. You’re just doing the same thing without that growth, without that calm, without that new insight. You come back a different person and of course that’s what we’re here for to continue to grow...
