Redeemer Winter Getaway 2009

This is a picture of the little chapel in Trinity Lodge. We didn't use it since it was much too small, but it was really cool.I gotta say, though Navigator retreats were great/fun/sometimes life-changing, I think adult retreats are a lot more conducive to my preferences. First of all, everyone wears their sturdy name tags that have the schedule on the back of it. The schedule is then attached to my body and I don't really have to bring my BPN/papers around with me to know where I'm supposed to be. Not to mention how much easier it is to meet people without re-asking their name every hour.

Then, there's the maturity of everyone involved. This impacts several things. The announcements aren't really redundant (unless absolutely important) because everyone listened and heard it the first the time. Everyone is clean/showered, at least there are no funny smells. Most people come prepared. Everyone wakes up and eats breakfast, because no one was really up that late. Everyone wants to really know what you do and/or want to do with your life and vice versa (also related to remembering names). People can slip away from the group if they want to and aren't pressured to do anything with their free time. I feel like the fact that there was free coffee/tea/hot chocolate plus snackies for 24/7 would have left a constant mess in the eating area...but that was not true. I think the messiest it was, was when they had a big bowl of popcorn and some s'mores ingredients, which was a bit unruly.

Besides that, it was awesome getting personal with David Bisgrove. We actually watched a little bit of West Side Story with him and his wife...also when we broke up in groups to pray, he was in our group...it was cool praying with our pastor in such a candid way. Also, I don't think I ever heard his full story before. CFO is this mysterious title to me, though I know and work with many of them. Seems like an interesting thing to shoot for, being CFO.

It was also cool, that while we were probably some of the youngest there, that everyone was basically in a similar life stage. Being a bit more grounded in who they are, but still figuring out what to do with their lives. There are options galore from going to grad school, changing jobs, moving, getting married etc. But most people had obviously figured out 1) To like themselves (You are loved) 2) That it wasn't all about them (You are called). The older I get, the more I realize that there is a wide gap between people who understand both these things and people who can't do both (maybe only knowing one or the other, or even none at all), spiritually and how they socially relate to people. Think about it, it's awkward when you talk to someone with so much anxiety about themselves, and downright boring to talk to someone who thinks the world revolves around them. Not that I'm all good with it, there are degrees of wisdom after all, but you know what I mean. I've also come to realize that you get to a certain point and when you're at peace with 1 and 2 then you see how silly you were because there are deeper things, more complicated things to deal with than just what's within yourself. I played Taboo with these people the first night and it was cool to instantly feel like I was part of something. I guess it's just great to find a large group of people being real with you, while at the same time being chill and non-explosive. There is a sense of being rooted where you are, and being open to what comes.

Just to keep it real myself, I should mention that I was also really exhausted by the constant chatter and people going on around me. I never realized this one piece of how different my life really is now than it was in college. Even during my Senior year, Nav Nite would get to be really taxing. My introvertedness has really been nourished by my cubicle life and not having to constantly deal with groups of people. There came a point when I just wanted to turn off, because there was no more Xaris left. If I didn't get to have a quiet, serene snow hike along the river, I would've retreated to my room all day. Needless to say this is awkward for Ben, who notices it the most.

The message was all about hope and evangelism. It reminded me of the Jonathan Edwards sermon on Christian Happiness. The talks were solid and he brought in a lot of the good Bisgrove metaphors. There was a lot of quality intercessory prayer and joyful worship, both of which I've had felt needs for.

AND it was only 2 hours away at Trinity Lodge and very quaint with lots of fireplaces...and I believe this was the first time everyone met at my place instead of having me leave and pick them up elsewhere, thus bypassing much traffic. I'm soooooo grateful because this has affirmed the logical thought I've had for the 2.5 years I've lived in Astoria that it's much faster to leave from my place. So this was yet another adult retreat I was pleasantly surprised with and clearly grateful for.

Btw, I finally got a Redeemer membership interview. Should be fun!