Category: retreats
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“O Beauty Ever Ancient,” a Video From the New Year’s Retreat
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At our New Year’s retreat, we did a lot of group work with doors – each person chose an image of a doorway or gate or threshold as they arrived the first evening. This item helped break people into “teams” (small groups), and had a quote about thresholds or journeys…
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Being the Light for Each Other in the Darkness
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One of the things that strikes me, now just a day after the retreat has come to close is the spirit of the crowd that was there. They were truly there, present, living in the now. They embraced everything that came their way, sharing, opening up, giving of themselves again…
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The Wee Hours of 2009
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We ended our evening with Mass, full of song and thanksgiving for a year gone by, and a new year to start, full of promise and adventure. Our crowd was in a festive mood, glad from song and full of community. We left the chapel, and on the horizon a…
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New Year’s Eve Retreat: Preview!
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Tomorrow afternoon marks the start of our New Year’s Eve retreat. Things are in order, for the most part. I want to finish up my talk on Guardians at the Gate, and then put some final thoughts on the sermon for New Year’s Eve. Tonight I finished up the cards…
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Ram Dass speaks in Maui
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While we were in Maui in October, we had the priviledge of hearing Ram Dass speak. He’s had a stroke, so he speaks slowly. I truly found his words and speaking inspiring. After his time on stage, he exited to the hall, and was signing autographs and spending time with…
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So Many Doors
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As part of the upcoming threshold retreat, I’ve been looking for 60-70 pictures of doors. Each participant will get one, with a quote on the back. I’ve really enjoyed looking at all of the doors, and seeing the many different kinds. For a long time, I’ve enjoyed photographing flowers because…
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Office Cheer and Prizes, and More About the New Year’s Eve Retreat
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Today one of our art directors brought by this little gem, a Santa asking, “Penguins?” I’ve long admired this guy’s work, and this illustration made me giggle. Especially since he signed it “YAY! Shawn.” My co-workers were quite generous, and other little gifts (booty socks, Peets cards) were exchanged. Our…
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Choosing a Vocation
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Over the past couple of days, I’ve come across several quotes and ideas about how one goes about choosing a vocation in this life. I’ve really enjoyed Frederick Buechner’s thoughts from The Sacred Journey – a man who always finds the most eloquent way of choosing words, and it is…
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Gaurdians at the Gate
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“The approaches and entrances to temples are flanked and defended by colossal gargoyles: dragons, lions, devil-slayers with drawn swords, resentful dwarfs, winged bulls, These are the threshold guardians to ward away all incapable of encountering the higher silences within … They illustrate the fact that the devotee at the moment…