We’re so excited to announce that our retreat facilitator will be Jonathan Bailey - known to many of you for the way he gently guided us along the journey of The Threefold Way in 2020-21 - and known to others of you as Renovaré’s former board chair. We asked Jon for a taste of what he’s cooking up for us this November, and here’s what he sent …
Growing a Rule of Life
Planning for Sustainable Transformation
Over the long journey of transformation, it’s easy to experience exhaustion, disorientation, even discouragement. How do we plan for what Eugene Peterson called, “a long obedience in the same direction?” How do we cultivate a sustainable friendship with God?
We may not always recognize it, but we are nourished by the invisible rhythms and patterns of our life. What are these rhythms and how can we use them as a means for a sustainable pattern of practice? How can they equip us to live fully and freely?
Drawing on resources from the church’s past, Jonathan Bailey will walk us through the world of the monastic past, looking closely at the heart and art of the Rule of Life, the Christian framework for human flourishing.
Of course, we cannot step back into ancient ideas and make them our exact model today. However, the more we turn to ancient spirituality, the more we discover time-tested models for our contemporary journey. We see the opposite of nominal and popular Christianity. We see something genuine and rare, something that's long-sought and hard-won.
Each day of the retreat will feature a rhythm of prayer, teaching, practice, conversation, play, meals, and music. Our goal is to slow down and discover—in nature, in teaching, in conversations around the table, and in times of quiet reflection—a practical way of cultivating a transforming friendship with God over the long arc of our lives.
See the tentative schedule for the week and register HERE. We hope to see you there!