Thanks for a Great Retreat - and next meeting 5/21

Our next meeting will be Monday May 21 and we'll be talking about the Resurrection story in John 21.
Joel will be cooking.


I'm already looking forward to seeing everyone again -- especially after the lovely time we had at the retreat at Lost River this past weekend (May 11-13). Thanks to all who came:  what a lovely place and "getaway".  It was great to have the chance to know each other better, to have some serious conversations about faith and life and also some serious fun.  Joel's pen & ink drawings do a beautiful job of capturing the feel of our time together, in beautiful weather, out in the meadow and beside the lake.  You can view them on flickr, here .

 On Sunday for our shared worship I asked everyone to write a “help me” prayer and a “thank you” prayer that would reflect on our time together in this place.   Even if you couldn't be with us on the retreat, I hope that these prayers give you some of the spirit of what we talked about, in our conversations about faithful living and finding purpose in our lives and work -- so many of these prayers and thankgivings are about concerns that many of you share. Here is a sampling: 

Thank you:

     for crackling fire

     melting marshmallows

     croaking bullfrogs

     starry sky

     butterflies

     friends’ laughter   

     voices blending together

     and time alone

     I thank you, Creative Love

Help me

    As I dig into myself, my life,

     I find things I don’t like

     Help me not to run away

     Help me to hash this out

     Help me to grow

     . . . and help me be the person

     You and I want me to be.

Thank you God for the gift of life and a wonderful wife, for the world full of amazing creatures and adventures. 

Please help me find fulfillment in my job.  Help me find the strength to evaluate my career choice

Thank you for my family and friends, my physical and financial security, trees, birds, laybugs and bot-chee ball.

Help me to follow the way to you and feel your presence in all I do.  I need your guidance to see this path in my professional life -- to bring spiritual purpose and passion to a paycheck.

Help me figure out where I am and where I’m headed

     Thank you for bringing me this far.

Thank you for speaking to me in tall the ways you do!  Help me see the beauty in everything I see. 

I am grateful for the uniqueness of each voice and the deepening of friendship and connection and insight that everyone shared on this retreat,  truly a special time, which I know will spill over into our regular Bible Study group meetings in all kinds of ways.  Thank you everyone for the gift this was to me!    --KATHY