Sound the Retreat

Steve Scott has a great post today regarding good and bad conferences and retreats. I laughed out loud. Bad retreats give good retreats a bad name. Bad conferences give good conferences a bad name.

I also am a conference or retreat go-er.

I hate the bad ones. I love the good ones. Which do you think populate my life in greater number?

That's the problem. Lots of chaff, little wheat.

But despite the fact that in large part most retreats are lousy, they are worth enduring for the few good ones.

I have had 3 of 50. Good that is.

The 47 others ranged all the way from really stupid and boring to OK.

The 3 GOOD were:
One was a fasting retreat. Thursday night to Sat early afternoon. Fast From Wednesday until Friday Night and then a wrap-up session on Saturday morning after eating. "teaching was only a few hours during the time". The rest was spent in prayer. Mostly solitary. Very moving. Earthshaking stuff. I came away changed forever.

One was a retreat (not a fasting retreat) focused on release. This was held in Devils Lake ND. The same camp a recent movie “Jesus Camp” was filmed in. This changed my life. I became a "different man" like it says about Saul did when he was released in the Prophetic in 1 Samuel 10:9-7. Very little teaching, much ministry and manifestation of the gifts of God.

The Retreat that preceded all this was a Cursillo back in the late 70's. There are lots of iterations of Cursillo, but the pure form is the one that has the power. 12 talks, lots of ministry, lots of examination, confession and repentance. If you have heard about the Opus Dei "Sect" this is an offshoot of it. Yes, it was a Catholic church sponsored retreat. There are iterations of this in the protestant church. Via de Cristo, Emmaus Way, Kairos. But some to water it down some to make it more palatable. Then it's lukewarm without power. I’m not catholic, never wanted to be, but always appreciate the Catholic’s capacity for devotion. This was the retreat where for lack of a better word I got “Saved”. I was in church before, but I was never really sold out. I was a good Lutheran boy. This retreat pointed me to the cross of Jesus. I’ve never been the same since. Didn’t join Opus Dei. Didn’t become a Catholic. Became a genuine Christian and never looked back.

In reflecting on all 3 of these truly effective retreats they have one thing in common, all were time consuming; all took 3 or more days. All were more focused more on ministry than on teaching. All were directed toward breaking the participant out of the comfort zone they lived in.

I think that's what retreating has to be and do to be “Good”. A push out of the nest.
I love good teaching but I would rather be broken out of my shell. That can't happen in a 24 hour quick and dirty “listen to someone’s prepared sermon” meeting. I don’t think Jesus would approve of our ADHD Christianity focus on Theotainment.

In fact he didn’t. “Could you not watch with me One Hour?” They couldn't. We don't.

Our Post Christian culture IN THE CHURCH says to Jesus, “you have 24 Hours to change me and then I’m going home to watch ESPN.”

And Jesus said, “Depart from me, I never KNEW you.”

How can you KNOW someone from a one-hour lecture, a perfunctory prayer and a few songs on Sunday once a week? We need a getaway weekend with the lover of our souls. That’s what a retreat has to be to be called a retreat. Giving up, stepping back, hiding for a time, regrouping. Sound the Retreat.