At the heart of Scripture engagement is our relationship with the Living God. Engaging with Scripture is essentially an interaction with the Living God through his written Word. The Word draws us into the presence of God himself, inviting us to know and trust Jesus, receive his grace, enjoy his fellowship, hear his perspective and re-centre our lives on him. For this to happen, we need to spend time soaking in Scripture and prayerfully looking at our lives in light of the Word.
Retreats invite us to do this. They are an invitation to come to God, the source of life.
As we spend time in silence drinking from God’s Word and reflecting on our lives, we open ourselves up to God’s work in us. Retreats are about creating space for this to happen – alone or in a communal context.
Shaping a Personal Retreat
The following notes are an encouragement to take some time out on your own or with a friend – and shape your own personal retreat. You may want to integrate one of the other resources on this page.
Shaping a Personal Spiritual Retreat
Pause and Pondering
We are often busy, going from one thing to the next without stopping to ask: What was this about? We live intense lives, but fail to see and grasp the significance of what is happening.
Here you find three different options to help you prayerfully look at your life journey and discover what has been significant over the past months or even in your life so far as a whole. This reflection can be done at any time, but is probably best integrated into a personal or communal retreat time. Pause and Pondering on our Journey
Resources – God’s Word and our Lives
The following resources are from real life IFES events. They can be used personally. They are also examples of how a retreat element of 2-3 hours can be integrated into all kinds of events. When we plan an event, we want to use the time well – often leading to very full programmes. Yet, it is a gift to the participants and can lead to greater depth if we integrate an extended time to be in God’s Word and presence in silence.
_An Honest Conversation with God: Praying our Lives (Psalm 42-43)
Download: AnhonestconversationwithGod_Ps42-43
_Looking Back at the Crowds: Renewing our Calling (John 6:1-13+35)
Download: Lookingbackatthecrowds_John6 and appendixLookingbackatthecrowds
_We Do Not Lose Heart: Encouraged to Keep Going (2 Corinthians 4:1-18)
Download: Wedonotloseheart_2Cor4
_Life from a Different Point of View: Seeing vs. “Seeing” (Matthew 14:22-33)
Download: SeeingvsSeeing_Matthew14 and appendixSeeingvsSeeing
_Desiring Growth (John 15:1-8)
Download: Desiringgrowth_John15:1-8
_Running the Race with Perseverance: Letting go and Looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Download: RunningtheRacewithPerseverance_Hebrews12
_Compassionate Living (Matthew 20:29-34)
Download: CompassionateLiving_Matthew20
The following notes were developed by Annette Arulrajah when she was Regional Secretary for IFES East Asia. They are particularly helpful for staff wanting to reflect on their life, ministry and student movement: