Prayer Retreat in Cambridge Mass.

Week one was occupied with annual vacation-work-at home- time, planting trees, cleaning, loose ends at church, etc. Monday to Thursday was a wonderful time of prayer. Here's one description I wrote on day two.

Retreat at SSJE (Society of St. John The Evangelist in Cambridge, MA.)
Doing a retreat at a monastery requires adapt-time! You have to fit in, obey the community rules, engage in worship a different way, submit your schedule to the “offices” of morning prayer, evening prayer, Eucharist, etc. I need it. I soon find it not to be confining, but liberating – making space for God.
Most meals are in silence or with one of the brothers reading. Last night we had normal conversation. I spoke with a young monastic-to-be. Later I had a conversation about evangelical responses to homosexuals and with a church leader who wants to converse more about the emerging church concept. My tiny room overlooks the grand beauty of the Charles River. Walk the other way across two streets (and by the Starbucks where I'm doing my 'blogging') and you run into Harvard Yard. At first, my mind resisted staying on one subject – residue from ‘normal’ weeks of competing priorities.
I have a lot I want to do these 4 days:
Refine my prayer and reading disciplines
Pray a lot (instead of reading and talking about prayer!)
Listen to God about family ...;
About Christ Church (new Services, Staffing, Space, and next steps for Sanctuary;)
Read about 10 books, (OK, maybe 2 - I’m starting with: The Sacred Way, the best I’ve seen on spiritual practices;)
Start mapping out the coming year’s sermon focus on the book of Acts ;
Map out the rest of my summer sabbatical projects.

I trust the Spirit to enliven me deeply and make the time truly fruitful!

For info on the whole sabbatical, check out the FAQ's on Christ Church website.