Are you nearing dangerous exhaustion?

'Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level...'

Are we really in need of silence and solitude - even when we've had so much alone-ness recently?

Not once but twice this past week Ruth Haley Barton has slipped into my inbox.

Well, not her exactly, but you know what I mean.

I don't personally know Ruth, although her brother Tim Haley and I were on staff together at The Falls Church Anglican some years ago.

And I've spoken to her over the phone and I've read her books and I've done some of her Transforming Centre Leadership training.

So when two separate events with Ruth arrived, I took notice. And listened.

Was God trying to teach me something?

The answer is 'yes,' because I'm always needing to learn from Him. But specifically yes, last week, because I realised, as I listened and thought, how little 'silence and solitude' there has been in my life over this past year. I've not been able to go away on my annual retreat; I've not spent extended times with the Lord as there are always urgent things to be accomplished. Even in lockdown.

You too?

I listened; and I nearly wept. Because I could have had more time over the past weeks and months in silence and solitude with the Lord. As I listened to Ruth describing how the pandemic has drained us, how dangerously near to exhaustion many of us are, I recognised myself. And as we begin to shift gears again to cope with the next stage of edging out of lockdown, there will be more demands upon us, more changes that demand of us, that drain us, that take us deeper into dangerous exhaustion. The answer of course, is silence and solitude with the Lord, times to refresh and revive and maintain our equilibrium.

The first interview (below) is wonderful - in it Ruth tells of her own battles with herself to find the time, make the time, for silence and solitude. And she references Henri Nouwen too and his similar battles.

So it's not just me. Or you?

Silence, writes Ruth, is letting go of our inner distractions.

Solitude is letting go of our outer distractions.

It's learning how to let go, learning to relinquish control, learning how to rest in God.

"Most of us are more tired than we know at the soul level. We are teetering on the brink of dangerous exhaustion and we really cannot do anything else until we have gotten some rest ....Before it can be anything else, solitude need to be a place of rest in God." - Ruth Haley Barton, in 'Invitation to Silence and Solitude.'

Here's the first interview - from the Henri Nouwen Society's NOW AND THEN Podcast, with Ruth exploring the spiritual discipline of solitude and silence as the way to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. The interviewer quotes from some of Ruth's books; and they both discuss silence and solitude, why we need it, how to find it - and with reference to Henri Nouwen's writings too. It's a fascinating hour; listen while you walk, cook, commute....OR be in silence and solitude to listen!

And then came the next one - an interview (via Zoom) from The Trinity Forum. In this one, Ruth talks about how she believes silence is the most challenging and most needed and least experienced Spiritual Discipline among evangelical Christians today and what a very busy and wordy and heady faith tradition it is. Ruth talks about why we need to be practising these ancient Christian ways even more in our present times; she also gives some very helpful and practical ideas and suggestions for the time of silence and solitude.

It's an hour's interview and yet it's very easy to watch(or just listen!) and to learn from. Highly recommend this.

And I remembered talking with one of my Spiritual Directees the other day about the need for rhythm in life. How routine sounds boring; how rhythm and ritual sound, and are, life-giving and transforming. How we each need sacred rhythms and how to find our own. How extended times of silence and solitude can be part of that rhythm - and what that might look like for different people. Maybe a couple of hours once a month; 4 or 5 days on annual retreat; 45 minutes of sacred reading each week.

Time for reflection; time just to BE in the presence of God. Ruth says God sometimes has to wrestle her all the way to the mat before she makes the time. And then she finds that he's there waiting for her, and longing to be with her.

And then, then, after those times, we can share more with others. She says it's like giving them not just bread, but fresh bread warm from the oven into their hands.

'Invitation to Retreat - the gift and necessity of time away with God' is a very practical book of the why and how and what of retreat. It's the sort of book to take with you when you go on a 'strategic withdrawal,' as Ruth calls it, with many great suggestions of what to do, how to be, what to pray, what to take ....

What's your rhythm?

What are your rituals?

How and where do you find silence and solitude with God?

What difference does that make to your soul? (Oh, and in the first podcast, there is a wonderful description of just what is your soul ...)

And maybe this would help for this next few days: a way in to silence and solitude here:

Maybe you need some help, or some new reflections,

or the spur of a special time,

in order to have an extended time with God.

For solitude and silence.

This retreat gives you 3 hours - which you can choose to watch/use

either as 1 longer session of 3 hours

or as 3 separate 1 hour sessions.

Sign up now and your retreat bundle will be emailed to you, ready for you to use during Holy Week in the lead to Easter Sunday.

BOOKS

Congratulations to Penny Ballard who receives the signed copy of "The Healing" by Joy Margetts.

AND -

the good news is that the April giveaway is not one but TWO copies of another

newly published book! Email coming to you on April 11th and the giveaway info will be in the emailed newsletter only, not on here on the blog, so do sign up!

I think you'll find this latest book rather interesting.

Don't forget to register for the REFLECTIONS FOR HOLY WEEK and have some special time with the Lord as we prepare for Easter.

If you don't come apart for a while,

you will come apart after a while.

- Dallas Willard

May you know the power of the Cross and the JOY of the Resurrection this Easter

- Penelope x

the books mentioned here give me just a few pennies if you buy through my link;

but do also check out your local independent bookshop!