January ain't what it used to be

i was out walking at 5.15pm yesterday - and IT WASN'T QUITE DARK!

The days are lengthening.

It wasn't quiet either - the birds were singing at full volume, louder and more mellifluous than for some time.

And it wasn't cold. In fact I was too warm in my coat.

BUT IT'S JANUARY!

It felt like spring. And my heart skipped and my feet followed and I gave thanks for the feeling of spring and the pleasure of the hint of spring. Grateful to the Lord for all His blessings and lovingkindnesses.

Yet it doesn't feel right. Surely January ought to be cold and dark and gloomy; a long month of drabness and gloom. A month of feeling blue and SAD. (Seasonally adjusted depression). And that's why we've looked at hugging and at having a January survival kit.

Marion sent me this lovely remedy:

I found a recipe for dark January days in the Message version of Eccl. 9 - not a book I generally linger in.

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
 

i love that! So I looked it up and read the next few verses too:

Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!

Carpe Diem!

January 2014 isn't perhaps the type of January we've come to expect. Yet many of us can sometimes have those SAD feelings at this time of year: so on the blog we've looked at living as well as we dare, getting enough sleep (or hibernating!) and realising that lots of hugs and cuddles can have a very salutary effect upon us - as well as being rather fun sometimes. At least three hugs a day!

Then there is the summer to look forward to - planning a trip, and especially, planning a Pilgrimage, to walk the Via Francigena in Tuscany! A vacation with a difference  - led by my husband and me. Come too? Walk from Montalcino to Viterbo, or from San Gimignano to Montalcino.

FULL DETAILS NEXT WEEK - WATCH THIS SPACE!

I love, too,  the idea of special things to do at this time of year.

I read on a blog somewhere ideas for establishing routines/traditions that you do ONLY during the dark winter months — enjoying the season for what it is. The two ideas that I can recall at the moment are stringing white twinkle lights on your mantel and turning them on as soon as you get home (or when it turns dark) and routinely dining by candlelight. Very cozy, which sounds like a good theme for January!

We love cozy!  So retreatants over these past two weeks have been dining by candlelight, and there are twinkly white lights in the morning room which cheer us all each evening. And log fires in the sitting room (and in our private snug) 

And lovely scents - 

Another beat-the-January-blues idea — buying special hand cream/lotion/soap, scented candles, bath salts, etc., in scents that are pleasing and cozy — and use them only in the winter months (and it so happens that post-Christmas is a good time to get them on sale!). I think this goes along nicely with the “live as well as you dare” theme! 

Come on retreat soon and enjoy all of these things: 

There's Hotel de Chocolate and Writers' Weekends coming up - book soon as there is limited availability

And what not to do?

On the list of things NOT to do can you please add: lounging in front of the TV watching indiscrimately any daft old programme at the same time as munching on junk food and drinking too much alcohol.. Very bad habit to get into but easy to fall into this trap in the Winter evenings..  So one vote for enjoying countryside and writing poetry and a NO vote for tv !

So there's a choice - yours and mine, as Mandy wrote:

It is a conscious choice and when I allow myself time for a hot bubble bath, pjs and bed at a sensible hour with a hot water bottle, it is so much better than when I listen to the lure of social media or reading just a little more. Thanks for the reminder that we only need to be who God calls us to be.

And perhaps the best comment?

Sometimes its good to have someone else remind you(i.e. you!) to enjoy the good things in life rather than feeling guilty for it. For me it would include regular times with my husband and making sure I get time on my own - with God and also just space to 'be'…. For light January reading I highly recommend Alexander McCall Smith books - all the ones set in Edinburgh. they are light hearted, easy to read and fun. I am also going to read Tim Keller's 'The Meaning Of Marriage' this month so hold me accountable on that one! I look forward to hearing more ways to survive……  Surely one fun thing is day trips to see your granddaughters?!

Those little granddaughters hug the best! So I'm seeing all three of my granddaughters this weekend. 

What are you doing to help alleviate the bleak midwinter? 

Have you booked your retreat at The Vine?  And don't forget to sign up to have news and blog delivered straight into your in-box - see the top right hand corner for the easy sing-up!

How to live longer

Are you a hugger? 

Or do you dislike the invasion of your personal space?

My mother often told me that she loved to hug me when I first arrived - a tiny wrapped-in-white bundle; and she always wistfully added : "but you alway pushed me away; even from the start you didn't like being hugged!"

Gerrrr-offfff! I would growl as she tried to hug me when I was older.

And even now I struggle with hugs. 

But I've noticed over this past weeks that, according to my site stats, a lot of people have found my blog because they were searching for "hug" or "hugging" or "bear hug"   - and I wrote about those earlier last summer.   Why are so many searching on the internet for 'hugs' and 'hugging?" Maybe we'd do better to get off the internet and go and hug someone for real?

And then a picture popped up on Facebook ....

...  talking about cuddling. Suddenly, I learn that cuddling and hugging is important - for killing depression (oh, January blues all right) relieving anxiety and strengthening the immune system. Cuddling, hugging - what's in a name? (maybe the length of time spent doing it?)

I'm re-writing a mini-series about ways to alleviate the bleak midwinter blues of January -  thinking of ideas as to what might help us through this long sometimes-gloomy month. (Why not sign up to get the posts delivered straight into your inbox so as not to miss anything? Fill in the box at the top right hand corner of this page) 

Apparently, hugs are healing.  Heart rate slows, blood pressure stabilises, immune system improves. Virginia Satir, American author and psychotherapist said we need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, twelve hugs a day for growth. Hugging increases oxytocin, especially in women, and so can lessen stress because it  decreases the levels of cortisol , the fight or flight hormone.

What's not to like?

If you are feeling the January blues, maybe it's time to start hugging and cuddling?   A hug can relieve stress, prolong life, increase healthy levels in the body. 

At any time, you are 50% of a good cuddle. Find a friend, a family member, maybe a small child, and give them a good hug - and/or a cuddle.

Remember the Good Shepherd -   carrying His lambs close to His Heart. (Isaiah 40:11)

 - How He wept because the people were tired and confused, like sheep without a Shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

        - And how He has no hands now but our hands – to hug and hold and help.

One of the things I've noticed when we have people on retreat at The Vine *  is that often they are need of some prayer - and a hug. Being Christ's hands to hold someone, to convey care and prayer through a touch, a hug. A huge privilege.

Have you hugged anyone today? Been hugged?

Might you try? Might I? (and ask first,  if you're not sure whether someone likes to be hugged - some are wary of being touched)

Please hug me if you see me … I’m learning to hug back!

And if there’s someone you want to hug but are not sure … or they are far away …

send them this?

BONUS: 3 hugs a day apparently makes you live longer!

*THE VINE at MAYS FARM:

FOR RETREATS, 

QUIET DAYS, 

QUIET SPACES,

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

& MENTORING

COME ALONE

COME WITH A GROUP

BRING YOUR FRIENDS

YOUR SMALL GROUP

YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Got the blues? Needing a survival kit for January?

The medicine bottles stretch along the edge of the counter.

Large and small. For larger and smaller people. 

Damp tissues overflow everywhere. Sounds of coughing and sneezing and nose-blowing have filled the house to overflowing for some time. 

Daughter has full-blown flu and has been in bed for 5 days - including her birthday. Her two little boys are streaming and coughing and spluttering. Her husband and I soldier on, the worst over for us (well, he had a flu shot last inter and actually hasn't succumbed).  They are scheduled to fly home to the States tomorrow. 

So far, 2014 has been a wash out for this household. And we haven't reached the so-called most depressing date of the year yet - January has yet to yield that up.

But it's only a date on a calendar, right? 

Judging by comments from many people on social media, contentment and pleasure are proving somewhat elusive.

January is such a LONG month. Christmas is over. The days are  short and dark and cold. The news is gloomy and we've all probably eaten too much over the past two weeks. Summer warmth and balmy days seem a distant promise.

How to stave off the annual bleak midwinter blues of January?

The trick is to prevent them before they have time to begin. To have a survival kit ready to pull out at a moment’s notice.

So, over the next few weeks, I’m putting together my suggestions for that survival kit.

First, I’m following another rather more famous cleric – the Rev Sydney Smith, who also suffered from low spirits in the winter and who wrote to a friend in 1820 offering ideas for winter solace.

“1st,” he wrote, “live as well as you dare.”  I like that.

He then advocated cool showers, the avoidance of poetry, music and serious words, and not to expect too much from human life. Those I am not so keen on.

But what about some of his other suggestions:

-       amusing books

-       being as busy as you can

-       attending to the effects coffee and tea produce upon you

-       being as much as you can in the open air

-       making the room ‘where you commonly sit gay and pleasant’

-       don’t be too severe upon yourself

-       keep good blazing fires

-       ‘be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion’

-       ‘short views of human life – not further than dinner or tea’

-       see as much as you can of friends who like you – and of acquaintances who amuse you

Here's the view from where I am sitting as I write- the dog and I have just been out for an hour in the wind and the rain and now we are curled up in front of what the Revd Smith might call a good blazing fire;  it feels wonderful!

My survival kit now has a few good things in it. 

What might you add to the list?

Can you suggest some amusing books?

What have you done to make the room where you sit to be more pleasant? (I'll skip the other comment on it...) 

But yet, it's not enough....  so come back  weekly during January  - why not sign up to have the posts delivered straight into your inbox? You'll also receive the latest updates on Retreats at The Vine with priority booking for newly released dates.  

Check what's available already by clicking HERE for the calendar.

Because of course, coming on a winter retreat could be a very good way of alleviating those winter blues! The Vine has good blazing fires in the guests' sitting room and library, and the whole of the ground floor plus the chapel have underfloor heating - so you have toasty toes! Breakfast in bed means you don't even have to put a toe out of bed if you don't want to, until lunch time.  

And in order to serve you better we have undertaken, at great personal cost, to test various recipes for you - so afternoon tea should be rather good too. Visualise your time on retreat, praying, resting, reading in front of the fire, partaking of tea and scones in front of the good blazing fire. 

And if you would rather come with a group of friends, we can plan a weekend retreat especially for you! Several groups of women are considering having us run the Hotel de Chocolat Retreat Weekend just for them - why not think of bringing YOUR friends and enjoying it too! Let us know which dates you'd like and we can arrange it just for you. 

Don't forget to add your survival kit suggestions - nor to sign up to have the posts delivered to your inbox (go to top tight hand corner to sign in; we promise not to share your details with anyone else and to send you updates weekly)

Looking forward to seeing you on retreat at The Vine at Mays Farm very soon!

Christmas Greetings ...

This Christmas, may you know the simplicity of His birth and the magnitude of His purpose

Happy Christmas 

           from 

Ministries by Design

New Retreats for 2014

Hotel de Chocolat

A sweet retreat!

A time to taste of the extravagant grace of God

Using chocolate as an illustration of God's love and grace we will look at some Biblical themes, taste some chocolate, enjoy worshipping together, sip hot chocolate around the firepit under starry skies (hopefully) and have some fun as we do it!

Writers' Retreats

 Time and space to get on with your opus magnum; chat with others over meals for further inspiration; encourage & support each other in getting actual words on a page! And morning & evening hemming of the day with a guided devotional time to provide spiritual nourishment.

Pilgrimages for 2014

Walking the Via Francigena - the ancient pilgrim path from Canterbury to Rome.  

8 days led by Penelope & Kim 

Prices include all accommodations, breakfast & dinner (with local wine) each day, your bags taken to the next hotel, and spiritual leadership & input. 

There are other retreats, including some specifically for clergy,   and also Away Days, Spiritual Direction, and other resources for deepening your relationship with the Lord. 

For more information take a look at the retreats website: 

click here to go to The Vine at Mays Farm
 

and sign up to receive the blog into your email and you will get first news of dates and new retreats! Places are limited as we are a small retreat house so you'll need to book early to get the dates you require!

We are grateful for the many blessings of this past year; and for all those who have come to The Vine at Mays Farm and enjoyed retreats and shared with us of all that the Lord has done in their lives during their time here.

Why retreat? because our daily lives are typically filled and busy - things to do, people to see, life to live. And all that is good. But we each need time to BE - and at The Vine at Mays Farm we offer you the much needed opportunity to step back from the chaos in your live. We offer an oasis, a place of spiritual sanctuary, a safe space to reconnect with God.

We hope that you too may be able to come and enjoy some time at this special place in 2014! 

from

 Penelope 
 

SPECIAL OFFER - Save 10%

Our Christmas Gift to you - book before December 31st 2013 for a retreat during 2014 and you save 10% on the total cost of your accommodation. For prices, see http://www.thevine-at-maysfarm.com/guest-rooms/

Living Adventiously

What a week!  What an Advent week!

At the start of the week, some clergy arrived for a 3 day Advent Retreat. At the end of the week a group gathered in the Chapel for an Advent Away Day.

from Anne Voskamp's book  "The Greatest Gift"

From collecting twigs on a muddy walk to creating a twiggy Cross to hang on our Christmas trees; from recounting our family trees to planting bulbs (to watch and wait for a shoot to spring forth) ; from drinking  mulled wine to sharing communion together.  And through it all, the story of LOVE and PURPOSE, of a Baby who came to die. Of a Baby whose grace is for me - for you - for each one of us. 

And this. This. Thank you Jamie Brown for this: (click on that to hear an extract)

His tiny little hands will be nailed to a tree

His precious little feet will be pierced through for me

And his soft little lips will bless and forgive

Oh beautiful baby boy

His tiny little chest will be whipped and flogged

His precious little head will be stained with his blood

And his soft little cry will beg for my life

Oh beautiful baby boy

Oh beautiful baby boy. Oh holy Lamb of God

Away in a manger lies our perfect sacrifice

Oh beautiful baby boy

His tiny little eyes will seek out the poor

His precious little arms will welcome the whore

And his soft pudgy face is the image of grace

Oh beautiful baby boy

Living Advently - watching and waiting for a shoot to spring forth from the stem of David, a Baby, a beautiful baby boy. Who came for you and for me and for each one of us.

Oh beautiful baby boy. 

Amen. Even so, Come quickly Lord.

*   *  *  *  

And during the week, we offered two free nights on retreat at The Vine in return for tweeting/sharing/subscribing about the Vine. The winner's name was pulled from a Mays Farm mug containing all the names of those who entered, by one of Mb's Trustees.  Wendy Beech Ward was delighted when she discovered she had won! Congratulations to Wendy and many thanks to all of you who tried. Don't forget to book your own retreat for next year - whether Silent, Individual, walking or Chocolate, there's plenty to choose from but they are beginning to fill up so book soon!  

Diana picking a name

Win two nights on Retreat at The Vine at Mays Farm

Win two nights on Retreat

at The Vine at Mays Farm

I'll tell you how you can do that in just a minute!

Welcome to our new online home! Ministries by Design has a brand new website and a dot com address -  how exciting is that? Well, not very unless you are geeky, perhaps, but even I am excited by this beautifully designed and fresh looking up-to-date site!  Designed and managed by Kim Swithinbank, this new site is where you will now find us.

So, while you are here, take a look at next year's calendar (the link to it comes in a moment)  There are lots of exciting new retreats planned - including the one that always gets an "Oooooh!!!" when I mention it: Hotel de Chocolat. A two night retreat using Chocolate as an illustration of God's extravagant grace. Lots of treats in store over 48 hours - not least hot chocolate around the fire pit and chocolate tasting ..... book soon, because there are already some bookings and places are limited! 

WHY RETREAT?

Because our daily lives are typically filled and busy - things to do, people to see, life to live. And all that is good. But we each need time to BE - and at The Vine at Mays Farm we offer you the much-needed opportunity to step back from the chaos in your life. We offer an oasis, a place of spiritual sanctuary, a safe space to reconnect with God.

Mays Farm - over a hundred years ago!

There are walking retreats 

and Silent Retreats

Retreats for clergy

and retreats for writers

Retreats to help you pray for others

and times for individuals to 'do their own thing.'

What would help you most? Which would suit you best? 

Maybe you find it easiest to connect with God when you are out in the countryside...

or when you are reflecting in silence in the Chapel...

Maybe you need others to share thoughts and experiences with....

or maybe you prefer to work through things on your own....

Maybe you like your own room...

or maybe you're happy to share a twin room (and pay a little less) ....

Maybe you'd like breakfast in bed ....

or maybe you prefer to keep the crumbs in the kitchen ...

..... Whatever you prefer, there is probably something to suit you, a time when you can step aside from 'normal' life, be revived and refreshed and renewed; and allow your roots to go deeper and remain in the Vine (John 15:4) You can hop over to the calendar/list of retreats here ... but don't forget to come back to find out how to win 2 free nights on retreat.

Pilgrims walking from San Gimignano to Montalcino , September 2013 

AND THERE'S MORE!

As well as retreats at The Vine at Mays Farm, we also lead Pilgrimages. In 2014 there will be two pilgrimages for you to choose. Both are on the Via Francigena, the old pilgrim route from Canterbury to Rome. It passes through glorious countryside in Tuscany, and in early June, we will walk from Montalcino to Viterbo, an 8 day holiday, with a walk of 85 miles. In very early September, another 8 day holiday will be a walk from San Gimignano to Montalcino, slightly less strenuous and 68 miles of fabulous countryside.  Click here for photos and descriptions and more information.

* * * *

WIN TWO FREE NIGHTS ON RETREAT in 2014

Yes - any two nights at Mays Farm! You might choose Hotel de Chocolat, or the walking retreat or your own individual retreat. But your two nights will be absolutely free, and will include all meals (except lunch on walking retreats). 

To enter the free draw you can either:

SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE THE BLOG IN YOUR EMAIL

HIT SHARE ON FACE BOOK  to share this post with your friends.

RETWEET ON TWITTER including the hashtag @minstriesbydsgn

For every time you do one of those things, your name will be entered into a hat and one name will be chosen by a Board Member who is here on a retreat this week! So the more times you share/retweet, the more opportunities you have to be chosen.

The draw closes on Tuesday December 11th at midnight (GMT) and a name will be chosen the next morning and the winner announced sometime on Wednesday.

* * * *

There are places still available on the ADVENT AWAY DAY on Saturday December 14th (10am - 3.30pm) but otherwise 2013 is now fully booked! Look at the calendar for 2014 and book soon.

We look forward to welcoming you to The Vine at Mays Farm. In the meantime,

GO WELL AND GO WITH GOD

www.ministriesbydesign.org

www.thevine-at-maysfarm.com

How ambitious are you?

Anita Mathias, one of the finalists in the Christian New Media Awards earlier this year, writes a thought-provoking guest post on ambition today. Very honoured (or should I say honored, as I am currently in the USA?) to have Anita writing here for me. Enjoy!

Ambition and Christ

Do nothing out of selfish ambition. (Phil 2:3).

Many achievers have been wired to achieve from their cradles, a mixture of genetically mediated temperament and family culture.

And then we become Christians, and we give up our old identity.

We are now hidden in Christ.

And what becomes of our old ambition?

Well, I can tell you what happened to mine. It has graduated through three phases, the conjunctions changing at each phrase.

* * *

Ambition OR Christ

I committed my life to Christ at 17. I finished school early, having skipped grades, and then worked with Mother Teresa for two years.

When I went to University, to read English at Somerville College, Oxford University, I quickly sensed the contradiction between the openness with one’s time which Christ required (I read  “give to everyone who asks of you,” almost literally!) and complete dedication to writing.

Incredibly, I chose writing, and for the next few years—all through a graduate degree in Creative Writing—I focused on reading and writing poetry. To quote Willa Cather, I served “the God of Art who demands human sacrifices.”

It was perceived failure in writing poetry which led me to recommit my life to Christ six years later, and, this time, it stuck.

Ambition AND Christ

In On Writing, Stephen King says he had considered his life a support system for his art. However,  when crippled by excruciating pain after a freak road accident, he realized that his art was, in fact, a support system for his life. It made his life bearable, and added comfort and joy to it.

For years, even as a Christian, my heart was really in my writing, sad with unfulfilled ambition for it. I wanted my Christian disciplines to help me get my act together so I could write more.  Faith as a support system for art.

Well, God was having none of that.

Francis Thomson writes in “The Hound of Heaven,”

Ah! is Thy love indeed

A weed, albeit an amaranthine weed,

Suffering no flowers except its own to mount?

Once Christ had his eyes on me, he was not going to share me, so to say. And so, my ambition was blocked, and came to nothing, forcing me to burrow into Christ for answers and comfort and joy.

I am glad. Fulfilled ambition without the comfort of Christ can be hard and barren. The Indian mystic, Rabindranath Tagore, describes it: “Away from the sight of thy face, my heart knows no rest nor respite, and my work becomes an endless toil in a shoreless sea of toil.”

 Ambition IN Christ

I am still ambitious; of course, I am. I want to learn to write beautifully, and I want my words to read by many.

But most days, I hold my ambition lightly, in perfect peace.

I am in Christ, hidden in Christ. I am working from “inside” Christ, listening closely to him for ideas, drawing on his strength, eager to write beautiful things which will be a blessing to many.

I am writing in Christ as a branch in the vine, as his ideas, sap and life flow into me, and through me.

I am ambitious to write because I must, as a bird must sing, but it is a surrendered ambition. I am happy if God brings me many readers.

But if he does not, I will still write with joy. As a bird sings its high clear notes, as fish swim through the seas of this world because they must, even so must I write, recreating life’s beauty in words.

Anita Mathias is the author of Wandering Between Two Worlds  (Benediction Classics, 2007). She has won a writing fellowship from The National Endowment for the Arts, and her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The London Magazine,  Commonweal,  America, The Christian Century, and The Best Spiritual Writing anthologies.

Anita blogs at Dreaming Beneath the Spires,  anitamathias.com;  you can find her on Twitter @anitamathias1 and or on Facebook at Dreaming Beneath the Spires.

The Gift of Today

 

Today it is Thanksgiving. Perhaps the best day of our western holidays. A day of thanksgiving and gratefulness, of joyful reunions and family gatherings. And too much food, probably. But without the necessity of overgiving of unnecessary gifts, or the vast decorating of every nook and cranny, or the overly high expectations we often seem to place upon Christmas.

And Michael Hyatt's post arrived in my inbox - reminding me of this:

"You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you today…. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness." (quote from Brother David Steindl-Rast, a benedictine monk)

Michael Hyatt's post gives us four ways of practicing gratitude and thankfulness. He writes:

Here are four ways you can transform today, taking it from ordinary to extraordinary:

1. Notice the gifts around you. Whether it is the natural beauty that surrounds you, the interesting people you encounter, or the simple beating of your heart, everything is a miracle—if you have eyes to see it.
2. Open your heart to receive them. It’s so easy to feel entitled and become cynical when we don’t get what we want or feel we deserve. But if we receive everything as a gift, designed for either our enjoyment, our transformation, or both, we open ourselves to new possibilities.
3. Express your gratitude for them. This is one of the things that makes humans unique and sets us apart from the animals. But we have to speak it to experience the power of it.
4. Bless someone else. Let your gratefulness overflow into the lives of those you encounter today. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just offer them a smile, a touch, or the simple gift of your presence. (You could also share this post with them!)

Today will never be repeated. It it is unique among all the days of your life. Gratitude can transform into something to be remembered.

We sang this in church on Sunday (at St Michael's in Charleston)

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART GIVE THANKS TO THE HOLY ONE GIVE THANKS BECAUSE HE'S GIVEN JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON

AND NOW LET THE WEAK SAY I AM STRONG LET THE POOR SAY I AM RICH BECAUSE OF WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR US 

GIVE THANKS...

How will you give thanks today?

What are you most grateful for?

For people like you

We took a photo on Friday evening  - a reunion of  pilgrims.

Pilgrims who once upon a time had ventured to fly to the UK solely to walk 100 miles. And make it an intentional walking with God.

One told my husband, “It changed my life. I’d tell anyone to go take a Pilgrimage.”

There were twelve of us gathering for dinner - an evening in the most amazing home in California,just south of the Napa valley.

A gathering of people like you - people who love the Lord, people who long to go deeper with God.

People who are busy with their lives. Weary from everyday life. But still longing to go deeper with God.

And as we reminisced about Pilgrimage, we knew that we had gradually lost something we'd found when walking.

Because vision leaks. Life takes over. And we wistfully look back at times when we have been close to God; times when we have clearly heard His Voice; moments when we felt ourselves near to Him; journeys we knew to be in step with Him. We yearn for that closeness to return; long to hear the still small voice again; remember with longing the joy and love we experienced when we first knew Him.

Sometimes it happens unexpectedly again. Joining with others in a moment of worship. Being prayed for. Glimpsing the rise of a powerful moon in a pinkly grey sky.

But sometimes we even forget that we yearn for more of Him. We are people who live life busily, every moment in our schedules accounted for, crazily careering from one moment to the next.

We are people who often forget to live our lives with eternity in mind.

Maybe we need to walk a mile or three to reconnect with God. Maybe we need to rediscover a rhythm of walking which rests and clears the mind, helping to shed the everyday problems or see them from a different perspective. Being physically active all the time, meeting the challenges of the ups and downs, knowing the accomplishment of a long day of travel and arriving tired but triumphant after depending on God and one's companions to get there.

 *  *  *  *

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. "

(Psalm 32:8; NLT)

We need to get on that pathway. Get walking so that the Lord can guide.  And sometimes making a pilgrimage is a really good way to do that. Doing it physically enables it to happen spiritually.

*  *  *  *

We're offering two pilgrimages in 2014: walking the Via Francigena, the old pilgrim route which traces a path from Canterbury to Rome. In late May/early June (dates depending on when people like you would like to come!) we will walk from Montalcino to Viterbo, a walk described as "one of the world's most unique, classic walks .... South of Montalcino the country becomes wilder, with forests, low plateaux and Monte Amiata and the wide crater of Lake of Bolsena."

In very early September, the pilgrimage will be from San Gimignano to Montalcino, the walk we did in 2013. A glorious, Tuscan trail,  characterised by paths through vineyards, olive groves and forest, and landscapes punctuated with cypress trees and walled hill towns and villages.

These Pilgrimages are exhilarating, demanding, Spirit-filled times. Mountain top experiences, literally and spiritually. Designed with people like you in mind.

If you would like to know more, ask to be put on the mailing list (email: admin@ministriesbydesign.org) and be one of the first to get the full details. Each walk has a total of just 12 people so register your interest now so that you can be sure of your place.

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 And if you'd rather walk in the glorious English Cotswolds, come on one of the walking retreats at The Vine at Mays Farm. Details of the first one in March 2014 can be found here.

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People like you, people like me - We are people who often forget to live our lives with eternity in mind.

Walking a pilgrimage can help to restore that balance.

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Take a peek here for full details of events & retreats at The Vine at Mays Farm from now until Easter 2014 

This might cheer you up on a wet Monday morning ...

It's wet and grey and cold. Half term is over and gone; it's a long time time to your next little holiday. November is upon you and there's so much to do and organise before December 25th. So might you need a break?  Or even the thought of one booked in? Some time and space to BE. Even just for 24 or 48 hours ....

Spending the morning tucked up in bed with your breakfast brought to you, and time to read, pray, doze ....

Taking a short brisk walk across rolling countryside to clear your mind and breath deep in fresh air ....

Curling up by a roaring wood burning stove, reading, thinking, BEing ....

Ending the day with a candlelit prayer time in an ancient chapel ....

Sleeping in a large comfy bed ....

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Or maybe you are in need of something more - well, proactive.  Long walks, good company, plenty of devotional input to help you reconnect with God ...

Or writing. Time and space and quiet to get those words out and through your fingers, on to the page. Not having to stop to cook or shop or work at something else, but a weekend to write knowing that others are doing the same nearby and will want to talk to you over supper about all those words ....

Or some weeding, maybe; feeling the soft damp earth crumble in your fingers, thinking of the things of the Lord as you tend the plants  ...

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And if none of the above are quite what you feel you need - there's always chocolate.

Chocolate as a reminder of the good things that God gives.  Of His extravagant grace.

Chocolate that  has to be tasted, experienced, enjoyed.

You know you love it. You know it's the answer no matter what the question. God's extravagant grace, that is.

A whole weekend to relish that grace - and the chocolate. What could be more fun than that - and to look forward to spending a dull February weekend having a blast as you go deeper into experiencing that extravagant grace.

Hotel de Chocolate indeed.

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So, as you view the prospect of a November week of wind and rain, a long to-do list, people needing you, not enough time to BE - maybe you need to book yourself in to The Vine at Mays Farm and come and be pampered as you take the time to reconnect with the Lord, be refreshed, remember to remain in the Vine (John 15:4)

The new programme for January to March is available here.

What are you waiting for? Book in - you know you need it!

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And if you can't wait that long ...

If you need time to think about putting Christ back into Christmas, there are still a few places available on the Advent Away Day.   Saturday December 14th. Full details if you click here

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Which retreat do YOU need to have lined up, to cheer this week's rush and weather?

Where might YOU find the Lord again?

When do YOU need to come?

It's not too late to put Christ back into Christmas!

ADVENT AWAY DAY

It's not too late to book in an Advent retreat!

Needing time out from the busy season?

Wanting to find the time & space to put CHRIST back into Christmas?

Come and enjoy an Advent Away Day at Mays Farm Saturday December 14th. 10am - 3.30pm

The day will include some guided reflections, some quiet personal time, and will conclude with communion in the Chapel.

£20 per person, including coffee & a light lunch

To book your place please email admin@ministriesbydesign.org