4 searching questions for a New Year
.. and for the pending conclusion of my life.
I've been reading the late Dr Denise Inge's book, "A Tour of Bones - facing fear and looking for life"
You could describe it as a description of a tour of four charnel houses in Europe. Or as emanating from living over the bones underneath the house of the Bishop of Worcester, to whom she was married. Or even as her thoughts on life and death when faced with her own threatened early demise from cancer (which was sadly earlier this year).
The writer, P D James, describes it as "A beautifully-written book ... One which celebrates not death but life, and how, by confronting the fear and inevitability of our end, we can embrace life and live it more abundantly."
I'm not facing a known and imminent death - only the fact that I will, like you and everyone else, one day someday die. Life, earthly life, is terminal. So I too want to embrace life and live it more abundantly, knowing that life is a gift, one that is short and unique and mine for a while. While I believe that there is more to come after death and that the Life After Death is an eternal gift without measure, the life that I have now is not as appreciated or embraced as it might be.
The four questions posed by Denise Inge, disquieting questions, profound questions, seem a good place to begin what is left of my life, a life which is about to step over into new season: 2015. Although I have to say that September still feels more like the new beginning of a new year than January ever does, still the calendar commences afresh. And I have a new journal - which I shall excitedly open, inscribe "Penelope Swithinbank - 2015" and anticipate and appreciate the clean new pages and what they may contain. A sense of excitement, of the chance for a re-beginning, a glimpse of untrodden boundless possibilities.
So I am taking these four questions as my guide for the next twelve months.
- Are the broken parts of your deepest self being healed?
- Have you found a lasting hope?
- What are the things for which you will be remembered?
- Are you on a path of true humility? (and, I would add, of gratitude. For gratitude makes whatever we have enough.)
Facing a new season, facing 2015, facing the inevitably of your own demise, how would you answer these questions? And what would your own four questions be to yourself for this new year?
I open the journal (lined this year, unusually for me) and begin to write .......
A blessing for the new year: you can click HERE to hear the beautiful words as arranged by John Rutter:
May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace.
5 Things I like in Advent
The Saturday Times magazine yesterday was The List Issue.
A list of lists. 8 of this and 10 of that. 12 reasons why and 20 signs ...and the 63 easiest ....
Or so it was promised.
I've been thinking about lists of my own ever since. I happen to like lists. I've been accused of keeping lists of lists. (Not true ... well, almost true ...) Lists are accurate and easy and keep things tidy.
Like my list of this week's menus for the clergy coming on the Advent retreat for a few days tomorrow. I don't have to worry what to cook: it's already decided and the correct food ordered (from a list of course)
Or the list of who is getting what for Christmas. I could look back at last year or the year before or ten years ago or more - and therefore not give someone the same thing again. Unless it was meant.
But the list I really feel like making right now is the list of what I like about Advent.
When I was being interviewed by the grandees of Lincoln Diocese to see if they would recommend me for training for ordination with the Church of England, one of the questions was "What is your favourite season of the Church calendar?" Coming from a very 'low' background there was very little if any emphasis on seasons or colours or festivals or calendars within the church year. (I've learned a lot since those days!) But it sprang into my mind (God-nudged?) that I love Advent. And always have. So I was able to be honest in my reply - although I did not honestly say it was the only season I could probably name right at that moment....
So here is my list: 5 things I like about Advent
- a sense of expectation. The watching and the waiting in hope. Anticipation and tingling with excitement.
- purple. It's one of my favourite colours and always has been.
- candles and woodsmoke and advent calendars. Not necessarily advent-y but they go with this time of year.
- the music and the words. Advent carols (as opposed to Christmas carols) and Advent readings. All leading back to #1 - the sense of expectation and anticipation
- gingerbread. I know you can eat gingerbread any time of the year. But in our household, it's been an illustration of the "now" and the "not yet" and whenever I make it we are reminded. The aroma of its baking fills the house - the NOW. But we can't eat it until it has been wrapped and allowed to mature for a whole week. The NOT YET. And that's what Advent is all about. Jesus has come - the NOW; and He will come again in great power and glory - the NOT YET. We live in in between, in great hope and expectation.
So excuse me - I'm off to make some gingerbread.
* * * *
If you'd like to have a few days of R&R - breakfast in bed, peace, no hurry, time to read or pray or just BE, relaxing by a log fire or taking a brisk country walk and then enjoying afternoon tea (sometimes with gingerbread!) why not come and stay at The Vine? Bookings for 2015 now open. Come alone - or come for a weekend and bring your small group!
How a night at Downton Abbey might benefit your wellbeing!
Wanting to stay at Downton Abbey?
If only …. I’d love someone to bring me breakfast in bed … it would be nice to sit by a log fire in the evenings … have my meals cooked and served – oh, and washed up - by someone else … sit on the window seat and read … I could get used the space and the comfort and the gentler pace of life.
And the Labrador.
“Please could you book me in for a retreat in December?
I stayed with you last year and it was a real blessing (especially the late start to the mornings with breakfast in bed making me feel like I was staying at Downton Abbey!). I wonder if it would be possible to stay in the room with the four poster bed and en-suite bath again?”
(recent email from the Rev VC, a Team Rector)
The Vine at Mays Farm offers more than many other retreat houses might be able to provide - from breakfast in bed (think Downton Abbey of course) to the 17thC candlelit chapel; luxury four poster bed to good wine with supper; the peace and tranquillity of beautifully restored and refurbished listed buildings, to window seats and wood burner stoves, firepit and hammock, large comfy sofas and snuggly throws and blankets. Hot chocolate and home baked goodies; fresh eggs from the local farm and hot chocolate on demand. Bracing local walks or tea in vintage china.
And plenty of time to BE and reflect and be refreshed.
The Vine isn’t Downton of course; but maybe it’s time you treated yourself to a day or three here? Come and see just what it is that makes The Vine so special and different.
Re:FRESh Re:NEW Re:TREAT - to help put the sparkle back in your eyes. Come and rediscover the person God intended you to be!
Come and see just what it is that makes The Vine so special and different.
2014: December: availability 6th -20th
2015: Now booking. See calendar for special events
During November: For all enquiries or to book a fresh new treat, please email
penelope@ministriesbydesign.org
How to put back the sparkle in your eyes
Ever felt that something is missing? That indefinable ‘something’ – which is there, just out of reach or just beyond arms’ length. If you could only remember what it is – or should be – or could be. How it felt when you had it. But now you are missing it, missing what brings the sparkle to your eyes, missing some essential core-of-your-being.
The world has many suggestions as to what might put the sparkle back.
There’s retail therapy of course.
Or better coffee.
Or a faster car, bigger house, newer bathroom. Abs of steel or perfectly toned limbs.
Or that elusive gap between the thighs - apparently the latest fitness test is whether daylight shows between the top of your thighs!
Perhaps my youngest daughter told me the Real Answer, when we were having a virtual face-to-face across the airwaves/Pond.
“Time with the Lord first thing. How am I going to do that? Because if I don’t do that before anything else, it doesn’t happen, however much I determine that I’ll do it later. Life comes in and I miss out on that special time. Maybe I’ll just have to get up earlier. Which means going to bed earlier……”
Maybe the answer is 'quality not quantity.' Good time rather than lengthy time. Or continuous/continuing time rather than the ‘box’ of a fixed number of moments?
Jim Kochenburger once suggested a 30 second retreat:
Stop. Breathe. Thank God for two things... (Phil 4:6)
Have you ever tried it? It seems such a small amount of time. Can it really make such a difference?
So I stopped. Took a deep breath. And gave God thanks for two things.
It did make a difference and I am glad that I did it. But it also felt a little paltry. Just 30 seconds, God, that’s all I can spare right now.
Maybe the short snatched minutes feel like that for you - almost rudely short. But then I thought about one of my little grandchildren, running up to me, throwing their arms around me (or more precisely, my legs) giving me a hug and running off again.
Precious. Brief. Heartfelt. Something I love and which means so much to me.
And to the Heart of the Father - a quick looking to Him, a moment of love and gratitude to Him.
selfie with Toby in April
It touches the heart of the Loved One so very deeply.
A tractor ride with Jonah on my birthday!
You may not be able to have a longer time every day. Nor even go away for a few days of re:FRESH re:NEW re:TREAT (although it makes a huge difference if you do).
But anyone can stop, anywhere, to connect with God and give thanks for 30 seconds.
Have you done it? Try it and see what happens.
And then let me know what you think. Was it helpful? How did it feel?
Who else might you suggest it to?
And to put the real sparkle back in your eyes, might you need a fresh new treat? There's lots of different types available at The Vine at Mays Farm: click this link to check the calendar and find one that appeals to you!
My favourite photo of a hug: two of the grandchildren, Talitha and Will, hugging after the funeral service for their great grandmother - my mother, who died in an horrific car accident four years ago on September 24th 2010.
My sermon today is by The Archbishop of Canterbury
This time yesterday (i.e. Saturday morning) I was in a large hall in Swindon, along with several hundred other clergy, licensed lay ministers and readers, all of us from the Bristol Diocese and all of us there for a morning with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
photo by Chris Dobson, Diocese of Bristol. Kim and I are on the right of the photo, third row by the aisle!
As you know, he is visiting our diocese for the weekend; on Friday evening he was at Hope Chapel in Bristol, and said on Twitter: (@JustinWelby)
“Profound sense of presence of God's Spirit at work in authentic Christian community at Hope Chapel this evening.”
Last night he tweeted :
“Wonderful privilege & blessing to baptise many outside Malmesbury Abbey. No better decision than to follow Jesus.”
And yesterday morning he spoke to the gathered leaders of the Diocese – and we hung on his every word. He was so easy to listen to, so full of the Lord, yet full of self-deprecating humour and humility.
It felt an enormous privilege to be there and to hear him. Because his words and thoughts were profound, life-giving and inspiring. And I want to take this time to share with you a little of what the human leader of the Church of England, of which we are a part, said to so inspire and enthuse us all. To share a little of what was on his heart.
I wish you had all been there to hear him, because I can’t do it as well as he did! He began with the verse from Exodus 14:19-25, and the story of the Israelites trapped between the mighty Red Sea in front and the pursuing Egyptian Army behind. The Egyptian gods had been defeated and the Israelites had left in great haste and in great hope; but now there were clouds behind them drawing close.
And the Archbishop went on talk of the extraordinary time we are living in in the Global North. He told of how in 2008 there was a significant collapse in the financial world – so significant that only £250b would save the situation, or nothing would open or work the following morning; of the talk of how people could only survive for about 24 hours. And how this huge crisis has led to a context of fear which has increasing power in our society and therefore in the church. And how the gap between the wealthy and the poor is growing. It’s leading to a growth of individualism and a culture change.
But the Bible tells us we have hope and “hope does not disappoint us.” What we can offer our society is the reality of God in Christ. So this time, now, is a moment of great opportunity. We may have a sense of being trapped, like the Israelites, BUT GOD … but God opened the Sea in front of the Israelites. When He does that for us, will we be like the Israelites and GO? Or will we stay still and complain the path is muddy?
So this is a time of huge opportunity to reach out to the culture in which we live. And the Quinquennial Goals for the church, set by the General Synod for five years (hence the name Quinquennial) are for such a time as this.
And so these lead to Archb Justin’s priorities, and they are priorities for the church (that’s you and me) too:
1 A renewal of prayer and the religious life
St John Chrysostom whose saint’s day it was yesterday, wrote:
“Nothing you see equals prayer .. it makes the impossible possible.”
The church is not an NGO. Nor is it Rotary but with a pointy roof.
We’re there to be the people of God, and prayer embeds us in the life of Christ.
If it becomes less than essential then the capacity to be infectious is lost.
So we need to be in love with Christ. We are all poor in spirit but in our hearts we need to know that we are loved by God. To hear his love and to tell him we love him by being in silence in his presence.
The Archbishop pointed out that every great revival in the history of the church had its roots in a movement of a religious community with a rule of life and prayer. For example, John Wesley, and his method of prayer for life, which led to a great revivial (and of course to Methodism).
And so the Archbishop is doing something really exciting! He’s setting up a new community - the community of St Anselm, based at Lambeth Palace, where he has a small community of the Chemin Neuf. The Community of St Anselm is for 25 – 35 year olds, to spend a year with the Chemin Neuf. Their mornings will be spent in theological study, the afternoons in prayer and the evenings on the streets working alongside the Street Pastors who work at nights with those out on the streets.
Justin said: “We’re going to work these young people very hard. We’re going to half kill them! But in years to come their lives will have been shaped, their hearts will have been shaped for the future.”
And his vision is that in 30 or 40 years time when someone in high position in government is asked why they made a particular decision, their answer will be because their lives were shaped by the year at Lambeth in the Community of St Anselm.
What a vision! (watch the video about it here)
2. Reconciliation
The epistle of John tells us “Perfect love casts out fear.”
And so the church is to be a community of reconciled reconciliators. Our God is insanely reconciliating. ++ Justin illustrated this by holding up a drinking glass - God pours out love like a glass being filled and drenched not from a water jug but by a water hydrant.
photo courtesy of CrustalGraphics.com
So we are to overflow with God’s reconciling love- because this new context of our society guarantees conflict. But God’s power to meet and to reconcile is infinite. Families, communities, the environment – there is conflict wherever we look. What an amazing privilege for the church to pour out God’s love and reconciliation. Can we show the world how to do this? Can we look for the flourishing of others – even for those with whom we disagree? Whether it’s women bishops, sexuality, or ISIS, can we look for the flourishing of others who hold a different viewpoint to our own, and pour out God’s love.
3. Evangelism and Witness and Mission
John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Look! There’s the Lamb of God.
Inviting, showing, pointing to, the saviour of every human being – our unique truth. And not like Francis of Assissi - ++ Justin was keen to let us know that a) Francis probably never said "preach the gospel and where necessary use words and b) if he did he was wrong! USE WORDS! People need to hear what is truth.
Jesus taught, John the Baptist called and pointed. We follow their examples.
This is being the people of a calling and sending God. It’s not a survival strategy. It’s about being like God.
There’s no better choice in life than to become the servant of Christ. And this is for everyone.
Retweeted by Lambeth Palace
Diocese of Bristol @diobrizzle · Sep 13
"That's why we do evangelism. It's about being like God." Archbishop @JustinWelby talking to our clergy and lay ministers #welcomejustin
We are to evangelise with extravagant, generous, unconditional love. The love of God through us.
So Archbishop Justin has those three priorities –
Prayer, Reconciliation, Evangelism and Mission. They are in a dark and fearful context, the world of fear in which we live.
But we are not to fear –
we are a people of hope,
of prayer,
of salvation.
And if you would like to spend some time listening to God and becoming aware of His love for you, as Archbishop Justin recommends - where better to do that than at The Vine at Mays Farm? Click HERE to see what we offer!
The second week of September - searching for sanity already?
SEARCHING FOR SANITY AGAIN ALREADY?
You shake the last of the sand from your sandals, recall the sun and the sea, the sunburn and the swimming pool … remember the siestas and the sangria … empty the last souvenir from the suitcase … and settle back into September sanity and normality.
And the possibility of a clean slate.
"January is the official start of the new year, and I always get a burst of renewed zeal at that time, but September also gives the same feeling of an empty calendar and a clean slate. The air seems charged with possibility and renewal. Back-to-school is a time of self-evaluation and reflection."
So writes Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. Maybe it's the same for you. SEPTEMBER: A new start, a clean slate, time for something newer and stimulating? Searching for sanity again already?
* * * *
That need for self-evaluation, for reflection, for renewal, can be something which stirs us to greater things, to a desire to draw nearer to God and start afresh with renewed vigour in our relationship with him. So this September - shake up your schedule and set a time for intentional seeking of God!
You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” (Ps 27:8 ESV)
Set a new schedule - now , while you think about it and before everything else takes over! Set a time for those extra moments to seek his face.
And set a date to come on retreat. Even if it’s not something you would normally do! Choose chocolate - or a prayer walk - or writing ....
Plan to spend a couple of nights away, a time for renewal of the energy which gets sapped over the autumn, summer energy seeping away.
Spend a night or two at The Vine at Mays Farm.
NEW CALENDAR - NEW RETREATS
There’s a new calendar up on the website and new retreats with new themes and ideas.
Retreats for introverts and extroverts.
For those in full time ministry.
For chocolate lovers, plants and flowers and garden lovers; for writers and thinkers, for times of Advent and Lent.
And plenty of time for those who want a little peace and quiet and reflection time but don’t want total silence and appreciate chatting over meals, playing with a dog, curling up in front of a log fire.
Time for individuals, time for small groups, time for leaders, time for anyone who wants to come.
So – take a look at the calendar and book soon! Bring your small group, your leadership team, your prayer triplet. Bring yourself.
Come for renewal and reflection and refreshment.
The Vine offers you the comfortable, comforting space for a re:FRESH re:NEW re:TREAT. It’s a home away from home that isn’t home – hot water bottles and roaring log fires for the cooler evenings, aromatherapy to comfort and relieve, deep comfy beds and fluffy towels, home cooked local produce whenever possible …. and a rhythm of chapel prayers, candlelit compline (last thing before bed) midday meditations - oh, and breakfast in bed. What's not to like!
What are you waiting for? We’re here when you need to come -
Dr Alistair Hanna
On my mind right now is a very special funeral happening this afternoon in St Bart's Fifth Avenue NYC, where I did my placement from seminary many years ago.
Read MoreLearn a summer liturgy of leisure
It's summer. Life slows down a little.
Relax into a hammock, spend a day watching the clouds instead of working the Cloud.
Put peonies in your hair, Pimms in your hand, plimsolls on your feet.
Give yourself room to bloom.
Except that for many of us our daily lives are still typically filled with things to do.
People to see. Jobs to attend to.
A long list of things to accomplish, finish, maybe even begin, before we can leave for a summer holiday. And while we are there we spend our moments revisiting that list which will still await us on our return.
We need to learn a liturgy of leisure. To embrace a slower, more biblical rhythm of life. To remember that, in Genesis, "there was evening and there was morning." A reminder that rest comes before work , that we need to learn to work out of our rest rather than collapse from overwork into exhaustion.
Then life becomes a rhythm of grace to dance to - living each day well, with thankfulness and contentment. Life becomes a gift rather than a chore; meals with family and friends can be lingered over and be a means of grace.
Slow down and taste the grace. Slow down long enough for God to be known and you to know. Sip summer in a glass and savour the reminder to "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)
Take time to watch the birds and the butterflies dance. Maybe there's a liturgical dance to be copied and we too can dance with the exuberance of the gift of life.
Walk on the grass in bare toes and feel. Just feel. Or on the sand. And in the sea. Feel. When did you last take time to feel anything?
It's time to learn a summer liturgy of leisure. It's time to learn to take time.
Make time to read? Maybe these:
The Day is Yours: Ian Stackhouse
A Meal with Jesus: Tim Chester
One Thousand Gifts: Ann Voskamp
Word into Heart: Anne Alcock
Time to step back from the chaos in your life; to give yourself the relaxation and restoration and even rejuvenation that time with God gives to you.
Even enjoy a free night on retreat at The Vine at Mays Farm? See the summer special offer here
Guest Blog - Kim's new venture!
A FORUM LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A LIFESAVER WHEN I WAS LEADING A CHURCH!
Mike's Forums in action
Kim Swithinbank
That was my reaction as I sat in one of Mike’s business leaders’ forums for the first time. The level of trust in the room. The quality of the relationships. The concern to help each other excel in their different businesses and markets. No competition. Complete confidentiality. Disarming honesty. And none of them active Christians that I’m aware of. One of Mike’s favourite dictums is
IT NEEDN’T BE LONELY AT THE TOP.
Mike Wilsher
And these men and women experience that. They pay a handsome sum to be part of the Executive Foundation ( www.executive-foundation.com ), for which they get a stimulating whole day forum, with a gifted speaker and plenty of time for helping each other with their immediate pressing issues. They also get 2 hours of Mike’s time each month for 1 on 1 mentoring.
I asked one of the younger members over lunch why he invested in his own development as a leader in this way – a whole day a month is a big time commitment. His answer was twofold and delightfully straight – “Life is moving so fast, I need to be a step ahead of the competition; and our generation doesn’t have the time or the luxury to make the mistakes that yours made!”
The dog plays a critical role!
Though the speakers are first rate, it is the afternoon confidential forum that brings the members back month after month. Here they can raise issues that they can probably share nowhere else (a real parallel with church leaders). Within Mike’s carefully crafted structure, issue after issue is raised, honed by a time of questioning and then addressed with straightforward advice from 10 to 12 peers, from different businesses but with very similar issues and experiences. The resulting input is priceless.
Having left active church leadership a year or so ago, I was looking to get involved in investing in the next generation of church leaders. For them too, life is moving very fast and they are often eager to learn from and be mentored by some of us who have 30 or more years of ministry experience, so they don’t make the mistakes we made!
My problem was that I didn’t have a model or much of an idea of where to start. I went on LinkedIn and got a few enquiries; but when I saw Mike’s model in action, I knew “We need to start the clergy equivalent!" Fortunately Mike is a very committed believer, with a brother who is a pastor. He had long wanted to see something similar in the clergy/ministry sphere but knew that he didn’t have the hands on experience of our leadership challenges.
Check out our new website
So we are launching the Clergy Foundation together (www.clergy-foundation.com), planning to start our first forum this autumn. The forums will be based at our Retreat House, just 5 mins from Jct 17 of the M4, near Chippenham (www.thevine-at-maysfarm.com ). We are assuming that people will be willing to travel for an hour to an hour and a half to be part of something like this; but we won’t turn anyone away! We hope to be interdenominational and we welcome both men and women who are leading churches. We will also be starting a forum for associates or ministry leaders (eg Youth or Worship) in 2015.
Our vision is:
TO SEE WELL-LED CHURCHES CHANGE OUR NATION
You can be part of this in one of two ways:
· If you are a church leader who is looking to be part of a stimulating cohort of like-minded leaders, then do enquire about coming to a dinner we will be holding on 10th July. Mike and I will explain the vision, how this might help you grow as the leader you long to be and how we can help you make it possible financially.
· If you are a business or professional leader in another sphere but would like to help clergy and pastors to get the quality of support that you benefit from in the secular world, then you could consider being a patron of the Clergy Foundation and help us to launch this venture. We will need around £25K to get this idea off the ground until it is self-supporting. You would also be very welcome to come and hear about the vision at the dinner on 10th July. (www.clergy-foundation.com/who_we_are/patrons/)
For more details about the Clergy Foundation, please visit www.clergy-foundation.com
For more details about Mike Wilsher and the Executive Foundation, the website is www.executive-foundation.com
When time stands still ....
What's it like to go on retreat?
"I've not been on a retreat before," she confided quietly as she arrived. "I'm not sure I'll survive three whole days! I'm not very good at being alone for hours on end......"
I led her past the sitting room, the library, motioned towards the chairs in the garden, pointed out the chapel and showed her to her room.
Gasps of delight. "I've not slept in a fourposter bed before, either!"
She's been glimpsed at meals; and she's told me a little of what's been going on. Long luxurious hours asleep; a reading through the whole of Philippians in one sitting; browsing in the library; praying in the chapel - not with words but through gazing at the old misshapen cross on the wall and thinking through the implications of Calvary; an amble across the fields; talking with others also on retreat here; joining in Compline each evening; appreciating a midday guided Lectio Divina; playing with the dog in the orchard...
"There's really not enough time to think and pray through everything that I need to bring to the Lord," she said at last. "I'll need to come again. But I've really known His Presence while I've been on retreat. It seems easier here than it does at home, somehow."
Yesterday - A typical Saturday at Mays Farm?
Glorious day! There are retreatants in deck chairs around the garden, dozing, reading, praying ... one is in the sitting room with a caffetiere of coffee and browsing through "Country Life" .... another is still asleep ... someone's playing the piano in the chapel ....
What a privilege to be creating the space and place for people to
#re:fresh re:new re:treat
FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN ON RETREAT BEFORE and are not sure where to start:
STOP'N'BE! JUNE 13-15 IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NATIONAL RETREAT EVENT
part of the national retreat events for the weekend of June 13 - 15 2014
A time to step away from normal routines and try some space and sanctuary.
Ideal for those who have not experienced a retreat before.
A guided retreat but with plenty of down time.
And breakfast in bed.
Walks, rhythm of prayers in Chapel, good food, comfy beds ....
Book now for this retreat special!
arrive Friday June 13th late afternoon, depart Sunday June 15th after lunch.
48 hours of time to BE (with help on that if you need it!)
the library clock
What difference would it make if you slept for 24 hours?
She arrived for her two nights away, late for supper. She hadn't come far - was the traffic bad, I wondered. No, she had inadvertently fallen asleep during the afternoon. She had cleared her busy parish diary from lunch time, in order to come away on retreat, sat down after lunch before setting off to drive here - and had fallen asleep not realising how tired she felt. We fed her, she collected her bag from the car, went to her room - and didn't reappear until supper the next day.
I admit I was a little worried - people have sometimes, often, slept all morning, but never all day! So by mid-afternoon I went to her room to check. She was curled up, fast asleep, and I had only woken her. I apologised and beat a hasty retreat. (no pun intended) But she appeared at supper, profusely and incredibly grateful for the space and time and peace that had enabled her to sleep for nearly 24 hours.
Before she left, she wrote in the visitors' book. “I have, even in a brief couple of days, found a profound peace here, such a wonderful sense of God’s peace, which I needed to experience. Thank you for letting me sleep. This really is a wonderful place of God. I will be back!”
So The Vine is here for you - for you to sleep if that's what you need! And for many of us, exhausted from the endless pressures of daily life, what we need is the space and time to BE. To come and say, "I'm not doing very well .... I need time to rest, sleep, because I'm living and working out of tiredness.... I want to redefine my life by who I am in Christ not by what I am seen to be doing."
The Vine has the flexibility to enable you to have what you need, what will be most helpful. And sometimes that's rest, sleep. A massage, breakfast in bed, a good book or a magazine. There's a well stocked library, current issues of "Country Life," and no need to do or be anything or anyone.
But, at other times, you need opportunities for something else - and we have that too:
STOP'N'BE! JUNE 13-15 IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NATIONAL RETREAT EVENT
part of the national retreat events for the weekend of June 13 - 15 2014 and Ideal for those who have not experienced a retreat before.
A time to step away from normal routines and try some space and sanctuary.
A guided retreat but with plenty of down time. And breakfast in bed if you would like. Walks, rhythm of prayers in Chapel, good food, comfy beds .... 48 hours of time to BE (with help on that if you need it!)
- Friday, June 13, 2014 – Sunday, June 15, 2014
WRITERS' WEEKEND RETREATS
choice of dates:
JULY 11 - JULY 13
SEPTEMBER 19-21
A weekend of peace and quiet!
If you're a writer: time and space to get on with your opus magnum; chat with others over meals for further inspiration; encourage and support each other in getting down to the actual words on a page! And morning and evening hemming of the day with a guided devotional time to provide spiritual nourishment. If you just want space, time, peace ... this is the weekend for you! Breakfast in bed, time to relax, read, pray .... AND WRITE! Your hosts are each published writers. Maximum of 5 people. Private en-suite rooms. Full board.
- Friday, July 11, 2014 – Sunday, July 13, 2014
NEW: for your diary
If you would like to come, book soon before these go online!
- Walking Holiday August 24 – 30 2014
There will be a different daily guided local walk, of some 7 – 10 miles, in various parts of the beautiful Cotswold areas near us, such as Castle Combe to Ford, Old Sodbury, the Cotswold Way near Bath. Daily devotional times. Dinner bed & breakfast provided (we stop for lunch at hostelries en route where you can purchase sustenance) Accommodation in twin rooms - maximum of 10 people. Fully guided walks, evening devotional sessions. Prices from just £490 for this 7 day holiday with 6 days of walking, DBB.
- Walking Week Summer 2015 FROM SPIRE TO SPA
Walking from Oxford to Bath through some of the loveliest of the southern Cotswold towns. Stay each night at The Vine for dinner bed and breakfast; transport out and back each day; (we stop for lunch at hostelries en route where you can purchase sustenance) Accommodation in twin rooms - maximum of 10 people. Further details and prices will be available soon. Oxford is only an hour from us by car, Bath 30 minutes, so the drive each day is not as bad as it sounds at first!
To book on any of our retreats - whether guided or individual - please fill in the form HERE
Details of retreats can be found at:
http://www.thevine-at-maysfarm.com/retreats/
"Once we arrived, the house drew us in like a hug and neither of us had any inclination to go anywhere ..... The ultimate hosts are surely people who who provide the perfect atmosphere and space in which to rest and dream and spend time with God. Unwittingly, perhaps, Penelope has built the kind of haven she once desperately needed and was unable to find at the time. It's clear she takes great pleasure in seeing others blessed by it." - Deborah, writing on her blog about her retreat at The Vine
