Creative Retreat Ideas

There is a great need today for opportunities for soul-weary people to respond to Jesus' invitation to 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest awhile' (Mark 6.31). This book is about helping you and others to rest and grow in God. Creative Retreat Ideas offers an imaginative mixture of ready made and build-your-own programme ideas for short and longer spiritual breaks, from half-hour 'tasters' for those busy with work or family responsibilities, to whole clay and roll weekend retreats. Part 1 introduces the process of facilitating retreats of' varying lengths. Part 2 introduces twenty practices for spiritual formation from the contemplative stream or Christian spirituality. Complete with resource sheets, these form basic retreat building blocks that can be used in a variety or ways to suit your context. Parts 3, 4 and 5 explore different ways of using these resources in a range of group ret real settings, including: Ten introduction outlines for people new to retreats or those with limited time. These range in length from thirty minutes to three hours and are ideal for existing meetings in your church, or may be woven into a youth programme, introduced in a 'fresh expression' context or offered in a rest-home, a prison, or to a community group wanting to explore spirituality. Five themed Data programmes lasting six to eight hours. Full details of process and content are provided as well as contemplative exercises to help retreatants go deeper with God. Three overnight or weekend retreats in which the commitment, the effort, and the journey combine with the darkness stillness of night-time to extend retreatantsÆ experience of God and to their own inner longings for freedom and wholeness.

Build your own seasonal retreat programmes with this unique resource. Offering material for use throughout the Christian year, it uses the Church's seasons to explore the different ways that Christ meets us, the saving mysteries of each season, and the ways that the seasons resonate with varying life stages: • Advent: Beginning again • Christmas: Finding God • Epiphany: Seeing glory • Lent: Finding acceptance • Passiontide: Growing in compassion • Easter: Growing in faith • Ascensiontide: Making sense of it all • Pentecost: Sensing the Spirit • Ordinary Time: Visions of the whole. Drawing on on Scripture, Christian tradition and contemporary psychological insights such as the Enneagram, it offers two outline retreat programmes for each season, with a wide range of imaginative activities and spiritual exercises. The outlines are readily adaptable to half day, whole day or weekend retreats and are suitable for group or individually-guided retreats.

A practical, fresh approach to planning and implementing women's retreats, thei workbook will guide leaders through each step in the planning an dproduction of a transforming women's retreat. It offers a month-by-month checklist as well as fully detailed, illustrated examples of successful retreats that any church can borrow or adapt.

For readers of Walden, Wild, Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek, A Book of Silence, A Gift from the Sea and other celebrations of the inner adventure. An utterly engaging dive into our modern ways of retreat — where we go, why we’re drawn, and how it’s urgent From pilgrim paths to forest cabins, and from rented hermitages to arts temples and quiet havens for yoga and meditation, In Praise of Retreat explores the pleasures and powers of this ancient practice for modern people. Kirsteen MacLeod draws on the history of retreat and personal experiences to reveal the many ways readers can step back from society to reconnect with their deepest selves — and to their loftiest aspirations in life. In the 21st century, disengaging, even briefly, is seen by many as self-indulgent, unproductive, and antisocial. Yet to retreat is as basic a human need as being social, and everyone can benefit, whether it’s for a weekend, a month, or a lifetime. Retreat is an uncertain adventure with as many peaks and valleys as any mountain expedition, except we head inward, to recharge and find fresh energy and brave new ideas to bring back into our everyday lives.

Discover how the lost art of wonder can help you cultivate greater creativity, resilience, meaning, and joy as you bring your greatest contributions to life. Beyond grit, focus, and 10,000 hours lies a surprising advantage that all creatives have—wonder. Far from child’s play, wonder is the one radical quality that has led exemplary people from all walks of life to move toward the fruition of their deepest dreams and wildest endeavors—and it can do so for you, too. “Wonder is a quiet disruptor of unseen biases,” writes Jeffrey Davis. “It dissolves our habitual ways of seeing and thinking so that we may glimpse anew the beauty of what is real, true, and possible.” Rich with wisdom, inspiring stories, and practical tools, Tracking Wonder invites us to explore how the lost art of wonder can inspire a life of greater joy, possibility, and purpose. You’ll discover: The six facets of wonder—key qualities to help you cultivate the art of wonder in your work, relationships, and lifeHow wonder can help us fertilize creativity, sustain the motivation to pursue big ideas, navigate uncertainty and crises, deepen our relationships, and moreThe biases against wonder—moving beyond societal and internalized resistance to our inherent giftsWhy experiencing wonder isn’t really about achieving goals—though that happens—but about how we live each dayInspiring stories of people whose experiences of wonder helped them move through the unthinkable to create extraordinary livesPractical exercises, tools, and reflections to help you begin your own practice of tracking wonder A refreshing counter-voice to the exhausting narrative hyper-productivity, Tracking Wonder is a welcome guide for experiencing more meaning and joy in the present moment as you bring your greatest contributions to life.

Going a day retreat or quiet day is a regular activity for many local churches. During the preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent, they are especially popular. While many retreat houses and religious communities offer a program for such days, many groups prefer a do-it yourself approach. This resource contains twelve complete day-long programs that are focused around different themes and are appropriate for use at varying times of the Christian year. It is suitable for all ages and assorted pastoral contexts. It also gives step-by-step instructions on creating your own program from scratch. Each session includes: opening worship, short talk 1, reflection exercise, short talk 2, second reflection exercise, prayers and blessings. Additionally there are leaders' notes on all practical aspects of planning and conducting such a day, from booking the venue to handout templates. This new edition comes with download able worship and reflection materials to enrich your program.

Nonprofit leadership is messy Nonprofits leaders are optimistic by nature. They believe with time, energy, smarts, strategy and sheer will, they can change the world. But as staff or board leader, you know nonprofits present unique challenges. Too many cooks, not enough money, an abundance of passion. It’s enough to make you feel overwhelmed and alone. The people you help need you to be successful. But there are so many obstacles: a micromanaging board that doesn’t understand its true role; insufficient fundraising and donors who make unreasonable demands; unclear and inconsistent messaging and marketing; a leader who’s a star in her sector but a difficult boss… And yet, many nonprofits do thrive. Joan Garry’s Guide to Nonprofit Leadership will show you how to do just that. Funny, honest, intensely actionable, and based on her decades of experience, this is the book Joan Garry wishes she had when she led GLAAD out of a financial crisis in 1997. Joan will teach you how to: Build a powerhouse board Create an impressive and sustainable fundraising program Become seen as a ‘workplace of choice’ Be a compelling public face of your nonprofit This book will renew your passion for your mission and organization, and help you make a bigger difference in the world.

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks — write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example — The Artist’s Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone’s got it."—The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"—Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.