Church Retreat

Hey Bloggers,

I just wanted to tell you about my church retreat this weekend.  I know some of you don't like to read anything dealing with religion, so if that's true, do not read this post and stop here.

I was not sure what to expect from this weekend.  I don't even remember if I had ever been on a church retreat at all.  This whole idea of going on a weekend trip with many adults I do not know was a bit intimidating to me.  It really pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

Let me back up a bit.  I mentioned in a few posts back how I am starting to get back involved with a church in Bel Air called Bel Air Presbyterian.  This has been a good church for the most part, but it is very Hollywood.  This was Ronald Reagan's church, and on Christmas Eve, Megan Fox sat behind me.  If that isn't Hollywood, then what is?  Anyway, the church is great, but it is so much more flashy and "interactive" than what I am used too.  However, with that said, everyone is really nice.  There is a young adult service on Tuesdays called Foundry, and this is the group with which I went on the retreat.

Our retreat was up in Ojai, California which is about 1.5 hours north of LA near Santa Barbara.  This are is beautiful and surrounded by horse ranches and cattle farms in the mountains.  What is interesting is you are only about 5 miles or so inland from the Pacific, but you would never know it.

The retreat was very much like camp.  I had cabins and roommates and attended worship services on our first night.   The first night, there were about 100 campers, and I knew only one or two.  We were later split into small groups, which was always something I have been very intimidated by.  I have always found talking in small groups much more intimidating than larger crowds.  Now here I had to talk to these 4 women about something that was so personal to me and something I never really talk about anyway.  So the first night was just getting used to it all.

Saturday was a great day.  We had breakfast at 8:30 in the morning and then listened to our first sermon.  We had a great speaker who was funny and witty, but he talked about whether we were living our faith as orphans or as sons.  It took me a while to understand this message, but I can surely say now I get it.  He was talking about being proud of our relationship with God and taking pride in how He fills us in our life.  This was a message I really needed to hear.

I realized I need to be more involved with my faith, not just by going to church on Sundays but by really trying to involve God and talking to him as I would my family, not because I have too but because I want too.  This really hit home for me.

During the day, the campers were free to do any activities we wanted in hopes that it was time getting to know with one another and spending with God.  I went on a hike to the top of the mountain where a cross was, and then did a quick zip line down the hill.  I also played basketball, volleyball, and did a rock climbing wall.  The rock climbing wall was definitely a challenge, but I eventually made it to the top, and I was really proud of myself.  Then before dinner, I tried to spend some alone time just enjoying the area and trying to sort out things in my head.

Saturday night, we had one tough night.  We touched the subject of pain and what its purpose was in our life.  I was not prepared to get as emotional as I did.  I ended up crying during the music part of worship and when we split into small groups, some of us were a mess.  I guess I had to really face my insecurities and fears dead on and address them.  This was really hard.  We talked about topics I didn't want to touch, but there they were.  I guess it was meant to be.  At the end of the night, I felt like a whole weight was lifted off of me and I got great perspective at how to look at areas in my life that have been really bothering me.  I am really grateful for that.

Then Sunday morning, we had our final worship service.  We just summarized our lessons together with communion and left knowing we had a stronger faith than when we came.  This retreat was totally worth it, and I feel like I am actually relieved of a lot of the pressures I came with.  I feel like I am in a good place now, and I have God to thank for that.

So now, I am entering my week feeling relaxed and excited to see what happens.  I will keep you posted.

Until then.. night!