Fragments Worth Recording

I wanted to record some notes from the week-end of planning, some inspirations.  The 2019 Create in Me retreat is rooted in the idea of fruits of the spirit, in Galatians 5.

Here is a passage from The Message with an interesting outlook:  "A basic holiness permeates all things and all people."

Pastor Mary reminded us that each one of us is a plant.  That's a fairly common image.  Then she said, "But we're also a vineyard."  We talked about being part of a vineyard.  We also talked about the idea that each one of us is a vineyard, not just a plant.  We talked about what spiritual gifts are needed, both for us and for our communities.

We talked about what needs to grow for the season you are in.

Pastor Mary opened with a prayer, and one sentence struck me so much that I wrote it down:  "We ask that you would hold these sadnesses for us so that we can be fully present."

It was a great week-end, full of full-blown inspirations.  I look forward to seeing the quilt of a retreat that we will create from all of these scraps.