Retreat....

As I send this I am at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley, AZ, known as the Casa.  Check it out online:  www.thecasa.org

I'm at a conference being led by a seminary professor about preaching the psalms.

Last night and early this morning, I took a walk around the grounds.  It's good to be in a different space.  It does cause one to see different things. 

And it's good to be in a space that is set aside as a retreat center, a place to retreat from the rest of the world, from the normal routine, in order to see things differently.

As I walked, I noticed the ground (watching for snakes, for imperfections below that might cause my feet to stumble).  And I gained a new appreciation for the ability to walk, and the ground upon which I walk.

As I walked, I noticed the smells.... of what humans have created (the fumes of vehicles) and what God created (the creosote, the palo verde, the dust).

As I walked I noticed the sounds ... (of room air conditioners, of the quail, and even the silence of the butterfly).

As I walked, I noticed.....

You don't need a retreat center to take a retreat.  In fact, you don't need a new space to walk.  You can just walk your routine with some new intention... the intention of not taking it for granted, of noticing what was there all along.  But it's nice to find a new space, a new way of driving to work or the grocery store or to church.

Because, as I walked, I noticed... God.

And sometimes, it's easy to get wrapped up in a routine and not notice.  And God is worth noticing.

I hope you retreat.... and notice... today.

 

Peace in our journeys,

Pastor Steve Melde