Kick the Pastor Out

 

October is Pastor Appreciation Month.

[ Aside: I know everybody should be appreciated. Why do pastors get a whole month of appreciation, when administrative assistants and teachers only get one day; and I’m pretty sure writers, dentists or nuclear-physicists don’t get one at all?  I don’t know, but I’m not here to debate that.]

Anyway, pastors have a tough job. Contrary to the persistent rumors, they actually DO work more than one day a week; in fact pastors are typically on-call 24/7. When someone in the church gets sick or needs prayer, they call the pastor. When somebody dies, even at 3:00 in the morning, they call the pastor. When people get married, or divorced, or have a baby, or have a teenager who gets arrested for reckless driving– they call the pastor. Pastors are called by God to take care of their flock of people, and that flock of people call the pastor. A lot.

Not only that, but pastors are expected to be excellent speakers, inspiring preachers, brilliant theologians, knowledgeable marriage counselors, and experts in all things Biblical. They are also expected to teach classes, lead worship, know how to answer impossible questions (Such as: If an infant dies right after they’re born, are they saved even if they weren’t baptized? What did Jesus write in the sand after he said “Those without sin cast the first stone?” and Will there be coffee in heaven? etc.) Pastors are very often expected to be great with kids and teenagers, and then turn around and visit then elderly residents of a nursing home. They are expected to know the names, ages and families of everyone who comes to the church, especially if they only show up on Christmas and Easter. And in smaller parishes, pastors even have to plunge toilets and fix leaky pipes. It is very often a thankless job. Which is why appreciating your pastor is important.

One way to show your pastor that you appreciate all of the work that they do is to kick them out of the church and send them away. (For a few days, at least) Have the church send your pastor and their spouse on a retreat! Getting a few days AWAY from their ministry will allow them to relax, go for a walk, reconnect with God and their spouse, and get some much-needed rest. A retreat will not only help the pastor get re-energized and refocused, but it will also allow the congregation to take care of some of those things the pastor has always done. Maybe an elder can lead the Wednesday evening Bible study while the pastor is away. Maybe the deacons can take the youth group bowling. And maybe someone will finally call a real plumber!

So send your pastor away this month! Reserve a week, or even a few days, at The Oasis Renewal Center for your pastor. If scheduling is problematic, give them an Oasis Gift Certificate and the pastor can schedule a retreat when it’s convenient. See our website for details.

Running on Empty

Those of us who fly on occasion are familiar with the Flight Attendant's words about oxygen masks: "Place your own mask on first, before helping a child or another person with theirs."

To those of us in ministry or in a helping profession, that feels counter-intuitive! It's practically in our DNA to help other people first. Take care of everyone else, and put our own needs aside. Self-sacrifice is admired! To act otherwise would seem... selfish.

Here's the kicker: if you are passing out from lack of oxygen, you won't be able to help anyone else with their oxygen mask.

We can apply the same principle to our spirit. If you are in ministry or in another helping profession, you GIVE of yourself all the time. Unless you attend to your own spiritual needs first, you can't help anyone else. We cannot give what we do not have in the first place. When your spirit is dry - when you're running on empty - you won't get far, and you can't help anyone else.

That is why retreats are so important. Taking the time to get away from your daily routine and attend to your spirit is essential! You need to reconnect with God on a regular basis in order to be equipped to help others.

That is what The Oasis Renewal Center provides. A place where you can connect with God and connect with others. A place to relax, pray, and listen; a place to get a spiritual refill! Come visit us!

6 Reasons to go on a Retreat!

Retreats have always been an important part of the spiritual journey. Dallas Willard, who writes about spiritual practices, says “It was an important day when I finally understood that if Jesus needed forty days in the wilderness.... I could probably use three of four.” 

Here are six reasons why you should go on a retreat this year:

1) Jesus did it.  Luke reminds us “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places…” (Luke 5:16) In Jesus’ ministry, he accomplished a lot. Performing miracles, healing, preaching, and walking all over Israel can take a lot out of a person. Yet, we never see Jesus frantically rushing. He wasn’t driven by agendas or running around at the speed of light. He lingered over meals. He sat and talked with people. He went into the mountains by himself, or walked by the sea where he experienced God’s presence. Jesus went on retreats – retreats where something significant happens. His 40 days in the wilderness was as much a retreat, as it was temptation.  Retreats fueled his ministry. When Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6) maybe he implied more than we realize!  Maybe his way is better than your way. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you must do the things that Jesus did. Jesus retreated. Enough said.

2) You’ve got rhythm. There is a natural rhythm to life that people often want to avoid. We just can’t get around the fact that we need 8 hours of sleep, in order to be alert and functioning during the other 16 hours. There is also a rhythm to nature. Gardens need to lie fallow for a time, in order to replenish the soil. Trees lose their leaves and go dormant in winter. Something happens in the winter than can’t happen in the spring. There is a purpose to these seasons of rest! When you resist or try to rearrange the rhythm that God created in you, you miss out on the abundant life that Jesus promised. A retreat can help restore your rhythm.

3) God is awesome. Without reminding yourself of the bigger picture, the overarching story of life, you can find yourself living a small, lonely existence filled with meaningless routine. Work, fast food and Facebook can consume your life. People are more often awed by the tiny-ness of technology than the glory of God. We’re told that Jesus often went off by himself so he could pray, rest and get refreshed. He went out into the mountains and surrounding countryside to experience God’s presence, in a way that would reorient his perspective. On those retreats, whether he was alone or with a few of his friends, Jesus experienced the splendor of creation and the majesty of God. A retreat can remind you just how amazing God still is.

4) Your soul needs recharging.  When the battery in your cell phone is dead, you plug it in to get it going again. You have to recharge the battery. After a busy week, or a busy season, your adrenalin levels are high. Yes, you need to achieve and accomplish stuff, but your soul was designed to recharge by not achieving and accomplishing stuff. God rested, so should you. Rest is how your soul recharges. Something happens during rest - in retreat - that cannot happen when you are living on adrenalin. Your soul needs to retreat to recharge.

5) Knowing God requires more than books. Our society is obsessed with information and education. Seminars, conferences, sermons and podcasts are everywhere! More information may look good on a resume, but it will not transform your soul.  God says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) There is a holiness in stillness and silence. Experiencing God’s presence changes your life in a way that knowing facts about God can’t. Jesus’ parables referred to things like storms, seeds, trees and birds. Creation can teach us things about God that books and conferences can’t. A retreat that ushers you into stillness, silence and the beauty of nature helps you really get to know God. 

And the best reason of all to retreat:

6) Jesus invites you. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

See you at The Oasis soon!

Silence and Prayer

“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” ~ Mother Theresa

I recently read Mansions of the Heart, by Tom Ashbrook. It is a wonderful exploration of how we grow spiritually, and a reminder that we never truly "get there" in this life.

One of Tom's stories resonated with me and the purpose of The Oasis Renewal Center. Tom spent some time on a retreat at a monastery, and was curious how the monks could devote their entire lives to prayer. He watched them for a few days before finally asking one of them about it. He offhandedly commented that he would run out of things to say to God, and asked the monk how he could pray all the time. The monk smiled, and replied, "Well, mostly I listen."  Aha!

There is silence at The Oasis. In the silence, you can listen to God. At times the silence at The Oasis almost seems deafening. One of our guests  commented: "It's almost too quiet here!"

When was the last time you experienced silence? In the silence you may notice that your ears are ringing. Or that the wind is blowing. Or that birds are singing. Or that you can actually hear yourself breathing. Or that God is whispering to you.

Holy Yoga, Batman!

I spent last week at an intense yoga retreat. Intense and yoga should not be used in the same sentence. In fact that entire sentence is an oxymoron.

You're probably thinking, "Oh wah! A yoga retreat? Quit complaining!" But bear with me, please.

The "retreat" (and I use that term very loosely) was a week-long intensive training to complete my certification as a Registered Holy Yoga Instructor. I was at this so-called retreat with about 50 other people, from all over the country, who were also completing their yoga training. It was an amazing time of worship, bonding and stretching; and a crash course in getting to know the muscles in my body that had apparently been on vacation on a tropical beach for the past few years. 

Did I mention that we were stretched?

There was very little rest or relaxation involved in this - we were up early and on our yoga mats by 7 am. Yes, you read that correctly. For those of you who don't know me well, the very idea of being anywhere but in my bed at 7 am is anathema to me!! Especially before 3 cups of coffee and breakfast. So you can imagine what was going through my head as we began to stretch and move at that absurd hour: "These people are trying to kill me!"

On the second day, the morning yoga hour was followed by breakfast, then a very full schedule of workshops on yoga poses, lectures on anatomy, a light lunch and some Bible study thrown in for good measure. After dinner we got to hit the mat once more for something called "Power Yoga." I have no idea who came up with that idea, but they obviously have an affinity for torture. This confirmed my initial suspicions.

By the third day, my butt was so sore it was actually numb. This was from sitting on my yoga mat while listening to those previously mentioned lectures and workshops for three days. And then I got a cramp. In my right butt cheek. Not in the usual gluteous maximus butt cheek muscle, but somewhere deeper...somewhere mysterious and terrifying. Somewhere where no muscle should even be, let alone one with a cramp. So, that was fun.

On Friday we had to design a short Holy Yoga class of our own to teach to our fellow yogis-in-training. This was actually fun and challenging, because we could show our "class" how to get into specific yoga poses and connect a worshipful experience to the poses. My class became experts at breathing deeply while in Corpse Pose. After 10 minutes of that however, it was suggested that I teach them something a bit more vigorous.

By Saturday I didn't want to go home. I was having so much fun! I was enjoying the fellowship and worship experience that is Holy Yoga, and I was really getting into the physical challenge of yoga! Who knew? 

I never expected God to show up on my yoga mat (at an absurdly early hour) and teach me something about myself. After all, I'm 49 - I'm in the "middle" of my life, and I figured I must know myself pretty well by now. Ha!

I learned that getting up early and working out before breakfast did not kill me.
I learned that what doesn't kill me actually does make me stronger!
I learned that I shouldn't say "I can't."
I learned that excuses are just that...excuses.
I learned that I am much more flexible that I gave myself credit for.
I learned that I can S T R E T C H. In more ways than one.
I learned that even if I am physically unable to get into Lotus pose, that's OK. I never wanted to do that one  anyway.