What do I do on retreat at New Norcia? I remember the first retreat I ever went on at Retreat House in Melbourne. I felt very holy and sat there waiting for something special and spiritual to happen; it never did. I’ve moved on a bit from there; I’ve learned that we take ourselves wherever we go, so personal reflection and renovation takes an openess to new insights and willingness to take responsibility to learn and change.

This retreat Ive shared meals with the other punters – usually a motley crew of stragglers from around the world who almost universally say, “Isnt it peaceful here?” and it is.
I went for a long bike ride and reflected on that as a metaphor for church leadership, especially aspects of pacing, consistency, isolation, leadership and finishing strongly.
I’ve watched my favourite “boy” movies on the laptop – Saving Private Ryan, Gran Torino, Apollo 13, Gladiator. I appreciate their message and have been made increasingly aware of the cultural codes they tap into since reading Clotaire Raphaille’s – The Culture Code (see post – Reading This Week 11th March).
I sleep a lot, and the more I sleep the more aware I become of how tired I am.
I marvel at how this stark village in a dusty paddock can be such an oasis for people and have decided the answer comes down to one word – “prayer”. It is soaked in prayer. What this does and how it works is a mystery but prayer changes things. I reflect on this, I drink it in, I give thanks for the gift that it is to me in this second of my life.
I forget. I discipline myself to live only this moment, to leave other places, responsibilities, concerns to God. To remember I am not God, he knows, cares, leaves much better than I do.
I’m reading over and over the 4 chapters of text that Abbott Placid, who died in 2008, said of all the literature on the planet was the most important to him (it is John 13-17 by the way).
Today it’s 11am and I have no idea where the morning has gone and it doesn’t matter – that’s retreat!