A TIMELY REMINDER FROM ANTHONY DE MELLO

Here then is another reason why apostles withdraw to make a retreat; they need to be charged with the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit is given to those who watch and pray and wait patiently, those who have the courage to get away from everything and get to grips with themselves and with God in solitude and silence. No wonder every one of the great prophets, and indeed Jesus himself, retired to the desert for long periods of silence, prayer, fasting, wrestling with the forces of evil. The desert is the furnace where the apostle and the prophet are forged. The desert and not the marketplace. The marketplace is where apostles function. The desert is where they are formed and seasoned and receive their commission and their message for their world, "their" gospel. (Emphasis mine)

-From Contact with God by Anthony De Mello

Classic Nouwen quote: Solitude

"Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted by the three compulsions of our world; to be relevant ("turn stones into bread") to be spectacular ("throw yourself down") and to be powerful ("I will give you all these kingdoms"). There He affirmed God as His only source of His identity. ("You must worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.") Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter - the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the living God who offers Himself as the substance of the new self.......

.......Solitude is not a private therapeutic place. Rather, it is a place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born, the place where the emergence of the new man and woman occurs."

-From The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen

Please note that the March 3 day retreat is full. There is a growing list for the June retreat so if you are interested in your name being added please let Dave Newton (contact details on previous posts) know.

FIRST 3-DAY SILENT RETREAT FOR 2016

The first 3-day Individually Guided Silent Retreat will be at Volmoed, a Retreat Centre in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley just outside Hermanus from 14-17 March 2016. As always this retreat will be a time of connecting with God, yourself, and your particular call or vocation, in the silence, and the emphasis is on your journey with God rather than any program or agenda. Taking time to re-connect with the Source of our lives, i.e. God, should empower us to touch our broken world with renewed passion and energy. If  you would like to know more or to receive forms please contact Dave Newton at newtond@telkomsa.net, or on 0725865241. Total cost per person R1099.

NEXT INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED SILENT RETREAT :VOLMOED:9-12 NOVEMBER 2015

The next Silent Retreat led by Rev Dave Newton, is planned for 9-12 November 2015 at Volmoed near Hermanus in the Western Cape.

As always the focus in this retreat will be on the participants spending time in the silence re-connecting with God and themselves, leading to a renewed sense of call or vocation; as well as spending time re-connecting with their own life's journey.

Every attempt is made to avoid being prescriptive in any way, even though there is a basic structure to the three days.

This will be a time for you to listen to God, and to be taught and guided in the ancient disciplines of listening prayer.

Cost of the retreat is R1050 per person all inclusive except for bedding and towels.

If you want to know more and receive a registration form please contact Dave Newton directly at either: newtond@telkomsa.net, or 0725865241

FIRST SILENT RETREAT FOR THE YEAR

Here I thought I was getting it all together and feeling quite proud of my technological achievements in getting all the material our for the activities for the year, and then, when I got the first applications in I realized that I got the dates all wrong. So lets try it again.

FIRST 3-DAY INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED SILENT RETREAT FOR THE YEAR WILL BE AT VOLMOED ON 17-19 MARCH 2015 and not 7-9 MARCH AS IT WAS INITIALLY ADVERTISED. Please forgive my senior moment!!

Please could those who so helpfully advertised this in their notices etc., please correct this for me? I would be most grateful.

As before if there are any interested, for the correct dates this time, they can get in touch with me for registration forms etc.

David Newton

FIRST SILENT RETREAT FOR THE YEAR

The first Silent Retreat for the year led by Rev Dave Newton, is planned for 7-9 March 2015 at Volmoed near Hermanus in the Western Cape.

As always the focus in this retreat will be on the participants spending time in the silence re-connecting with God and themselves, leading to a renewed sense of call or vocation; as well as spending time re-connecting with their own life's journey.

Every attempt is made to avoid being prescriptive in any way, even though there is a basic structure to the three days.

This will be a time for you to listen to God, and to be taught and guided in the ancient disciplines of listening prayer.

Cost of the retreat is R990 per person all inclusive except for bedding and towels.

If you want to know more and receive a registration form please contact Dave Newton directly at either: newtond@telkomsa.net, or 0725865241

Next Silent Retreat 10-13 November 2014 at Volmoed near Hermanus

There are still a few places available on this next retreat should you need a retreat but have forgotten to respond to the previous invitation.

Please contact Dave Newton on  0725865241 or at: newtond@telkomsa.net, as soon as possible of you are interested and I will forward a form. Details are in the previous posting.