Awaken Our Souls
Dear Pali Pres,
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to New Mexico for a very powerful men’s religious retreat. It was held in a beautiful location—in the high desert just north of Albuquerque, at a conference center residing on the ancient Native American lands of the Tamayame people. (See below for some photos of this beautiful and spirit-filled land, which is nestled between the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande River.)
The retreat was sponsored by Illuman, a men’s faith-based organization (which I know I’ve mentioned/written about before; visit illuman.org for more info). The theme for the retreat was “Awaken!” which comes from Mark 13: 37 when Jesus says, “What I say to you I say to all: keep awake!” Inspiration for the retreat also came from a quotation by John O’Donohue who says, “If you can awaken the eternal beauty and light of your soul, you will bring light wherever you go.”
As men on the spiritual path, what does it mean to “awaken” our souls? What is involved in awakening our inner beautify and light so that we can bring more light into the world? These were the questions we reflected on together, all 266 of us! Through teachings, small group sharing, ritual, and spending time in the beautiful nature that surrounded us we were invited to explore for ourselves how God is calling us to “keep awake” in our lives.
Our teachings were centered around four key stages/practices: 1) Gratitude—every new awakening starts with taking on a posture of gratitude; 2) Honoring Pain—being honest about our pain and the pain of the world; 3) Receiving a New Vision—after spending time in gratitude and recognizing our pain, discerning what new thing is God awakening in us; and 4) Going Forth—going out to live awakened lives by putting our new vision from God into action.
There is much more I can (and probably will) say about the retreat. But I wanted to share with all of you some of the highlights, along with a word of encouragement to engage in practices that help you “awaken” the best and most beautiful parts of your soul. Through prayer and honest reflection, postures of gratitude, time in nature, and more. let us all explore how we can bring more light to our life and our world.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
