Men's Beach Retreat April 9-11, 2010

Men’s Beach Retreat 

Running on Empty
April 9-11, 2010

Book: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene Peterson
(Colossians 2:8-10)

I had my oil changed the other day. Yeah, I wanted to do it on my own, but my 2008 Honda Civic is built so low to the road that I can't even get underneath it without ramps, and I don't have those...so that's a great excuse to take it in and get er done...
When the oil change was complete, the tech said,
"You know how to reset the engine oil monitor, right?"
"Nope, you guys always do it."
So he tried showed me how - which didn't work at first. So he read the instructions from his manual:
"Turn ignition off." Check.
"Turn ignition on and hold the reset button until it blinks for 10 seconds." Check.
"It should then blink more quickly; hold down for additional 5 seconds." Check. And viola, it worked. The oil indicator read "100%" and all the blinking warning lights and wrench pictures disappeared from the dashboard. I drove away with an actual feeling of having cleansed some dark goo from my car; replacing it with something light and healthy. My Honda was 100% reset and ready to drive.

I guess I'm mixing my metaphors, but I thought about that oil changing/resetting experience and our upcoming retreat at Manzanita (April 9-11). The theme this year is Running On Empty (no, not Time to Change the Oil).  One of the things that a retreat often does for us is provide a time to do an emotional and spiritual "reset." Could you benefit from God resetting your heart, mind and life? I suspect that almost all of us could use that.

Still not sure?  Running on Empty can creep up on us.  Often, we don't even know we're getting close to empty.  Ask yourself, "Are any of these 'warning lights' on for me?"  Do you sometimes . . .

• Feel like you're living on a treadmill
• Trying hard to live right, but you're not getting where you want to be or sure you're making progress
• Tired of the same ole thing and tired of being tired of the same ole thing
• Recently told your wife or a close friend, “I just want to run away” - or you've had that thought
• Have stopped sharing much of yourself with your family and good friends, feeling like no one knows what's going on for you
• Seldom or never pray because you don’t have the energy or desire
• Feel pressured at work, pressured at home
• Think you're not the husband you want to be, or the “success” you dreamed you'd be
• Feel like you're frequently drained of energy and enthusiasm
• Looking for solutions, seldom finding any that work for long
• Are tempted to escape into distractions that eat away at your soul instead of feeding it ( destructive relationships, substances, porn, pointless computer time or other diminishing pursuits, etc)

If you relate to some of the statements above, or if you've ever been there in the past and have learned some things that could help others, then this year's Men of Cedar beach retreat is for you.  It's not about finding easy answers to Running On Empty (because those don't work), but about discovering how God seeks to fill us up our empty tanks for the long haul.  The reality is, we can run out of umph in just about any part of our lives: Our work, marriages, parenting, friendships, and with God. Sometimes we find good ways to fill up and replenish ourselves, but we also can get sucked into things that promise relief, but deliver even more emptiness.

The recommended book for this year's retreat has been recognized as a classic, and I first read it over twenty years ago.  It's not a "how-to" book.  Instead, it's a readable study of Psalms 120-134 which talk about life as a journey towards the city of God.  It's called, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene Peterson (the guy who translated The Message version of the bible).  It's available for about $10 on Amazon or you can get it in a variety of versions, including an audio mp3 format from Barnes and Noble here. 
A quote from the chapter on Psalm 126:

"A common but futile strategy for achieving joy is trying to eliminate things that hurt: get rid of pain by numbing the nerve ends, get rid of insecurity by eliminating risks, get rid of disappointments by depersonalizing your relationships. And then try to lighten the boredom of such a life by buying joy in the form of vacations and entertainment. There isn't a hint of that in Psalm 126."

As always the retreat format will include lots of time to do whatever you want.  After the Saturday morning group time, you'll have all of Saturday to do whatever you want:  Hike, bike, sleep, read, take pictures, kayak (there's a 2 hr loop on the Nehalem river that includes a stop for pizza by the river - good stuff...), watch movies - whatever fills you up.  If you've been before, you know that there's a very good chance you'll encounter God at the beach.  If you're running on empty in any part of your life - then I think you'll enjoy the retreat this year. 

Details:  Bill McSwain is again doing his bang-up job of handing the details for the retreat.  He's reserved a house in Manzanita.  The costs at all the houses have gone up (thanks recession!), but we've done our best to keep things simple.  $115 will get you two OR three nights at the house, all meals and snacks included.  The retreat runs Friday-Sunday, but we get the 3rd night free, so you're welcome to stay and have more time to yourself from Sunday to Monday - I'll be staying too. You're on your own for the book, but I highly recommend it - it will make good reading at the beach even if you don't get to it beforehand.  Important:  If you would like to attend, but are having trouble coming up with the funds, do not let that be a barrier.
Come.  
We'll work out the finances - just contact me (Curt) or Bill and we'll make sure you can attend. Or let me know if you have questions!  Hope to see you at Manzanita April 9-11.

- Curtis