More Good Days

     It's been a couple of weeks already since the men's treat at Manzanita and I suspect they've gone as fast for you as they have for me.  The day I came home from the beach I realized how much I had needed that time away.  Along with the good group and meal times, it refreshed my soul just to play  (check out a short video of the weekend here).
     Have you ever considered why childhood is such a magical time for most people?  Think about it.  A good day, when you were a kid was filled with learning something new every day at school, having lunch with best friends, playing at recess, a hug from mom after school along a plate of cookies, and playing outside until you got called in for dinner.  After dinner you took a warm bath, someone read a story to you, kissed you on the cheek and tucked you in a warm bed.
     What's missing in a typical day once you're an adult?  Okay, it might be the hugs, but I think it's especially the part about learning something new every day and playing with friends.  Even if we get some exercise, it's normally on a treadmill or in a gym.  The fun factor isn't exactly high.  How much better would life be if we got out and played more with our friends?  The retreat reminded me how important it is to play.  My preferred mode of play is physical.  For the first few days after the weekend, I was deliriously sore.  Your play mode may be entirely different.
     With that in mind, how about getting together more often for some fun?  If you're around on May 30th, come out and play! We'll do pizza and see the new movie, Robin Hood.  The 30th is a Sunday (Memorial Day weekend) so, for anyone interested, we could shoot some hoops beforehand too.  When the movie comes out we'll set a time.

     Finally, I hope that there are some lingering memories of the ideas we chewed on at the beach.  To review:

• Friday night we asked each other, "How full is your tank?"  We looked at Jonah, Jeremiah, Job, Jesus - each had times when they pretty much ran out of fuel for various reasons and we talked about ways we relate to them.  We noted how consistently being or feeling alone is a factor that leads to running on empty. 
• Saturday morning we made our "window of drain" with post-its and spent a good chunk of time in 1 Kings 18-19 with Elijah as he was first used by God in huge ways, but was emptied and ran away before hearing God's restoring whisper on Mt. Horeb. 
• Saturday night we explored the Genesis story and the power of purpose and meaning to refill us. We discussed Adam's relationship with God, self, creation and others - and how we are filled when those relationships are rightly connected.  David F. Wallace's commencement speech and suicide both inspired and warned us. 

How are you doing since we came away from that time?  Have you let God use whatever he pointed out to you?  Did you make any sort of pledge to God or yourself that you need to check on now?   Think it over.  Let's help each other keep those ideas warm and our spirits full.
- Curtis
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Also coming up:  In early May (tentatively Saturday May 8th), you're invited to help build 3 raised garden beds at Trihaven house.  Growing their own veggies will be both therapeutic and healthy for the residents - and fun to work on with them.  Let me know if you'd like to help with this worthwhile one-day project. 

Men of Cedar

Men of Cedar is our new name - a tad less dorky than that D-Men thing. We just weren't that "D" enough. But let's not talk about that.

The new name is simple, but with a double meaning. Men of Cedar says just who we are - Men from Cedar Hills. However it also has a deeper meaning that Cedar conveys - strength, roots, growth. Cedars in the bible are symbols of steady strength. Psalm 92:12 says,
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
But Cedars were also trees that symbolized dangerous pride and arrogance if one's trust was put in them alone. So they remind us that we can't stand alone, we can't put our trust in ourselves. We are meant to grow strong with deep roots in God.

So together, as Men of Cedar, we can . . .

Build Character
Build Passion
Build Strength

Our Retreat is coming up fast! It's April 17-19 at Rockaway. Pay by March 1 or the price goes up (I think it's still $85 til then). Our theme this year is Beyond the Daily Grind, and we'll be discussing the book Dare to Desire by John Eldredge. It's only about 130 pages, so you can absorb it before the retreat. It seems to be out of print but you can get copies from Amazon's used site, and I've found it on Half.com and a place called Alibris. Each of these sites have the book for about $2 plus shipping, but it takes perhaps 10 days to arrive. So order it soon and actually read it! (see sample page below)

There's a couple of options for you if two nights away just seems to go too quickly. Neither of these are "mandatory." Just options:

Option 1: The retreat officially begins Friday night. But if you're up for some camping, I'm going to spend Thursday afternoon and night at Nehalem Falls Campground. It's one of the most beautiful spots I've seen and is not far from our weekend house. Let me know if you want to join me and I'll nab some extra spots - they're first come, first nab unless we want a big group site which I could reserve. I've got plenty of tents (like 4!) and some extra snoozerbags. There's a great river, places to hike and God shows up there often. Join me!

Option Two: At the end of the weekend we have the house for an extra free night. So you're invited to stay over Sunday to Monday if you wish. There won't be any agenda and we'll just eat leftovers, but it's a nice time to relax and enjoy each other.

I'll talk more about the retreat theme in upcoming posts. Check out the "poll" below too. It will have a different question about the retreat each week so we can customize it for you. I highly recommend signing up now! It's going to be great.
- Curtis

Sample page from Dare to Desire