Retreat Your Way To Success: How To Take A Yearly Retreat

Posted on 12.09.08 in Faith Family Productivity and there are

I’ve already written about the importance of taking a Daily Retreat and a Weekly Retreat. Today I want to write about the Yearly Retreat.

Last year I took an amazing 3 day weekend retreat.

I think that the key reason I’ve had such a great year is the retreat that Jimmy sent me on in March. )It was amazing. Gorgeous weather. An adorable Bed and Breadfast. Historic Libraries to read in. And a Dave Barnes concert to top it all off.)

You can read about it here.

I had 2.5 days to relax, read, pray and plan. It revolutionized my year.

Why Take A Yearly Retreat

To Relax
There’s always something that needs to be done. It can be hard to make time to relax. On my retreat weekends, I intentionally take things slow. Last year, I spent the first night in my room with yummy takeout and enjoyed a fun movie.

It’s important to be productive, but it’s also important to relax.

To Recharge
If you’re a parent you know that a full night’s sleep is sometimes a luxury. Retreat weekends are a great time to go to bed early and try to catch up on some sleep.

To Get Direction
“Alice came to the fork in the road.
“Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland”

To Plan
I think the main thing that most people lack is direction. We don’t set clear goals and therefore we don’t accomplish as much as we are capable of.

It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks. But it’s like running on a hamster wheel unless we know that each task is leading us to a particular goal.

How To Take A Yearly Retreat

photo by lanuiop

1. Make It At Least 48 Hours
If at all possible, take at least 48 hours for your retreat.

You want to have enough time so that you don’t feel rushed.

2. Dedicate Day 1 To Offline Activities
The internet is wonderful

And very, very distracting.

It’s incredibly important to unplug, and just spend a day reading, praying and listening. God wants to teach us, but we need to turn off all the noise to hear Him.

3. Outline Your Agenda
Before you leave on your retreat, outline the things you want to pray about and plan.

3. Pray
When I went on my retreat this past year, I spent the first part of the day reading my Bible, praying and listening. It was so refreshing to not have to confine my time with God into a 30 minute time frame. I spent a lot of time asking Him questions, waiting for answers, reading and being inspired again by verses I’ve read a million times. Sometimes when we give truth space it can speak new things.

4. Plan
After I spent time praying and journaling the things I felt I needed to focus on for the next year, I spent the rest of the day planning.

I set goals for the year. Then I broke them down into monthly and weekly goals.

5. Have Fun
Make sure you don’t try to accomplish too much on your retreat. I really only spent a few hours “working.” My last night I walked down to a coffee shop and heard Dave Barnes and Andy Davis (two of my favorites) play a great concert.

Conclusion

We could spend our lives in the trenches - just taking the next task in front of us - reacting to life’s ups and downs.

Or we can decide where we want to go and forge a path to get there.

I hope you’ve been encourage by this series and will adopt at least one of the retreats (Daily, Weekly, Yearly) into your routine.

This has been one of the best and most successful years of my life and I think that this habit of retreating has played a key role.

Your Turn

What would your “dream retreat” be?

(This post is part of WFMW.)

The Comments:

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We took one this last weekend.  We went to Fredrickburg on Friday and returned late Sunday evening.  No internet, no events to attend, no demands on our time.

We spent time out in nature, and allowed ourselves to be recharged.  Its amazing how it can affect you.  We try to do this every 6 months at a minimum.

every year i go on a 4 day quilting retreat. it’s not exactly entirely restful, since i’m leading parts of the weekend, but i still manage to find some time to rest and be alone.

it is truly the highlight of my year. great post!

I definitely need a retreat. I’ll be reading your other retreat posts after I’m done commenting! Sounds like you go somewhere local. Good idea. I am most inspired by “Sometimes when we give truth space it can speak new things.” Thank you.

My dream retreat would be just 6-8 women getting away from Friday to Sunday to pray, study, talk, eat and fellowship together without husbands, children or guilt in order to build relationships with the Lord and with each other.

I love the line “Sometimes when we give truth space it can speak new things”! 

Do you think it’s important for a married woman without kids to take a retreat like this?  I have thought of the idea of a weekend retreat, but I feel kind of selfish for wanting some time alone when I don’t have kids and it’s just my husband and me.  Does that make any sense?  Do you and Jimmy ever take retreats together?

Okay, my comment sounds like I’m implying that you retreat just to get away from your kids, which I’m sure is not true.  I guess what I mean is that you have a busy life at home and so it’s natural that you would need time away, but I don’t know if it’s the same for me when I don’t have kids.  What would I be retreating from?  Is it selfish of me to want a retreat?

I really like your description here of how to take a retreat. I think people will be surprised at how much better they feel if they are intentional about building retreats into their lives.

How inspiring!  I’m impressed you do this on your own.  It takes a strong, confident person to feel comfortable with herself for three whole days.  I’m intrigued, and ready to start planning.

This series has been a blessing to me.  I admire your strength and dedication to all that you believe in.  Is it your faith that keeps you going?

Thanks for this post.  The timing could not have been better what with the holidays breathing down our necks.  I try to get away for anywhere from 2-5 days each year.  We have three kids ages 4, 6, and 8 and my life has been pretty consumed by it all!  I need a getaway so I don’t runaway, if you know what I mean.
Take care,
Julie

i hqadn’t read your blog in awhile and when the Lord stirred me awake at 540 am this morning I came to browse around. I was immeadately inspired and left my house in the dark. I spent two hours in prayer, journaling and reading my Bible. It changed me. Perhaps forever. Thank you.

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