This month will be divided into two different themes. The first half of this month, we are going to look at the theme of Rest, Renew, and Refresh, leading up to our Destination Retreat, Called to Listen, September 15-17.
If you have not yet signed up, we would love for you to join us in this opportunity to step away from the noise of normal life and be renewed by time in communion with God and with one another—listening! There are still remaining spots in the cabins for housing, and we welcome you to just come out for the day on Saturday, if that is what your schedule allows.
At times, we need to hit “pause” and make physical rest, spiritual renewal, and mental refreshment a priority.
The retreat will also serve as a springboard for the theme through the second half of the month and October. We will walk together through forty days of listening, using Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. These posts will continue for forty consecutive days, not only Monday through Friday, as we normally share the blog posts.
This book contains forty interactive listening guides and six Weekly Reflections to be done in a small group setting. Each week emphasizes a different way we can listen:
Listening to the Good Shepherd
Listening to the Creator
Listening to the Father
Listening to the Son
Listening to the Spirit
Listening through the five senses
The Destination Retreat will be the kickoff for forty days of listening together. The IRSM blog posts for the forty days following the retreat will be the same listening exercises as found in the book. Here in Searcy, for example, we will meet on Thursday evenings, starting September 21st, in order to share in the Weekly Reflections together.
And we want to encourage you to invite other women to participate in listening together, specifically through the book Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. Join with us, starting on Monday, September 18. Additional copies of the book will be available at the retreat, or you can order a set of books through our website ahead of time: http://ironrosesister.com/index.php/resources/store/called-to-listen