If you missed the retreat but would like to come in February, get more information here.
Last week 11 of us went on retreat at Whitchester Christian Centre near Hawick with the Book of Ruth. It was a beautiful relaxing venue with comfy sofas and a roaring log fire in the sitting room. The craft room was cosy (!) but as we chatted after hours on the last night we realised that there were real benefits from working so closely together in the quiet – each in our own heads but aware of the fellowship of the group as we crafted, prayed and meditated on the images that came up for us in the the story.
STOP PRESS: next time we’ll be taking over the beautiful big dining room as our crafting space so there will be plenty of room for the February retreat.
As you know, Ruth is just 4 chapters long – the perfect size to tackle on a retreat. I did a short talk and meditation on each chapter spread throughout the time away, and I was amazed by how many riches we managed to get out of it between us all – from love, in-laws, poverty, faith, hope and womens’ rights to name but a few. Some of the things that came up as we looked at the plight of the displaced women in a hostile culture were not comfortable, but it was exciting to see their faith and resilience through it all and the promise of renewal coming good at the end of the story.
As always, the variety of journal pages was stunning and the creativity of the participants inspiring. The mini envelopes and the ‘glitter chicken’ were particular highlights! (Probably better not to ask….)
It was an inspiring group with a mixture of church leaders, world-changers, seasoned journallers and those new to creative journalling. I’m grateful to everyone for coming, sharing, praying and generally getting stuck in. We created a glorious mixture of total chaos (see picture below), intentional prayer and study, quiet spaces alone and interesting chat over copious amounts of tea, coffee, and freshly-baked shortbread.
I’ll be running the retreat again in February and at the time of writing there are still some some places left so click the link at the top of the page if you’re interested in coming or or Email Jane for more info.
If you would like to purchase a journalling kit on the book of Ruth, including the study notes booklet, kits cost £18 and can be ordered by email: Email Jane
