“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” That was Jesus’ invitation to his disciples when they returned from their first teaching, healing mission. Christ Jesus continues to call us today to come away with him on retreat because he knows our need for rest and refreshment, for refilling with his life-giving grace.

Making retreat has long been a mainstay of my spiritual practice, and there are a variety of ways to retreat with Christ Jesus. Just last month I made a week-long retreat at the Green Bough House of Prayer in Adrian, Georgia. That was what is known as a directed retreat where the retreatant meets one-on-one with the director once a day. Using scripture meditation in conjunction with prayer and worship, they try to discern how God is working in the life of the retreatant. I know in every fiber of my being just how important having such dedicated time with God is to my life, my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well -being.

I first got my feet wet in retreat time by participating in quiet days. A quiet day is a mini-retreat, a day set aside for silence, reflection, and worship, which may be conducted by clergy or lay. It often, but not necessarily, takes place in a church or chapel; for example, during Lent this year, my Spiritual Directors’ Peer Group led one sponsored by the Daughters of the King at Christ the King Episcopal Church at Santa Rosa Beach, but I have often conducted them in beach houses in this area.

The Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, for almost twenty years, has provided the opportunity for folks to attend a conducted retreat at the Visitation Monastery in Mobile. It is usually held in the Easter season. A conducted retreat is a three-day silent retreat where a leader gives a series of addresses for the retreatants who spend the rest of the time in prayer, reflection and worship. Having all your needs met, having no telephone, TV, etc. to distract from resting in the presence of God is a blessing beyond compare.

A day, a weekend, a week, or longer—do you hear Christ’s invitation? He is calling your name, “Come away and rest a while.”