What do we do when we find we have gotten off track? When we have that sinking feeling that things are not right, that this is not who we are --as one individual, as a family or community, or as a nation?

Do we deny the shadow and suffering, pretend all is well, and keep on trucking?  Or do we tell the truth and seek to get back on course?

In faith circles, we call this telling of the truth of how things are compared to how we imagine God wants them to be CONFESSION and LAMENT, and we call seeking that realignment with God’s truth and way REPENTANCE.

And these are the particular calls of the Lenten season:

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.  Joel 2:12-13

This Lenten retreat is designed to help us step into that tragic gap between God’s dream for us and our world and the reality of the lives we’re living and what we’re collectively doing to ourselves, one another and the planet.  It will remind us of the power of confession, lament, and repentance, in a culture that often prefers denial, avoidance, and numbing.

I invite you to come away from your own distractions to the peace and quiet of Amerson House for a time of prayer and reflection in the companioning presence of other seekers.  Through guided reflection with scripture and other sacred texts, a nourishing meal, meditative walking, journaling, creative expression, ritual, and silent meditation, you are invited to take stock of your life and our human experience together, to tell the truth about the wounds and burdens you carry, and to experience the grace of release through the practices of confession and lament in the safety of sacred space and community.

Cost:  $35 ($25 for St. Bart’s members) - includes lunch and materials.

To Register:   Contact Kimberly at kgbroerman@yahoo.com or 404.275.3328