“The visible world daily bludgeons us with its things and events. They pinch and pull and hammer away at our bodies. Few people arise in the morning as hungry for God as they are for cornflakes or toast. But instead of shouting and shoving, God whispers at us ever so gently. And it appears at the edges and in the middle of events and things in the so called real world of the visible.”
Dallas Willard
What is a Listening Retreat for Individuals?
Coram Deo stands for “Before the Face of God.” A Listening Retreat for Individuals can be described as a time of immersion into God’s presence. Depending upon how long you make the retreat, there will be lots of time for you to be alone with God as well as time to process what you are hearing with either Bob or Barbara. During the entire time, we will be gently directing you to be listening for His voice. You have given yourself a gift of time and we know that God will return to you a gift of His word to you on this retreat.
How long is a Listening Retreat for Individuals?
Retreats can be as short as 2 hours and as long as 3 days. If you are new to being alone with God, start small. Your hunger for longer periods of time will grow. I can guarantee this.
Composition of a Listening Retreat
A Listening Retreat is developed from some of the following elements:
- Times of solitude and silence
- Directed scriptural reading
- Spiritual direction
- Inner healing
- Lectio Divina (for a definition see Introductory Guide to Listening Prayer)
- Worship
- Free time / rest time
Click here for more details about these and other structural elements of a retreat.
Why Come on a Listening Retreat?
Our lives are so filled with incessant activity that we miss most of what God is saying to us. A Listening Retreat gives us an opportunity to stop, look and listen for every word that God speaks with the goal that when we return to our everyday lives, we can hear Him in the midst of the “whirring wheels.”
What the Retreatant needs to bring:
Bible, notebook (prayer journals), pens, comfortable shoes, toiletries
What the Retreatant should not bring:
Cell phone, mp3 player or excessive reading materials (prayerfully consider what reading material to bring)
Who should come on a Listening Retreat for Individuals?
We have seen these retreats transform individuals from every walk of life and seen the effect rippling down to families, businesses, ministries and churches. Listen to the words of one pastor:
“I attended a three-day Immersion Retreat eight years ago, and the effects of that time are still reverberating through my life today. I am so grateful for the many people in the community there who were praying for me during my retreat time. I had the opportunity to quiet my soul in the midst of a very dark, confusing, and difficult period in my life journey. With the help of the retreat directors I was able, in the presence of God, to process deep wounds, and to meet with God in personal, profound, and powerful ways. More than once I experienced an “open heaven” and I came into a place of release and renewal that set me on a new path for my life. In fact, my wife (who also participated in a CFR retreat) and I are just a few weeks away from opening our own center where we will offer the same kinds of counseling and spiritual direction that we received there. Our lives are testimonies of the healing, envisioning, and enabling that is possible in the quiet, ‘listening,’ and nurturing environment of the CFR. ”
Reverend Craig Torell
Atlanta Georgia
Where can I hold an Individual Retreat?
We have hosted retreats in homes, in churches, and in retreat centers. We are in touch with a number of retreat centers and churches where you can retreat. Let’s decide that once we know more about what you are looking for in a retreat.
How many can come on a Listening Retreat for Individuals at a time?
One individual or a few people who know each other well (husband and wife, pastoral staff, etc).