Retreating is more than a getaway for the weekend with friends and colleagues. It’s a way to step back from the demands of our everyday life and find the richest and most intimate communion with God without the urgency of daily distractions. It’s stepping out into His perfectly fashioned creation and allowing ourselves the awareness to experience the magnitude of God. We are living in a world so innately saturated with technology and the over- abundance of mental stimulation that our spirits are continually bogged down with useless stuff. Consequently, this does not allow us the space, time or energy to recognize our need or desire for a mental de-cluttering or reset that our souls are yearning for.

The reality is that we were created for Sabbath.

Let me explain.

Jesus illustrates this perfectly time and time again. Scripture paints a vivid picture of His ability to prioritize communion with the Father as He slips away from the crowds and disciples to recharge and fellowship with God the Father (Mark 1:35). It was a practice he modeled with his disciples (Mark 6:30-32). I’m moved in this regard because it reminds us, God’s creation, of the humanness of Christ as He sets the tone and leads by example, even amid a demanding ministry schedule. Even before the brutality of His death and the beautiful sacrifice He displayed for mankind on the cross, Jesus drew close to his Father to model the importance of this concept. In the pause, in the stillness, in His own recognition of personal Sabbath, Jesus is deliberate to model prayer, rest, and a peace that surpasses human comprehension amongst His external circumstances. Jesus found solace with the monumental task set before him only because His heart was perfectly intertwined with God the Father, that which directly correlates to the intentionality of personal retreat that he modeled. It’s beautiful and poetic. Equally as perplexing and encouraging, too.

Our hearts and our spirits desire it. When we do not take the time to create space for this intimate communion with God, our souls are starved for the affections of our Creator. We are left with our own decision making and pride.

The mission statement of The Retreat at Center Hill Lake is Renew, Refresh, Restore. Our campus is designed with that vision in mind, to create a serene setting where physical rest and spiritual renewal can happen organically with as few distractions as possible. Whether you find that restoration from reading Scripture on the lake view balcony off your room, or while meditating on our prayer walk specifically designed around our rustic trails, we would love the privilege to minister to you in an intentional time of Renewal, Refreshment & Restoration.

The Retreat at Center Hill Lake can provide a place of rest. Join us at the lake and start practicing renewal, refreshment, and restoration. Click here to book your retreat.

If you are a Church Staff member, we have a Church Leadership Program that offers you many opportunities to rest.  Click here for more information on this program.