A spiritually-engaged reading of scripture for those who know suffering.
When we call scripture God-breathed, we’re not just affirming God’s inspiration of an author who wrote something in the distant past. We’re also saying that God continues to breathe through the words of the Bible in order to make it a living Word for us today. And when we read scripture with patient openness to the Spirit’s presence within us and among us, we breathe that living Word deeply into our minds and bodies. In doing so, God remakes us into people who can bear that Word into the world.
But when we walk in the world as bearers of trauma or suffering or mental illness, our breath is constricted, our bodies are weighed down, and words can be hard to find. Scripture witnesses throughout its pages to people who have suffered similarly. Instead of providing us with simple, straightforward answers, the Bible mediates God’s healing presence, offering us forms of faithful speech that can hold us up, and help us breathe, and carry us through the darkness we experience.
Plan to arrive at Laity Lodge anytime after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 10. The retreat will officially commence with a 6:00 p.m. reception at the Great Hall and will conclude Sunday, July 12. Click here for directions and more info on how to prepare for your visit.