I'm sure I ust have written about this before but I don't remember when and I'm thinking about it again anyway so her's another musing on it. All it takes is to listen to a bit of a book by A W Tozer, it may not matter much which book it is because the man was so consistently at a depth so much greater than all the rest of us he could write anything trivial if he tried. Anywayhit's enough to wake me up for at least a brief moment to how far I am from where he would have us alll be, so full of the Spirit of God we can worship Him in reality and not in the superficial terms so common these days.
So Again I was thinking how we need something to help us overcome this superficiality and draw us into that depth we are missing. George Whitefiled did that for the entire nation just before the revolutionary war, but individually I think it could be done if we had retreats for seekers of such depth designed for the purpose. And that means retreats that eliminate the usual distractions and superficial expressions and drive us to a sort of confinement in which all that's available is deeper expressions of Godf.
Church retreats are far from such a conception. They have their moments of deeper communion vut they dissipate it with the usual distractions, recreations, social encounters, meals that invite overindulgence and that sort of thing. So what I'm thinking is that we need retreats that focus us with some intensityh on God alone. It doesn't have to be isolation as long as the time together is focused in that way as well, times of humn singing and brief exhortations, a careful avoidance of anything trivial or aimed at humor or that sort of thing. Quiet and intense. Then the time alone perhaps in the monastic cell sort of room with vry basic furniture and books that are about nothing but the deepest experieces of God, with no reference whatever to our emotional or earthly concenrs. Is that too much to ask? Audio versions of such teachings perhaps. I don't know what all might be the best methods but the content has to be God focused to an intense d intense degree. Even just a few days fo such a retreat ought to strip away a lot of the worldly barnacles that cling to us. Don't know where that image came from but oh well. Strip away the world the flesh and the temptations of the devil -- well, the temptations are always going to be there in some form or other and that too has to be taken into account.
No pint in trying to get too specific here, I just want to make the point that a retreat should be an intense experience focused completely on God Himself, His character, His promises, His holiness, His majesty. Minimize all worldly distractions. Food shouldn't be a snare, but although fasting could be a good thing in this context I think simple pleasant but unexciting meals should be the standard.
We need to get deeper into God. That's the point.
