Monday, March 17, 2008

On the seventh day, you shall rest...





Allow me to introduce you to one of my new best friends - Broomtree Ministries. You can find them at http://www.broomtreeministries.org. Why are they one of my new best friends? Well, let me give you three reasons:

1. Five days and five nights with no work, no kids, and very little by way of schedule
2. Three meals a day, a banana split every night, and a beautiful setting at The Shack Country Inn in Jugville, Michigan (located about an hour north of Grand Rapids)
3. The only person I am with this entire time is my wife (did I mention the no kids part?)

Oh, and let's throw in a forth reason just for kicks - this entire retreat was provided for us free of charge through the generosity of the Broomtree donors. Wow! What's the catch? No catch - no multi-level marketing - no snake handling... Just five days and five nights to reconnect with God and your spouse (provided free of charge for those in full time ministry).

Pictured above is the room Sandi and I stayed in (fireplace, hot tub, lots of space) and a box of materials they gave us the first day to go through at our own pace according to our interests and needs. We dug into some of the stuff on marriage mostly, and it was very encouraging to learn together in that setting. There were a few other couples that were at the same retreat, and we saw them at dinner and a few other times during the week. Other than that, we were on our own...(can anyone say "naps at least once a day"?)

So, here's the deal. If you are in full time Christian ministry - you need to do something like this about once a year, at least every other year. If you care about someone in full time Christian ministry, tell them about this opportunity. If you are looking for a way to invest in the health and well being of pastors, contact Broomtree and become a donor.

The Bible says that a man shall work for six days, and then rest. But when do pastors really get to rest? Shouldn't our leaders be setting this example for us? Let's all encourage them to make it happen!

1 Comments:

At 3/18/2008, Blogger The Good Kids said...

Sara and I have gone on two Broomtree retreats and couldn't speak more highly of them! They were exactly what we needed as they gave us time to reconnect and rest. We absolutely adore the staff and the setting was great both in the summer and the fall. Go sign up now.

 

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