Retreat notes

So, as previously noted, I spent Friday evening and pretty much all day today at the parish men’s retreat. I nattered at length about the whole “men’s group” thing last time out, and my feelings haven’t much changed (short story: no women were harmed in the forming of this retreat).

A few random items that I didn’t manage to Twitter while up there.

1. The retreat was intentionally set up to be “Friday night at the church, Saturday up in the mountains” — no overnight (to save costs and inconvenience), but the Friday session kind of gave everyone a chance to get acquainted with each other. It was nice to be able to come home last night and hang with Margie — and to be home this evening (we broke up at 4) to do the same.
2. The “mountains” session was up in Genesee, at “The Pines at Genesee” — which is all of about 30 minutes from the house, and about 7 minutes max up the grade on I-70 into the mountains (for those who need more info, it’s just downhill from the Chart House restaurant, and down the mountain more or less from the Sleeper House). The Pines is a conference / meeting / event center and it has a nice setting, nice facilities (inside and out), very friendly service, and excellent food. If I were doing an event (large meeting or reception) that could make use of the place, I’d certainly have it high on my list of places to consider. Recommended
3. Despite being a church retreat, the discussions were not all Bible-bound, nor was there chanting in tongues or casting out of demons (just in case you wondered). While faith elements wove themselves into the conversation, the overall theme for the meeting was on Past, Present and Future, and our personal (and spiritual) journey through same — but was still as much on more philosophical and personal contemplations on the subject than on what the Bible says about it. Indeed, with the exception of one discussion on Friday, there were more non-Biblical culture references and discussion than Scriptural citations (including but not limited to Talladega Nights, Bob Seger, Big Trouble in Little China, and passing references to The Time Machine, Time Tunnel, and Back to the Future). All in all, good conversations, even if the presentations were a bit unfocused at times. 
4. Basic format was to start a section with some churchy music, followed by a 10-15 minute presentation, followed by a 40-45 minute small group discussion (folks self-selecting random around the building). Interspersed by some very good food. We also closed last evening with Compline and did a Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer to start the session this morning this morning (these sorts of bits of liturgical treasure are one reason I like the Episcopal Church so much).
5. On a different note: why are sports analogies and metaphors and anecdotes so pervasive? I mena, why, instead of baseball or football or hockey stories used to illustrate a point, more people don’t use Babylon 5 references, or Star Trek memes, or Lord of the Rings similes to illuminate their discussions? I’d be so there … 
6. Along those lines, though it wasn’t a reference directly made during the discussion, I fear now that whenever folks are talking about God saying “and He has a Plan” … I think about Cylons.
7. I like Constant Comment tea, but the decaf version sucks. Pomegranate tea is also not as good as it sounds like it should be.
8. I find music transcendent, and deeply moving in a spiritual fashion, particularly when participating in it, raising voices with others in unity and harmony and purpose. Joining in a “Hallelujah Chorus” (which we didn’t, but as an example) is such an ecstatic experience, I can understand why some people think joining on a heavenly chorus for eternity singing Glory to God (which, on the face of it, sounds a bit boring after a millennium or two) would actually be kind of cool.
9. While there was a lot of good discussion to digest about past, present, and future, it occurs to me, as just one thought, that the problem is not that some people live in the past, but that they live in a past that never really happened.
10. The weather was fabulous up there, given that in January we could have been having a blizzard (I’m glad we did it today and not tomorrow, as the forecast is a bit less clement).
11. Each of us did a “one minute intro” to the group on Friday night, including “something people don’t know about you.” I mentioned that I collect quotations and put them online — and had a dozen people ask me for the URL. Hmmm. Welcome to any new parishioners who have found their way here.

Overall, a good experience once again, and I’ll most likely sign up again next year.