The retreat is done. We had 13 people from all around the country in for a weekend. It was delightful. All sorts of worldviews, beliefs, almost beliefs, uncertainty, and lots of questions and listening. We had a blast. I mean, who wouldn't want to sit around talking and listening and singing and hanging out with passionate, engaged, curious people?

I'm going to do some more thinking about the weekend and try to see if I can get my thoughts and feelings into about 750 words. I want to think and write carefully about something that is beginning to seem very important to me. Our small and powerless faith community seems to have stumbled gracefully into a need in our world. I think our world needs a place where you can go to find peace and friendship and love, a place where you can ask questions and talk about the meaning of life without feeling pressured or threatened by religious people with a conversion agenda.

I recorded the intro to this little video this morning at a coffee shop, which is why the sounds is pretty bad. But I caught this moment with my digital camera, and I wanted to share it with you.

Here are some photos from the weekend, in no particular order. A complete slideshow is available at Flickr if you want to see it.

Along the prayer path

Labyrinth at night

Lauds: 5 am

Ode to Saint Francis

rlp

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I got home from Austin yesterday afternoon. My car was finally fixed. The final charge was $1000, which really stung. I was not planning for that. Well, that's what car ownership is all about. The fuel pump cost about $600, as it turns out. Is that unbelievable, or what? A tow, an $89 diagnostic fee (for over a day of their work trying to figure this out), the part, labor to install it, taxes...$1000.

In spite of the cost, the folks at Lamb's were great. They definitely lost money on this deal. I'm grateful for the kind of service they provide. Car parts are outrageously expensive. There's nothing they can do about that part of it.

But I'm home. So that's good, right?

Tonight we begin our second RLP Franciscan retreat. We have 15 people coming this time, along with a handful of our folks. That's a full house. We originally said we could handle 20 people, but 15 is as much as we want to do.

Wilshire Baptist Church donated money to purchase sheets, towels, pillows, etc. Their pastor, George Mason, has been a friend for many years. Another friend, Kerry Horn, the pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington arranged for his church to purchase 25 high quality air mattresses, each with its own small inflation system. (FBC Covington has no website) So now people coming to these retreats will have a nice mattress, sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels. If you are coming to one of our retreats, you really do just show up and we'll take care of the rest.

THANK YOU, Wilshire BC and FBC Covington!

Paul Soupiset and I will be photographing the retreat. I'll show you pictures when we're done.

What am I working on? Life has made writing tough recently, but I have a new thing coming out in Christian Century which will be here soon. I began a new Foy story yesterday and a poem/essay today. Perhaps next week I can get back to my real love, which is creative writing.

rlp