From Seasons of Gloom to Seasons of Light

The Bible speaks eloquently to the idea that grief and mourning are a part of life, and captures beautifully the cyclical nature of our experience, the wedding together of planting and uprooting, weeping and laughter, mourning and dancing, with an implicit promise that joy will follow sadness.

For many, no matter how joyous or contented or privileged our personal lives, an overhang of gloom might oppress us, along with a sense of helplessness: we could have built the Kingdom of God on earth by following the guidance of the Lord, but instead we sometimes seem to be hurtling toward a destruction of the very planet God gave us for our home, while many of our most cherished  and Biblically rooted dreams of justice, peace, and the godliness of all people seem under attack. 

How do we deal with the darkness that seems increasingly to overshadow our world? In this retreat, we will first explore the kind of religious advice that can impede our spiritual growth and healing as we confront a painful world. From there we will move to ways to face and deal with our anguish to move beyond hope to find courage, community, and divine love.