2009.01.26 - Ministers and Spouses Retreat

We had a relaxing drive down to Newport, after stopping at the Woodburn outlet stores. The weather was clear and the skies were blue. Our first glimpse of the ocean was unbelievable, but then subsequent views just kep getting better.

My last post showed the web site hotel ocean view. This picture is actually from our room, albeit late afternoon with the light already fading. We can see a lighthouse, but my camera phone can't catch it; it's just too far away. Our church leadership was thoughtful enough to spend a few dollars more to get us an ocean view room, and we can't thank them enough.

We've already met new friends, and got to talk with people who were at the Installation Service, but who never got a chance to say, "Hi."

Pastor Jim Lyon (our speaker) shared in our keynote session this evening about wholeness in six areas: emotional, mental*, social, spiritual, physical, and intellectual. He connected these to the Church of God teaching on holiness, and made the statement that one cannot be holy (or whole), without being whole in all six areas.

Maybe I'll get to share more tomorrow... but I'm not here to blog. I'm here to retreat and regroup and reconnect, with my God and my wife.

* I did not take notes and this is the only one of the six that I'm not sure I have recalled correctly. I looked at several Internet sites that talked about six areas of wholeness or wellness and they listed occupational in place of mental, but that doesn't sound right from tonight's talk.