Friday, October 24, 2008
retreating along a wine trail
As part of my sabbatical, I wanted to include some time to retreat, pray and reflect. I have just had a wonderful time completing part (a), which involved walking the Riesling Trail. I find God best outdoors and when walking, so I really wanted to do something that allowed this. Plus a few years ago, I came across 10 excellent reflection questions, which I saw on MarkO‘s blog. So I put the two pieces together over the last few days.
I would walk the Riesling Trail for an hour, pondering a question, surrounded by this incredibly rich mix of history, wine production and art of various sorts. Then I’d stop and journal, often with a coffee or with a tasting mixed in. It proved very fruitful, helping me focus, opening up some surprising new insights and providing some real clarity on the next steps for my life, including Opawa. (And I kept the tenth one back, because I think it’s worth talking about as a Taylor team :)). For those interested, here are the 10 questions:
- Where is my life going?
- What do I want life to be like in 10 years (remove all fantasy and projection of anything material from your thoughts and get to the substance of life experience)?
- What might God be trying to teach me? Am I growing spiritually? Meditate on the fruit of the spirit (do I love more? am I more kind? etc.).
- What moments in life have been the most pleasurable and God honoring? Revisist these times and reexperience them in your body.
- What am I most afraid of and what can I discover about myself?
- What changes am I going to make in life to be healthier in a holistic manner?
- What can I do to relinquish more control in life in order to become more dependant on God for outcome?
- What opportunities might this season be presenting me that I am not seeing?
- If I was to make the gutsiest choice that could benefit my life and family more what would that choice be?
)
Great questions mate, and sounds like a rish time. I haven’t reflected on those questions since you first shared them quite some years ago. Timely then that you should share them again, and timely too that I should sit with them again…
Comment by Paul Fromont — October 25, 2008 @ 8:40 am
I’m impressed – in my experience I’ve found it hard enough getting from start to finish when on wine trails, let alone answering such big questions. I’d still be sitting at the first tasting, still stuck on question 1, three bottles later…
But seriously, they are good questions. Going to share any of your answers?
Comment by Jack — October 25, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
appreciate the humour jack, but no i won’t be sharing them, there are too many people who come to this blog in attack mode, who throw only bricks 🙂
steve
Comment by steve — October 28, 2008 @ 11:31 am
Yes you make yourself quite vulnerable when you share on a blog – I’ve met with a bit of criticism too, any my blog isn’t even very personal. It’s a shame people have to throw bricks and a shame they are so hard to ignore.
Comment by Jack — October 28, 2008 @ 9:57 pm