“Oh Lord, please light the fire / That once burned bright and clear.
Replace the lamp of my first love / That burns with holy fear.”   
-Keith Green

I’m really excited about a new retreat we’re offering at Corhaven on Saturday, February 23.  Jesus is so great that we’re supposed to love him passionately all the time, right?

Well, yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that many of us find this is a challenge, and we experience seasons (sometimes long) when our hearts feel dry or distant from Jesus, even if we know we’re not supposed to be feeling that, and feel badly that we do!

A couple challenges contribute to this, like the fact that Jesus is for the most part invisible, and falling (or staying) in love with someone you can’t see is never going to be easy. Beyond that, life can have a way of making our hearts feel like a the hull of sailboat that’s become encrusted with barnacles. Then there’s the fact that the longest distance on the planet for every human being is the 18 inches between our head and heart.  Then there’s the disorientation when it doesn’t seem like Jesus is treating us the way a good lover should. Then there’s the noise that comes when people who claim him are behaving quite badly, or even ourselves.

Take any of these challenges separately or combined means that this whole notion of ‘falling in love” or “staying in love” or “being in love” with Jesus for most of us sounds really good, but harder to attain and maintain.

Can you resonate with any of this? The good news is you’re not alone, in fact many Christians live with these same uneasy questions, most often unadmitted at least to others and often even to ourselves! It’s hard to admit that we’re struggling to love Jesus the way we want to and how we’re invited too, or how others around us seem to.

So that’s why I’m excited about this retreat. It’s my best shot at answering the question “How to Fall in Love with Jesus?”, born out of the things that have helped me along the way when my love relationship with him has come to feel a bit stale. I’ll be offering some of my ‘deep heart’ stuff and the things that have and do help me in these seasons. It’s for those who have always wanted to love Jesus really, but find it hard to break the head/heart barrier. It’s for those who remember a time when their fire for Jesus burned brightly but now, for whatever reason, it burns more dimly and they’re looking for new fuel for the flame. And it’s for those whose love feels strong and you just want to throw gas on that fire!

Our day will include reflections, song, literature, art, Scripture, conversation, prayer, the now-famous “Lunch by Tara”, and time for solitude and of course the Eucharist. Suggested donation of $75 per person for the day, and see you then!

On the Journey,