Oct 9, 2026
Dear church,
This weekend, we are looking forward to being on retreat with many of you. Over 90 people have registered for our All-Church Retreat at Gathering Pines! If you’d still like to register, you can do so here. What a sweet gift it will be to gather in a place set apart from our normal rhythms to worship, rest, create, and connect. And for those of you planning to worship at Grace on Sunday morning, Pastor Reed will be speaking about the value of retreats, even micro-retreats during a typical day, to allow the body and spirit to renew and reset.
Some have asked us - what is the purpose of a retreat? The purpose of a retreat is not to run away from life, but rather to step away from our normal patterns and schedules so that we can see our life more truthfully and return to it with more clarity and energy. Most retreats are designed to give at least three things: space (space away from notifications, chores, decision-making, and your usual environment), structure (guided sessions or practices to inspire reflection and creativity), and shifts in perspective (calming the nervous system, clearer thinking, seeing things in a new way, or honestly reflecting on the life you’re living). It is our hope that our retreat this weekend will offer these gifts to you!
Whether you’re joining us for Sunday’s retreat or not, I hope you’ll continue to find ways to step away, to breathe, and to remember that your belovedness is not based on what you accomplish, but on who and whose you are.
I offer to you today this beautiful poem from one of our favorites, Kate Bowler: A Blessing for Rest That Finds You.
May rest find you—
a small pocket of quiet when your strength is gone.
May you be sheltered
from the fears behind you
and the ones your mind invents.
May your hummingbird heart slow,
just enough to take a breath.
And in this soft, improbable quiet,
may you feel held—
not by perfection or productivity,
but by this truth:
you are enough.