Wilderness Time: A Guide for Spiritual Retreat

I have been greatly blessed through the years by the resources produced by RENOVARE and Wilderness Time, also produced by RENOVARE, continues that string of blessings. Emilie Griffin is the author of this guide for spiritual retreat and has put together a very readable and practical guide for the retreat experience. As down-to-earth as Griffin is with practicality in her writing, she also writes with sensitivity and awareness to the heart and spirit of the retreat experience. I read this book as a person with experience both leading and participating in personal and corporate retreats. I found Wilderness Time a satisfying resource for the beginning retreatant as well as full of well-grounded reminders for the seasoned retreatant.The author follows a thematic approach to the retreat experience and segments her instruction into three classic styles of retreat: retreating inwardly, retreating outwardly, and retreating corporately. Each of these styles is detailed with specific examples of how the retreat might be pursued and/or directed. For instance, the inward retreat might focus on the disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study while the corporate retreat might include disciplines better practiced in group (eg., worship, confession, guidance, and celebration).After the brief explanation of various styles of retreat, Griffin shares pointers for designing the retreat and follows this chapter with three suggested templates for a one-day retreat, the three-day retreat, and a seven day retreat. These are all great suggestions and can be helpful for the retreat planner in organizing their own retreat; I'm fairly certain I will be using these guides.The completion of this Guide for Spiritual Retreat includes a chapter of "encouragements," inspirational reminders that might be helpful in removing some of the weight of responsibility of the retreat from the leader and participants... after all, God, the Holy Spirit, is truly the leader and guide for our retreat. Also included in these final chapters is a collection of texts for reflection and a recommended reading list. Overall, I found this little guide to be a hearty and handy resource for the spiritual retreat experience and another trusted resource from the RENOVARE Group.

Love her tips on how to approach a retreat and being in God's presence ... "in the country of God's affections." That line alone has stayed with me for weeks. Can't recommend enough.

Emilie Griffin masterfully welcomes the reader to the Wilderness. Based on Hosea 2, we are invited by our God to the wilderness with him, meaning a time for being loved and to learn from him. Engaging and purposeful in style, the reader sees that the author writes from experience, and not just a theoretical diatribe on the need for a "quiet time". Well done!

Really do like it. Very inspirational.It is one of my go to book.

Simple small book with a simple but profound message.

Ms. Griffin not only invites, but accompanies us into the world of spiritual retreats. With detailed suggestions, instructions and examples, it doesn't take a spiritual giant to begin...just a willingness to move closer to God.

Wilderness TimeA Guide for Spiritual Retreatby Emilie GriffinBook ReactionInitial Question:Can the author propel me to better understand how to pull of a retreat with people of my church?---Griffin's writing feels like the guidance of a gentle, Benedictine oblate grandmother - each simple paragraph feels like your best interest has long been considered.Wilderness Time does provide some helpful questions and thoughts for pulling together a retreat for yourself or a small group. The book provides some outlines for retreats as well, but nothing very detailed; this isn't a retreat-in-a-box.My greatest "take away" is affective encouragement that, yes, retreats are needed today for introverts, extroverts, and folks who don't like labels. The remaining question is, Will you take the risk to plan and lead them?

Wilderness time aims to be a helpful guide to those interested in going on spiritual retreat. For this purpose it was a good basic guide to the reasons and methods of retreat. In the end I found the approach of the author to be unhelpful in two areas, which would keep me from heartily recommending the book. First, the idea of detachment was mentioned several times. This concept has some scriptural support but always in tandem with drawing near to God. As a book on retreats the assumption may have been that the reader would be drawing near to God already but I believe this could have been more effectively stated. The book seemed at times to make detachment the goal and this could come through a variety of means (yoga, meditation) making a spiritual retreat somewhat unnecessary. Second, I was concerned with the practice of Lectio Divina highlighted in the book. This practice as described seemed to turn away from the grammatical-historical method of interpreting Scripture giving way to the imagination of the reader in his or her reading. There is some aspect of this that is commendable but I also see it as a slippery slope, where the truth expressed in Scripture becomes obscured by what I imagine. In spite of these concerns I enjoyed reading the book and understand that others may come to this work with different perspectives than mine.

not that enamoured