Without Silence and Solitude "Our Lives are in Danger"

Henri Nouwen, focusing on Mark 1:32-39, highlights verse 35:  "In the morning, long before dawn, [Jesus] got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there."  

Nouwen comments: "The more I read this nearly silent sentence locked in between the loud words of action, the more I have the sense that the secret of Jesus' ministry is hidden in the lonely place where he went to pray, early in the morning, long before dawn.

In the lonely place, Jesus finds the courage to follow God's will and not his own; to speak God's words and not his own; to do God's work and not his own. He reminds us constantly: "By myself I can do nothing...I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (Jn 5:20). And again, "What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works" (Jn 14:10). It is in the lonely place, where Jesus enters into intimacy with the Father, that his ministry is born."

It is in the lonely place where Jesus comes to fully know who he is, and to enter into the stillness in which he can hear and discern the voice of the Father. If we, too, wish to take seriously the spiritual journey - if we wish to know who we truly are! - we must regularly enter the lonely place, where silence and solitude meet.

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A Silent Retreat Experience
Facilitated by
Dr. Michael Dunn, Pastor
Hosted by First Christian Church (Disciples) in partnership with Faithwalking

As we approach the holiday season, we would like to invite you to quiet the noisy voices of consumerism, greed, fear, and anxiety by participating in a 24-hour silent retreat. 

The retreat will be held at the Cenacle Retreat Center in Houston. (Virtual Tour of Cenacle)

The retreat will begin at 1:00p on Friday, November 1 and end at 12 noon on Saturday, November 2

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We will offer suggested readings, ideas for meditation, and overall guidance on how to use the time in silence. 

The cost of the Silent Retreat is $95 per person, which includes: 

private room 

dinner & breakfast 

snacks & refreshments 

progam materials 

place & space to connect to God 

Please visit our website to register and for more retreat information!

Silence is God’s first language. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and to rest in God—Thomas Keating