Prayer of Examen

Oasis was really wonderful! It was so much fun to be with all of you, interact and have a great time of worship and relaxation. I loved it. Some of you asked for a copy of the questions I shared regarding the prayer of examen. These are from Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun.

1. For what moment today am I most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful?

2. When did I give and receive the most love today? When did I give and receive the least love today?

3. What was the most life-giving part of my day? What was the least life-giving part of my day?

4. When today did I have the deepest sense of connection with God, others and myself? When today did I have the least sense of connection?

5. Where was I aware of living out the fruit of the Spirit? Where was there an absence of the gruit of the Spirit?

6. Places you feel most alive, most grateful, most present? Places you don't?

Adele Calhoun suggests using this with your kids at the dinner table by playing "I spy God". What a great idea!

It was great to see so many of you at Camp of the Woods. So many good conversations, meals, walks, and simply putting names with faces. The evening talks were really inspiring for me. I don't how many times I've thought about the 'schematics' of my microwave while I was preparing Thanksgiving dinner. The other visual for me is being in the swamped boat with Jesus asking him to help me bail. I know I do that a lot and am hoping to change my prayer life so that I am asking the Lord to do for me what only he can do. A little scary...

It would be a fun discussion if some of you would respond on this blog regarding what you learned or were stimulated by at Camp of the Woods.

Also, the mom's counsel is working on the mom's times together at the BWC. Please comment on this blog with ideas and wishes for the conference.

Why I Love Staff Conferences

Our family has always loved packing our bags. loading the car and heading out to one CCC conference or another. We get excited about road trips, hotel rooms and 'child care'. After 30 years on staff and countless trips, these are the highlights of our family life. Our kids are now grown but many of our family memories are around these trips, their staff friends and the CCC family that has shaped our lives together.

As a mom, I've always appreciated the fact that only other staff moms really understand what my life is like. Support raising, travel, heart level convictions and in general a rather crazy life style are things that really only other moms on staff get. Conferences were always that opportunity to encourage one another, share ideas, laugh alot and eat out. I never wanted to miss one. Maybe I'm forgetting the inconvenience, the communal germ factory, the missed school days, the upset soccer coaches, but after all these years I think the benefit for us outwayed the sacrifices. My grown kids are good witnesses as well.

Let me know what you think. How has the travel been of help to you on staff? How could we make it easier for each other? You can tell me I'm crazy, too, it would just be fun to hear from one another.