Staff Retreat

Jase, Sean and I are sitting in the Lubbock airport waiting to catch a plane to take us to Tyler, TX where we will rendezvous with my friend Jimmy to drive to the famous prayer cabin I have written so much about over the years. We are going on a staff retreat. The goal of the retreat is simple. To become refreshed in our walks with the Lord and to hear clearly from Him.

I will also get to preach to the students at FBC Palestine on Wednesday night as well as get to reconnect with my great Uncle Billy Ford, who is a retired preacher. He lives alone and this might possibly be the last time we get to have a prayer meeting together and I get to see him since we live so far a part. He is one of the most holy men I have ever known. I look forward to our time together.

Life in ministry can be busy. More days than I can remember my day starts early. Last night I finished up a few last minute things in the office after dinner and did not get back home until around 10:00 p.m. Getting away for a few days to seek the face of God without any distractions is a welcome relief to me. I cannot wait to walk into the back door of that old two-bedroom cabin. I can see every detail of that cabin in my mind. I see the old outdated furniture in the living room. I see the orange chairs, the brown striped love seat and couch. I see the glass top coffee table with a large mouth bass mounted on top. I see the oval shaped oak dining table with six chairs where I have sat to write books, blogs, and messages to preach at revivals, camps, and retreats.

On the back porch there are several rocking chairs looking over the picturesque ninety-acre lake and rolling hills of pasture and forest on the other side of the lake. God meets me in that place. I am excited to take Jase and Sean there and allow them to soak in some of the presence of the Lord. They make only the sixth and seventh people I have ever shard that place with. I know God is everywhere. He is just as present in Seminole, TX in my office as He is at the prayer cabin. That cabin holds great sentimental value for me. I have met with the Lord there and plan to do so again this week.

[Mark 1:35], “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place and was praying there.” Jesus found time to retreat from ministry, to retreat from people, and to seclude Himself alone with His Father. Jesus intentionally retreated from everything and everyone to meet with His Father. We have been trying to schedule this staff retreat for over four months. There is never time. We are in no less need to do that today though. We need to get away to have some focused and undistracted time with the Lord.

We have now flown into Tyler and made our way to the retreat. I sit early this morning at the dining table where I have met with the Lord numerous times over the past fourteen years. Sitting in this very chair I wrote Behold the Faithfulness of God and 40 Days to Shake the City. In this cabin Jase, Sean and I sought the Lord last night after dinner as well as going our separate ways earlier in the afternoon to seek the Lord. We have only been here about twelve hours but our time has been enriching.

At this isolated bungalow there is no television. There is a television set but we do not have access to cable or satellite. To be honest I do not miss it. In this cabin I do not even have access to the internet. Life comes to a crawl here but it is a good crawl. This all makes more time for prayer, scripture reading, meditation and reflection and of course writing. This retreat is a time to catch our second wind as we continue to run the race God has set before us. [Heb 12:1]

This is a secluded place. We are maybe a mile or more from the highway. We cannot see the neighbor’s house. We are surrounded by towering trees and rolling pasture. Yesterday the lake became as smooth as glass. So smooth in fact, I could see the reflection of the trees on the surface of the waters. Tranquility filled my soul. This is the perfect place to come and seek the face of God. I sat in my favorite outdoor prayer nook yesterday afternoon enjoying the presence of God. From my perch I had a perfect view of the lake. In the past I have seen eagles from this vantage point. I did not have to be in a hurry. There were no schedules to keep, no deadlines to meet or appointments luring me away from the feet of my Lord. In those moments I not only enjoyed Him but I also found refreshment for my soul.

I came here with one request that supersedes all the rest. I just want to hear clearly from the Lord. In fact as we three gathered last night the heart of what we all need is to hear clearly from the Lord in these days. We just want to hear a clear word from the Lord. So with that request in mind I am up early (4:34 a.m. to be exact) ready to seek the Lord again.

Lord, I know those who read this are busy. In the hectic dash to make it through the day I pray You would slow down Your children long enough to find a secluded place to meet with You. I ask You to fill their hearts with Your intoxicating presence. I ask You to renew their love for You and Your word. I plead that You would stir the hearts of Your followers not to meet with You out of sense of duty but they would find delight and refreshment in Your presence. May that also be the case for Jase, Sean and I as we sojourn on this staff retreat.