I love speaking to groups, including for retreats and quiet days, church events and preaching. A key part of my leading is fostering an encounter God. I’m happy to explore opportunities with you.
Join me!
- Interested in an online retreat on 7 Ways to Pray? Register your interest here.
- 27 April at St John’s Church, Meads, “Encountering God in the Everyday.” A quiet day for introverts and extroverts alike.
- 29 April to 3 May at Penhurst Retreat Centre. I’m looking forward to enjoying all of the Spring flowers in this glorious location in the south of England. Enjoy this wonderful English manor home and stellar hospitality in Sussex. (Spaces limited.)
- 17 to 21 June at Lee Abbey, Devon. Spend the nearly longest day in a stunning setting of sea and coast and lovely grounds. We’ll explore the majority of Jesus’ prayers in the gospels and enjoy the famous hospitality of the team at Lee Abbey.
- 9 to 13 September at El Palmeral in Spain for a week exploring friendship with Jesus. (Waiting list only.)
- 4 to 6 October at St Katharine’s Parmoor, Henley-on-Thames, for a weekend retreat on how friendship with Jesus changes us.
- 23 to 30 January 2025, the Holy Land with McCabe Pilgrimages. During this pilgrimage/retreat in Jerusalem and Tiberias we will move between learning about the historical Jesus and meet with the risen Christ. Note, the trip will leave from London’s Luton airport but you’re welcome to meet us at the airport in Tel Aviv or at the accommodation. (In the light of the war, McCabe follows the guidance of the foreign office, and we will confirm closer to the trip.)
- 11 to 14 February, Ashburnham Place, to engage with different ways of praying to encounter our loving God in a beautiful setting in southern England.
- 8 March, Little Stoke Baptist Church (near Bristol), to explore different ways to pray, including praying with the Bible, lament and gospel imaginative prayer. Booking essential; will include lunch.
- 31 March to 5 April, Iona with McCabe Pilgrimages. Explore 7 ways to pray in a ‘thin space’ – one of the western islands of Scotland where St. Columba introduced the Christian faith to Britain.
- 14 to 16 November, Penhurst Retreat Centre, for a cozy weekend around the big fireplace to explore our new selves in Christ through Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Watch/listen now
- My YouTube channel, with playlists on 7 Ways to Pray and prayer practices from retreat venues.
- Interview with J.John on “Facing the Canon” on how friendship with Jesus changes us.
- Highlights from the BBC’s Songs of Praise interview.
- Leading gospel imaginative prayer on Jesus’ hour for Coracle, the group I’m connected with as a spiritual director. Speaking at chapel at Bethel University, my alma mater, on John 15, “Abiding in the Vine.”
- A sermon for St. Peter’s Wellesbourne on John 12:20–36, forgiveness and The Living Cross. Starts at 14:22 and includes a prayer exercise.
- Four minutes on relinquishing for “Sunday Night Live” with Pam Rhodes. My segment starts at 27:26.
- A ten-minute sermon at St Michael and All Angels, Mill Hill, on Jesus’ prayers.
- A chapel talk to the London School of Theology on Oswald and Biddy Chambers, including a prayer exercise.
- With Elisa Morgan and Eryn Eddy on the God Hears Her podcast: the one on feeling out of place and the one on friendship that transforms us.
Topics
7 Ways to Pray – Time-Tested Practices to Encounter God
- Praying with and through the Bible: Exploring how we can encounter God through Scripture.
- The Indwelling God – Practicing His Presence: Opening our eyes to the wonder of God in our midst.
- Hearing God: God longs to speak to his children, and as we open our ears and hearts, we’ll start to hear his still, small voice.
- The Prayer of Lament: We explore some of the language of lament in the Bible as a way of giving God our disappointment and yearning.
- Imaginative Gospel Prayer: We enter into the gospel scene with our imaginations.
- The Examen: We prayerfully looking back over the day, to mark the soul’s movements with God.
- How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A practical workshop on how to release your inner writer as you communicate with God.
Friendship with God
Jesus loved his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and their home in Bethany was his second home. As we unpack the three gospel stories we explore action and contemplation, faith and doubt, despair and longing, resurrection and hope, sacrificial love and the meaning of home.
Living in Christ: The Wisdom of Colossians for Today
We explore the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians and consider what it means to live in Christ and for Christ. We focus on the incomparable Christ, and how as redeemed believers we leave behind our old selves as we become more like Jesus day by day.
The Living Cross: Embracing the Gift of Forgiveness
We explore the theme of the living cross, and how through it God gives us the gifts of forgiveness and new life. Looking at stories from the Old Testament and the New, we reacquaint ourselves with forgiveness – which is such a basic tenet of our faith that we may take it for granted. We experience the living power of the cross, at which we exchange our hurtful thoughts and actions for God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.
Beloved of God: Exploring our Christian Identity
What does it mean to be God’s beloved? How can we shed the false names of the “old self” that we may have adopted – worthless, controlling, fearful, worrier – and embrace the new name that God wants to bestow on us? We explore the spiritual practices that will help us live as the new creation in Christ. As we learn to forgive ourselves and others, and to hear God, we can move into freedom and release.
Living Water: Coming to the Source for Refreshing and Cleansing
Water. It’s the stuff of life – we’re made of it and can’t live without it. Although it can become stagnant and poisoned, fresh water brings renewal and cleansing. We explore some deep meanings of water – from the water that existed before the creation of the earth to Jesus, the source of living water. I provide time for reflection along with prayer exercises to engage with.
What They Say…
“Amy has led retreats with us here in Spain since 2012 and is now the first name in our speaker invitation list every year. She never disappoints with her thoughtful reflection, diligent preparation and willingness to adapt and personalise her material to meet the various needs of the retreat attendants.” Mike Jowett, El Palmeral
“Having experienced for the first time a prayer retreat led by Amy, I can only say don’t think about it – book yourself on one. Challenging, encouraging, revitalising and enjoying God’s presence are just some of the benefits!”
“The most special moment for me was when we were writing down all the names that we have been called and handed them over at the cross. The time of listening and the name Jesus has for me has helped me a great deal. An entirely different way to how I have been seeing myself and will certainly help me in the future as I find it very easy to put myself down.”
“Hearing Amy say ‘use your name’ [when reading the Bible] was an eye opener. Read slowly, chew over the passage, respond to it and contemplate … praise and begin again. Even more so when I pulled Isaiah 43:1b-2 from the pile of slips. And started reading … the hair on my head felt as if it stood on end, and the more I read it and contemplated it the more amazing it was.”
Fast-fire responses from a retreat at Lee Abbey, Devon:
- Amy was excellent – clear and non-judgmental.
- An excellent group facilitator and I liked her as a person too!
- Amy is exceptional because she is so real and approachable.
- Very inspiring, motivating and practical in her teaching on prayer.
Join me in Spain
One of the highlights of my year is leading a week’s holiday/retreat at the wonderful El Palmeral in Elche, Spain. For over a decade I’ve led retreats there on exploring the adventures of prayer, looking at our identity in Christ, and discussing books together. The setting is magnificent; the food sumptuous; the pool refreshing; the conversations rich. It’s an ideal place in which to retreat, refresh, renew. Run by Julie and Mike Jowett, it is a place set apart for people to meet God in an intimate gathering. I hope you can one day enjoy this amazing place.