I woke early this morning, still on Spanish time. Yes, I know it’s only an hour difference, but I like the thought of a wee bit of jetlag as I reflect on the week at El Palmeral and move back into family life in London. Jetlag – especially the proper “I’ve crossed many time zones” jetlag – can be a means not only of adjusting our bodies to the different culture, but our hearts and minds too. I feel we leave a bit of our hearts in the places we’ve been, especially when we leave dear people behind. These longings reflect our deepest longings for our Home and Homemaker.
In Spain I try to take photographs that make me pause. The beauty of people and a much different climate and plants that I’m used to jolt me into wonder and thanks to a God who oozes creativity. Enjoy these photos, perhaps pausing to ponder.
Most mornings I’d be greeted by an amazing sunrise. “Morning by morning, new mercies I see…”Many of our free moments were spent enjoying the pool.Sun rising behind the cacti.Date palm trees.Makes me think of Jesus turning water into wine.These flowers smell as good as they look! There’s a wall of them close to one of the sunloungers I enjoyed making my own. (Hey, I am 1/4 German. And I wasn’t keeping anyone from ‘their’ sunlounger!)A close-up.Gorgeous fresh figs with honey and blue cheese. Scrumptious.Lovely kebabs.Hmm… this retreat leading gig isn’t so bad…The lady, glowing in the night.Chapel forms an integral and special part of any visit to El Palmeral. Celtic morning prayer and compline provide the framework.
I hear that bookings are starting to come in for the retreat I’m leading at the fabulous El Palmeral in Spain in June. Could you join us?
This retreat is one of my most favorite weeks. The setting is tremendous – Julie and Mike Jowett have set up a haven of hospitality in the desert. The dry heat envelops us as we feast on amazing Spanish cuisine and enjoy the company of the other guests. There is plenty of space for time on one’s own too – the gardens are lovely for quiet reflection, including a labyrinth. My favorite is sitting by the pool.
This year the theme we’ll explore is:
Finding Ourselves in God: We all face changes in life – we lose or gain a job, we experience a bereavement, if we’re parents our kids grow up – and these changes may lead us to wonder, “Who am I? With a different role, what’s left of me?” When this search for faith, home and identity lands on God, we find our true home and true self. Join Amy for inspiring sessions with plenty of time for guided prayer exercises.
To find out more, check out their website at El Palmeral, including contact details. Mike and Julie run other themed retreats, or you may prefer a time-out retreat on your own.
Lovely hosts, Julie and Mike.The labyrinth.Night prayer in the chapel is atmospheric.Local paella – yum!
I love this series, “There’s No Place Like Home,” because of the many rich contributions from thoughtful, deep writers. There’s more to come in the following weeks and months, but I wanted to break in today with a post inspired by the community here in Spain which feels like a home away from home.
The chapel at El Palmeral.
We gather for morning prayer in the outdoor chapel, letting the words of the Celtic prayers move us into communicating with God. We’re accompanied by the strains of Anna Raine singing through parts of the liturgy. It’s a favorite part of my week here at El Palmeral in Spain.
But the closing song of our time of prayer always provokes emotion in me, for the music and words make me long for home. Here’s the blessing of which I speak, as found on the Northumbria Community website:
Blessing
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.
I get choked up at the going out and coming back, for it makes me remember that I’m sent. Not only am I sent from my parent’s home into the world, but I’m sent from the States to the UK. I’m sent this week from London to Elche to lead this retreat. I’ll be sent in May to Glasgow and Gloucestershire. We’re sent out, and then we return home.
Home rejoicing, as the words say. Home, thankful for the work the Lord has done in and through us when we’ve been away. Home to rest and relax and recuperate and renew. Home to work.
And I guess the song hooks into my emotions because I think of leaving the friends here – new friends and old – and yet I look forward to going back to see my family. (This is intensified because during the last singing of the verse on the last day, we grasp hands and look at each person, bestowing the blessing on them with eye contact and smiles.) And I think of all the friends and family I don’t get to see on a regular basis, because our homes are hundreds or thousands of miles apart. And the longing returns to be reunited.
And of course the largest longing of all is to be with God and loved ones in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom that can be here and now; the kingdom to come.
May we love and bless and be at home this day.
Detail from the large mural depicting Jacob’s ladder on the back wall of the chapel.
I’m here at El Palmeral near Elche in Spain leading a retreat called, “Adventures with God.” It’s all about life with God and how we can communicate with him – and he with us. I find prayer so exciting, for through it God breaks into our lives and showers us with his love and affirmation.
He also reveals himself in creation. I snapped these photos yesterday in the gardens here at El Palmeral, reveling that the Lord would make cacti so interesting and the new buds of dates so beautiful. Join me here in Spain, imagining you feel the hot Mediterranean sun warming you as you look at the photos.
The new date seeds on the palm tree – stunning beauty.
Julie Jowett tells me these are an ice plant. So beautiful.
The irony isn’t lost on me, that to retreat next week I’m cramming as much as I can into this week. All the while wondering if I’ll get it all done, and if I do, whether I’ll be so washed out come Monday that I’ll not be good for anything.
Some of the lush fruits of the earth at El Palmeral.
The venue is the amazing El Palmeral near Elche in Spain, and our topic is Adventures in Prayer. I have the benefit of having led a similar retreat last year, but I also know that God will have something different and special for this year’s guests, and I want to be open to how he wants to move and work and reveal himself.
An image that came to me this morning as I woke early, things buzzing around my mind, has partly been inspired by a visit of Liz Babbs last spring. She came on the day of my daughter’s yeargroup’s assembly – a very big deal for a six-year-old. So Liz was a wonderful sport and joined in the audience with me, cheering along CutiePyeGirl as she said her sole line (“A ladybird! A red, spotted ladybird, sitting in the grass!”) and also latching onto the concept of the symmetrical butterfly. This image of the butterfly has been profound for Liz this summer, and she even found amazing butterfly-inspired gifts for the kids recently.
So when pondering and praying this morning, I had a butterfly come fluttering through my mind’s eye. I felt how butterflies reflect God’s glory, each side in synch with the other. So too is God in synch with us – gently leading us and coaxing us off the ground, that our wings might soar in the way he intended them to. All the while, we might be feeling fear and anxiety, but soon we leave the ground and experience the wind rushing around us through the freedom of flight.
The retreat preparations, launch of Chine Mbubaegbu’s fabulous book tomorrow night, and magazine deadlines, of course, are still on the menu. But I’m moving forward with my face aimed upward, looking to the sky, hoping to glimpse the wings of the wind to carry me onward.
I hear that bookings are starting to come in for the retreat I’m leading at the fabulous El Palmeral in Spain in June. Could you join us?
