Dear Friends,
As we journey through Lent, I’m writing to you from Schuyler, Nebraska. Yes, that Schuyler—the place where some of the beef for the Angus Barn in Raleigh originates! While that may be reason enough to visit, I’m actually here for something even more nourishing.
I’m spending five days at St. Benedict Center as part of the Academy for Spiritual Formation (#43!). The Academy is a two-year journey sponsored by The Upper Room, gathering quarterly for prayer, learning, worship, silence — and they even feed us well! I’ve concluded that spiritual formation must make us both hungry and tired. It’s hard work and such a gift!
Our daily rhythm includes morning worship, teaching from gifted professors and authors, covenant group conversation, extended silence from evening to morning, and intentional time with God. It’s not a retreat filled with constant chatter and activity. Instead, it’s an invitation to cultivate both an interior life with God and deep spiritual friendships.
This week has prompted meaningful reflection in the form of questions like these: How does Christianity take root in different cultures around the world? How do sacred objects, sounds, or even smells anchor us in embodied spirituality? Where is the place we can say with certainty, “God met me here”? And if we were to sit down for an honest conversation with God, what might we say? What might God say in return?
We have spent this week looking back at Christian traditions since the birth of Christ. One quote shared by professor Amy Oden (quoting Jaroslav Pelikan) lingers with me: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” As United Methodists, we do cherish tradition—but we are also learning to trust the Spirit to keep breathing life into it. Thanks be to God for new life together!
The best part of this Academy experience, for me so far, is walking alongside Christians—clergy and laity alike—who are eager to grow, to ask questions, and to explore the nooks and crannies of faith. I am so looking forward to winding my way through these retreats as I seek out God’s path for me.
I pray this Lenten season opens space for you to deepen your own walk with Christ. If you’d like a taste of the Academy experience, consider a Three-Day or Five-Day Academy gathering. You can learn more at www.upperroom.com and from the NC Academy for Spiritual Formation.
May the peace of Christ be with you. 
photo credit – Tara Lain, Statue of St. Benedict overlooking a pond.