InterVarsity's StudentSoul.org

You’re several weeks into the semester, and you’re busy. Not just busy, but tired. And maybe not just busy and tired, but also confused and feeling far from God. Student leaders in campus fellowships are not immune to feeling unconnected with God, and often those doing active ministry with people are the most vulnerable. We’re not designed to operate on our own strength. We lose direction and we lose touch with ourselves and God. How do we reconnect?

Plan a personal retreat (from the “Ask Jack” column on the Urbana website)

Missionary and theologian Jack Voelkel responds to a student’s feeling of being unconnected with God, even while part of a fellowship, and outlines what a personal retreat can offer. ”[A] community emphasis has its purposes, I’m sure,” he tells the reader, “but as you have experienced, we also need our private times with the Lord.” Jack then offers eight points and suggestions that are appropriate to try for just a few hours, say on a Sunday afternoon.

Why spend a day in prayer?

This brief article is excerpted from the booklet How to Spend a Day in Prayer by Lorne Sanny. Sanny was president of the Navigators for thirty years. The military roots of that movement show up in the language of this old, classic “Nav” text, but the points are still helpful, as is the discipline he calls for. This is essentially a practical case for taking time to be alone with God, and it’s a fairly quick read.

Encouraged, Equipped and Energized: Benefits of a Personal Retreat

“If you have felt exhausted or entertained thoughts of confusion or a lack of direction, you may need to retreat from life for a day,” says Lynn Jacobs in this article from SAM Journal. While aimed at those in ministry with young adults, many student leaders on campus face the same pressures and choices. There are lists of things to do and what to pack if you’re considering more than an afternoon at a park. (The author encourages people to consider going somewhere away from the normal day-to-day places they live and work. Why not consider an overnight at a retreat center or camp in your area?

Overview page at RetreatDay.com

Many retreat center websites point to this resource. It’s a fairly extensive website with a lot of suggestions for personal retreat. It touches on Bible reading, listening, meditation and confession, but also goes further. Recommended reading, inspirational stories, suggestions for using your time, sample journal entries — it’s all there. Consider printing out some of the sections to take with you for reading. We’re steering you to the overview page first, because the homepage links weren’t working on our last visit. Check out all the subsections linked along the right-hand side of the overview page.

Retreat guides

The Word and PDF documents below are all from InterVarsity’s Ministry Exchange (MX) site. The first is a very simple intro to listening prayer. The others are retreat guides that sample different passages and show ways to hear what God has to say to you at a particular moment (while you are on retreat). The point is to pay attention to the process as you go through these — in no time you’ll be doing this in other passages on your own! Listening Prayer Exercise by Lisa Lamb (PDF format), Celebrating Salvation by Roger Weber (Word Document), Desire for God by Roger Weber (Word document), A Prayerful Reflection on Psalm 121 (lectio divina exercise, Word document)

Related list: Feeling busy yet?

If you are over-busy, here are a few articles from a previous Editor’s Choice to check out.