Set aside time for a personal retreat

The ending of a year always brings much food for thought and reflection of how we have been spending our time. It's also a time to set aside time to seek God for new direction for the year ahead and renew our spiritual stamina to prepare ourselves for what is to come.

Tips for a successful personal retreat day:

1. Schedule it
2. Leave the emails and unfinished tasks on your desk. Delegate them or leave them till you get back.
3. Don't hold it at your home. Find a place with few distractions.
4. Plan it along the way. Jot down notes and ideas, write down scriptures that stirred you. Pack a book or two. Bring a list of past goals you want to revisit. Bring along something fun to read.

Below is the account of Wayne Cordeiro as he relates the experience of his personal retreat at the monastery:

(I can't help but laugh at the part when he said he drank 6 cups of coffee at one go! Little do we realise how reliant we are on these artificial products to keep us going day by day, to the extent we become addicted to them)

I returned to my silent cabin to have my devotions but for a boy from the city with encrusted habits, silence can have its limits, I found that in this monastic retreat there were no Internet hookups, no cellphones, and -worst of all- no coffee...how can I do devotions without coffee and a muffin?

By about the fifth day with the monks, I started feeling my oats again. I was tiring of no coffee, no Internet, no phones, and no talking. I needed a break from the silence...I decided to make my escape...at least for one day. I needed civilization. I needed caffeine!

I drove slowly out of the compound... Over an hour later, my cell phone revived and welcomed me with a beep and I had voicemail waiting. Within minutes, I came to the beautiful town of Carmel- and to an even more beautiful Internet cafe. The heavens had opened! I drank six cups of coffee, answered all my waiting emails, and sent notes to loved ones...I even wrote to people I don't know.

(From Leading On Empty by Wayne Cordeiro)