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It has been said that we are all on a path—a path of life. When we walk the path, sometimes we come to curves, dead-ends and resting places. A labyrinth is a model of the path of life.  Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no dead ends.  It’s not a puzzle to be solved. It’s a journey that symbolizes the inner journey of life.

Christians have used labyrinths for thousands of years as a symbol of faith to walk and to pray; to linger and to meditate. Potter’s Inn is excited to announce that a new labyrinth will be constructed at Potter’s Inn at Aspen Ridge. A family has donated 1700 feet of liner Colorado rock which will line the pathway of the Labyrinth.

Our new Labyrinth will be built on the ridge where we “got” the name of our retreat located along the Prayer Trail at the Companionship Bench.  We expect Christian pilgrims from around the world to come and walk this ancient pathway of prayer.

An announcement will be made soon inviting friends and family to help build the labyrinth by placing stones to outline the trail. A cookout will follow to thank all of those who participate.

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The Soul Care Experience is our premier retreat offering participants and overview of spiritual formation and the care of the soul.  You’ll live in a Benedicine Rhythm of life that is ancient yet very life-giving for modern times. This retreat is ideal for pastors, missionaries, staff members, individuals interested in learning more about deepening their walk with God and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Here’s what we’ll cover in the five day retreat:

• What is spiritual formation and how does it happen?
• What is the soul and how do we learn to care for our souls and the souls of others?
• An overview of spiritual disciplines which are usefull in our life with God.
• Critical stages and phases of the spiritual life and how to break through “walls” that you have been hitting which prevent growth.
• Practice of The Daily Office/Divine Hours
• Why Silence and Solitude are needed in the 21st century and how to use them to care for your soul.
• How to live in community and reading Bonhoeffer and others who are trail blazers such as Jean Vanier and others.
• Experience the “Second Book of God” in the glory of Colorado and how to use nature and the heavens to feed your heart and soul.

Click here for more info and to register!

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Here are the needs that you might want to consider:

Waterwheel 8 foot and handmade:  $2,000

Five Colorado Blue Spruce: $100 each

Three Aspen Trees:  $100 each

Three wooden benches: $100 each

Fencing to surround the garden: $500

A plaque will be made showing the names of those who have contributed to the Legacy Garden and placed near the Pump House.  It will be place where guests can hear the water from all three of the lodging facilities and it will be visible from the historic log cabins.  It will be a prime place for outdoor gatherings such as weddings, Singing on the Mountain, Outside receptions and more importantly a private place for meditation while guests come to the retreat for the care of the soul.

The Bible speaks of special places where people sense the very presence of God. We’re hoping and praying that the Legacy Meditation Garden will become such a place!

If you’d like to help: Please consider giving a specific amount in the needs list above.

If you’d like to donate to it, please: Click here

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Life of the Beloved – April 21, 2011  Audio

The Gift of Being Yourself – May 19, 2011 Audio

Upcoming discussions:

Our next session will be February 16, 2012

Call Details: 10:30 AM MDT   12:30 pm EDT.

Call: 570-945-1126      PIN: 1225#

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Retail: $14.99

Sale: $10

Shipping: $2 (in the U.S. only)

Follow this link to purchase from our bookstore

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It’s not another list of something to do. Please don’t fall for that. Rather these are time tested truths that foster, enhance and nourish a great sense of life than we might be experiencing right now.

I’ll give references and more ways to help in each one. They will be brief here but will trigger your thinking and discussions. The time is now to have the life Jesus promised! The idea here is that these ideas combined will enhance the life we are living to do more than “make a living.” We can actually really live!

1. Begin and experiment with using and praying the “Daily Office”. Having set times to pray helps give us some structure in actually praying! This ancient practice is something I’ve been practicing now for some time and it helps in so many ways to foster a greater intimacy with God. This one aspect has helped me so very much and changed the way I look at quiet time and having a devotional. Very life giving and rooted in the ancient church. If you’ve never heard of this, as many protestants may have not, then don’t worry. It’s resurfacing out our a dire need to be intimate with God.

Link to my favorite book on this subject: Click here

Link to the best guide on praying the Daily Office: Click here The introduction in this book by Phylis Tickle is amazing and worth the price of the book. A pocket/travel edition is available also and an application for your phone/ipad through www.explorefaith.org

2. Practice the Sabbath. Sabbath has become for most of us the day to accomplish what we did not get done on the other six days. Living in a rhythm of enjoying one, entire 24 hour span of time to relax, rest and connect will help us more than we have ever believed.

Read the Chapter on Sabbath: Ceasing the Insanity in my book: Click here

Read Lynn Baab’s excellent book: Click here

3. Plan a quarterly “festival” to enjoy, anticipate and remember. Jesus experienced seven distinct festivals where he gathered with family and friends to celebrate, enjoy and remember. These periodic breaks in his routine of carpentry work allowed Jesus to live in a greater story of God’s story in history, present and future. We have no equivalent today for modern day Christians and this can be recovered and should be to help us celebrate, enjoy and enter into festivity!

Read Sitting at the Feet of the Rabbi: Click here

4. Read some books about life and your soul. Expand your mind and grow your soul by reading with the Potter’s Inn family nine books in 2011 that can help us live, enjoy, grow and love God, others and ourselves. This will be announced in January through the Potter’s Inn Journal. We’ll have an on-line way to blog and comment on your feelings that get uncovered as we read together and grow together.

5. Simplify your life by giving away one thing every week and throwing away one thing every week during 2011. The cluttered home is a sign of a cluttered soul. Make a commitment to simplify your life and live with what is important and necessary. This one rule can help us a lot.

6. Morph your diet and improve your health. Change your eating style to more plant based meals and less meat. New research has shown that this one step will reduce the rise of death from all medical cares. We can share our stories, insights and ideas on a new blog that will be introduced in January 2011. If you’d like to contribute to the blog, let us know!

Read Fast Food Nation: Click here
Or:
Food Rules Click here

7. Create a monthly ritual that will be life-giving, fun and meaningful. Rituals in our busy culture are going out the door. Rituals help give meaning and breath life into us. Explore some new fun things you can do to grow your heart and expand your soul. (More on this later.) Jesus had many, why don’t we?

8. Move More! Make a commitment to physically move more in 2011. Park further from your destination; walk 30 minutes a day; do anything to help your body move. Jesus walked everywhere. We could do it more.

9. Develop an Anam Cara–a Soul Friend. Develop a friendship with 1-2 people, no more where you can regularly have times to share, talk at a soul level and encourage each other in our walks in the New Year. Ask 3 questions each time you meet: How are you doing with what you are doing this past week? Where have you sensed God’s presence in your walk this past week? Where do you need God’s presence this coming week?

10. Give back what you know. Download to someone what you have learned. Give back to someone who is need and be intentional about this on a weekly basis. Write a letter; share a story, do something for someone to show love. Do this through a mentoring relationship; develop or strengthen an intentional relationship you want to invest in a let them reap the benefits by not doing what you’ve done and learning from your mistakes and failures. Don’t leave the planet taking all you know with you!

These are all “food for thought and for the soul.”  You’ll think of others but these are anchored in the new book and will be fleshed out more in the New Year. I was thinking that we could foster a sense of community by sharing our stories on our efforts, attempts, victories and failures. We’ll do this through a brand new interactive blog which will begin in early January. Who knows?–your story or insight may be used in the book!

If you choose to do 5 of the 10, then write us at resources@pottersinn.com so we can keep track and walk with you in this new adventure. If you do, then we’ll send you FREE a bookmark about Sabbath Keeping to remind you of that commitment in particular! Just email us!

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Potter’s Inn and Social Networking  and the Care of the Soul

Five Reasons Potter’s Inn is engaging in social networking media:

1. We want to offer the ancient truth in a 21^st method.
2. We want to bring the Light to some dark places.
3. We want to reach people and find people where they actually are and live.
4. We want the Potter’s Inn message to connect with a wider audience.
5. We want to inspire, motivate and encourage people during their day, every day on the journey towards Jesus!

Consider these steps for you to become a part of our new venture.

Twitter is the place where we will send inspiring quotes, thoughts  and questions to make people stop, think and consider something profound rather than trivial, trite and perhaps narcissistic. Follow us on Twitter by subscribing at www.Twitter.com/PottersInn. Open a Twitter account and receive inspirational quotes which are short and to the point

Facebook is  a way to help establish an on-line community of friends, alumni and new folks to the message of spiritual formation and the care of the soul! It’s the fastest growing social network today and we’re glad to now have a “Fan Page”—although we struggle with that word—fan….  Join the Potter’s Inn Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/PottersInn and keep up with news, developments, offerings and invitations for special things we’ll offer here

Blogging is really going to be an on-line journal where Steve, David and our Retreat—Potter’s Inn at Aspen Ridge can voice what is going on.

Steve’s blog – pottersinnsteve.wordpress.com – will provide feedback on his retreats, writing, media reactions, links to great articles and recommendations.

David’s blog – pottersinnvocationcare.wordpress.com – will be  focused on the Potter’s Inn brand new initiative in 2010 called, “Vocation Care.” Vocation Care is being launched to help people navigate the whitewater of work, calling, fulfillment, purpose and ethics!

Potter’s Inn at Aspen Ridge Blog – pottersinn.wordpress.com – will offer short stories from guests, delicious recipes that we and our guests offer, inspirational readings that all help the former guests and future guests of our retreat stay in touch. One special offering on this blog will be discounts offered only through the blog for day retreats, weekend stays and vacations. For example, the first blog of our retreat will offer at 25% discount on any future booking made in the month of February! Sign up today!

LiveSteam is our new way of sharing online discussions, webinars, –an online community where Steve, Gwen, David and invited guests will be “live” or taped discussing topics, book recommendations and featured guests.

You’ll sign up, log on and join a host of others all over the world in a lively and relevant topic such as: How do you “do” solitude?  What is the role of suffering in the Christians life and why does God allow it?  A book discussion on one of our new monthly book recommendations that you can read; then join a discussion about it. It’s going to become the major way for all alumni and future guests of our ministry to be encouraged on an on-going basis and explore relevant topics facing us today! Stay tuned.

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