Refreshed

A few weeks back my wife and I had the privilege of attending a 3 days retreat in beautiful Whistler, BC. The association of churches we partner with brought church planters from across Canada together to learn, grow, relax, and connect. (I'm so glad I'm still considered a church planter!)

The greatest joy of this trip was being able to go with my wife. She rarely attends a conference with me. And we rarely get time like this alone.

Here's the highlights:

1. some sessions were simply focused on worship, stories, and prayer
- various pastors/couples shared some recent stories and were prayed for by the group
- this was very encouraging

2. our guest speaker was refreshing and honest, and focused on things that matter
- rekindling your love for God was the main focus
- fighting for renewal on a regular basis was a near second
- doing ministry in a way that attempts to nurture authentic transformation was third
(Jon Tyson, Trinity Grace Church, NYC)

3. lots of space in the schedule for rest and relationships
- this was a highlight, especially being with my wife; we got a chance to spend some time together talking and processing our learning; we also hung out with other pastors and couples that really fueled our hearts and souls
- we met some great people and anticipating connecting with them down the road

4. the passion for church planting was energized in us
- our hosts in BC (church planting BC) are doing such an amazing job in the area of church planting
- our canadian leaders keep fueling this flame
- I hope to keep contributing to church planting (through Westside, personal networks, and a broader contribution in the future in our city while I keep serving in my own community)

5. our canadian leaders model generosity, leadership, and excellence
- I'm always impressed how the leaders of our association pour into leaders across Canada
- dinners, retreats, conferences, relationships, vision
- these guys are serious about fueling ministry and mission
- their value of "creating raving fans of the conference" is often achieved

My wife and I came back refreshed, energized, more connected with other leaders, more connected as a couple, and generally excited to move forward.

(Thankful for my church leadership team who support us, our church who prays for us, our friends who took care of our kids, the generosity of our association and other donors who make something like this possible)