This kind of listening is at the beating red heart of Intermissionary Retreats, because we believe listening is an act of love and friendship. ⠀
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We believe, for many, feeling heard is the same as feeling valued.⠀
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We believe people will offer a fake answer, rather than look foolish in the face of an indifferent listener.⠀
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WE ARE 6 WEEKS FROM INTERMISSIONARY@CHAMONIX AND OUR STAFF IS TRAINING IN THE LOST ART OF LISTENING. ⠀
It sometimes takes undisturbed hours to let things we've tried to drown, rise to the surface and burst into tears and thin air. It sometimes takes a friend, to climb down the cliff with you and hold your hand as you jump off together. This is why at Intermissionary, we don't give you free time in between your sessions. ⠀
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WE GIVE YOU SESSIONS IN BETWEEN YOUR FREE TIME.
You see, I have no nursing skills to offer a country in desperate need of them, but my friend does. Helping revitalize her health, her faith, her ambition and her spirit? That, I was born to do.⠀
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And this is what the body of Christ working together looks like. Different roles, same goals. #LoveGod #Loveothers.⠀
We are working to gather tight little groups of people, in all their dysfunctional glory, so they can figure out, often and together, who God is and who they are in Him, and what they might do next.⠀
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Western culture is not good at this. We prefer a private, stiff upper lip approach to life. When people ask how we are, we say, "busy." ⠀
AT INTERMISSIONARY THAT JIG IS UP, because we have the liar in our crosshairs. Some days we get kicked around for it, but we think you're worth it.⠀
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You may not be ready to tackle your thing yet, you might just need a deep breath and a break. You might need someone to listen hard as you talk about where you've been. That's ok. We love that.
So we practiced. About seven of us, all women, around my dinner table once a month. We called it Love Dinner.
Four years, a hundred wine bottles and zillion candles later, I have women in my life who know me. They are allowed to hold up mirrors in my face when I am lying to myself because they love me and they treat me as if I already am, what I can be. ⠀
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