SR • July/August 2015
13
I have tried to go on at least two Spiritual Retreats per year. These
times of reflection and connecting have been very beneficial to
me. I do it in a hope of serving God and Seventh Day Baptists
with a renewed purpose. On May 17-19, 2015 I finished my first
retreat of this calendar year.
Back in the April and May SR I wrote about
“making the effort
in unity”
and to also
“encourage in a positive way.”
It was men-
tioned about us being a
“family.”
We are a diverse family —
who have a common belief with diverse relevance across
ethnicity, languages, and cultures. The purpose of these two
articles was to encourage us all on
“how we all can work to-
gether in maintaining our UNITY.”
These articles are brought up because there have been some
discouraging comments lately. Comments aimed at not trusting
our leadership, or taking a “wait-and-see” attitude how things
will turn out. Others stated that they fear that we are becoming
too authoritative and that the decisions are being made by a
few. I can tell you that this is not the case.
The General Council was put into a position that caused them
to make some very quick, serious, and tough decisions. Those
decisions came very fast, compared to traditional SDB decisions.
That has caused some to feel that we are moving at “break-
neck” speed. But I assure you, things will slow down to a more
respectable pace going forward.
These concerns and comments were on my mind going into my
spiritual retreat. So unlike previous retreats (and no two are
ever the same) I organized my retreat to answer some questions.
I started by reading Philippians 4:8:
“Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
So, I
thought about the good things listed there, described what they
meant to me, and then gave examples of each from my life.
True
– Steadfast, honest ..........................loyal, real deal
Noble
– fine personal qualities or
high moral principles ..........................trustworthy
Right
– what is good, proper, or just........fair and honest
Pure
– free from what weakens
or pollutes ..........................................I work hard at this
Lovely
– of a great moral
or spiritual beauty ..............................helpful, dependable
Admirable
– excellent, first-rate ..............compassionate
Excellent
– possessing
outstanding qualities ..........................aware of others
Praiseworthy
- deserving of praise,
commendable......................................thinking of others first
Then I read Ephesians 4:11-13:
“So Christ himself gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining
to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
I then asked the Holy Spirit to show me how I can best serve in
the body of Christ, and how I feel about my world and myself.
I can best serve the body of Christ by leading other leaders and
doing so by example. By this I mean that there is nothing that I
should ever ask anyone else to do, if I am not willing to do it
myself. One of these joys is being able to lead our three
younger Directors in their ministry efforts.
I can show God’s love and compassion by continuing practical
acts of kindness. One of the attributes I received from my
mother was always thinking of others first. My wife says that
is one of the things that she loves about me. I look for ways
that I can serve, and it crosses all social, economic, and racial
barriers. Everyone deserves compassion.
With this in mind, I want to grow more as a Christian by my
understanding of God’s mysteries; I want to be bolder in my
Christian walk. I need to be bolder and speak up about God’s
laws — but it must always be done in love.
As a real conundrum to what was stated above, I have struggled
for years by being too judgmental. Although it has improved
vastly, I still can be too harsh and quick in my judgment. The
Holy Spirit has made it clear to me to always be aware of this
and in what situations I am most vulnerable for this to happen.
What I am feeling mostly about myself and my world is that I
am
content
. The Brazil trip in April was outstanding! I wish I
was with my wife and family more often, and things are not
ideal. I am enjoying watching my granddaughter grow up. I feel
that I am not with her enough. But I am
content
.
SR
Executive Director
Rob Appel
TAKING A SPIRITUAL RETREAT
