And when should I go on one?
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal
Between busy work schedules and family commitments, many men struggle to find time to slow down.
What is the last time you felt you could turn everything off, or take a few hours to pause and reset? Does the idea of stillness, solitude, or boredom make you uncomfortable?
Busyness is a way of life. It’s the path to success. It is the basic roadmap for a successful life in nearly any business.
Think of the first excuse that comes to your mind when you can’t do something:
We “don’t have time.”
In John Mark Comer’s excellent book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, he recounts the following story of when John Ortberg once asked Dallas Willard, “How do I move forward in my discipleship? Something’s off – how do I move forward in my faith?” After a long pause, Dallas said, “Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
Ortberg said: “That’s great. What else?”
After another long pause, Willard said: “There is nothing else.”
The great lesson of that book and perhaps of our age is that hurry is the greatest enemy of a spiritually-alive life.
It is also why regularly taking scheduled breaks – time to intentionally slow down can be so life-giving and transformational.
We recently asked Jay Cherry about deciding to go on a quiet day, and his response was that he was the exact type of person that would not want to go on a silent retreat.
Watch his answer below (2 min) and the impact that quiet days have had on him:
His characterization of his life as “go-go-go, do-more, stay-busy” is the standard mantra for many of us as busy, working professionals. With infinite entertainment always-available and on-demand, we never don’t have something turned on or tuned into.
It can sometimes feel like we do not have permission to slow down. Pete Scazzero says we need a slow-down spirituality because for most men, the deeper problem we face is that we are too busy to live emotionally healthy and spiritually rich lives.
Here are three benefits of a Quiet Day
- Many men do not realize the incredible burden of worry and stress they are carrying until it is taken off of them. One of the greatest gifts of a quiet day is simply the opportunity to let all of that go.
- A quiet day opens the door into the world of silence, a world that can at first be intimidating or even threatening. But taking just a couple of small steps into that world can be revolutionary, offering a new way of living in the world that just feels better than the constant hurry. To read more about silence, check out this post.
- Finally, and most importantly, a quiet day is one of the more direct portals into connecting with God and feeling His presence. How He meets a man in the stillness is always unique, but He will come as a Father bearing good gifts to His beloved sons.
What is a Quiet Day?
Exactly as you might expect, a quiet day is an invitation to spend a half day in reflection, quiet, and in solitude. It is a mini silent retreat – but you are not left alone or thrown out without guidance. In fact, the four hours are structured with practical guidelines and options to help you gain a deep sense of rest and peace. And unlike spending time in quiet at home, there are two main reasons why a Quiet Day can provide a surprising impact in a short period of time:
Group dynamic – Even though there are only a small handful of guys participating, there is a distinct feel of solidarity and camaraderie that you will experience as you journey in silence together.
Intentional container – At home it is so easy to get distracted. A silent retreat extracts you from your schedule, your routine, and from all the commitments vying for your attention. You can truly relax as those things are out of mind and out of sight.
What does a Quiet Day look like?
Our quiet days are specifically designed for busy working professionals. Men often want to spend intentional time in a natural setting for quiet reflection, but are unable to commit to a multi-day retreat. And many retreat centers are in remote locations and are several days long.
We wanted to create a Quiet Day that provides the same benefits of intentional space and structure but to be accessible for anyone. Here are the key factors:
- Half-day on Friday afternoons from 12 – 5pm
- Locations convenient to Nashville (Franklin and Hendersonville)
- Limited number of participants in a structured time of silence
- Private, outdoor setting with numerous places to be quiet
- Optional time with a Spiritual Director
- Catered lunch and short time of group reflection
Who are Quiet Days for?
Jay points out in the video a great irony about Quiet Days. The people who are too busy to go on Quiet Day are the guys who need them most. His laugh seems to make the joke that “the more reluctant you are to go on one, the more you will love it.”
You can learn more about Quiet Days here and new dates have been announced for 2024.
And as an added bonus, we are offering a 15% off early-bird discount if you will register by February 29. Use this coupon code: EarlyBird15. Limited space is available so please register soon!
Bill
PS. As you may have noticed already, we have a brand new website!
