shed, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

This past weekend, I went on a deacons’ retreat. We went to this beautiful bed & breakfast in the middle of a slim stretch of woods. It had a little lake surrounding it on two sides, with a road separating the halves. The house was gorgeous – modern, but with a lot of rich red wood. This is shot down from the deck looking over the edge of the lake (underexposed, I know – but I like the water in this picture the way it is).

It was a great retreat – refreshing and renewing, but at the same time, invigorating. We spent the weekend in heavy discussion about our mission. We’d all read a book called “Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor.”  The book is… thought-provoking. It’s amazing that the deacon who found this book did so – it speaks to us very clearly about a possible path for our ministry.