Workshops and Retreats
Joy will design a Workshop or Retreat to meet the specific needs of your group. The Workshops & Retreats listed below are samples; they can be combined or modified. They can range from an hour to a half day to a full weekend.
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Stress, Imbalance, and Our Health: Transforming Unhealthy Lifestyles
As people living in a fast-moving world, we may be longing for a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle. We may feel overstretched, overworked, financially insecure, experiencing an imbalance in our personal and work lives, and lacking healthy connections with partners, friends, family or community. All of this can cause stress and anxiety, which has a negative impact on our physical and mental health. Our bodies are designed with a set of automatic responses to deal with stress, and this system is very effective for the short term (fight or flight) responses we need when faced with immediate danger. But our bodies can’t distinguish the kind of stress we are experiencing.
In this workshop, we explore how we can begin to transform our frantic lifestyles in order to have a more peaceful and meaningful existence. We learn about tools that can help calm us and reduce stresses and tensions.
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Preparing for Necessary Losses in Our Life
Every day we are forced to face losses out of our control due to illness, disabilities, divorce, death, moves, job loss, natural disasters, along with living in a complex and uncertain world. We may not be prepared to deal with the pain and the losses that occur in life.
This workshop explores how to identify our strengths, special gifts, and potential; how we can expand our options even when faced with loss and difficult situations; practical and spiritual ways to grieve and mourn our losses; and spiritual exercises to reduce stress, develop courage with hope, and provide more meaning in our lives.
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Turning Transitions into Blessings
Many of us have an enormous fear of being in transition, of not knowing what lies ahead. At times dealing with change and the unknown seem almost more than we can bear. We may believe that when we don't know what will happen in the future that our lives will be out of control. Yet more and more of us are in transition due to events and changes that are out of our control: illness, disabilities, divorce, death, moves, job dissatisfaction, job loss, an unknown and complicated world situation filled with terrorism, war, financial insecurity.
This workshop addresses such issues as finding our special gifts and human potential during times of transition; learning to expand our horizons even under difficult situations; understanding how to face life's challenges with peace of mind, calmness of spirit and joy. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to experience spiritual exercises that are calming, reduce stress, and provide hope, inspiration, and courage for everyone.
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Drawing Closer to God's Heart
For most of us, our lives seem overly complicated, full of stress, out of control. We yearn to have peace of mind and a more spiritual way of being in a world that is filled with threats of terrorism and war, economic instability, anxiety and loss. We ache to draw nearer to God and to wrap ourselves in God's healing love.
In this restoring retreat, we learn how to return to the spiritual core of our existence. We have an opportunity to experience relevant spiritual exercises, music, meditations, rituals, storytelling, and prayers that calm, reduce stress and help provide new energy and meaning in our lives. We have the opportunity to refill our tanks, to change the picture, to provide a way to find greater significance and meaning in our life. We also explore, understand, practice, and experience ways to move inward toward the heart of God. In this retreat, we will have ample time for reflection, group discussion, sacred time, rest, prayer, and silence.
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Facing the Challenge of Being Alone with Hope and Joy
In our Western culture, many of us have an enormous fear of being alone or of being lonely. We usually choose being with someone rather than being by ourselves - even though the company might not be healthy for us or may be boring or even painful. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that when we are alone, we instinctively will ache for the company of others. We also have learned to think that people who are loners are outsiders who likely want to 'get in' rather than people who might be content with their own company. We even persist in the belief that a solitary existence would be the harshest lifestyle possible - perhaps a punishment.
Yet more and more of us are alone due to divorce, the death of our partners, single parenthood, even a conscious choice to remain single. These sessions will address such issues as: finding some special gifts and lessons in solitude; learning how to deal with being alone; learning to face ourselves and even to expand our horizons when alone; finding peace of mind, calmness of spirit, gentleness of heart and joy in our solitude; learning how to reach our authentic and highest human potential; understanding how to face life's challenges; reflecting on life and finding meaning and clarity in our lives that we might not have been able to do in the hustle and bustle of life; and reclaiming parts of our own undiscovered selves.
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Spiritual Passages: Growing and Aging with Grace and Meaning
We live in a society that fears the aging process and rarely values the wisdom of its elders. Although we all experience dramatic changes as we move through childhood, adolescence, first maturity, middle age, and elderhood, we may not be aware of the patterns that unite the diverse stages of our lives. We may not be able to connect different parts of our lives nor the possibilities for future direction and growth that will help us to live life more fully.
In this workshop, we examine significant moments and events of each phase of life, the people who guided and influenced us during each period, and what each phase contributed to the continuum of our lives. We look at spiritual exercises that help us harvest the experiences of our life at all ages. We also work on discovering future directions for growth, forgiveness, understanding, and re-contextualizing of our lives. In the process, we may discover what is our greatest potential, our authentic self. And we may understand how we can unleash new energies for spiritual development and creativity and develop our unique gifts and special contributions to share in the world
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Recognizing, Reclaiming, and Using Our Talents and Gifts
Each one of us has been given gifts and talents. At times, that can feel overwhelming, even frightening. We wonder if we are worthy of such precious gifts. We are afraid people might not like us or feel threatened by us if they see or experience our gifts. But we have been told to let our light shine - not to hide it under a bushel basket. If we are free to use our gifts, we may be able to help others accept theirs. We can be vibrantly alive and greet life with passion and openness to whatever joys and sorrows life may hold for us.
In this workshop, we consider our God-given gifts and how we can best use these precious gifts - without fear and with joy - to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others. We learn to accept and use our gifts in positive ways and be of greater service to our families, our communities, and to the world.
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Enriching Our Friendships
When we have healthy friendships, we feel supported and have confidence that our friends will be there for us to share our joys and sorrows, our successes and failures. Authentic friendships allow us to be ourselves, encourage us to grow, and weather all kinds of problems. At times, however, 'friendships' can be complicated, disappointing, even hurtful. To have meaningful relationships requires a great deal of nurturing, effort, and time.
In this workshop, we explore why difficulties can occur in friendships; some of the most common problems in relationships including unhealthy envy, unnecessary competition, extreme sensitivity, insecurity, inadequate boundaries, poor communication about needs and feelings, unresolved anger and aggression; how we can cultivate qualities that help us have healthier and more lasting friendships; why we need to establish appropriate boundaries; the importance of being truthful with kindness and forgiving; and the value of having a sense of humor.
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Spiritual Tools for Daily Living
Our lives are hectic, stressful, and complicated. As life rushes us along, very few of us are strong enough to stop and take the time to rest and restore ourselves. Yet Jesus said to us, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.”
This restorative workshop explores how we can leave behind our frantic lifestyles in our everyday living; ways to enrich our souls through daily, weekly, and monthly Sabbath practices; meditations, storytelling, spiritual journeying, music, rituals, affirmations of faith, and prayers that provide us with new energy and meaning. We will have an opportunity to discover spiritual tools that we can use in our daily living to make the world a better place.
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Living Life Fully as Women in a Fast Moving World
Sometimes as women in a highly competitive, fast moving world, we can feel stuck, full of stress and fear, and overwhelmed with what feels like an 'out of control' life. At such times, the promise of living life fully and meaningfully may seem a long way off. But each of us is a miracle of uniqueness, a truly beautiful creation, and amazingly adaptable. We have been given gifts and talents. At times, even that can feel a bit frightening. We wonder if we are worthy of such precious gifts. We are afraid people might not like us or feel threatened by us if they see or experience our gifts. But we have been told to let our light shine – not to hide it under a bushel basket. If we are free to use our gifts, we can help others to accept theirs. We can be vibrantly alive and greet life with passion and openness to whatever joys and sorrows life may hold for us. Perhaps we may be able to be of greater service to our families, our communities, and to the world.
Nelson Mandela wrote that we are all meant to shine, that when we let our lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. And Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it under a bushel basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” In this exciting workshop, we will consider our precious gifts and talents and how we can best use them without fear and with joy to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others.
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The Power of Our Stories
These days the world seems filled with distressing news: terrorism, war, alerts, unemployment, financial insecurity. Every day we hear almost more than we can bear about tragedies and losses that cause us to feel fear, sorrow and grief. We desperately need to 'hear' stories that demonstrate that it is possible to heal some of the scars and wounds in our world and that aid us in our search for hope and meaning. Since ancient times, storytelling has been used as a powerful resource in the healing process. Sharing accounts of how people have successfully faced tough challenges and transformed what seemed like hopeless situations into healing experiences and personal triumphs is just what we may need - a soothing balm for our wounded souls.
In this workshop/retreat, we share some of the compelling stories of spirited people and communities that have faced tremendous adversity, that have stumbled and fallen, that have learned and grown. Their stories will demonstrate how 'broken' people and communities can heal but also can have an enormously positive impact on our world. Participants in this workshop/retreat will have the opportunity to experience and practice a variety of spiritual exercises and rituals that are calming, reduce stress, and help provide meaning in life. The sessions will address such issues as finding our special gifts and human potential in our stories; learning to expand our horizons even under difficult situations; understanding how to face life's challenges with peace of mind, calmness of spirit and joy; and reflecting on our life's story and finding new meaning in our lives. This workshop/retreat will offer hope, inspiration and courage for everyone.
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Living Life to the Fullest: Embracing Our Life and Our Mortality
Almost everyone wants to live life fully and die with dignity. The Dalai Lama has said that if we want to die well, we need to learn to live well. To live well and die well means living fully aware in the moment, finding meaning in life, practicing forgiveness, letting go of attachments, settling affairs, and releasing ordinary fears and confusions. Most people in our youth-oriented Western society avoid facing or talking about dying. Yet no one can escape death. To be prepared for the death of family, friends, as well as our own requires planning and preparation and embracing our mortality
This workshop explores the realities of life, illness, death, and bereavement. We examine what is involved in a more restorative and fuller manner of living and dying and how that can take place. The wisdom from experts in the field and from other cultures and traditions are also examined. A number of reflection questions, suggested activities, and techniques that have proven useful in preparing and healing for living life fully and dying peacefully are introduced
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Making Sabbath Time in Our Daily Living
Our lives are hectic, stressful, and complicated. As life rushes us along, very few of us are strong enough to stop and take the time to rest and restore ourselves. We rarely make time for a 'Sabbath.'
This workshop explores how we can leave behind our frantic lifestyles in our everyday living; ways to enrich our souls through daily, weekly, and monthly Sabbath practices; meditations, storytelling, spiritual journeying, music, rituals, affirmations of faith, and prayers that provide us with new energy and meaning.
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Breaking the Habit of People Pleasing
We want to be nice people, and we like to make people feel happy. However, some of us may have an unhealthy need to gain the approval and praise of others. We may suffer from being 'people pleasers.'
This workshop explores the consequences and physical, emotional, and spiritual costs of being people pleasers; how we can learn to say 'no' if and when it is appropriate; how to take other peoples’ real needs into consideration while honoring our own. We will also learn some practical and positive methods to deal with people pleasing
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The Healing Power of Forgiveness
We live in a world filled with intense competition, hostility, and aggression. Our lives seem to be complicated by anger, fear, loss, hatred, and envy. We yearn to have peace of mind and a more spiritual way of being in the world. We ache to be released from the sorrows of the past and to wrap ourselves in healing love and forgiveness, one of the greatest gifts of the spiritual life.
In this restoring workshop, we discover how forgiveness is an act of the heart to let go of the pain, the resentment, the outrage that we have carried as a burden. We come to understand why forgiveness does not in any way justify or condone harmful actions. We practice relevant spiritual exercises and prayers that can reduce stress and help us find forgiveness and reconciliation with others and with ourselves. In the process we can find new energy and meaning in our lives. This is an opportunity to refill our tanks, to change the picture, to find greater meaning.
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Recovering from Traumatic Experiences
In a world filled with violence, threats of terrorism and war, economic and job instability, anxiety and loss, we have all been traumatized. We may at times feel hopeless, trapped in grief, pain, and fear. Much of the violence that plagues humanity is a direct or indirect result of unresolved trauma that is acted out. When trauma is not dealt with, it may resurface as acting against the self or acting out against others. But trauma, suffering, and adversity can also serve to change the picture for us, to provide a way for us to find significance and meaning in our lives. Survivors of trauma often say: “Healing is choosing to live.” It is about transformation.
This workshop explores the numerous and diverse ways that we can be 'healed' following traumatic experiences in our lives, how we can transform our lives and make them more meaningful and worthwhile. This workshop is structured to help us face our needs for healing with greater clarity, understanding, and openness. In the process we can discover opportunities to grow and feel more alive, to become more courageous and hopeful, and to reach out to help others be restored.
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Facing up to Boundary Issues
In our roles as compassionate and helping people, we often attempt to respond with kindness to the countless demands of people who are hurting or who are in pain. We may not know how to say 'no' to the many requests for help that we hear every day. We may be people who suffer from being boundary-less. Without boundaries it is not possible to know where our responsibilities end or another person's begins. Without boundaries, we end up worrying, spinning our wheels, doing things we shouldn’t do, and using up a lot of extra energy. Our options, choices, and possibilities become extremely limited. What’s worse is that we are not free to do what God may be calling us to do. We may discover that we are suffering from burnout, that we have turned ourselves into prisoners - mostly because of our own doings.
In this workshop, we learn how to define 'adaptable boundaries' and how to avoid suffering from burnout. We explore ways to protect ourselves from being overwhelmed or injured by activities and people that are harmful to us. We are introduced to spiritual exercises and prayers that will help us have compassionate boundaries.
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Discovering Spring in the Darkness of Winter
In the deepest winter of our souls, we may feel rigid and cold, that our lives are 'frozen' and stuck. At such times, the promise of spring seems like a long way off. Although we may have managed to make it through the holiday season, now in the depth of cold winter, we can't remember where we're going and how we're going to get there. We are in need of healing light and of finding meaning in our lives.
In this workshop we explore how to identify and find tiny signs of hope that may be hiding in the midst of winter snow; how to ask for help; how to be kind and gentle to ourselves as well as others; how to set small, reachable goals for ourselves; and how to turn over what appears to be dark puzzle pieces of our lives and discover a more hopeful picture.
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Spirituality, Healing, and Wholeness
Present day living is stressful, impersonal, fragmented, and violent often causing us to feel threatened and afraid. Every one of us has been wounded in some way, and most of us want to be 'healed,' to have peace of mind and a more 'whole' way of being in the world. Being whole involves the totality of our being: our spirits, bodies, minds, emotions and our social and political contexts. If we go through a process of 'healing,' we can move toward becoming the person we are meant to be at every stage of our living.
This workshop explores the effects of our beliefs and practices on health, healing and wholeness. Topics include new definitions of 'healing' and what is involved in living fully and having a more restorative and peaceful life. Questions are considered such as 'What is the connection between spirituality and health and healing?' and 'What is the role of storytelling, rituals, and celebrations in spirituality, healing and wholeness?
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Living Prayer: Doorways to God
Richard J. Foster has written that God aches about our distance and preoccupation with the 'things' of life. God mourns that we do not draw near. God longs for our presence. We too ache to draw nearer to God and to plunge ourselves into the inner bath of love in prayer.
In this workshop/retreat participants have an opportunity to understand, practice, and experience prayer as a way to move inward toward the heart of God and outward toward ministering to others. This is not about definitions of prayer nor arguments about prayer nor terminology about prayer. Some of the types of prayer to be practiced may include: everyday prayers, Centering Prayer, Prayer of Examen, Martin Luther's Four-Stranded Garland, Intercessory Prayer, Lectio Divina, soaking prayers, and other healing prayers and rituals.
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Affirming Life in Times of Fear and Uncertainty
For most of us, our lives are complicated, full of stress, and moving far too quickly. We often feel overwhelmed in this 'out of control' world and may yearn to have peace of mind and a more spiritual way of being in the world. Spiritual practices that are easily accessible and relevant can give new energy to every aspect of our lives.
This workshop includes different types of affirming spiritual exercises, rituals, storytelling, and prayers from various religious traditions. Participants will have the opportunity to experience and practice a variety of spiritual exercises and rituals that affirm life and help to provide meaning in their daily living.
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Hanging Out at God's Kitchen Table
Life rushes us along and very few of us are disciplined enough to stop our fast lives, to pause to sit at God's kitchen table. Sometimes something unforeseen stops us in our tracks, and it is then that we are forced to take time to sit at God's table. Many of us hunger for God and for a more spiritual way of being. We yearn to sit at God's table and to fill our souls and bodies with God's nourishing and healing love.
In this restoring Sabbath Retreat, we take time to sit around God's kitchen table and to leave behind our frantic lifestyles. We enrich our core through spiritual journeying, music, rituals, meditations, and prayers that will feed us and provide us with new energy and meaning. As we slide our feet under God's kitchen table, we will have the opportunity to nourish our bodies and souls, to gain wisdom from each other, to find healing and peace. Our gathering will have time for rest, reflection, sharing stories, walking, prayer, and silence.
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Keeping Compassion in Care-Giving
At one or more times in our life, every one of us will be care-givers or care-receivers. Although most of the time we are able to adjust to whatever may be required, care-giving is difficult work and can become stressful and heavy. The growing burden of personal responsibility can lead to exhaustion and frustration. Often we tire of being needy or of being with needy people and we think that we're putting out more than we're getting back. We may feel embarrassed or guilty about those feelings.
This workshop/retreat explores the realities of care-giving for givers and receivers. We examine what is involved in a more restorative and enriching manner of care-giving and receiving and how that can take place. Participants will learn techniques and approaches that others have found useful as care-givers and care-receivers such as how to recognize their own limits, how to be gentle with themselves, how to deal with suffering, how to forgive one's bouts of impatience or guilt, how to strengthen their listening skills, how to acknowledge their own needs, and how to avoid burnout.
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Feeding Our Souls: Renewal and Restoration for Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers often have high expectations of themselves as givers of compassion and care. Although most of the time they are able to adjust to whatever may be required of them, there are times when the work is difficult and stressful. Sometimes, the burden of responsibility can lead to exhaustion and frustration. Occasionally they may tire of being with needy people or think they are putting out more than they're getting back. They may even feel embarrassed or guilty about such feelings. They may wonder if they are making a difference. As they begin to shut down, inspiration and joy give way to apathy and resignation. Having reached out to others, they somehow may get wounded themselves. What seemed like a way of expressing compassion can turn into resentment and distress. The Scriptures remind us that to love our neighbors, we need to love ourselves and care for ourselves. To have compassion for others we must have compassion for ourselves and our own needs.
In this workshop, we explore the realities of being Stephen Ministers and of caring for others. We examine what is involved in a restorative and enriching manner of providing care and how that can take place. We look at approaches that others have found useful: we learn how to recognize our limits, how to be gentle with ourselves, how to deal with suffering, how to forgive our bouts of impatience or guilt, how to strengthen our listening skills, how to acknowledge our needs, and how to avoid burnout. Appropriate resources are available for the participants.
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Experiencing the Passion of Christ
Long ago, Christians were aware of the importance of engaging their heart, mind, and soul with the story of the Passion of the Christ. Today because we have become almost superficially familiar with the story through repeated cerebral readings, we may long to enter more profoundly into the story. As we move through Lent toward Easter, we yearn to discover its freshness, its meaning, its power for our lives.
In this renewing and restoring Lenten workshop, we have an opportunity to experience the Passion of Jesus through faith-inspired exercises that will help us have new awareness of this special season. We will have readings, meditations, and activities that will challenge us to see, hear, touch, and taste the mystery of Jesus' Passion anew. Our time will be enriched through music, rituals, and prayers that will feed our souls and provide us with new meaning. We will take time to nourish our souls, gain wisdom from each other, and find healing and peace.
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