I’m delighted to announce a new workshop offered in partnership with therapist Phillip Bass: Embracing Radical Acceptance.
We currently have three workshops scheduled:
December 3-5, 2021 at Cedar Cross Retreat Center, NC (register here)
January 2022 Private Staff Retreat
June 22-24, 2022 Beach Retreat at Trinity Center, NC (register here)
The Team
Phillip and I have worked together for a number of years. He’s a therapist and partner at Riverstone Wellness Collaborative. We have common interests in the church, therapy, lgbtqia+ issues, understanding the impact of systemic racism/capitalism/patriarchy and much more. During COVID Phillip and I began getting together on a semi-regular basis for masked, socially distanced long walks. Our walks gave us gracious time to discuss issues close to our hearts from many different perspectives. On one of these walks, the idea for this retreat was born.
The Time
The fullest expression of this retreat is a 3 day/2 night retreat away from home which allows time for learning, experience, connection and rest. Our learning modules are crafted around an introduction to the concept, then an experiential element, then group discussion.
Ample quiet time, time in nature, and time for artistic expression are included in these retreats. Some retreats include shared meal preparation.
We also offer this information repackaged as several half-days or blocks of time spread over a month or two for larger staffs, colleague groups and more. If you are interested in this retreat but the above times don’t work for you, or if you would like us to offer this for your team or group, contact me and let’s talk.
The Topic: Radical Acceptance
What does it mean to Embrace Radical Acceptance? At its root, it is about the often-thrown-away part of the Great Commandment: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Luke 10:27)
Too often, that “as yourself” is ignored –but this is central to the message. We first must love ourselves…then, when we know how to do that, we will be able to truly love our neighbor by sharing our authentic selves with them.
I love watching Drag Race and hearing RuPaul paraphrase the Bible almost every week, “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”
This workshop will invite participants to move more deeply into a radical acceptance of their whole selves — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Gently during the retreat, people will be invited to more deeply embrace who they are, and practice sharing their authentic selves with others.
Our Teaching Time includes the following topics:
- Introduction to the Nurture, Structure, Play Paradigm
- The 4 Expenditures of Life: Time, Money, Energy, Resources
- What is Radical Acceptance?
- Why is Radical Acceptance difficult?
- Why is Radical Acceptance Christian?
- How do we practice Radical Acceptance?
- Seeking Joy Together
- The Importance of Unique Interdependence
Who is Welcome?
Our workshops are intended to be a Brave Space for all genders and races and ethnicities and all bodies and all sexualities. At our beach retreat, you may see someone in a beard and a bikini. In a group conversation, you may find out that a participant is polyamorous. As we relax around the campfire, a neighbor might remove her prosthetic.
We intend to radically accept you at our retreats. If you wonder if this really means you, contact me for a conversation.
The Places
December 2021
Our first retreat will be held at Cedar Cross Retreat Center, a 52-acre center outside of Louisburg, NC. Our main gathering space will be The Lodge which has our gathering space, kitchen, dining area, and participant bedrooms. It offers a couple of porches and a fire pit nearby.
The outdoor space includes miles of trails through the woods including a smaller “Way of Jesus” trail and a labyrinth.
Bring a mask, sturdy walking shoes, a camp chair, and layered clothing for indoor/outdoor gatherings.
June 2022
We’re very excited to be offering Embracing Radical Acceptance as a Beach Retreat at Trinity Center, Salter Path, NC in the summer of 2022.
Trinity Center has both ocean side and sound side water access, along with some wooded trails. Ample shaded outdoor areas are within steps of our rooms.
We’ll be staying in clusters of hotel-like rooms, each of which has a double bed and single bed and a private bath with shower. We’ll also have access to a community living room for socializing, engaging art, and more.
Bring a mask, beach shoes, a camp chair, and layered clothing for indoor/outdoor gatherings. Don’t forget your swimsuit and beach towel if you’d like to spend time on the beach or ocean. (ALL bodies welcome, dressed as you desire.)
What Else?
What else do you need to know to decide whether to join us for an Embracing Radical Acceptance retreat? We’re happy to answer your questions and talk more. Contact me here.
