Last Retreat

And finally on the retreat...this was my final retreat.  You are only allowed to go in the first three years of ministry - then you have to go with the grown ups for much deeper contemplation - a bit like junior school to senior school I suspect.  But then I wonder if they will have the same feel.  One of the strangest aspects of the retreat was the key.  By that I mean there was no key to your room.  In fact the only key I saw was in the outside door.  Whilst you were kept safe from pirates and marauders from the outside, you had to trust all your worldly goods to the honesty of your companions.  If you don't have much to begin with, then you've not got much to lose.  I, however, disobeyed the rules (no work to be done - at all!) and took my lap top and did work.  It was a peculiar feeling to walk out of the room with lap top and external hard drive and all my work therein, on the bed (it was a small room) and trust the rest not to pinch it.  I never thought they would, but it was a strange feeling never the less.  On Monday evening I'm leading a service of Christian unity.  Somehow I think this story may feature somewhere.