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| 1680 - 373rd Avenue NE, Stanchfield, MN 55080
| 763-689-3540 (located 8 miles northwest of Cambridge, MN) |
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August 2000 Newsletter Silence As a people, we are afraid of silence. --Richard Rohr
"The world is divided between the makers of noise and the victims of noise," wrote Lance Morrow in the July 10 issue of TIME magazine. He admitted "As a people, we are afraid of silence," writes Richard Rohr about our society. I've witnessed many examples of that fear. Ten to twenty years ago, I drove an hour and a half one way on Mondays to do group psychotherapy. My car had no radio, no tape player. I drove in silence - silence in daylight on the way there, silence in night darkness on the return. Hearing of this, people typically asked, "How can you stand the silence?" (Sometimes I couldn't!) These were not TV or boom-box addicts who asked this, but thoughtful people. I've known highly learned folks who have serious difficulty with silence, preferring instead the babble of their knowledge and sophistication. Such babble the reassurance that one does not have demons like lesser people. Who wants to have a run-in with one's inner demons - one's corrupting ego, slippery impulses, well-masked fears, voracious needs, or secret anxieties - the very opposites of one's public persona? Demons, monsters. They hide in the shadow of noise. But in the light of silence, they have nowhere to hide. "The point of noise is not to think, not to see," wrote Morrow. Although he made no mention of monsters, the point of noise is to avoid them; the result of silence is to encounter them. No wonder silence can be frightening. No wonder someone once told me she could tolerate no more than a few minutes of silence. No wonder our culture's preference for noise. (There is now, for people's noise addiction, a web site that offers nonstop noise for while you work on your computer!) Even the psalmist found silence terrifying: "If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would have lived in the land of silence." (Ps. 94:17) Then why seek silence? Because (and here's the irony) silence is where prayer begins and where we first begin to hear God speak to us. A person may speak long and lovely prayers but not have the intimate relationship with God that true prayer is. A person may quote scripture chapter and verse but never "have it out" with God, which God's word inevitably makes you do. Both that intimacy and that conversation can be evaded by avoiding silence - the emptiness so frightening because it's monsters and demons, not prayer and God's word that one initially encounters there. When we first encounter our inner demons, our impulse may be to rid ourselves of them or to so overpower them that they slink into oblivion. "Slay the dragons," is the way of our culture's testosterone triumphalism. "Vanquish the dragons," is the way of our culture's creed of perfectability through self-improvement. Inner demons, though, ultimately resist our attempts to slay or vanquish them. They are like the mint in my backyard that keeps coming back despite my persistent efforts to pull it up. All one can do is be reconciled to them just as one must finally be reconciled to the truth of one's mortality. This brings humility. And with humility comes the possibility of prayer and the possibility of hearing the voice of God. The prayer may be nothing more than inarticulate "sighs too deep for words." And the voice of God may also be nothing more than an ache, a longing, a yearning. The words, when necessary, will come later. In the meantime God's Spirit takes the sigh and makes it prayer, takes the ache and makes it God's own speech. Born out of silence. Someone told me recently of an experience of silence and its attendant encounter with inner monsters, the result of which was that her prayer life suddenly and inexplicably blossomed. I've heard others tell of similar experiences with similar consequences. Prayer and hearing begin in silence. The silence can be so scary. Yet for this silence many people come to ARC. Because, they find, silence can be so holy, so life-giving. --Dwayne Daehler, Co-Director
25th Anniversary Pilgrimage to Grandchamp, Switzerland
Volunteer Opportunities at ARC
Community News We hope to welcome one or two new community members in August/Sept. In August we will be hosting some men from the group home for developmentally disabled adults where Jerry Belanger worked prior to moving here. This will be a new experience for us to which we're looking forward!
One sad note is that Chris Wolf's car was recently
totaled in an accident. Fortunately, she's okay but is in need of a car. She's hoping one of our newsletter readers might have one to donate. If so, give her a call:
763/689-3540.
A Mountain Pilgrimage: The Summer of 2001
In the summer of 2001, ARC will sponsor a mountain pilgrimage, also in honor of ARC's 25th Anniversary. The seven-day trip in late July or early August will depart and return on a Saturday. We will travel by van to the Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming and camp in a National Forest campground adjacent to Cloudy Peak Wilderness Area. While traveling we will stay in motels. The group will share in camp setup and meal preparation. Cost is yet to be determined.
We will do as-you-choose day hikes from the base camp. This is not a backpacking or mountain climbing trip, but we will be hiking above 9,000 feet. We will discuss the symbolic and religious significance of mountains in Jewish and Christian tradition and have ample time for personal reflection. (This is a retreat!) Through these experiences, reflections, and conversations, we will hopefully come to a deeper understanding of who we are as God's people.
Upcoming ARC Retreats
Photography and Contemplative Seeing
Attentive Listening, Compassionate Living
"Stories in the Autumn of Our Lives" "A bread for all seasons - and soup!" Fall Rustic European Bread Winter Whole Grains Registration will be limited to the first six
registrants - our kitchen is only so big! Bring an apron.
ARC's First Annual Benefit Concert and Silent Auction The evening will also feature a silent auction for which we're seeking donations of goods and services. If you work for or have contacts with a business or organization that might be willing to donate something, please let us know. Or if you're a gourmet cook, an artist. writer, photographer, etc., we're also hoping for some creative donations. Contact Dave at ARC, 763/689-3540.
Mark your calendar and watch for your invitation with details about time, place, and tickets.
Telephone Fund-Raising Campaign
ARC WISH LIST
1. Whisk together orange juice and buttermilk or yogurt. Add lemon or lime juice and optional sugar or honey to taste. Cover and chill until serving time. 2. When you're ready to serve, place about 1/2 cup berries in each bowl. Ladle the soup on top. If desired, dust very lightly with cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and garnish with a few small sprigs of mint. --taken from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen What's New at ARC?
And then there's the BOOKNOOK Expansion. Our maintenance person emeritus (!), Loren Halvorson, constructed some additional shelf space for us in the Hospitality Room where we will now be selling gifts from Ten Thousand Villages. These lovely handicrafts provide vital, fair income to people from developing countries. Would you like an ARC experience throughout the year? We are producing a 2001 Calendar with a photograph of an ARC scene for each month. To order or for more information, please call
763/689-3540 or e-mail us: arcretreat@hotmail.com. ARC Retreat Center Seeks Resident Community
Members
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