Rewilding Prayer
a retreat to support you in praying as yourself
March 4th, 9am-12pm ET
What if prayer was less about saying things to a distant God “out there” and more about responding to a loving Presence already here?
What if prayer included simply letting yourself be loved by God, exactly as you are?
What if prayer was unshackled from shoulds and musts and allowed to become wild and playful?
What would your prayer life look like then?
This three hour online retreat offers you the protected time to rest in God’s love and let your prayer life rewild.
With the help of gentle, invitational practices, quiet space and guided reflection, spiritual director Jen Goodyer will guide you into a more expansive experience of prayer.
Whether you're new to prayer or have been praying your whole life, this retreat offers you a safe place to be curious with God.
Let the shoulds fall away and reclaim your everyday space as a place of soul rest and Divine encounter.
Come as you are and be open to see what happens.
Prayer was never meant to be tame.
About your host
Jen Goodyer is a British spiritual director and writer.
Her passion is spiritual accompaniment and she seeks to offer a safe and welcoming space for individuals and groups to notice and follow their experience of the Divine.
She has a particular interest in prayer as a playful response to God and is the author of Playing in Living Water: Practising a Prayerful Life.
Jen studied Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Cambridge and received her certificate in spiritual direction from North Park University. She has taught in both university and school settings and has written for various publications including Modern Theology, Crucible, Christian Today, and Paper&String.
She currently lives in Bedford, UK with her husband and two children, as well as an elderly cat and an exceptionally friendly cavapoo.
You can find out more about her here.
FAQs
Remind me when and where this is happening?
March 4th, 9am-12pm ET.
We will gather together online via Zoom, allowing us the opportunity to reclaim our home spaces as places of prayerful encounter.
What can I expect?
We will begin and end the time together with some gentle, guided practice. In between, you will have a period of open time to follow your soul’s longings and respond to God’s loving presence however you feel led. Jen will help you enter into this time and there’s no need to have a plan for what you will do. Practices will be available to explore but these are offered lightly, not as a to-do list! Above all, this retreat seeks to help you rest in God’s love.
What do I need to bring?
A digital welcome package including various resources will be sent to you a week or so before the retreat and you may like to have this to hand so you have the option of exploring them during our time together.
A notebook and blanket could also be helpful but they aren’t necessary.
Is there anything I need to do to prepare?
I encourage you to prepare your space for our time together as though you were preparing it for a guest. How can you make your space feel safe, inviting, warm? If you share your space with others, how can you make room for both their needs and your own? Is there at least one room that can be set aside as a quiet space just for you?
(If a quiet house is hard to come by, it may help to know that one of the invitations will be to go for a contemplative walk. This means that if you end up finding it hard to settle at home, you can leave and take your prayer with you!)
I also encourage you to have some favourite drinks or snacks to hand.
I’m in! What’s the next step?
That’s wonderful! You can sign up here. Watch out for email updates and a digital welcome pack nearer the time.
I have more questions. Who do I ask?
You are welcome to email any questions, big or small, to Jen at jennifer.goodyer@gmail.com.
When Teresa of Avila was asked what she did in prayer, she replied “I just allow myself to be loved”.
Anthony de Mello in Sadhana, A Way to God