On The Blog
Sharing words of insight, wisdom, memories and more.
Retreat Recap: Loving Presence
As we arrived with the morning chill in the air to set up the sacred space for our eager participants, we were amazed at how the land looked. Our first silent retreat, Sacred Presence, took place in June of 2025 and the trees were bursting with summer shades of green. This time of year, with trees still bare, the land took on new life— the labyrinth was easy to spot, the waterfall caught the air as a main soundscape without leaves to interfere, and you could see further into spaces previously unknown. It felt illuminating— like a nod to the day to come where silence often strips us bare in a way that illuminates our depths.
Participants arrived as the sun rose higher, their smiles and anticipation tangible.
Loving Presence.
At the heart of the Wild Sanctuary Full Day Retreat, Loving Presence: Yoga & Silence, is a simple yet profound longing: to be with God as we are, without performance, explanation, or noise.
This retreat is rooted in Psalm 139, a prayer-poem that reminds us we are already known, already seen, already held.
“Lord, you know everything there is to know about me…
You perceive every movement of my heart and soul.” (Psalm 139:1–2)
Psalm 139 does not ask us to strive toward God. It tells us God is already here. Before a word is on our tongue, before we understand our own hearts, God is present. The invitation, then, is not to do more, but to notice.
Retreat Recap: New Year Mini
The New Year greeted us softly at Wild Sanctuary Retreats & St. John’s Lutheran Church as women arrived with open hearts, accepting an invitation to enter the year gently. Collectively, we were committing to mark this threshold of a New Year as sacred, to offer gratitude for all that 2025 held and to begin dreaming with Jesus for 2026, trusting that there would be no pressure of a ‘New Year, new you’. Instead, we adopted the phrase, ‘New Year, beloved you’!
A Gentle Beginning
A Gentle Beginning: Welcoming the New Year with Breath, Prayer, and Possibility
The turning of the year is a threshold.
A liminal space and holy pause between what has been and what is still becoming.
At Wild Sanctuary Retreats, we believe these thresholds matter. They’re invitations to not rush forward with clenched fists and rigid goals, but to soften, listen, and notice what God is already stirring within us.
That’s why we’re so excited to invite you into our New Year’s Mini Retreat: Gentle Yoga + Vision Boards— an afternoon designed to help you begin the year grounded, spacious, and open to holy possibility.
Retreat Recap: Mini Christmas Retreat
Our recent Christmas Mini Retreat was the perfect way to enjoy a little Christmas cheer while engaging in service— the heart of the season. The morning felt like a welcome step away from the swirl of the season.
Guests arrived at our Wild Sanctuary Retreats home, St. Johns Lutheran Church, and were welcomed into a space prepared just for them. The air held the cozy sweetness of hot cocoa… and, yes, a hint of laundry detergent— a reminder of the service project that we would be engaging in!