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Advances
Moving Forward Not Backward
Read the Gospel of Mark. In many ways the gospel is organized according to the "advances" Jesus took. Count the number of times Mark says "And Jesus came apart."
Now look deeper into where Jesus "came apart":" the mountains, the desert, and the water. Three different bons vaux, sacred spaced, landscapes of the sacred. The three natural places which have the power to help restore us to physical, mental and spiritual harmony. Your soul needs three sacred spaces. Which one depends on the state your soul is in.
In creating SpiritVenture Ministries, Len, Elizabeth and their partners are building a decentralized model of "advancing" (a mountain advance, an island/water advance, and a desert advance).
The Mountain Advance is in Canaan Valley, West Virginia.
The Water Advance is on Orcas Island, Washington.
The Desert Advance is TBD (to be determined).
At each one of the "advances," you will not find a motel-like (centralized buildings with square-box accommodations linked by long narrow corridors and wide parking-lots) spaces. Instead SpiritVenture Ministries is bringing back the old-fashioned, decentralized get-away-cottages you used to see all along US America's blue highways -- except each one of these cottages is more "English cottage" in size, luxury-class in appointments, and future-fitted with what you need for a healthy mind, body and soul. See www.northshore4kiss.com for more details.
*The cost of each Advance includes all registration fees and six meals for the two days. Each Advance begins with breakfast on the first morning, and concludes with supper and after-dinner conversation on the second evening. You are responsible for your own housing, although we are available to help you find lodging and make recommendations.
Mary DeMuth helps people to turn their trials into triumphs. An expert in Pioneer Parenting, Mary enables parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow. Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, Building the Christian Family You Never Had, and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God. Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, including Watching the Tree Limbs (Christy finalist) and Wishing on Dandelions.Mary has spoken around the US and Western Europe. She and her husband, Patrick, live in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, where they planted a church.
John Stackhouse Biography Dr. John Stackhouse is a scholar and public communicator who analyzes multiple intersections of contemporary religion and society. Currently John holds the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Chair of Theology and Culture at Regent College, an international graduate school of Christian studies at one of Canada's premier universities, the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. He has served also as Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at McGill University and UBC, responsible for supervising Ph.D. students.
FRANK VIOLA is a frequent conference speaker and author of numerous books on the deeper Christian life and radical church restoration. His books include the best-selling From Eternity to Here along with Pagan Christianity, coauthored with George Barna, Reimagining Church, Finding Organic Church, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. Frank’s Web site, www.FrankViola.com, contains many free resources, including audio messages, an interactive blog, a monthly eNewsletter, articles, and more.
