YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE
March 8th-13th, 2026
With Dr. Wendy Farley!
The Broken Road of Faith
“In a time of destruction, create something.”
-Maxine Hong Kingston
“One primary purpose of our lives is to cast off all illusions and awaken to the eternal knowledge of what is truly real.”
-John Lewis
During our time together, we will explore faith as it encounters the heartbreak of the world and yet rises as joy. Faith is always in a context – what is happening in the world and what is happening in our heart. We may fall more deeply into faith during difficult times – or we may feel alienated from our faith – how could God permit so much suffering and triumph of so much cruelty? This retreat will provide an opportunity to delve into faith as you are experiencing it now and also to experiment with a deeper grounding in the infinite goodness of our divine Beloved. We can enter faith through any door but however we enter, it is ever changing: comforting, challenging, barren, full of brightness. Using music, art, movement, and conversation we will explore the way faith dances with mystery, lament, hospitality, critique, and delight.
Experience daily worship in multiple engaging formats
Enjoy the live accompaniment of our skilled and thoughtful musicians
Engage deeply in small groups with the practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
Exercise your creative muscles in our Art Room and through group activities
Engross yourself in the beautiful campus of Serra Retreat Center in the mountains of Malibu
Dr. Wendy Farley is the Rice Family Chair of Spirituality at San Francisco Theological Seminary, part of the Graduate School of Theology at Redlands University. In that capacity, she is the Director of Programs in Christian Spirituality and Director of Programs in the Art of Spiritual Direction. She is professor emerita from Emory University, where she taught in the college for 28 years and chaired Theological Studies in the doctoral program for more than two decades. She is the author of several books of theology and wisdom, and is a celebrated speaker and teacher. She has studied many forms of contemplative practice within Christianity, Buddhism, and yoga, including chant, energy work, meditation, centering prayer, visualization, and lectio divina. She is an associate at the Green Bough House of Prayer in Adrian, GA. She lives in San Anselmo, CA.
