Foreword
Bishop Graham Chadwick's foreword to the book
Both within the church and among those who have nothing to do with institutional religion, there is an increasing interest in spirituality. So much so that a book recently published has the title "Spiritual Revolution". People, many of them young, are searching for meaning in life. A retreat ( a strange term for what is often an advance, a life-changing experience), is an opportunity to get in touch with our real selves, to examine where we are on our journey in life and the route for the future. As Will Thompson tells us in this book, not everyone has the inclination or the opportunity to go away to a retreat house for this. It can be done at home while carrying on with one's daily tasks. Doing it this way, it is amazing how the prayer exercises so often fit into what is happening currently in our lives.
This book provides an excellent description of a retreat in daily life. More than that, it gives all that is necessary for planning such a retreat. It is a distillation of Will Thompson's long and wide experience of setting up and giving these retreats. It is practical and detailed. As I read the proofs, such was my excited interest that I longed to make copious notes but realised thankfully that the book itself will be available shortly. May it be the source of much blessing to many who wish to advance their spiritual journey and to those who accompany them.
The Rt. Revd. Graham Chadwick
Salisbury
Christmas 2004
