2008 Ring Lake Ranch Program Schedule

View the 2008 rates and registration

June 1 - 7

Volunteer Week – Opening the Ranch takes lots of people power, so we are inviting volunteers to come and work with us for this week. Consider joining us!

June 8 - 14

Elder High School, Cincinnati

For the past ten years, groups of 26 boys from Elder H.S. in Cincinnati, OH have been coming to make retreat at the Ranch under the direction of Mr. Dan Kreimer, Greg Alig, and two other counselors. For many of the boys, the retreat has been a transforming experience. Once again in 2008, we welcome the young men from Elder and the teachers/counselors that guide them.

June 15 - 21

Come Apart and Rest Awhile

Experience an encounter with the sacred wilderness for a week of rest and renewal, spiritual direction, techniques of prayer, massage, reiki, journal writing, quiet rides and hikes, and shared contemplative prayer that includes simple, meditative singing and collective silence that nurtures the soul and calms the mind. Your presenter is the Holy Spirit and you are the facilitator (with help from Barbara, Lauren, Joyce, and Carl). “Often God’s voice comes in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence . . . open to the Spirit, is already prayer” (Brother Roger of Taizé).

Barbara Bridge is a composer of choral music for worship and music for contemplative prayer. She is the General Editor of the recently published Hear the Prayers That Rise: A Music Resource for Contemplative Prayer. Whether you consider yourself a singer or not, Barbara invites you to create beauty by joining your voice with others in prayerful song. Lauren Loos is a counselor and spiritual director with a passion for bringing prayer and contemplation into the moments of everyday life. She is a facilitator for Contemplative Outreach and leads classes in Centering Prayer and meditation.

June 22 - 28

Elder High School, Cincinnati

June 29 - July 5

Mid-Life/Long-Life Directions for People 35-65+

This week is a time to look at mid-life as transition and renaissance, to ask anew “what is the purpose of life,” to reflect on my deepest beliefs as they illumine my life, to allow my past, present, and future to come together: “We cannot live the afternoon of our life according to the program of life’s morning” (Carl Jung).

Vincent Hatt directs the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, WI. He offers retreats nationwide and is a certified leader of Mid-Life Directions retreats. Vince has been a pastor, educational administrator, spiritual director, and retreat facilitator. In his late sixties, Vince retired from running marathons.

July 6 - 12

Elder High School, Cincinnati

July 13 - 19

Bill Brown

A Spiritual Field Guide to Creation

Contrary to popular opinion, the Bible has much more to say about the natural world than just its seven-day ordering in Genesis. The Bible's perspective on creation is complex and pluralistic. As a "field guide," this session will lead participants in an informal and in-depth exploration of seven discrete yet interrelated creation traditions in Scripture, from Genesis to Job, and offer ways to interpret them in light of their spiritual and ecological relevance for today. Warning: Eyes will be opened and hearts will be stirred!

Bill Brown is a professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. His specialties include wisdom literature, the prophets, and creation theology. He is author of among other books Seeing the Psalms, The Ethos of the Cosmos, and Ecclesiastes.

July 20 - 26

Has the Holy One Been Lost in Transmission?

How the Bible was preserved, transcribed, translated, and interpreted presents just as many challenges to people of faith today as it did 2000, 1000, or even 10 years ago. In our time together, we will reflect on specific varying translations and how they affect key sayings and stories of the Bible. With the assistance of online resources, including digital images of early biblical manuscripts, we can see graphically how the scriptures were historically transmitted and how our faith has sometimes been molded accordingly. We'll also revisit tools we can use to meditate on the richness of our scriptures.

Pamela Eisenbaum is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado, and is associate faculty of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver. One of four Jewish New Testament scholars teaching in Christian theological schools, she is the author The Jewish Heroes of Christian History: Hebrews 11 in Literary Context, and Invitation to Romans. She is a contributor to the Women’s Bible Commentary and the Oxford Access Bible, and has published many essays on the Bible, ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity. Prof. Eisenbaum appeared in the recent ABC documentary, “Jesus and Paul: The Word and the Witness,” and is currently writing a book on Paul.

July 27 - Aug 2

Tink Tinker

The Rocks Shall Cry Out — Consciousness, Rocks, and American Indians

The American Indian experience of the world around us as both alive and conscious makes euro-western anthropocentrism an impossibility. The Indian understanding of the personhood of rocks and trees and the kinship of all of life has important ethical consequences when it comes to waging war, cutting down a forest, or even eating lunch. These sessions will unpack some of the traditional worldview of Indian folk, setting that worldview in tension with the globalization of capital and its worldview.

George (Tink) Tinker is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation and professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions at Iliff School of Theology. A popular presenter on American Indian Spirituality, his publications include Spirit and Resistance: Political Theology and American Indian Liberation and Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Genocide. He co-authored A Native American Theology and is co-editor of Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance.

Aug 3 - 9

Bill Short

Francis of Assisi – A Saint for Everyone?

Francis of Assisi has been hailed as "wholly Catholic" and "the first Protestant," a bold preacher of the Gospel and the friend of a Muslim Sultan. Once a knight, he became a preacher of peace during the Crusades. A successful businessman, he became a beggar. Though considered uneducated, he is one of the earliest poets of the Italian language. We will spend these days reflecting on the remarkable legacy of this Patron Saint of Ecology and Troubadour of Lady Poverty, asking what his message might mean for us today.

Bill Short, OFM is professor of Spirituality and past-president of the Franciscan School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. "My great passion is to help others unpack the revolutionary insights of Francis and Clare of Assisi. It is amazing to realize that these two friends had a vision of an inclusive Church community 800 years ago. I am delighted to be at the Franciscan School where I have the freedom to explore their wonderful vision, and do that in a community of brothers and sisters trying to live that vision today."

Brother Bill is an avid propagator of California native plants, an interpreter and translator, and a novice wine-maker.

Aug 10 - 22

Please note corrected date. Ends Friday the 22nd, not the 23rd.

Saturday Night & Sunday Morning: Music and Spirituality Crossing-Over

Don and Emily will explore questions of spirituality that emerge in the cross-over between music of Saturday night (folk-rock & jazz) and the music of Sunday morning (hymns, psalms, congregational song). They will continue their intergenerational dialogue begun in their book, A Song to Sing, A Life to Live. Questions of words and music, poetry and theology will be the heart of the matter.

Don Saliers is William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Don’s daughter, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray are the Indigo Girls, “internationally acclaimed folk, rock, pop divas who remind the whole world that music with a social conscience should be fun, rockin' and brilliant” (The Wittenburg Door). “Both of us agree on this issue: spiritual life is not about ideas in the head. A great idea doesn't make you spiritual. For both of us, spirituality has to be physically practiced in our bodily existence—fasting, or restraint, or healthy spiritual practices. Spirituality is the whole person, not just the intellect.”

Aug 24 - 30

Rekindling the Gift: A Retreat for All Couples

Relationships change, develop, deepen and grow as couples face various life circumstances and life transitions. This week will be a chance to pause, to reflect on the original gift of your spouse/partner and discover ways to treasure and celebrate the graces alive in your shared journey.

Carla Aday is Senior Associate Minister at Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri where she co-authored and piloted the Great Start Marriage ministry program. Dave Ehman is Director of Midwest Christian Counseling Center (A Samaritan Institute) in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a licensed psychologist and ordained minister

Aug 31 - Sept 6

Prayer through the Seasons of Life

A great fourth Christian century teacher said, "If you want to pray, then it is God you need, for it is God who gives prayer." This week will be a discussion of the ways in which prayer is given to us at different times of our lives. We will draw on our own experience, as well as the Desert Fathers, Julian of Norwich, Rumi.

Roberta Bondi is professor of church history emeritus at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Author of many works on spirituality and church history, Roberta has a profound influence on all who came under her influence:"Roberta has been one of Candler's key ambassadors as speaker, retreat leader, author, representative in ecumenical conversations, spiritual director," said Russell E. Richey, former Dean of Candler School of Theology. "Generations of Candler graduates call 'blessed,' especially women whose subsequent religious leadership owes much to Roberta's example and her opening up the lives of the great women spiritual path-finders, especially Julian of Norwich."

Sept 6 - 12

Flyfishing and Theology

FAITH - FELLOWSHIP – FLYFISHING

Though not a regular seminar session, guests are welcome to register with Fred Webb for this 10th edition program. (540) 962-1300

Sept 15 - 17

New Pastors’ Retreat – Wyoming Association of Churches