Not long ago I decided it was time for me to take some time out of the city and have what I would describe as a personal retreat. For several months I had been experiencing a dry spell in my relationship with God. I was feeling as if I had been set adrift in a boat with no oars, no rudder and no sail. In those moments life seems to push you wherever the wind happens to be blowing at the moment. There was a personal awareness that things were not quite right but it seemed that regardless of my response to the situation things remained the same. Looking back, it was a bit like trying to paddle the boat forward using only my hands. Futility.

A plan was devised whereby I would travel to one of Slovakia's most treasured nature areas in search of solitude, silence and hopefully a genuine encounter with my God. The area is known as Slovensky Raj which means Slovak Paradise. It is situated very near to the High Tatras which are the highest mountain peaks in Slovakia. All my Slovak friends and acquaintances speak with a sincere fondness for Svk Paradise, as well they should because it is truly a national treasure. My travels have taken me to many beautiful places including exploring the Rocky Mountains for 8 years when I lived in Denver. However, I've never seen a place quite like this before. A little more than 3 years ago when I first arrived in Slovakia I came to this place with a group of sophomores from the local high school. I remember it being a really nice experience and had always wanted to return to explore more of this special park.

Essentially there are 4 large ravines or small gorges which you can travel through to get to the peak of these small mountains and enjoy a lovely view. But in this case the best part of the journey is definitely on the way up. What makes these trails so unique is the variety of ways which park rangers have devised for hikers to traverse their way to the top. There are metal ladders, wooden walkways made out of logs, metal or wooden bridges, small metal steps and chains attached to the rock walls for which to pull yourself along. Each spring season as the snow melts the waters pick up speed and power through the ravines moving rocks and logs around and in the process rearranging certain aspects of the trail. No problem. The rangers just create a new way for hikers to get through.

Here in this shot you can see a typical trail in Paradise. Look close, do you see the guy standing near the center? Some of these ladders are quite high so if heights make you nervous these trails will help you overcome your fear.
Throughout my time here in the Paradise I was writing in my personal journal what I was seeing, hearing (internally) and experiencing along the journey. Allow me to share some of those thoughts with you as you take a little virtual hike with me on the trails. Watch your step, the trail can be quite tricky in many places.

When you think of getting away in search of refreshment, what comes to your mind? Rest, relaxation, exercise, a good book, delicious food? Would you rather lay on a beach, walk in the hills or browse around an interesting city? What are you seeking when you go on such a trip? What do you hope will be the end result? Is a change of pace sufficient for your refreshment? Will a change of scenery or a break from the daily grind be enough to recharge your batteries? The lives we live today are so incredibly noisy and demanding, not just for our ears but for our eyes and our minds as well. We live in a time where there is almost a constant bombardment of some type of stimulus. Our senses are so saturated with sights, sounds and cognitive calculations that we scarcely know what it means to rest or relax. The scary part is we seem to have adapted to it, at least in so far as it hasnt caused us to slip into psychosis. Its amazing how much stress and rigor humans can endure without totally breaking down. The problem with such a lifestyle for those seeking the truths found in the unseen realities is that God cannot be found in the noise and constant activity.

The design for this retreat was for me a time to purge myself of all the impurities which accumulate in my mind, my body and most importantly my soul, during the course of my “normal life.” I often times get to the point where I cannot quiet myself in my mind and my heart feels dull and lacking in compassion for myself and others. There's a frequent sense of anxiousness and negative thought patterns, pessimism I guess. My plan was simple, to get back to God's garden of stillness and quiet through prayer, meditation, reading and fasting.

Fasting is an excellent way to cleanse oneself as it has the ability to touch each part of the aforementioned areas (mind, body, soul). When you combine prayer along with fasting the experience can be even richer and more fruitful. During times of fasting I am only drinking water, green tea or a little fruit juice (on this occasion fresh squeezed o.j.) which gives my body a good rinsing out. In my mind, fasting helps me to remain more quiet somehow. There's something about being physically full(food in the stomach) which, for me, gives rise to more internal noise, sort of like uncontrollable musings. In my soul, fasting and praying helps me to realize how poor I really am. By that I mean how small, weak and incapable I am to be or do anything significant on my own. In addition, I am able to see all the little personality and character flaws which make all my relationships much more challenging, including my relationship with myself and with God.

If you look closely you can see some iron bars which have been drilled into the rock and serve as steps for hikers. The chain also helps in that you can pull yourself up and be sure to keep your balance.
When I am fasting I am able to see more clearly how much I am sidetracked in life by trivial concerns and pursuits, how much wasted time there is and how shallow and judgmental I can be. Fasting helps me to see better God's fingerprints on my life. I can see more clearly how richly He has blessed me and how ungrateful I have been in response. And in a very simple way, I just sense God's presence more tangibly when I am fasting. The richness and depth of His love, mercy and compassion grab hold of me in a more powerful way. When the time comes to break my fast its interesting to notice that almost immediately after I have eaten I feel a spiritual dullness. The old pride and whispers of self reliance begin to creep back in and pull me back into the flesh. I have much to learn about this enigmatic, yet enriching, discipline.

Each morning I woke up around 6am and had a couple hours of prayer, bible and meditation. I have often wondered why it seems that the morning hours are the most powerful and poignant as far as encounters with God. As the day time hours accumulate I find it more difficult to sense God's presence. After my first day on the trail I wrote in my journal about some of the symbolism between the journey of life and my travel on the trail. Here are a few excerpts: “...when the trail is rocky and unstable, one must focus on every step and movement, they must be well thought out and executed with confidence-commitment. The very real danger of stumbling/falling is present. Only what is immediately in front of you matters, what lies ahead neednt be a concern for the moment.”

“Walking the trail with others requires patience and consideration, which I often have too little of. Everyone goes at a different pace and chooses their own way on the trail I am saddened by how easily I am annoyed with others because they prevent me from going at my pace and in my direction. I realize this is caused by my competitive nature and my inability to effectively suppress it. Sharing the trail with others should be an enjoyable experience, not a burden.”
The best image I have ever received about this issue is striving to be a prodigal father to everyone you meet. To create a welcome atmosphere to people who come near to you and to put a priority on their thoughts, needs, wants... I have miles to go on that journey.

On my second day I was on the trail early (before other visitors) and was enjoying the solitude there and the amazing quiet that goes with it. Every 20 minutes or so I was stopping along the trail and soaking in what I described in my journal as a “powerful” silence. While I was nourished by those moments in nature I also recognized a “torrent” of noise coming from inside myself (voices, music, images from t.v. or film, encounters with other people...). Sometimes it seems impossible to quiet myself and it reinforces my need to practice silence and meditation more often in my city life. A strong commitment and dedication are needed to achieve such a internal quiet because there are so many distractions around us which are constantly wooing and bidding us to enter in (for example every variety of media and electronic devices).

Another important spiritual discipline, which I had drifted away from as of late, is taking the time to meditate on scripture rather than just reading it. Its not so much that I get a deeper understanding of what I am reading, although that does occur when I meditate on it, but that I experience an intimate and personal encounter with Abba father in those moments. Some books are able to inspire, encourage, inform, enlighten and even tantalize the reader. But how is it possible that a text or collection of historical stories is able transport the reader into a sacred state, a mystical moment? Such is the power of God's word and they are priceless moments beyond what words can describe.

The third day of my retreat I spent the afternoon visiting the Spissky Castle ruins which I have wanted to see since I came to SVK 3.5 years ago. This is the largest castle ruins in all of central Europe. A magnificent place indeed.

The castle, like many others in Slovakia, has a long and winding history which dates back to the 12th century. The stories of the people who inhabited this place over the centuries is rich and fascinating.

As you can see, they have done a superb job preserving and renovating this castle. The cost was about $7.50 (5 euro) to get in which includes an electronic device which tells you about 90 minutes worth of history and great stories.

Finally the last day and I was back on the hill at SVK Paradise. Each day I took a different trail and all were equally impressive. Here is an excerpt from my journal this day: “As I hit the trail all my senses were crackling with stimulation as the sights, sounds and aromas filled me up with a joyus blend of God's creative goodness.”
Here in this photo is the trail at this particular spot. You might say, "trail? What trail?", which is exactly what I said. The water had altered the passage way in this part of the ravine moving rock, timber and assorted brush into this pile. However as I looked more closely I could see on the vertical log near the center that a ranger had used a chain saw to cut 3 notches in the log providing steps which lead up to the rock and over the small incline.

There were a few problems on the trail today. In addition to getting lost in the forest briefly, I fell off of an elevated log trail and bruised my calf quite deeply but managed to finish the trip despite the pain. I had already been limping along a bit due to a bicycle accident in the city before my retreat where a crazy man in a hummer knocked me off my bike at a fairly high rate of speed. The road where I crashed wasnt damaged too badly so no big deal:) The hike today was 5 hours round trip and I was predictably tired at the end. I wasnt looking forward to the 4 hour drive back into the concrete jungle (Bratislava). It didnt take long for the battle within myself to begin on the journey home as I struggled to remain positive in the face of callous, rude drivers. But nothing could dampen my spirit as I savored the sweet moments I encountered with the lover of my soul these past 4 days.

Welcome to...you guessed it, Summer Hockey Camp 2009! Again this year we had a large group (75) of energetic and fun Slovak kids. Here is the older age group (age range was 9-18).

For the team/staff we had some of the friendly faces from last year, like Don on the right, and new faces like Stevo on the left who coached the goalies. We didnt have any current NHL professionals as we did last year but we had 2 great former NHL guys in camp. Laurie Boschman and Mark Osborne each had 13 year careers in the NHL. As always, its pretty special for the kids to meet these guys and even better to see the godly men that they are.

The kids get great hockey instruction on the ice as each day the coaches use drills and approaches to hockey which represent a style from a different country such as Russia, Canada, Sweden, USA... BTW, thats Mark Osborne there in the center. He played his entire career for the Toronto Maple Leafs. And there on the right...I think thats Sid Crosby. He's looking real old after that long season last year.

The kids also get great instruction off the ice including English lessons and most importantly lessons about life based on the powerful word of God. The boys (and girl) are introduced to the realities of God in a basic yet significant way. A group of young adults met with them everyday in small groups to talk about the greatest love story ever told, the God of the universe coming in person to the earth in pursuit of little hockey players from Slovakia.

The kids also get solid instruction about how to do dry land training to keep in shape for hockey during the summer months. We had a group of about 20 college age Slovaks helping with every phase of the camp, including the small group leadership, dry land training, outside games, translation, on-ice support and many other small yet significant details. The camp simply wouldnt go without them.

Most of my responsibilities are focused on the ice although due to my repertoire of fun and wacky games I am often times organizing some controlled chaos for the boys. Even though we are quite busy on the ice (its expensive time) there's always time for fun and building relationships.

The talent level in Slovakia is really excellent for such a small country. They are roughly the same size as Minnesota in terms of population and yet they have numerous big name players in the NHL. Some of these kids would love to be national heroes in Slovakia which is how the Slovaks in the NHL are treated here.

This is my friend Martin. He is a great little goalie and speaks good English as well. His father has been talking to me about the possibility of making arrangements for Martin to go to Minnesota to do a year of high school and play hockey. What a fantastic experience that would be for him. If any of you know of a family who would be interested in talking about it, let me know.

Each day the kids are on the ice once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The rest of their day is filled with fun and interesting activities. On 2 separate days we take the boys to the local city swimming pool and turn them loose. Of course we have at least one movie night at which time we watched Miracle, when Team USA won the 1980 gold medal at the Olympics.
When I think about these kids in comparison to American kids I see many similarities. In many ways, kids are kids anywhere you go. However there are also differences. The children here, it seems to me, have a sweet, naive type of innocence that sometimes appears lost in many American kids. They are a joy to be around.

Here are two of my homies, Jakub and Adam.

These camps are a great opportunity to practice my Slovak language. Kids arent shy about it because they want to get to know the coaches so they just start speaking to you in their native tongue and you have to go with the flow and make it work.

Everybody had a great time and went home with fabulous memories. And now we're praying that the seeds of faith scattered in the hearts of these kids will blossom into a full bouquet of faith. Already there is excitment about the 2010 camp. God is good!