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.