I’m not 100% sure where or when I first heard about Cedar Rock Ministries. If I had to guess, it would be through Jessica Hefley…from her social media and podcast, Prosperity with Purpose.
Jessica is a Christian Leadership Coach who has had tremendous success in network marketing, and she’s someone I’ve admired from afar for quite some time.
If you’ve read my series on my experiences with Awaken Silent Retreats, you already know this isn’t the first time I’ve followed one of Jessica’s recommendations — and those retreats have been such a blessing in my life. So when she mentioned Cedar Rock Ministries, I paid attention.
What Is Cedar Rock Ministries?
Cedar Rock is a relationship development ministry that helps individuals and couples find the rest and connection they need to become more fully known and deeply loved.
“The righteous will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock.’”
Psalm 92:12-15
Cedar Rock’s core values are powerful presence, restful receiving, unhurried pace, frequent subtraction, curious exploration, intentional play, and holistic growth. Each of these values is woven into the experience of their retreats — not just as ideas, but as ways of life.
Constant stress, busyness, and a non-stop pace are not recipes for well-being — and yet, that’s how many of us live. The truth is, if we don’t intentionally choose to slow down, we never will. Our relationships, and our own hearts, eventually pay the price.
If you’ve read this far, that probably resonates with you. We have a real problem in Western culture with hurried living. Life doesn’t give us permission to slow down. We have to decide to do that for ourselves…to make intentional choices that prioritize rest, relationships, and silence.
That’s what led my husband, Jeff, and me to set a goal for 2025: to attend a One Couple Retreat with Cedar Rock Ministries. We wanted to pause, reconnect, and invest in our marriage…not just for us, but for the legacy we’re building together.
Our Experience: A One Couple Retreat
Our retreat took place at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, Colorado — one of the most breathtaking places we’ve ever been. Nestled between red rock cliffs (right beside Garden of the Gods) and tall evergreens, the castle and grounds created the most peaceful venue. It felt like sacred ground — quiet, restorative, and wrapped in God’s presence.
The retreat itself was unlike anything we had experienced before. This wasn’t traditional marriage counseling or group therapy. It was deeply personal, one-on-one time with Nick and Renée Fouts, the founders of Cedar Rock Ministries, who welcomed us not as clients, but as friends.
They were so generous with their time with us. They listened deeply to our story: the challenges of blending families, the nuances of second marriages, the baggage we were both carrying with us, and the ways we wanted to grow closer to each other and to God.
What made it so powerful was hearing from both of them — husband and wife, man and woman. Their insights balanced and complemented each other beautifully, giving us perspective that a single counselor simply couldn’t.
Nick and Renée’s approach was gentle, wise, and deeply rooted in Scripture. There was no rush, no formula, just a rhythm of grace and honest conversation. We felt completely seen, known, and loved.
It wasn’t therapy — it was ministry. And it shifted something in us.
In the stillness of Glen Eyrie, surrounded by creation’s beauty, we experienced slowing down to listen to one another, and to make room for God to move.
As Jeff and I left our time with Nick and Renee, we both felt a quiet peace settle over us — the kind of peace that lingers. We left with renewed hearts, softened toward one another and more aware of God’s presence in our marriage.
That’s the beauty of slowing down long enough to listen — to God, to your spouse, and even to yourself. Somewhere between the conversations, the stillness, and the prayers, we found what our souls are craving: connection, understanding, and rest.
Marriage isn’t something you set on autopilot. It takes tending, grace, and a willingness to see your spouse not as an obstacle or project, but as a gift. This retreat reminded us that our relationship is a reflection God’s love, patience, and faithfulness.
If you’ve been feeling the weight of constant motion…like life is moving faster than your heart can keep up…maybe this is your reminder to pause. To step away from the noise, to seek God together, and to let Him renew what the world so easily tears apart.
Our time with Cedar Rock Ministries at Glen Eyrie was more than a retreat. It was an invitation to live slower, love deeper, and remember that when we make space for God, He restores and renews.
In this post, we will explore how to have conversations with God. It’s easier than what you might think!
What does a cat have to do with talking with God?
Well, in this conversation with God, a lot!
There have been quite a few times that I’ve retreated for quiet time with God and this furbaby comes to find me. He’s a very cute and cuddly interruption. 😆
Purrcy is my sweet boy.
A few years ago, I completed a weekend retreat. While there, I learned how to make space for God. I learned that it’s not nearly as important as what I say in prayer as it is being with God…thus being silent and still. In this way, it’s much easier to hear God when He speaks. And He does speak to us, we just have to make space and learn to discern His voice.
Don’t we need to hear from Him now more than ever?!
A while before this weekend retreat, I had started asking God questions and listening. One Saturday morning before I got out of bed, I asked God, “how do you delight in me?” The first thing that popped into my mind was a picture of Purrcy and my eyes welled up with tears. If God delights in me like I delight in Purrcy, that says a lot to me. God knew just how to answer my question that morning. It was an impactful answer…that He delights in me, He loves me freely with no holds barred. He delights in holding me close. He delights in my personality, in my heart, and how He made me. He loves me easily and He can even use a special furry friend to show me.
I hope you are seeing and hearing God in all the places in your life, because He is whispering. He is everywhere around us. As your week or day wraps up, I hope you find space to ask God “how do you delight in me?”. Then, listen for his prompting. For me, this practice helps me combat anxiety and the stress from my crazy, busy life. I want this same thing for you too. To know that you are delighted in, that you are loved by a mighty Heavenly Father, and that you are held by Him.
Want more resources for how you can practice silence and stillness, and combat our noisy, modern world? Check out this post.
And only 5 months later, I attended again. This time on my birthday weekend!
The Silent Retreat was in a different location this time. It was hosted at Shepherd of the Ozarks (SOTO), located in the heart of the Ozark mountains in Harriett, Arkansas.
The total drive for me was around 8 hours from Houston, Texas to Harriett, Arkansas.
I had never been to the Ozark Mountains before. It is beautiful! The last hour of the drive was breathtaking! It reminded me of the Smoky Mountains.
When I arrived, I parked and unloaded my car only to reload my things into a truck. The truck would cross the creek and take me the remaining distance to the cabin.
The creek crossing reminded me of the creek you cross going to J.P. Coleman State Park. My Iuka, Mississippi friends will know what I mean.
But the creek at SOTO was much larger and required a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
The weather forecast was looking like a lot of rain. What we didn’t know is that there would be record breaking rain that weekend.
After unloading our things, we settled into the kitchen where a meal had thoughtfully been prepared for all of us.
As you can see from the photo, there were 19 ladies in attendance.
The cabin was gigantic, about 7,600 square feet. It was 3 levels with numerous bedrooms. Plenty of room to spread out both in the cabin and on the front and back porches.
All during dinner, there was talking and conversation. After dinner, we gathered in the living area. Danielle led us in worship songs and scripture. She guided us in an exercise to use our holy imagination that prepared our minds for the weekend of silence.
Then, with our phones turned into Danielle, we shifted into silence.
When I returned to my room, I was met with interesting visitors in the bathroom. Not 1, not 2, but 3 wasps were in my bathroom! I had to summon help from Danielle to get rid of them.
The wasps would prove to be interesting violators of my silent weekend.
It rained, thundered, and lightened much of the night. As the day broke, so did the weather. Many of the ladies were going outside to explore the outdoors. It was beautiful scenery at SOTO. I had heard some of them talk about a prayer walk the night before. The hike had signs with scripture prompts along the path. This is where I wanted to go.
I packed up my journal and pen in my bag. Grabbed a coffee to go and set out to find this path. I found the prayer walk and started to doubt if I should continue. Since it had been raining the night prior, it was muddy and where the path began, it was steep. I hesitated, but decided to at least go a little ways before giving up.
My next hurdle was wooden planks that served as bridges without hand rails over shallow ravines. When stepping on the wooden planks, they bowed under my weight. I must have stepped forward and stepped backward at least 3 or 4 times.
I was out of my comfort zone. And then I laughed at myself, “says the girl that drove 8 hours alone to be at a silent retreat.”
This gave me gusto to cross the plank quickly only to be met with a second plank to cross. I didn’t hesitate as much with this one.
I came to the first scripture prompt, Psalms 96, a psalm of praise. It seemed so appropriate given the beautiful mountains and the gurgling creek below me. I sat in silence and read the scripture through again and enjoyed the sights of the beautiful landscape.
The next scripture prompt on the path was Psalms 32:1-7, a psalm of confession.
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.”
I was struck with how the verse spoke to me. If I hide and keep sin in my life a secret, I will waste away. Sin is detrimental physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The part about “your hand was heavy upon me” says to me that your conscious is speaking about the sin. Sin preoccupies our lives and takes our strength. The relief from the bind of sin is to confess it to the Lord.
This was an humbling experience on the prayer path…to sit in silence and to sit with truth.
I continued on the path only to come to another crossing. The path continued on the other side of the creek. I was wearing tennis shoes and given the rain the night before, the creek was high.
I decided I would not cross. Instead I found a makeshift perch on a rock and decided to sit and take in God’s beauty He created.
Because I did not have my phone or camera, my journal and pen served to capture the beauty.
It’s easy to forget to use all our senses when we experience something. We carry these mini computers with us all day, i.e. phones. It’s easy to snap a photo, but what else other than the visual did you experience?
Writing down what I was seeing, hearing, and feeling helped me capture the moment and embed it in my mind. Here’s what I wrote:
“Water gurgling and bubbling. Water falling that sounds like water filling up a bathtub. Very vibrant greens from the moss on the sides of the trees and rocks to the grass and buds on awakening trees from their winter’s nap. The simplicity of beauty. The grass, the trees, the moss, and the water doing nothing other than what they were designed to do. No rush, no busy, just being what they are supposed to be. They are all enough, more than enough. Flowing water around the bend and out of sight. Not in a hurry, but a constant flow. Roots that create the perfect natural stair steps to the water. Lavender flowers. Are those weeds? Does it matter? I’ve never seen this place. It feels like a gift from God as I journeyed to spend uninterrupted time with Him. The temperature is perfect. Not hot, not cold. Mossy, velvet carpet. Soft to the touch. And purple flowers popping out here and there among the fresh greenery.”
If you’ve been reading my blog, you may find that I write often about silence and stillness. Silence and stillness are tools. They are spiritual disciplines. They are practices to have greater personal wellbeing.
Our modern world is noisy and busy.
What are you missing by getting swept away in the constant demand on your time and the distractions?
What if you carved out time for silence and stillness? What do you think would happen?
Maybe you’d notice and experience the world around you like I experienced being in the mountains and by the creek.
Maybe you’d experience all of your senses.
Maybe you’d be aware of more.
Many think that silence is taking things away, like your phone and distractions. While that’s true, what’s also true is thinking about what silence could give you/add back instead.
Stay tuned! Next week, I’ll continue writing about my experience with a Silent Retreat weekend.
This week, I listened to another great podcast. It was an interview conducted by Ken Coleman with Carlos Whittaker in the Front Row Seat podcast, linked here.
Highly recommend a listen!
The reason I listened wasn’t because I knew who Carlos Whittaker was. I didn’t. Rather, it was the title of the interview, Simple Daily Habits to Get Years of Your Life Back. My interest was piqued.
Who doesn’t want more time back in your life?
This conversation would be about Carlos’ journey with the amount of time spent on his phone.
He was spending 7 hours a day on his phone. Calculate that out…that’s 49 hours a week! That’s a full-time job! In his calculations, he discovered that maintaining this rate would lead to spending 10 years of his remaining life on his phone!
We can all be convicted about how much screen time we have each day. I know I can. My current rate is around 4 hours a day. I’d like to improve this to no more than 3 hours a day, maybe even less.
What is your daily screen time rate?
Carlos shares the extreme measures he took to re-center and reconnect his life. This includes living with monks and then an Amish family for a while!
As the interview progressed, Carlos recommended that everyone find one (1) hour each week for total silence. He gave the example of finding a park bench and sitting there with no phone. Take nothing to read. Just sit in silence. One (1) hour each week, that’s it.
He re-discovered, when he put his phone down, how much we’ve lost the art to wonder and be curious when we can Google the answer to any question in a split second. We’ve forgotten how to notice and be aware because our phones have all our attention.
I’m also a big believer in silence and stillness. I was excited that Carlos encouraged this practice!
You can watch a video I made about attending Awaken Silent Retreat here.
We weren’t designed to consume so much information or to be available to everyone all the time.
The question to ask yourself is, “What am I missing?”
What are you missing by never allowing yourself a moment of
reflection
silence
wonder
curiosity?
What are you missing by allowing your phone to have all your attention?
What are you missing by filling every second with something?
What would happen if you had that 1 hour of silence every week?
What might be available for you in the hour of silence?
The truth is you don’t know until you try it. You won’t know until you try it as a practice.
Prompt: Try practicing 1 hour of silence each week for a month. Then, re-evaluate.
After listening to the podcast, I went for a walk. I walk every evening in my neighborhood.
I decided to bring my phone, but keep it in my pocket.
Notifications off.
No listening to music.
No listening to a podcast.
No talking on the phone.
No texting.
Just walk and silence.
What I found was that my mind was going 90 miles an hour. I was thinking about ALL the things I wanted to get done or needed to get done. I was making a to do list in my mind.
But after 15 minutes of walking in silence, my mind got quieter. And by the end of the walk, my to do list wasn’t important. I had downshifted.
I noticed a beautiful home for sale in my neighborhood. I also observed wild ducks perched in trees and even on top of roofs.
What would I have missed if I continued to use my phone while on my walk instead of choosing silence?
I would have missed the chance to downshift from my busy day.
I would have missed the chance to let the to-do list float away.
I would have missed smiling at the silly, wild ducks on top of roofs.
I would have missed a chance to allow myself to relax.
Our world is filled with distractions. The world is not going to allow you to not be distracted.
That’s your choice. You get to choose.
You get to decide on electing a little bit of silence in your life instead of more distraction.
If this is a goal you’d like to incorporate in your life. I can help with that!
Last week, I wrote a post about attending Awaken Silent Retreat in November 2024. If reading a testimonial isn’t your thing, I have a video testimonial for you instead! Watch now!
Exodus 14:14 – The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still.
By the way, I get questions all the time about my lashes. This is my secret.
What do you think about getting away to a silent retreat? Or starting with a couple of minutes of silence in your daily life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
This article was originally published in Tish Co News.
What is a Silent Retreat?
In November 2024, I drove all the way to Higden, Arkansas for a silent retreat hosted by Awaken Silent Retreat. Silent retreat = no talking and silent rest. Practicing silence means turning off and putting away all distractions. This helps us to better hear from God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It’s a spiritual discipline. It’s also a practice of being with yourself and hearing your own thoughts and voice. It’s a practice of resting. I’ve been practicing silence and stillness for a few years, read about it here.
How to Know if You Are a Good Candidate for a Silent Retreat?
How often are you quiet during the day? How often do you truly rest? When you lay down at night, is this the first time that you are quiet with no distractions? Does your mind spring to life with thoughts and worries? Yep, mine too. This means I’m not allowing time in the day, to think, to pray, or to process. In fact, I often work hard to keep from having to think, process, or feel because it seems overwhelming. It takes a lot of energy to keep pushing things down or away. This might be why feeling tired and overwhelmed are commonplace these days. We aren’t allowing space to just be; to be a human being instead of a human doing. When I first heard about this silent retreat, it was on a podcast, Prosperity with Purpose. The podcaster, Jessica Hefley, had recently attended. They had many wonderful things to say about it, and I immediately wanted to experience it too. She described it as a way to eliminate distraction, crowds, and hurry which stands between us and peace. These are tools the enemy uses to keep us separated from God.
Jesus spoke to his disciples in Mark 6:31a. He said, “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
I didn’t know much about this retreat. However, I trusted Jessica Hefley’s review on her podcast, Silent Retreat to 10x Your Life. So, I sought it out, signed up, and prepared myself to drive 7 hours to attend. That’s a key indicator that I was craving peace and rest. The drive wasn’t difficult at all. Much of the travel was familiar to me. This is because we usually travel through Arkansas on our way home to Iuka, MS.
Silent Retreat Experience
Once I arrived, I was greeted by Danielle, who was leading us that weekend. It was going to be a small group, only 5 of us. After introductions, we ate dinner all while still talking and getting to know one another. Then, we gathered in the living room. Danielle led us in a few songs of worship. She prepared our minds with scripture and then we closed with prayer. We turned off our phones and turned them in for the weekend, and we shifted into silence. Each of us had our own bedrooms and I quickly retired to mine. I was tired from the day’s drive. My usual routine for bed is watching TV and being on my phone. I had neither and I slept 8 hours that night! When I awoke and emerged from my room, breakfast had already been made. I took my coffee outside on the deck and then proceeded down to the lake shore to explore. I noticed deer and dog prints in the mud and the small, smooth rocks along the shore. I sat on top of a big rock overlooking the lake. Fishermen in boats would wave as they passed by. There was an island directly across from shore and kayaks could be used to get there. One of the ladies from the retreat had struck out on an island adventure. She was braver than I. I wandered back up to the cabin. I really didn’t want to read a book while I was at the retreat. I wanted to be silent and hear from God. My mind was not cooperating. I remembered Danielle’s prompting that sometimes it’s better to focus your mind on a book. I pulled from the library the one she recommended, “Living Fearlessly” by Jamie Winship. The book was incredibly helpful with prayer prompts and encouragement for listening for God’s voice. The book recommended to pray and write down what you hear or sense from God. Looking up from the book, I found myself noticing the leaves drop from the trees. This is what I wrote in my journal:
“Methodical drops. Not one leaf in a hurry, making its decent gracefully with swoops and spins. Not to be rushed. The leaves fall joyfully. The season changing and the leaves don’t try to stay. When it’s their time to go, they let go and fall freely. Not a worry or bother. They are doing what they are supposed to do. No argument, only a delightful freefall to make a crunchy carpet on the ground.”
Later, my attention was brought to the squirrels. I wrote about them, too:
“Scampering squirrels. Jumping from one branch to another. They must weigh a few ounces because the branches barely move under their weight. Back and forth they scale at least 15 trees. Never a misstep. They are skilled tree climbers and jumpers. Never needing the ground to get to where they are going, instead they navigate tree city. Scampering to gather food for the day. Methodically searching for the day’s allotment. They don’t spin or toll. They know they will be provided for; their creator provides for them.”
That evening, I found another big rock to perch upon with a blanket and watched over the lake. I loved seeing all nature’s details. The vibrant green weeds against the stark contrast of the rust brown rocks, the dormant gray trees and grass. The white and yellow flowers on the weeds. I was still and silent with no distractions. Because of this, I noticed all the landscape colors. I slept for 9 hours that night. We remained silent until 10:00 am on Sunday for a total of 40 hours of silence. After we broke our silence, Danielle led us with worship songs and scripture. We each shared what our experience had been. God met each of us right where we needed Him…all in unique and different ways. For me, it was God bringing me into the present to notice the leaves, the squirrels, and the color palette along the shoreline. My mind is usually so distracted with worries that it’s hard to be present. All in all, it was an absolute wonderful experience and I already went back for another one this April! (I’ll write about that experience soon too!)
Silence is an Neglected Gift
Our world is filled with distractions. Unless we are intentional with who and what is gaining our attention, the distractions will win every time. The silent retreat was a way to encourage me to find pockets of time to be silent. To put away the phone, take a walk in nature, and be silent and still. Silence is rare and an often-neglected gift.
There have been quite a few times that I’ve retreated to my bedroom for quiet time with God and this furbaby comes to find me. It’s a very cute and cuddly interruption. 😆 Purrcy is my sweet boy.
I recently completed a weekend retreat. During this weekend, I learned how to make space for God. I learned that it’s not nearly as important as what I say in prayer as it is being with God…thus silence and stillness. In this way, it’s much easier to hear God when He speaks. And He does speak to us, we just have to make space and learn to discern His voice. Don’t we need to hear from Him now more than ever?!
A while before this weekend retreat, I had started trying to ask God questions and listening. One Saturday morning before I got out of bed, I asked God, “how do you delight in me?” The first thing that popped into my mind was a picture of Purrcy and my eyes welled up with tears. If God delights in me like I delight in Purrcy, that says a lot to me. I’ve always been able to love more freely with my pets than I have people. I’m guarded with people, but animals are much easier…less risk of being hurt. God knew just how to answer my question that morning. It was an impactful answer…that He delights in me, He loves me freely with no holds barred. He loves me easily and He can use even a special furry friend to show me.
I hope you are seeing and hearing God in all the places, because He is whispering. He is in all the places around us. As your week or day wraps up, I hope you find space for silence and stillness, even just 2 minutes. For me, this practice helps me combat anxiety and the stress from my crazy, busy life.
