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North Carolina Retreat was Awesome!

The Revolting Man

The Revolting Man

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Windblown and I just got back from the North Carolina retreat and I am almost over the moon about it. We met some amazing people who were mostly all surprisingly normal and the weird ones were mostly weird on purpose so they were more quirky than weird. We'll call them charmingly eccentric. You know who you are so don't act innocent.

But seriously, this was a phenomenal experience that was about so much more than just poly, although that was obviously the focus. We were renewed and encouraged and endlessly entertained.

I'll say this. Poly is real and there are real people living it in the real world. On top of that there was wonderful praise and worship (something I don't always find refreshment in so this was a rare occasion), great teaching, fellowship, fun, networking, even a baptism.

I hope this doesn't sound too much like a commercial but if you ever get a chance to attend an event you have to do it. There is so much more to this ministry than a web forum!
 
I had really hoped my schedule was going to allow me to attend, but alas, it did not. I hope to make it to the next one though. Thanks for the brief recap.
 
ZecAustin said:
We met some amazing people who were mostly all surprisingly normal and the weird ones were mostly weird on purpose so they were more quirky than weird. We'll call them charmingly eccentric.
...

I hope this doesn't sound too much like a commercial but if you ever get a chance to attend an event you have to do it. There is so much more to this ministry than a web forum!
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That is cool. As much as I enjoy this forum, I'm incredibly hesitant to see what it looks like in person. If I do show up at a retreat, it will pretty much be on the strength of this recommendation.
 
ZecAustin said:
We met some amazing people who were mostly all surprisingly normal
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That summarises us all extremely well! Your reaction is essentially identical to my reaction to the first retreat I attended. I went along cautiously concerned that these people could be weird cultists, and found myself simply at home among devout brothers and sisters in Christ, deeply discussing many issues most of which had nothing to do with polygamy. In fact I didn't sleep at all the first night, talked all night long...

Slumberfreeze, don't be hesitant, show up! It's worth any expense to do so.
 
Slumberfreeze said:
That is cool. As much as I enjoy this forum, I'm incredibly hesitant to see what it looks like in person. If I do show up at a retreat, it will pretty much be on the strength of this recommendation.
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You really should Slumber. You were actually a topic of conversation this weekend as several people have taken note of your posts and wanted to know if anyone had met you. I was really worried I would be disappointed because I would see people and situations that did not reflect something I wanted for my life, but that was not the case.
 
All of the people I've met in person have been great. Not always people I'd really "hang out with", but usually. In the cases where I wouldn't, it's more a lack of common interests than because they were crazy-go-nuts or anything, lol!

Cherie and I were very sad to have missed this retreat, but the timing was just impossible for us.
 
They do keep getting better and better.

I was the only normal one there.
 
If anyone can share more about the retreat I would love to hear about it. We have days where we feel really discouraged about trying to practice poly in isolation. Thankful for this group and everyone's encouragement and stories.
 
Diamond said:
If anyone can share more about the retreat I would love to hear about it. We have days where we feel really discouraged about trying to practice poly in isolation. Thankful for this group and everyone's encouragement and stories.
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Diamond, I'm stranded in South Carolina right now, but when I get back to my computer in Texas I'll give a debrief of what all went on (from my pov) for the sake of those who weren't there. (And of course I'm hoping there'll be more posting in the meantime.)

Great times. Particularly enjoyed getting to know Zec in person. More soon.
 
Hey Diamond, one of the recurring themes we heard throughout the weekend was how much everyone was hungering for fellowship and community. Everyone expressed a desire for networking and interaction.

Isolation isn't healthy in any endeavor, especially not intensely spiritual ones. There wasn't one answer to solve the problem and as monogamist I guess I don't even really understand it on a personal level, but most of the weekend was just people sharing and interacting.

So many of the stories had similar elements; the revelations of the truth were mostly very similar, what happened after was always the same. Everyone experienced some kind of breaking or rending, some even for just admitting that the church had abandoned Scripture when it comes to marriage.

One gentleman lost his wife, his career and the relationship with his son just for realizing what God actually commanded. He was willing to live monogamously and conform to church teaching but that wasn't good enough, the church leaders wanted him to deny Scripture and pay lip service to the traditions of men.

And that was the other common denominator I saw this weekend, everyone was dedicated to living an authentic life patterned off of their understanding of what God commanded. No one had it all figured out. No one looked exactly like anyone else, but everyone was humble before God and acknowledged this simple truth; that He is God and what is important is what He said, not what we think He said. It was wonderful to be around people who accepted scripture and didn't try to explain it away, even of they didn't always understand it.

Someone else might give you a completely different perspective but that was my take away.
 
That sounds much closer and what a birthday present that would make as mine is the 22nd. I would love to be able to meet some of the people who have been here with me, in person.
This group is filed with some truly amazing individuals.
 
I have to give a big shout-out to the wife who came though she believes not in polygamy. She did it so her husband would not have to come alone. That's some good stuff right there. And from her big smiles I saw from time to time. I don't think she had such a rough time. Might have even enjoyed herself but I can't speak for her.
 
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