5 Ways to Make the Most of a Spiritual Retreat

A spiritual retreat does not work simply because you showed up. You can drive to the quietest cabin in the woods and still leave with the same noise in your head you brought with you. What actually changes you is not the location. It is what you do once you get there. If you want to make the most of a spiritual retreat, the difference usually comes down to a handful of intentional choices, not the perfect setting or the perfect schedule.

Here are five ways to turn a weekend away into a real encounter with God.

Go Without a Personal Agenda

Most people walk into a retreat already deciding what they need to hear. They want clarity on a decision, peace about a relationship, or relief from a season that has worn them thin. Those are honest desires, but they can quietly turn a retreat into another task to manage rather than time set apart for God to lead.

Lisa Appelo makes a helpful distinction in her own guide to personal retreats: a retreat is not a planning session for your finances or your five-year plan, even though those things may come up. It is time to put your whole life in front of God and listen for what He wants to say, not what you have already decided you need to hear. Letting go of a fixed agenda is uncomfortable at first, especially for people used to running their own schedules. But Psalm 46:10 was not written for people who already had it together. It was written into chaos, as an invitation to stop directing the conversation and simply be still.

Silence Your Phone for At Least Four Hours During Your Retreat

Most retreats fail quietly, not because the setting was wrong, but because the phone never really went away. A buzzing notification at the wrong moment can pull you out of a prayer that was just starting to go somewhere true.

A simple, practical rule helps: turn your phone off, or at minimum put it on airplane mode, for at least four hours a day. The team at Spiritual Media Blog notes that removing distractions is one of the most essential parts of any retreat, and if going fully unplugged is not realistic, checking in once a day is a reasonable compromise. The goal is not to punish yourself for being reachable.

The goal is to create enough silence that you can actually hear what God has been trying to say underneath the noise of every other notification competing for your attention.

Journal Everything God Says on Your Spiritual Retreat

Insight that is not written down has a short shelf life. You will feel certain in the moment that you will remember it, and then three weeks later, back in regular life, the specific words are gone and only a vague feeling remains.

A journal protects what happens during a retreat from being lost to time. Little Girl Designs recommends bringing only a few simple items into a retreat, a Bible, a notebook, and a pen chief among them, so there is room and quiet to actually write rather than manage supplies.

You do not need polished sentences. Write down the verse that stopped you, the question that would not leave you alone, the sentence that felt like it was meant for you specifically. Those raw, unfiltered notes often turn out to be more valuable than anything you could reconstruct from memory afterward.

Build Relationships, Not Just Spiritual Experiences

It is easy to treat a retreat as a private transaction between you and God, with other people as background noise. But some of the deepest spiritual growth happens in conversation, not in isolation. A shared meal, an honest conversation by a fire, a prayer offered out loud with someone else in the room, these moments often carry as much weight as the solitary ones.

This is part of why a guided, group setting can add something a fully private retreat cannot. At Solomon Retreat, the retreat activities and shared spaces are designed to leave room for both, quiet personal time and real connection with the people around you. A retreat that produces a meaningful spiritual experience but no deepened relationships has only done half its job.

Leave Your Retreat With One Actionable Next Step

A retreat that ends in feeling without direction tends to fade fast. The peace is real in the moment, but without something concrete to carry forward, ordinary life has a way of swallowing it whole within a week.

Before you leave, settle on one specific, doable next step. Not five resolutions. One. Sacred Structures frames personal retreat practices as a customizable rhythm rather than a rigid checklist, which is exactly the right posture for this step too. Maybe it is a conversation you need to have, a habit you need to start, or a decision you have been avoiding.

Whatever it is, write it down before you walk out the door, while the clarity is still fresh and the noise of regular life has not had a chance to talk you out of it.

Where to Go on a Spiritual Retreat Near Memphis

If you are looking for a place to put these five practices into motion, the setting matters more than people expect. A truly quiet, faith-centered environment makes it far easier to unplug, journal honestly, and actually hear from God without the usual distractions of home or work pulling at your attention.

Solomon Retreat sits on 160 acres in Walnut, Mississippi, just outside Memphis, Tennessee, and was built specifically for this kind of personal and group renewal. Whether you are planning a solo weekend away or bringing your church group, ministry team, or family along, the grounds and accommodations are designed to give you the stillness these five steps require.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a spiritual retreat be?

A half day is enough for a first attempt, and a full weekend allows for deeper rest once you are used to the rhythm. What matters more than length is protecting the time fully, rather than checking emails or running errands in between.

Do I need to go on a spiritual retreat alone, or can I bring others?

Either works well, depending on what you need. A solo retreat creates space for undistracted listening, while a group retreat adds the relational depth described above. Many people find that alternating between the two over time gives them the best of both.

What should I journal during a spiritual retreat?

Write down the verses that stand out, the questions that surface, and any specific impressions you sense God placing on your heart. Keep it simple and honest rather than polished, since the goal is an accurate record, not a finished piece of writing.

Where can I go on a spiritual retreat near Memphis?

Solomon Retreat, located just outside Memphis in Walnut, Mississippi, is built for exactly this purpose. With 160 acres of quiet grounds, it offers both private and group accommodations suited to a personal weekend away or a full church retreat.

A spiritual retreat is not measured by how far you traveled or how nice the setting was. It is measured by what you brought home with you. If you are ready to put these five practices into a place built for exactly this kind of stillness, Solomon Retreat is here whenever you are ready to plan your time away.