If you’re a born again Christian and you have not had an Encounter God Retreat (EGR), chances are you’re spiritual life is not where it should be.

This is not to say, however, that for your spiritual life to become dynamic, you should have an EGR; or that EGR is the only sure fire way to revive your complacent spirit.  There are many ways by which you can have a spiritual revival and, admittedly, there are also various ways on how to sustain your dynamic Christian life.  The EGR is one way and its proven effectiveness in reviving sleepy Christian lives has been well-documented.  In fact, I am one of those who have gone through the rejuvenating experience of a real ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.

July 27-28, 2006 were two extraordinary days for me.  We went from Pangasinan to Valenzuela City, there in Bethel Bible College as second batch of EGR delegates from our Church, the Solid Rock Bible Congregation (SRBC) in Samat, Bugallon, Pangasinan.  I was out of the busy schedule of a teacher’s life and had the chance to be in the  company of 400 other Christians who went to the EGR with various reasons.  My purpose in attending the EGR that time was two-fold:  to satisfy my curiousity about this spiritual phenomenon which according to testimonies of people I know gave them  an envigorating spiritual experience, and to bring myself to a really exclusive time with God, an experience which is so difficult to happen in a constantly buzzing professional lifestyle.

For two days, I was not a professional but simply a student in the study of God and His ways and a child who longed for the embrace of a Father who has been waiting a long time for me to come home.  Yes, I was a sort of a prodigal son but when I get into the EGR experience, I was restored to the enabling and refreshing presence of the Father.

I won’t tell you exactly what happened to me in the EGR but I assure you, it was a most defining experience that I had.

My purpose in writing about the EGR is to tell you, brethren of the evangelical world to try the EGR.  You will never be the same again, I assure you that.   But you have to go their just like I did.  You have to take off your professional, theological, denominational and even your personal overcoats.  You have to empty yourself up so that God can fill you in.

The next time you hear of EGR from a brother or sister, don’t hesitate to ask when and where you can have that singular opportunity of having an extraordinary ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.