From Live and Lead, my monthly newsletter to my readers
Dear friends,
Happy New Year! I hope the Christmas season brought the birth of the Light of Christ in you and through you.
My visionary heart loves a new year. A new year means new opportunities to pray-dream with God. Chris and I are preparing for our annual “Eldredge Retreat” on January 10-11th! Those of you who walked with me for some time know this is the yearly ritual we do at the end of every year. We began doing this during our first year of marriage thanks to the wisdom of a wise mentor in our lives, Mr. Kit. This year we waited until after Brady returned to college so we could take advantage of every moment with him at home.
Praying an Annual Examen:
We began preparing for our “Eldredge Retreat” last week by praying our Annual Examen. Chris and I learned that it is hard to know where we are going if we do not fully understand where we’ve been and where we are right now.
Chris and I pray our Annual Examen over two weeks. First, we review our photos on our phones with God and savor the memories captured there. We thank God for these moments of our lives that we experienced individually, together, and as a family. Second, we review our calendars and journals with God and ask God to help us see what God sees. Third, we pray through the steps of the Annual Examen which you can find here.
This process helps us gather the graces of 2025, name what we are thankful for and where there were movements of consolation and desolation. The last step of the Annual Examen invites us to look forward to the new year.
Pray-dreaming for 2026:
This weekend, we will turn our minds and hearts to 2026. We will pray-dream with God and with each other to set dreams, goals, and hopes for 2026 in six areas:
· Personal: Mind, Body, and Spirit
· Family
· Professional
· Community/Social
· Service
· Financial
This will be our 23rd year doing our “Eldredge Retreat” together. This time set apart to review our past year with God and pray-dream about our upcoming year with God continues to serve as a source of wisdom, vision, and discernment for us in our marriage, family, and individually.
Several years ago, Chris and I began creating resources from this annual retreat to share with others so, you, too can experience the fruits and graces of this retreat. Here is a downloadable handout on the Annual Examen and also a guided audio Annual Examen. Chris and I created a self-paced retreat that guides you through our process called Living with Christ: An Ignatian Discernment Process for Intentional Living.
Know of not only my prayers for you as you dream with God about 2026’s possibilities, dreams, and hopes, but Chris’s prayers also! We both hope that you experience the fruits of the annual examen and retreat experience so that you, too, can Live 2026 with Christ!
Peace,
Becky
Becky Eldredge
January 9, 2026