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[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] W [/dropcap]ith this issue of Compass, you will experience a little bit of the past summer’s Quiet Waters Leadership Couples Retreat. It would be great if the wonderful, romantic dinner where we learned how each gentleman “popped the question” to his future wife. You would have enjoyed the wonderful Sunday morning service as Rev. Dave Reck led each couple in renewing their vows. What I can provide is a glimpse into the learning experienced by those who attended. This year’s Retreat speaker, Dr. Ron Nydam, writes in this issue of Compass about the important role of “Idealization” in a pastor’s life and family. He shared this concept at the Leadership Couples Retreat. In his article, “Living under the Shadow of Idealization” Nydam writes, “This experience of being idealized is both a usual and necessary part of parish ministry, not something to be somehow ‘corrected’ or seen in a negative light.” As pastors and spouses, we often lament the idealization we experience, but Nydam challenges us to recognize it as something necessary for us to live out our role as pastor or pastor’s spouse. This summer’s Retreat also provided time for spouses to spend time together, and leading that time was our other contributor to this issue, author and speaker, Ruth Van Zee.
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