Dear Friends and Spiritual Family,
My wife, Danielle, and I have a most wonderful opportunity to travel to Europe and visit five of our ministers who live in Germany and Switzerland. We have been anticipating this spiritual rekindling trip for quite some time.
It all started with an intuitive nudge that we needed to go to the Alps and walk amongst the mountains there. Soon after that insight, Flower seemed to say it was needed for us to meet with the ministers overseas. As I shared this with James Hubbell, he pointed out a greater realization—that we didn’t fully know why we were going yet, and that we wouldn’t know until we got there. How true that statement is!
Flower regularly shared the keynote of travel to be one of Holy Expectancy. How excited we are to carry that theme into our spiritual adventure! It is strange, but I somehow feel like all of Questhaven is traveling with us. Maybe there is something ahead that will affect the future direction of the Christ's work for us. Read More...
Although not everyone can travel with us physically, will you be willing to travel with us inwardly? This will be a great spiritual experiment if all of us through our prayers, meditations and envisioning can see Divine Light guiding and protecting every step of this journey. By placing all of our united attention on Christ's unfoldment of the greatest good being opened on all levels, do you think we could span all distances physically and somehow inwardly experience this trip together? This seems like a wonderful opportunity to try.
To help this along, I am being encouraged to keep the spiritual family informed along the way with some added help from technology. Weekly, there will be an update through Inspiration magazine emails of our travels. And if you dare, you can "like" and friend Questhaven's facebook page where I will give more frequent snipets of our adventures. Wouldn't it be wonderful to somehow be connected energetically at the Matterhorn in the presence of the great Lord of the Matterhorn?
I can hardly wait to see what happens as we share this adventure together. To help you know where we will be from day to day, here is our itinerary.
On Sunday, June 2, Danielle and I will be holding a special church service to share in more detail the importance of spiritual travel and how our united efforts were experienced during this trip. Please pray for our safety and that all the right doors open according to God's Will.
To an ever deepening pilgrimage with Christ,
Reverend Blake Isaac
Will You Travel to Europe With Us?
The Holy Pilgrimage—Finding Life in Christ
One look in His eyes is worth a thousand lives of preparation.
Dear Friends and Spiritual Family,
What a transcendent Easter! Never before have I felt the holy pilgrimage experience that all of Lent was building toward Easter Sunday. Laurel Rivera captured that message most eloquently during the Saturday meditation as she spoke on Traveling the El Camino with Christ. Please take a moment to listen to her message and meditation.
Thank you, Laurel, for that wonderful sharing! Over 100 people continued that pilgrimage up the mountain and to the Ac ademy to experience the sunrise on Easter morning. Although the clouds covered the horizon, the sun peeked through just at the moment Reverend Jonathan Wiltshire was sharing the story of Christ's triumphant return from death, and His appearance to Mary. What a moving moment it was for all of us. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to all who made this weekend such a high spiritual event. Your selfless service helps usher in the Christ's benediction in ever deepening ways. Special thanks to Sarah Graybeal and Laurie Burke for coordinating the entire retreat. Next week, I am planning to video record the dance from Easter Sunday. Just somethi ng to look forward to in the next Inspiration. Until then, may your days be lifted in the Light of what we are to become in Christ.
Ever questing in His way,
Reverend Elizabeth Wood
Easter Retreat 2013 Flyer
Easter and Lenten Season Newsletters
Sacred Dance performed on Easter Sunday.
Easter and Lenten Service Podcasts
Easter and Lenten Services
Feb 13: Ash Wednesday The Holy Pilgrimage: Finding Life in Christ
Rev. Elizabeth Wood
Feb 17 The Holy Pilgrimage–Relinquishing Resistance
Rev. Lucy Wold
Feb 20 Finding Life in Christ Through The Divine Mother
Rev Bette Harper
Feb 24 The Holy Pilgrimage–The Way of Creativity and Character (and Q&A with Flower A. Newhouse)
Rev. Phyllis Isaac
Feb 27 Finding Life in Christ Through Compassion
Dr. Rebecca J. Wright
Mar 3 The Holy Pilgrimage–The Value of Elimination
Rev. Jonathan Wiltshire
Mar 6 Finding Life in Christ by Overcoming Self-Doubt with Great Courage
Sarah Graybeal
Mar 10 The Holy Pilgrimage–Loyalty to the Christ Cause
Rev. Myrna Triggs
Mar 13 Finding Life in Christ Through Greater Discernment
Merrily Boult
Mar 17 The Holy Pilgrimage–Moving Forward with Faith
Rev. Miara Wiltshire
Mar 20 Finding Life in Christ by Being Present While Holding the Vision
Laurie Burke
Mar 24 - Palm Sunday The Holy Pilgrimage–Opening the Gates to Christ with Teachableness
Rev. Blake Isaac
Mar 31 - Easter Sunday Christ's Transforming Power and Love for All Lives
Rev. Hal Lingerman
Casa de Angeles, our most utilized guest facility, was built nearly 20 years ago. These accommodations are in need of some loving attention and renovation–especially its interior flooring and walls.
A plan is in place to bring color and the theme of Angels to the upliftment of each room.
In an effort to raise funds for this project, we are releasing a series of talks from our digital archives given by Questhaven's past Director, Dr. Stephen Isaac.
Dr. Stephen Isaac, became a lifelong student of Flower A. Newhouse after meeting her when he was only ten years old. He not only became a minister of the work here at Questhaven but also its director following Flower's passing. For over 50 years he taught, counseled, lectured and wrote by her side. As a psychologist, he took his love of Flower's teachings on the Christward Way and his fascination with the study of human nature into his life and lectures.
We invite you to listen to them online. If you are benefiting from them and would like to make a donation toward the Casa de Angeles Renovation project, we would be so grateful. These talks focus on overcoming our human tendencies and struggles to find our way more readily with God. This is a theme that really speaks to our times.
Available podcasts by Dr. Stephen Isaac:
03/23/69 The Disciples of Jesus
A correlation is drawn between what happened in Palestine so many years ago and the drama taking place in us today. We need to keep this grand perspective in order to fully appreciate not only the Lord Christ but His influence as it was expressed upon and through His Disciples.
03/18/79 Discernment–Distinguishing Between Good and Evil
Dr. Stephen Isaac discusses the meaning and importance of the spiritual quality of discernment.
06/07/70 Where Personality Ends and Character Begins
This talk illustrates the creative power to change that is innate within us—how at the center of our nature is a desire to do good.
Thank you in advance for all your support. We are striving to have every part of Questhaven welcoming all who come, in the highest expression of loveliness.
If you would like to help, please visit our Donations page. Thank you for your donations!
We are in the process of digitally remastering audio lectures of Flower A. Newhouse. Each downloaded talk is available for $5.00 and can be played on all computers and mobile devices (mp3 format).
If you are interested in hearing directly from Flower on a spiritual topic, then please enjoy downloading one of her talks on that subject (new downloads added monthly).
All current downloads and CDs are available on our Lectures page page, in the right column.
Many of us were discussing recently how helpful and unique the esoteric teachings are from Flower that help us navigate through life. How grateful I am for all she shared and had the foresight to record. What treasures she has left for generations to come!
Your Brother in Christ,
Reverend Blake Isaac
Questhaven is a non-denominational Christian retreat nestled among chaparral-covered hills in northern San Diego County.
Founded in 1940 by the Reverends Flower and Lawrence Newhouse, these holy grounds encompass 640 acres of coastal wilderness traversed by miles of nature trails, inviting visitors to worship and experience God in Nature.
Wandering through these oak-lined canyons and shaded woodland sanctuaries, retreatants are able to release the stress from their outer lives and experience the centered stillness and quiet necessary for awakening to the Living Presence of God.
We believe that there are many paths to God–our path is the Way of the Lord Christ. We believe that there comes a time in every true seeker's life when it is not enough to just believe in God; the greatest need of incarnation is to know God.
This is the Way of mysticism–direct experience of God.
We who study here are striving along the path of Christian mysticism.
We welcome individuals and groups of all faiths to come to these tranquil acres and find their way with God.
Flower Newhouse taught that the Lord Christ offers us the greatest pattern to our own future unfolding–to the full awakening of God within. Thus, every inch of this holy ground is consecrated to the Lord Christ forever and His call for the spiritualizing of all life.
Questhaven Retreat is home to the Christward Ministry – an Esoteric Christian Training Center for students who seek a deeper study into the universal way of Christ.
The Quest: Seeking and living each moment for God–what we call Living The Christward Way.
The Haven: A safe place of peace to connect with God.
Christian Mysticism is simply a method of reverence and devotion to God. It is a path of attainment which leads to the Divine Reality–to first-hand knowing of God. The mystical path stresses the way of Divine union with God through illumination.
The Living Christ is the Lord of Angels and of men and the model of our own becoming. His service is the broadcasting of the Divine Christ Spirit, the light of redemption. His influence awakens in us the Christing of our own natures.
The Way of Discipleship is a way of drawing ever closer to the Divine Presence. It is a voluntary surrender of the entire self to the service of God. It pays great attention to spiritual realities and goals inspiring us toward inner growth.
Meditation and Prayer are the disciplines that most directly draw us Godward and into the inner worlds. During these moments, we consciously purify ourselves of worldly or personal preoccupations and center ourselves wholly upon consciousness of God.
The Angelic Kingdom consists of beings created by God. They, like mankind, press toward the goal of perfection and union with the Supreme Spirit. Angels are purer and more spiritual than man. Their very spirituality readily makes them mediators between Heaven and Earth.
Nature provides healing and enlightenment. When wisely trod, the path to God through nature employs every faculty inherent in man. In nature, beauty shines in all its pristine essence before us. It is for us to newly discover and translate this beauty to our spirits and our senses.
Reincarnation is the realization that life is a school, striving to awaken and quicken the Divinity within us, striving to bring man from primitive stages of unfoldment to that of greater and more glorious awareness.
"We want to see the beauty that God is painting for us constantly to our visible sight and feel with all our inner beings what is behind that outer beauty."
–Rev. Flower A. Newhouse
Songs of Deliverance –At-one-ment With Nature |
The Journey Upward –Finding Enlightenment Through Nature |
Angels of Nature –Finding Enlightenment Through Nature |
Walking in Beauty –466-1, 6/27/71 |
Nature's Portals of Instruction –088-1, 6/8/58 |
Extracting Spiritual Stimulus from the Arts –060-2, 9/2/56 |
No audio? Select player:
Flash
Html
Native
We each create our own private sea of consciousness which becomes our reality. It contains our thoughts, feelings and how we perceive others. As we evolve our perceptions change and we see things from a higher perspective. Through our freedom of choice we learn to be more discriminating in what we allow to exist within our private sea.
Reverend Elizabeth Wood first met Questhaven's co-founders, Flower and Lawrence Newhouse, when she was in her mid-teens and experienced an immediate ''soul recognition'' of Flower as her spiritual teacher. After raising a family, Elizabeth moved closer to Questhaven in 1972 and worked in the Questhaven office as bookkeeper and secretary from 1976 until her retirement in 1999. She was ordained by Flower and appointed to the ministry's Board of Trustees in 1981. A resident at Questhaven since 1982, Elizabeth is a regular Sunday speaker and conducts a prayer class and study group.
Major Retreats are held to celebrate the annual festivals of Easter, Michaelmas, and Christmas.
Jun 22-23 Vernal Retreat
Annual Celebration of The Arts and Nature
Seeing Divine Life in All Things Material and Interior
Sat: Activities to bring us into greater contact with God
Sun: Expanding Our Perception–Learning to See
by Rev. Jonathan Wiltshire
Aug 10 Masters Silent Retreat
Annual Day of Silent Attunement and Dedication
Sep 27-29 Michaelmas Retreat
Annual Celebration of the Angel Kingdom
Dec 20-22 Christmas Retreat
Annual Celebration of the Christ Coming
Apr 18-20 Easter Retreat
Annual Celebration of the Christ Resurrection
Devotional Services
are held every Sunday at 10:45 a.m. in the Church of the Holy Quest, with music, meditation, prayer and a spoken message.
Audio recordings of past sermons.
Apr 7 I have come to bring fire on Earth: Christ Our Enlightener
Rev. Jonathan Wiltshire
Apr 14 The I Ching: Ancient and Modern Wisdom
Rick Plant
Apr 21 The Mystical Gifts of Personal Retreats
Rev. Lucy Wold
Apr 28 The Inner Purpose and Meaning of the Lord's Prayer
Rev. Blake Isaac
May 5 Living a Christ-filled Life
Rev. Hal Lingerman
May 12 The Many Expressions of Motherhood
Rev. Elizabeth Wood
May 19 Expanding Our Perception: Learning to Listen
Rev. Jonathan Wiltshire
May 26 The Continuity of Life
Captain Dan Willis
Jun 2 The Importance of Spiritual Travel
Rev. Blake Isaac
Jun 9 Expanding our Understanding of the Healing Ways of Jesus
Rev. Miara Wiltshire
Jun 16 Christ's Beatitudes: Finding Harmony of Male and Female
Rev. Hal Lingerman
Jun 23 Vernal Retreat: Expanding Our Perception: Learning to See
Rev. Jonathan Wiltshire
Jun 30 The Law of Freedom
Rev. Myrna Triggs
Jul 7 The Inner Influence of Our Zodiac Signs
Rev. Blake Isaac
Jul 14 Life's Lessons and Legacies
Richard Wold
Jul 21 Living the Lord's Prayer: A Sharing of Lawrence Newhouse
Rev. Hal Lingerman
Classes and Workshops
are offered regularly on Christward principles, prayer, meditation, healing, and artistic expression.
View our Calendar for an up-to-date list of the Classes and Workshops currently being offered.
World Prayer is practiced each Friday at noon in Chapelito. Join us here, or from wherever you are, in group prayer for the blessing of our planet, humanity, and all life.
Finding Your True North Classes are held each Monday at 1:00 p.m. in the Academy. These classes are designed to help us find ways into God's Presence, using Flower A. Newhouse's western approach to meditation. Early lessons were posted online at /findtruenorth.
Wisdom Classes are led by Rev. Blake Isaac and held on alternating Tuesdays, at 7:30 p.m. in Chapelito.
Pranic Healing Clinics are conducted on the first Sunday of each month in the Questahven Academy from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Learn more at pranichealingsd.com.
PanEuRhythmy is danced most early mornings near the Labyrinth. This dance-exercise-meditation opens us to the presence and power of Spirit within ourselves and the universe. Learn more at paneurhythmy.us.
Servers in Action Days are on the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and service to Questhaven.
![]()