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The Sabbath Life Podcast is about sharing stories from the Abbey of the Heights retreat house in Tulsa—all about finding rhythms of life that make us more human, learning the Christian contemplative tradition, and becoming friends with time.
Peter White (00:05)
Welcome to the Sabbath Life Podcast. This is a space where we share stories about the Abbey of the Heights, the Christian contemplative traditions and rhythms of life that make us more human and friends with time. I'm Peter White and I'm one of the hosts of the Abbey of the Heights, a Christian retreat space in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And today I'm joined by my friends Tim and Katrina Matthews. Do you all want to introduce yourselves and share a little bit about the work that you all do?
Tim Matthews (00:28)
Yes, so we lead the organization called One River, of course, and what we do is twofold is we create accessible spaces of prayer and we help cultivate ongoing church unity. And we focus a lot on the word accessible with One River because what we want to do is we want spaces where people can get together with God anywhere. No matter what kind of walk of life you're from.
Katrina Matthews
And for the Sabbath Life that looked like the Prayer Garden. So, in conjunction with in partnership with 24-7 Prayer.
Peter White (01:06)
Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Yeah, the reason I wanted to talk to you guys was just about the work that you guys have done in curating the prayer stations that we have around the property of the Abbey, especially those those outside. And we're so grateful for all the time that you guys have spent working on that and and doing that. Do you guys remember how you first came to know about the Abbey and what your first experience here was like?
Tim (01:32)
Gosh, at least for me, it was there's just like a peace that was settled on it. It was like this, I guess you can say like a like a holy hush type of space. Just walking in, it was just like it really did feel like walking into like a holy place, but it was also like homey. It was like it felt like home. And it felt holy both at the same time, I guess you could say. It was just it was really cool just like when we had our even when we had our first stay there. It was just really great to have that space to really like dive in with the Lord. It was safe to like really dive in. It really felt like a space of prayer that we're like even ourselves are used to putting together and it was just like really nice to be able to like come into something that wasn't necessarily something that we built. But it was it was really nice to kind of be at the Abbey there as well. ⁓
Peter White (02:35)
So, I was just thinking about what you were saying about a lot of your work is building spaces for people to experience prayer. And it sounds like you were you found that here, something that you didn't have to build.
Tim Matthews (02:49)
Yes, yes. And so one of the funny things is that we make a lot of spaces for other people. But then sometimes it can be really hard then to actually engage in our own spaces because we're always looking at like how we have to like you know, like we have to like maintain this thing here. This is running out of pens or we need more sticky notes here and like it was really nice then to go to the Abbey and be like, we don't we don't have to do that.
Katrina Matthews
That was one of the first things I was thinking about that I absolutely adored personally, just from a very personal perspective about the Abbey of the Heights, is that, yes, there is the area that we worked on and we cultivated, but there's these separate spaces for prayer in the rooms that were so beautifully cultivated with with really intentional content.
How did I first come to know about the Abbey? I think I had researched it and it was like so bizarre that it was so close to us.
Tim Matthews
You are the researcher.
Katrina Matthews
But I think that the connection was with Lisa. I think that she had been gifted space there for an overnight and it was such a blessing and it cultivated this dream of like of prayer space inside and out. And I think, unless you remember time with us beforehand, I think we started off getting to know the Abbey through that relationship with 24-7 prayer and bringing prayer stations to the outside, and in that started to learn about the Order of the Common Life, right? And the rhythms that you have there and the retreat space and how beautiful it is, and honestly, how countercultural to have a space to get away and retreat like in the midst of normal life, in the midst of the city. And we just like really got to dive deeper into the treasure that it is. Yeah.
Peter White (06:02)
Yeah, my memory is that Lisa had stayed here for a personal retreat and then with that we have this, it had been a dining room in the previous incarnation of the house and we had just left a dining room table there and Lisa's comment was, Well this needs to be a prayer room. You need to get rid of this dining room table. Nobody's using it. And I was like, sure, Lisa, what do you have in mind? What do you want to do? And and she brought the two of you along. And that's the first memory I have of meeting you is the installing the prayer room for the first time. So this would have been, gosh, probably three, maybe four years ago now.
Katrina Matthews (06:18)
Yeah, it was right around the time of the accident. And I remember that we wanted to get the prayer gardens off the ground faster, but it was like right, right when the accident happened. But I remember walking around the gardens with you and dreaming about it and then get digging into it in the heat of the summer instead of the spring because of that. Yes.
Tim Matthews
Lisa and ourselves we’re like this weird breed of people where like we'll just like walk into rooms and be like, this could be a prayer space.
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, pretty much yeah.
Tim Matthews
Like we just like the the wheels start turning. we this could be forgiveness and...
Katrina Matthews
Any nook and cranny, just like transform it into prayer space.
Tim Matthews
Like,that's what's been kinda nice like with 24-7 Prayer is that there are other people who are like us.
Katrina Matthews
Yes.
Tim Matthews
And that like these like weird unicorns who also do this sort of thing. But ⁓ yeah, it's it's really strange to like to I like I always wondering like how did I get here? how did I get to like where everywhere I look it's like that could be a prayer space and that could be a prayer space.
Peter White
Yeah. So you go ahead, Katrina.
Katrina Matthews
So I'm also I'm I'm also remembering that even though it was the heat of the summer, like, the community came out for it. They showed up to build that prayer space. That was it was the coolest thing to see how community gathered for that. Like we had content, but like they came with their hearts and their hands engaged.
Tim Matthews
Yeah. It was kids adults with shovels and kids with little shovels. It was great. Yeah.
Peter White (08:18)
Yeah, that was a couple of full weekends that we had building those those wooden signs that were became the first iteration of the outside prayer stations. Yeah.
Tim Matthews (08:27)
Yeah. The the first iteration.
Katrina Matthews
And digging out the stations of the cross walk.
Peter White (08:36)
Yeah. You used some language earlier, Tim, about prayer being accessible. Could you say a little bit more to that, especially for people that might be listening who maybe don't know 24–7 Prayer or what prayer stations mean? What does it mean for you that prayer is accessible?
Tim Matthews (08:52)
Gosh, like prayer, we live in a very distracting world where, honestly, the enemy is constantly vying for our attention. Like we have these little devices that we keep in our pockets that are always like trying to like buzz and ring and get to us, right? And we we want to make spaces where anyone can come and get away from that noise, the buzzing, to where like whether it's a public space where anyone like you can go to a coffee shop and anyone can go there.
There's a prayer space that we have here in town at She Brews where it's like a little closet and if anyone can go and spend time there. No matter like whether you're like a Christian, you've been a Christian your whole life or you're questioning and you're trying to figure out who this Jesus person is, it's a space that's for anyone from anywhere.
But we also are to have spaces in places where it's inaccessible.
Katrina Matthews
It's been inaccessible.
Tim Matthews
And where it's been inaccessible, like prison.
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, or halfway houses or or even how to make prayer accessible for those who maybe are blind or have different challenges to make that that make prayer spaces less accessible. So yeah, we've been digging into how to broaden making prayer accessible. Yeah.
Peter White (10:16)
What would you say drew you into being involved in ministry, prayer ministry like this?
Tim Matthews (10:22)
It was never our plan to begin with. It's all Jesus' fault. Gosh...
Katrina Matthews
It was a prayer room.
Tim Matthews
It was a prayer room.
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, we were in a prayer room.
Tim Matthews
It was, we were in a prayer room and it it was really just like we had this shared like the Jesus just like downloaded to the two of us like a shared picture of this prayer building where it would have like cafe and meeting spaces and a large prayer room on the second floor and it we were just like back and forth. We were just sharing like what we were getting and like, yeah, and then it has this and then yeah and then it has this. And it and that's really it's what started everything for us.
Katrina Matthews
But then in 2020, when we finally got this kind of like green light inside to get started, but had no way of chasing after that vision, the Lord just said to like start with start with what you've got. And so that was where we kind of honed in. Well, like our mission is to create accessible prayer spaces and unity in the church. And so in 2020, we incorporated and just kind of started there and it slowly, with little directions and little seeds like you need to get a prayer room on the map and then having She Brews and then like we need a mobile prayer room and then came the bus. And it just kind of these little things just happened along the way. But it all started in a prayer room.
Tim Matthews
The growth has been all God. Yeah. 'Cause you know, Katrina said we started in 2020, but like that's also like that's when we started our incorporation, but that's also when the pandemic hit. So it was like this really weird like place to be in where God's like saying go, right? Go make spaces where people can gather and pray when that was the opposite of what was when no one can no when no one could really gather, right? But then just through like God connection, like and just like just following it, he's saying like go get on the map, go like make a space where...
Katrina Matthews
Like where?
Tim Matthews
Okay, well you're gonna have to make that happen. And then he's like, Okay, I'll do that for you. And then he does. Because then he made a God connection for us at She Brews where like the manager at the time, she had this dream of like, God's like wanting her to have a prayer room. And she thought it was just...
Katrina Matthews
Before we ever talked...
Tim Matthews
Before we ever talked with her. And then as she is like praying, like she meets us and then she gets really excited because like...
Katrina Matthews
She was literally jumping up and down.
Tim Matthews
Like she's like, the prayer room wasn't for me, it was for everyone. And it was like this really cool God connection. And really that was like a launching point for us to to make even more spaces. Yeah. And so it's just like, you know, God says like go here and we just like, Okay, you're gonna have to make it happen and then he does.
Katrina Matthews
And that's probably been the most peaceful thing about it is that the things that he asks us to do are usually outside of like my ability to pull off and so I can kind of go like, Well we're in if you make that happen. So there's some peace in that. Yeah.
Peter White (13:29)
That sounds really sweet. So when you walk into a space and you're wanting to design this as a a prayer space, or like as you were walking around the gardens here at the Abbey, what's kind of your creative process or what are you what's what's going on in the inside for you when you do that work?
Katrina Matthews (13:49)
I almost think of it like a, you know, like a free write where your creativity just kinda runs loose with pen in hand. I just I feel like it's it's like that. It's like you just kind of like let your your minds go loose with possibilities and the space just kinda transforms before your eyes.
Tim Matthews
Okay, it's it's a little more like it's a little more depth than that.
Katrina Matthews
I don't know, that's kinda what and then you spend time to pray. That's the first walk through.
Tim Matthews
Right. Usually when we've made spaces, it's with people who already have the space and we're kind of building it for them. And so really it's like listening to them and hearing just asking questions like what are what is your dream for this space? Right? What is like you kind of reached out to us. So what is your dream for this prayer space? And we like we listen, we take notes, but then the the the first step is to clear it out is make this space as empty as possible and just make it bare bones like nothing else is added in there. No furniture, nothing hanging on the wall, just like an empty whatever space it is. And then we invite the people from who are like hosting the site and then people from our team to pray into this space and all we leave is a journal yeah where everyone there for a week can come in and pray, listen and write down the ideas that come. And it all and then we just like take that notebook and we open it up and it's like this almost like our...
Katrina Matthews
It's data. Like in what's really cool is when you see all the overlapping, like you see like, like this came up for this person and this person and this person. And it it keeps prayer spaces from being like carbon copies, lather, rinse, repeat.
And instead it gives space to say that like this space is being created for this community and it's going to have its own DNA and God has its own and his own intentions for this space and for this community. And yeah, so that that's the beauty of starting that way is that God can really take the lead and that the community can all have a say and a part. They've prayed into it. They've already spent time investing spiritually in it even before it gets started.
Tim Matthews
Yeah. So then we just like take those notes that everyone has written down and we kind of like collect it and then we like kind of like come up with some ideas that based off of that. Yeah. And then we have another meeting with whoever is hosting and we kind of like we just kind of plan together. It's like we like a planning session. This is what we're thinking it's gonna be.
We kind of come up with like these are the stations that we're thinking of and we draw them up and and then after we kind of like agree on what we want in the space and the different stations that we have and what materials we need and then we just we just start building. We we invite gather community to kind of jump in and yeah. And then yeah, it's built and then, and then once it's built, we we commission it.
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, that's a really important piece too. And it was so sweet and so lovely to do that at the Abbey of the Heights.
Tim Matthews
Yeah, when we prayed over the space.
Peter White (17:04)
Yeah, do you remember when we were first having conversations what some of those themes were for the prayer gardens here? Kind of yeah, almost like the bread crumbs you were following.
Katrina Matthews (17:21)
I mean I remember the stations of the cross was very important. But I also remember like how exciting it was to dream into that cocoon space with the with the tall bamboo.
Tim Matthews
Yes.
Peter White
Yeah, back when we had the bamboo.
Katrina Matthews
When we had the bamboo. And also just even praying into like the opportunities, like the God opportunities that were there for racial justice with its location right next to...
Tim Matthews
The Brady Mansion.
Katrina Matthews
Brady Mansion. That's not what it's called anymore. It's not what it's called anymore, but I forget what it's called.
Peter White (17:55)
Yeah, the Skyline Mansion.
Katrina Matthews
Skyline Skyline Mansion. But just like how significant that placement was and how intentional we felt like the Lord was being in that, ⁓ for wording. So those were some of the things that like instantly came to mind. As the rest like filled out creatively, but those were kind of the highlights for me. Yeah.
And how sweet it was to be able to engage the senses there. Like that was the first place I'd ever had like prayer with the senses. And it seemed so natural in a space where there was such a native garden where like things were meant to be edible and meant to be experienced in that way. So that was really cool. Yeah.
Peter White (18:34)
What do you hope that people experience when they come to the abbey and walk up to those prayer stations outside?
Tim Matthews (18:44)
I think my hope is that like they have some time where they have a conversation with God. Like the stations are there to kind of like there's like a conversation opener. Like they're just meant to be like, Hey, have you thought about talking about this with God? Yeah. And it's not like, the end is not the stations. The end is for conversation with Jesus. And if it's easier for you to just like go find a chair and sit and journal and the space has been cultivated in in such a way where there's that peace for that, go for it. Like and if the stations are distracting, then like don't use them. But the end goal is for people to talk to Jesus, to have conversations.
And so really it yeah, they're like these conversation openers. They're they're challenging and they ask hard questions like and it's really up to whoever like is reading them. They like how deep you want to go is up to you. It it's like it it's yeah. Any other thoughts?
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, they are they are challenging and I think that my hope is that when someone approaches those stations that there's just like a a peace and a solitude. I feel like my the first word that came to mind was solitude. That there's just like a just yeah, a break from the hurry to be able to actually quiet yourself to ponder the questions. Prayer stations do tend to lead towards questions that dig into uncomfortable spaces that dig at identity and worldview and how it how it intersects with our relationship with the Lord and our relationships with others and it's not comfortable. So I think that my hope is that there would be space set aside and peace to be able to focus in on what the Lord might be doing.
Tim Matthews
Yeah. Even just taking the time to get there to pray is half the battle.
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah.
Peter White (20:51)
Yeah, yeah. Well there's I think there's something that each of you said that really resonated with me. Tim, I really loved what you said about conversation starters. I I think I want to start telling guests like as I introduce these spaces, like, yeah, these are conversation starters with God. yeah, that's just a great way to put it. Beause it is all all about having just simply being with God and and having something to talk about. I think if you particularly if you're the kind of person who has spent a lot of time in church and you're you do that every Sunday and maybe you go to a a small group, you can fall into these kind of just a rut of of what prayer is. And encountering spaces like this kind of can open you up to a new way of talking to God and being with God.
And I loved what you were talking to about the senses too and just being able to use our whole our whole bodies in in our prayer is also something that's really unique that we're just not used to. Katrina, you were just saying something about taking a break and how hard that is. Can you say some more about that?
Katrina Matthews (21:47)
Yeah. About taking space to pray? Or take taking...
Peter White (21:57)
Yeah, yeah, creating yeah, taking a break to make space to to pray in this way.
Katrina Matthews (22:02)
I mean, I feel like especially as a mom of like three little kids, like I am acutely aware of how stimulating life is and also like how constant the demand is that I mean, it can almost feel selfish to take time away, but it is so very important to have that space to bring all the swirling thoughts and feelings to the Lord and set that time aside consistently. I think something Tim and I talk about frequently is that like we don't want to wait until it's too late to take time aside to refresh and to retreat so that it's like, now we're having to like really do hard work to get back to an okay place.
Tim Matthews
Yeah.
Katrina Matthews
Like we would rather be intentional to have regular rhythms of taking space so that we can like, give the Lord time and space to say, like, hey, what if you look at this differently, or what if you spend time in this passage and change how you're approaching this? and that that that that's a healthier, more sustainable life than having to do such hard work at further intervals.
Tim Matthews
Yeah. So yeah, it's it's better to like take the space before burnout than during burnout.
Katrina Matthews
Yes, maintain not being in burnout if possible.
Tim Matthews
Because burnout means like and you go take space. Sometimes that just means like, you just like burned yourself into the ground and now you have to take space because you're not okay. Yes. And it it's it's something that we've noticed in ourselves and even just like kind of noticing in other people of like taking those like shorter like intervals where you don't have we're we don't see ourselves taking a sabbatical after seven years of ministry. We take like we take retreats almost every year.
Katrina Matthews
Well we we try to take ten days aside as a family, but then we also are trying to do like at least twice annual overnight retreats, which the Abbey is so lovely for that. Yeah. And then having like smaller intervals as we're able hopefully monthly to just set aside a morning for prayer entirely in addition to like just your normal rhythm. So it's just whatever works in your life, but it's not there's no formula. There's no formula that fits for everybody. But what matters is taking space aside so that you can maintain and rest and be at peace.
Tim Matthews
Because I think something there's something different that happens from when say like you have like your every morning devotional or whenever or ever every night or whenever you take it versus, you know, taking like an overnight or a week off.
Because the Lord's able to do I feel like at least from our experience, he's able to do deeper things in us and speak to some of the things that like just getting some correction like yeah from him. Like even just like this last time we took a week off, like it it was different from other times because other times we’ve gotten off, he's been like vision casting for us like hey here's some things that are in the future but this time it was like this last time I like here's a lot of things I want you to change and fix.
Katrina Matthews
And we were so much healthier for it. Yeah. We came back like we love correction We're so grateful for correction.
Tim Matthews
Because believe it or not Jesus has really good ideas and if you spend some time to listen to him, you know and you can you can actually like act on them. But if you're always moving, then you'll never hear it.
Peter White (25:57)
So I think one one thing I I'm hearing you say in that is is sometimes you need a retreat for like planning and visioning and planning out the next steps and sometimes you need a retreat for some inner reflection time. And both of are valuable, but you can't necessarily do both at the same time.
Katrina Matthews (26:13)
100%. 100%.
Tim Matthews
Yes. And I think the thing that we have learned from our retreats there is that like the first time we we took a week trip like that, we came with an agenda. We're like, here's the guide, here's the things that we really want to talk to you about. We think that they're very important. And then he's like, No they're not. There's all these other things that I feel like are more important. And then you know, after we kind of got over our agenda, we're like, yeah, you're right.
Katrina Matthews
Those really were more important.
Peter White (26:44)
Yeah. It's like you've made your little list and then God comes and no, here's my list and dumps it on the table. Yeah.
Tim Matthews (27:01)
Right. Yeah. And so we we've kind of come we've kind of come to those retreats without any sort of agenda. Yes. Because it's just gone it's just easier. Yes. Just easier.
Peter White (27:14)
Well let me ask what you think of this. I have found in my conversations, especially with people in ministry, a strong desire to want to get away and take a retreat. But the actually doing it is like there's a gap between I want to take a retreat and I did a retreat. So what kind of encouragement might you give somebody who really wants to but is finding trouble being able to actually make it happen.
Katrina Matthews (27:42)
I don't forget first time we like really cut away for that that longer retreat and we probably was at more of that crisis point because I personally was like in like fight or flight mode and I was like, well if it's like one or the other, then I'd rather run away. But I ran out into in prayer intentionally.
And I just I remember for you the inner struggle of like all the things that would have to happen and all of the sacrifices to carve out that time and to make that leap. And I think it just comes down to a place of saying like it is a sacrifice, like even recognizing it. It is a sacrifice, it's a time sacrifice, it's a money sacrifice, it is a sacrifice, but the sacrifice is worth it. And on it, the payoff is health on the other side and health in your relationship with the Lord and just like a like unblockage of blockages to be able to like move freely with him and it's so so worth the sacrifices. So maybe even spending time to recognize like yes, this is really hard to do. That is valid and it's worth it, you know.
Tim Matthews
I think it's also just modeling ourselves after Jesus. Because in Matthew we see that after John the Baptist died, his first instinct was to go to the mountainside and pray. Like that was where he wanted to go. And so we took Jesus quite literally and went to a mountainside to pray. But I I think it's like yeah, it it's recognizing your need, it's also part of it is also having faith that he is going to talk to you if you spend time with him. Because like, you know, you go on retreats for your marriage, with your family, with your church, but like, do you really believe that your time with them where he's actually going to talk with you? And if you feel like the answer is like, I don't believe he's going to talk with me, then that's almost like a, something where even just stepping out in faith, like, you know what, I don't know if you're gonna talk to me, but I'm gonna take that step anyway, because like I need you. And it's also just like this sense of like need. And even the seeing the need for need. Like, I need to need you. Like, and so the best time the best way to cultivate a relationship with anyone is to spend time with them, and especially alone.
Katrina Matthews
And just to kind of circle back about the Abbey at the Heights, there like I think that's something that's so precious in the space that you have there and in the the ministry that you take that you all take time to labor in is how intentional you have been in setting up the space, yes, for rest and disconnection, but also with guides and intentional literature present that people can really digest and spend time sitting in Scripture and questions that point towards the Lord in Scripture. And so that it it's such a beautiful space to do that and it's it's so worth any sacrifice. Yeah.
Peter White (31:04)
We alluded to a first iteration of the prayer stations. And so, for listeners, there is a second iteration that is just brand new here in the last couple weeks here at the in May of this year. Is there among the new prayer stations or the ones that are out there now, is there a favorite one that you you put together?
Tim Matthews (31:30)
I think for me it's the pumps and clogs one. Right next to that old pump that doesn't work anymore. It's just like it it's the whole inventory with the Lord, like what is clogging your system with him right now? Like what's like what's blocking your relationship with Jesus? And like working through that with him to like unclog it. Yeah, to clear up the system. Like what what's the noise that we talked about? Like what what's the what's the noise that's like keeping the his voice quiet or in your life?
Katrina Matthews
Yeah, I think that's my favorite. Yeah. ⁓ out of the few, I think that that that is my favorite too. I think that my favorite of all of them is the there's a tripod stand of reconciliation and it goes through like if you actually are sitting down with someone and it's like let's sit down and work through this together and here's a guide and how. or if you're desiring to reconcile with someone and praying into that situation, or if there's like a larger scale like world or community wide or extended family wide kind of situation to be praying into. And I feel like it asks really hard questions and puts you in a spot to pray some things that maybe on your own you might not immediately go to. And I really I really love that one.
Tim Matthews
Yeah, that that one's a bit more communal when it as far as its interaction.
Peter White (33:05)
Awesome. Guys, thank you so much for your time today. I've got a couple last questions that I like asking all of our guests. So this is just like lightning around, like just the first thing that pops into your mind. Okay, so you don't don't think too hard about these questions. Alright, are you game for it? Okay, what is the last book that you read?
Katrina Matthews (33:17)
We are currently reading a parenting book called Good Inside.
Tim Matthews
Yes. Yeah. It's a it's a really good book.
Peter White (33:35)
Awesome. I'd love to hear hear your review and when it's all done. If your job was something different than it is right now, what what would it be?
Tim Matthews (33:39)
Well I'm currently I have two jobs. Like so I do 3D animation on the side, but also I do One River, so like I guess maybe I would lean more into the 3D stuff. Yeah.
Katrina Matthews
I really have always had a heart for nonprofits and making the world a better place. so I think that I would aim to do more work in ⁓ advocacy and how to right wrongs on a macro level.
Tim Matthews
Or do book binding.
Katrina Matthews
Or do art. That helps achieve the same.
Tim Matthews
She's being modest. She is she is professional book binder.
Katrina Matthews
Thank you, you're kind. I do really care deeply for prophetic art too, and I think that it can especially when paired with prayer, I think that it can do a world of difference.
Peter White (34:18)
If you could travel to a place that you've never been before.
Katrina Matthews (34:45)
This is like spit firing. So I'll just say like the thing that like came up in my mind just recently was the kids were talking about like, ooh, we're going over a bridge. And I was like, I just had this like flash image in my mind of going across one of those like really long footbridges, like in the forest across rivers. That'd be really cool. I don't know that's not I don't know where that is, but it's somewhere in another country. Somewhere not in my country.
Peter White (35:13)
Not not in northeastern Oklahoma.
Tim Matthews (35:16)
Yes. I think some unnamed sandy, beautiful beach island that no one's been to and...
Katrina Matthews
Ooh, no one's been to?
Tim Matthews
Well it doesn't have to be no one's been to, but like no one will come to. Well I'm there. Private. Private. Yes.
Peter White (35:30)
You've got the island of yourself.
All right, yeah. Do you have a a comfort food movie? In other words, like a movie you could just watch a hundred times and never get tired of it?
Katrina Matthews (35:38)
Age of Adeline's like up there for me. It's one of the more modern ones that's not like You've Got Mail age range that like of modern movies, I think Age of Adeline would fit that category for me.
Peter White (35:55)
All right, and Tim for you.
Tim Matthews
I would say Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings.
Peter White
Okay. What's your favorite place to eat a meal?
Tim Matthews (36:07)
Like are you talking about like restaurant or just like anywhere? Anywhere.
Peter White (36:11)
You can interpret it however you want.
Katrina Matthews (36:13)
Okay. I think my favorite just like of the memory was like the Doc’s like because it had like the music and the Christmas atmosphere and it just was like I think the atmosphere level was so peaceful. Atmosphere means a lot to me.
Tim Matthews
So I mean speaking of atmosphere, I'd probably have like some sort of like it it doesn't matter necessarily what the food like we're we're foodies, but like s having some really good food like in the mountains, like overlooking the mountains.
Katrina Matthews (36:40)
So clearly the atmosphere.
Tim Matthews
Well we actually really do care about food. We're foodies ourselves, so
Peter White (36:40)
Don't care what the food itself is, just the atmosphere. Yeah. If we were going out for karaoke, what is your song?
Katrina Matthews (36:52)
I honestly really don't like karaoke. No. No, I just no.
Tim Matthews
You don't have a song? Not not any song at all?
Katrina Matthews
No. I'm always the one that's like, no, I will not go up there. I don't know.
Tim Matthews
I there's I can't think of any sort of song, but like any like the oldies, like, you know, Memphis oldies. You that you would...
Katrina Matthews
I would dance in my seat very happily.
Tim Matthews
But they would have to take you kicking and streaming to go off the stage. One hundred percent. Okay.
Peter White (37:02)
Okay. Last question. What would you say makes you laugh the hardest?
Tim Matthews (38:00)
I think I think the hardest I've ever laughed is when I played a game called Fiasco. It is it's a really fun, it's like a very loose form role-playing game where you like the whole point of the game is big ideas and big burnout like like crashes on your ideas, basically. So it's like it's it might be you're all in a a research center out in the in the Antarctica and like all the things that go wrong there with your science experiment, right? And so like you you all come up with characters and your connections and then it's just like how how bad does it go for your character and it's really fun.
Peter White (38:52)
So this is like a party game? I've I'm not familiar with it.
Tim Matthews (38:54)
It it got it's a bit of a party game. Yeah, it's maybe about like four to five people, but yeah.
Katrina Matthews
Okay. I'm honestly not sure what makes me laugh the hardest. I just know that when I do it feels like so good.
Tim Matthews
Well, maybe give an example.
Katrina Matthews
But I mean, but one thing that I feel like does make me laugh is which I don't know, it sounds so cliche, but do you it now?
Reels that are very specifically aligned with parenting, that just seem to really get me and like step right into the chaos of my life and make it comedic, gives a certain it just it can be very, very funny and can help make lighthearted something that feels heavy.
Peter White (39:38)
Awesome. Guys, thank you so much for doing this today. If people, listeners wanted to connect with you and your work, where can they learn more about One River?
Katrina Matthews (39:48)
So Facebook's a good one.
Tim Matthews
Facebook is probably the best place to find us.
Katrina Matthews
Or like at least what is ongoingly occurring. Yeah. Our email is one river like O N E dot community at gmail dot com and that's another easy way to reach us. But yeah, Facebook is the easiest place to see like ongoing updates. Yeah.
Peter White (40:08)
Awesome. Well again, thanks for taking the time to do this today. And and thank you, listeners, for being with us too. You can learn more about the ministry of The Sabbath Life on our website, thesabbathlife.com. You can find information there about booking a personal retreat for yourself or for a group at the Abbey of the Heights. And if you'd like to make a financial gift to support the ministry of The Sabbath Life, you can also do that on the website at thesabbathlife.com/give. We exist because of the generosity of people just like you.
And then very last thing, be sure that you're subscribing to the podcast wherever you're listening to this so that you're able to catch the next stories that we share. If you like what you're hearing, please also leave us a review so that others can more easily find us here on the internet. And you can help us spread the word about the Abbey of the Heights and a life of rest.
Until next time, may you know in the deepest parts of your soul that you are God's beloved.