Spring Retreat for Baby Boomers

Glenda and I have been leading the Better with Age retreat for years now, and here’s what we know: the years between 50 and 70 bring transitions most of us aren’t prepared for. We excel at building careers and raising families, but finishing strong? That takes different wisdom.

This April, join us on Keats Island, where we’ll tackle the real questions— where purpose lives when the career ladder ends, how to navigate loss without losing yourself, how to shift from accumulating wealth to distributing it wisely, and discuss what legacy actually means beyond the legal paperwork. No sales pitches, no generic advice. Just honest conversations with people in the same season, practical scenarios you can actually use, and four days to think clearly about what matters most. The island setting, gourmet meals, and Barnabas Landing’s hospitality create the space you need to do this work well. If you’re sensing it’s time to get intentional about how you finish, this retreat is for you.

Frequently Asked Questions:

When and where is the retreat?
March 31 – April 3rd, 2026, at Barnabas Landing on Keats Island, BC.
How do I get to Keats Island?
We depart from Horseshoe Bay by a Water Taxi boat that will take us right to Barnabas Landing. We return the same way, and the boat trip takes about 45 minutes.
What’s included in the registration fee?
Your beautiful accommodations, all meals, teaching sessions, and materials. Also transportation to and from the island.
Who else will be there?
Expect 30-40 people, typically ages 55-80, all navigating or entering retirement. Past attendees have come from across BC, other provinces, and the US. Most share a Christian faith background, which shapes the conversations but doesn’t dominate them—the focus stays on practical wisdom for this life stage.
What’s the daily schedule like?
The retreat runs Tuesday evening through Friday morning. Days blend structured teaching with generous free time—mornings feature 90-minute plenary sessions with coffee breaks between them, afternoons are mostly yours (with optional workshops available), and evenings include dinner followed by another 90-minute session. You’ll have stretches from 2-5 PM each day to explore the island, rest, or connect with others. The espresso bar opens early for those who want it, breakfast is rolling so you can eat at your own pace, and evenings wrap with coffee and conversation. The pace is intentional—enough structure to go deep, enough space to process.
Do I need to come with a spouse/partner?
No. The retreat works whether you come solo, as a couple, or with a friend. Sessions address topics relevant to everyone in this life stage, and the small group format ensures you’ll connect with others regardless of how you arrive. Many attendees come on their own and find the experience just as valuable—sometimes more so, since it allows focused reflection without needing to coordinate with someone else’s experience.
What if I can’t make all four days?
The retreat is designed as a complete experience—each session builds on the previous ones, and the rhythm of teaching, reflection, and community develops over the full arc. Missing portions means losing both content and the relational connections that form throughout. Also, since we are chartering a boat for the group departure from Horseshoe Bay on Tuesday and returning on Friday, partial attendance creates logistical complications. If scheduling is tight, it’s worth waiting for a year when you can commit to all four days rather than attending partially.
Is this faith-based?
Yes. The retreat operates from a Christian worldview, and most attendees share that background. Faith shows up naturally in the content—discussions about purpose, legacy, and navigating life transitions are grounded in biblical wisdom. That said, this isn’t a theology seminar. The focus stays practical: how your faith informs real decisions about money, relationships, loss, and purpose in this season. The setting at Barnabas Landing, a Christian retreat center, reflects this orientation.
What makes this different from other retirement seminars?
Great question! Most retirement events exist to sell you financial products, insurance, or estate planning services. This retreat is purely educational—you’ll leave with practical wisdom, not someone’s business card. We use real scenarios instead of generic advice, focus on the full range of transitions you’re actually facing (not just money), and create space for honest conversation with people in the same season. The island setting removes normal distractions, the teaching comes from experience rather than PowerPoint theory, and the four days give you time to actually think rather than just absorb information and leave.
Will there be homework or follow-up?
No homework—this isn’t school. The retreat itself gives you frameworks and questions worth returning to, but there’s no formal curriculum or assignments afterward. What you do take with you are the connections you make. Many attendees stay in touch with people they meet, and those relationships often become the ongoing resource. We’re exploring ways to continue the conversation beyond the retreat, but for now, the four days stand on their own.
What’s the cancellation policy?
Barnabas states: A non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking. The remaining balance becomes non-refundable 30 days prior to the retreat. If a guest experiences a health emergency within those 30 days that prevents them from attending, we will refund the retreat fees with the exception of the non-refundable deposit.I will check with Barnabas and post the details here when I have them.
Can I bring questions about my specific situation?
Yes, but with the right expectations. The plenary sessions address common scenarios and principles that apply broadly. Optional workshops offer smaller settings where specific topics get more attention. You’ll have natural opportunities during breaks, meals, and free time to talk with speakers and other attendees about your particular circumstances. What we don’t offer is personal financial planning, legal consultation, or one-on-one counseling—this is group teaching designed to give you frameworks for thinking through your own decisions, not customized advice for your exact situation.

Realities of Getting Older: What No One Told Us

Remember when we thought growing older was all about retirement and finding the perfect pair of reading glasses? Well, it turns out there’s a bit more to it than that. Let me reflect on some of the surprising realities of aging that our younger selves may not have anticipated. Aging is a natural process that everyone goes through, but it can pose significant surprises. Let me share some of my observations.

Changing Life Perspectives

As we age, our perspectives can change. This concerns me, as I hope it does not see me starting to like country music I have avoided my entire life. But, coming back to the point, I was wanting to say that things that once seemed monumental now seem insignificant, and vice versa. It’s as if we’ve been given a pair of new spectacles or a new vantage point that allows us to see what truly matters in life. And let me tell you, it’s not the latest electric car or the size of our houses. It is actually all about relationships with family, friends, our faith community, our peers.

It is important for us to build into our lives a time to get perspective on this whole aging season. To stop, to study, to talk about getting older. Let’s be good mentors and pass along to those following behind us what we are experiencing as we age.

Physical Challenges

Let’s face it: with age comes an assortment of physical challenges we never signed up for. The knees get sore, and the back isn’t as forgiving as it used to be; we can’t run fast – or perhaps can’t even run. We also end up taking medications we never even thought of when we were younger. I smile when out with my friend Bob, and our watch alarms go off at the same time, reminding us to take our pills. Our laughter over this allows us to at least keep a sense of humour about it all.

New Mental Wellness Battles

As we age, we often face significant life changes that can impact our mental health. These can include retirement, the death of loved ones, increased isolation, and physical health issues.

Retirement, for instance, can lead to a loss of identity and purpose, especially for those who found significant meaning in their careers. The death of friends and family members can bring on grief and loneliness, while physical health problems can cause stress and sometimes depression.

Furthermore, older adults may also experience cognitive decline, which can lead to confusion, frustration, and anxiety. In some cases, it can even result in dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Growing older can feel like stepping into unknown territory without a map. We grapple with questions that would’ve boggled our younger minds. Our older minds do not seem to work as quickly as they once did, and you notice changes in your memory or recall. There is much more mystery than we considered. But here’s a secret – it’s okay not to have all the answers. There’s a certain beauty in the mystery, and each question we ponder brings us a step closer to understanding God and ourselves better.

Existential Questions

With the passing of time, we become more aware of our mortality. We are all going to die. This awareness often leads us to ponder the bigger questions of life. What is our purpose? How do we want to be remembered? What will be said at our funeral? How shall we live our remaining days? While these questions may seem daunting, they also offer an opportunity to reflect on our lives and to remember there is still time to make meaningful changes.

Spiritual Insights

Our spirituality deepens and widens as we age. We may discover new insights from scripture we didn’t see before because they now resonate with our experience and life stage. Often, we are drawn to the solitude of familiar rituals of our faith, like quiet prayer and Bible reading. Embrace and savour these moments as they can serve as guideposts and guardrails on your aging journey, providing direction and inspiration every step of the way.

Growing older is an adventure filled with unexpected twists, turns and surprising revelations. The Baby Boomer demographics show there are so many of us out there in this particular stage of the journey. I refer to it as the third period of the hockey game, and if you are not into hockey, that means it is the last period of play with no promise of overtime. There is empirical evidence showing that those who think positively about aging often live longer, healthier lives. So, let’s do all that we can to embrace the surprises of aging with a cheerful heart and a hopeful spirit.

Better With Age

Remember that we’re not just growing older. We’re growing wiser, more compassionate, and more resilient. Each day is another opportunity to learn, to love, and to leave a mark on the world. So, let’s cherish each moment, each memory, and yes, even each pill! After all, we’re like fine wine, getting better with age.

This is why we named our April retreat for Baby Boomers “Better With Age.” Please consider coming to join Glenda and me at beautiful Barnabas Landing, where we can talk about these and other common themes of aging. It will be three nights in exquisite lodging, chef-prepared meals and a sense of community and laughter that will live on long after the retreat.

You will find all the details here at Barnabas Landing. Hope to see you there.

A New Season

After all I have been through…

At the end of April 2019 I will complete my role assisting the president and my closest friend Bob Kuhn at Trinity Western University. I have been spending time praying and asking God what He would have me do in this next season of my life – wondering my future role after all I have been through.

During the summer I experienced a remarkable renewal in my life. I’m whistling again and want to do something! Hope welled up within me once again and I began to dream – but what would it be? There were plenty of opportunities – but I wanted to experience a fresh call.

Bob Kuhn, when I was talking to him about this, said that it was highly unlikely God was going to call me to do anything drastically different than how He has used me all my life – mentoring people. His statement sat with me and was a major influence in my decision about the future. In a remarkable series of events I know what I am going to do now. I am going to focus on mentoring and will be working with my friends at Barnabas Landing on Keats Island. I’m joining the team as Special Assistant to the President (a title I have come to love from my time at Trinity Western University).

Keats Island – photo credit Robert Dunning

Those of you who know me well are aware of my family’s relationship with Barnabas. It holds a very dear place in our hearts and we have been engaged there for decades. Brenda always described it as her favourite place on earth – and she had seen a lot of the earth in her lifetime. So, in the new Station building being built our family have sponsored a room in her memory.

Then, there is the more recent loss in my life, that of Ruth Blake. I was engaged to Ruth and she too was taken from us by cancer just less than a month before our wedding. Ruth is Rob’s sister and was a key element of the ministry to young adults at Barnabas.

What will I be doing?

I will spend 50% of my time working alongside Rob Bentall. We will be investing in an initiative where up to a dozen young adults will live on the island for a guided mentorship experience. The participants will be called Barnabas Landing Stewards and together we will learn what it means to live as Christians in a post Christian world. From September until April we will live, work and grow together in community.

In addition the Barnabas Landing mentoring initiative will hold retreats for the baby boomer generation teaching how to recover the role of elder and how to mentor. The Stewards will assist in the training. From May until September I will be working with others creating a mentoring flow that I am very excited about.

The other 50% of my time I will be able to do more writing, executive mentoring/coaching with leaders and organizations, pastoral counselling, and conference and retreat speaking on God’s pursuing love and grace. I also love working with Truefaced and other boards I serve with.

The thought of being able to welcome friends and family to visit on the island thrills me – and of course my grandkids can come anytime!

Ellie, Liam, Georgia, Grandpa, Roland, Mac, Landon at Applegate, Barnabas Landing

New Rhythms

I am also excited about the creation of new rhythms this next season will usher in. It will settle out over time but presently looks something like this:

September to April living on Keats Monday through Thursday and back into the city with family and friends Friday to Sunday.
Between May and September I will be going to Ireland for a month for creative time, and restoration. I also plan to spend some weeks out on the ocean and of course preparing for the next intake of Stewards.
Daily rhythms will involve more quiet time, focus on health and the encouraging of others.
And of course…being on and near the water as much as possible.

Following is the release that Barnabas have sent out. I’ll be writing much more about this in the future. – Carson

For Immediate Release

January 17, 2019

Barnabas Family Ministries Appoints Carson Pue to Lead Mentoring Initiative

Keats Island, BC – The management and staff of Barnabas Landing are pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Carson Pue has accepted the appointment to the role Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director Rob Bentall.

The appointment fills an important role after the premature death of Ruth Blake, Rob Bentall’s sister and Carson’s fiancé. Ruth’s passion was ministry to young adults and it seemed clear to all that this vision was not to stop but rather be enhanced. A mentorship program called “Barnabas Landing Stewards” has been developed and Carson will act as the director.

The Barnabas board is very encouraged to have Carson Pue join the staff team. He knows Barnabas well, and his values and expertise around mentoring and community align well with our vision and will enhance young adults and our staff. The Stewards will also be helping teach Baby Boomers how to be effective mentors in this new initiative. Carson will be a great encouragement as special assistant to Rob Bentall, coming alongside with skills in organizational leadership, fundraising, and pastoral help in maintaining the spiritual core of our ministry to families of all ages.

“I am not sure I could have thought up such a timely, meaningful way to serve those I love at Barnabas,” says Carson Pue. “My love, passion, and vision for young adults has grown while at Trinity Western University and I feel called to do all we can to encourage them moving into adulthood and learning how to be and live as Christians in a post Christian world. What better way to learn and grow than by living together on an island in the Pacific.”

Carson will assume the role of Special Assistant to the President in May 2019. While Barnabas serves as his center, Carson will continue his executive mentoring and leadership work with boards and Christian leaders. Barnabas Landing Stewards will start the first cohort of guided mentorship in September 2019 through April 2020.

Rob Bentall says, “I can’t believe how God has directed and brought all this about. I am thrilled to have Carson as a new addition to our team and I believe that this will forward our ministry to strengthen, educate and encourage families for decades to come.”

ABOUT BARNABAS LANDING

Established in 1986 as a non-profit Christian ministry, Barnabas Family Ministries is dedicated to strengthening, educating and encouraging families through Christian retreats. Barnabas Landing strives to create a place where young adults, couples, families and Christian leaders can retreat from the demands of life. In this atmosphere of rest and authenticity, we believe relationships and faith can flourish. It is place to refocus on what matters the most—your relationships and faith.

For more information, please visit www.barnabasfm.org

For information on the young adult mentoring initiative called “Barnabas Landing Stewards”, please visit www.barnabaslanding.org.