The Next Wife’s Heart Retreat
Thursday February 20 – Sunday February 23, 2020
By Mike Genung
June of last year, we had our first wives retreat here in the mountains of Beulah, Colorado.
When the women arrived, all of them looked beaten up, worn out, and wounded. Some were fearful, having been tossed around by the enemy while trying to survive in a marriage that had been traumatized by porn, adultery, and other forms of sexual sin.
We began by setting the ground rules for making the retreat a safe place, and then invited everyone to share their story. To my surprise, many of the ladies said they’d never been able to do that before. (I probably shouldn’t be surprised; we often hear that the church isn’t a safe place to open up). There were many tears; I was blessed as I watched them pour their hearts out. Just sharing your story and being accepted in a safe environment by others who can relate to what you’re going through can be a big piece of your healing journey.
As the retreat progressed, we looked at restoring their sense of self-worth, which had been robbed from them by what was going on in their marriage and in other circumstances, including the spiritual battles they were engaged in. We looked at other issues that brought healing and restoration; then from early afternoon to early evening on Saturday they were given quiet time alone where they could rest, and seek God. More breakthroughs and healing came as they were hearing from the Lord and receiving His love and care for them. Some took long naps (sometimes you don’t know how exhausted you are until you stop and take a break).
Sunday morning we all spent time praying together; it was the most powerful experience I had praying with other believers that year. When you put broken, hurting people together and they start praying, God is more apt to show up then if you were to have 500 believers in a prayer meeting who (think they) have no need of healing. (“God gives grace to the humble… a broken and contrite heart you will not despise,” James 4:6, Psalms 51:17). The sense of God’s presence in the room was so thick there were moments when I didn’t dare speak.
By the time the ladies left Sunday afternoon, the look in their eyes was completely different (that’s when the picture above was taken). They had been transformed from a group a broken, beat up women, to the warriors and fighters that God has meant them to be (Judges 4). Their situations at home didn’t change, but they did. Some didn’t want to leave.
There are some of you women who are reading this, and know you need it. Maybe the Holy Spirit is prompting you now. Since that first retreat, we’ve expanded it from three days to four (Thursday at 5:00pm to Sunday morning at 11:00). The next retreat is Thursday, February 20 – Sunday February 23, 2020. The rate includes all meals and lodging at the mountain retreat in Beulah, Colorado. I will be leading, and Sandy England, who leads our women’s ministry, will be there too. There are 8 rooms with two beds in the rooms, which insures you won’t be walking into a large crowd to get lost in.
See this page on the website for more information –
https://www.blazinggrace.org/wifes-heart-womens-retreat/
Or, you can contact us if you’d like to get signed up, or call the office at 719-888-5144, and ask for Sandy. (She’s off today, Friday, and will be back in the office on Monday).
If you’re a husband reading this and your wife is in a place where she needs healing, consider encouraging her to attend.
**If your church or ministry would like us to come there and lead a wives retreat, let’s talk.
I will leave you with comments from one of the ladies who attended, and more pictures:
“I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for the retreat. Mike, your openness, genuineness, honesty, and grace were a tremendous source of inspiration and healing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your gift to me in this retreat, the verse, and providing me a place to connect with the Father and find so much healing and grace. Sandy, you are an amazing person, genuine, warm, wise, and FUNNY!! I wish I lived in Colorado so you could teach me to bow hunt. I’d learn just for the chance to hang with you. I have such a strong bond with all the women I met at the retreat. I often picture each face as I pray for all of you. I know that God brought us together in His divine destiny. I know we’ll be connected in our future. And I’m super excited about what God is doing in each one of us!”
