DOJOROMI Couples Retreat
We just enjoyed the first DOJOROMI Couples Retreat at Beersheba Springs in middle Tennessee. It was a blast and a blessing. Beautiful place, twelve wonderful couples, great food, and the immediate presence of God, made for a memorable weekend.
There were couples in varying degrees of recovery and reconciliation. Some were doing great when they came. Some were not even sure they were going to come. But God had a plan and a place. Healing was there to be had by anyone and any couple that wanted it. It was amazing.
We centered the retreat around the Love & Respect DVD series by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. This is a super study and I highly recommend it. But the real teaching came from the couples as they sat in a circle and told the truth. They told about their hurts and their hopes. They confessed to feeling inadequate and feeling afraid. One couple said, “We just don’t know how to be married.” And in their honesty God not only touched their lives but the lives of all who listened.
Robert and Joan Collier, our wonderful friends and gifted counselors, sat back with Doris and me and marveled at the power of the Holy Spirit when people are just willing to be open and transparent, to be honest. Lives were changed and marriages were renewed by the grace and goodness of God.
We scheduled the next one, June 20-21, and I promise you it will fill immediately. If you’d like to go, let me know, (and send a check.) By the way, if you haven’t figured it out…DOris, JOan, RObert, MIke, DOJOROMI retreat. But you knew that didn’t you? Mike
Honesty and Healing
Doris and I spoke two weeks ago at River of Worship Church in Miamisburg, Ohio. It is a small, independent church just outside Dayton and not too far from where we pastored for 10 years. The worship was wonderful. The people were terrific. And God was there. As the service ended, I made an almost passing comment about the power of confession in the healing process. Immediately a young adult woman stood up and confessed to a deep hurt from fifteen years before. We prayed for her and you could see the load lift from her shoulders and her life. As soon as the prayer ended, a man stepped up and told a secret from his past. Same formula, prayer and obvious relief and renewed joy. Then another, and another, and another. For the next three hours we were amazed as nearly an entire congregation found wholeness by becoming honest with one another.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you might be healed.” This is not about forgiveness and salvation. I John 1:9 makes it clear that when we confess to God we are forgiven. But healing, emotional wholeness, is dependent on our willingness to confess within the body of Christ. Whether it is a small group, a recovery meeting, an accountability partner, or testifying to the congregation, healing comes when we tell our story to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Tell the truth and get well seems to be the process that God has ordained.
There is a 12 Step wisdom that says, “Every time we tell our story our shame in cut in half.” If shame is the poison of secrecy then honesty is the antidote. To hide is to die, emotionally, spiritually, even physically. To tell the truth is to breath in new life and new grace, to know the “peace that passes all understanding.” Real honesty, clear confession, total transparency is the way to healing. It is as simple as that. We need the grace of God. We need earnest prayer. We need the gift of godly counselors and the clarity that they can bring. But if we really want to get well we have to tell the truth. When Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” He was not just saying we are to acknowledge a set of intellectual precepts. He was saying we must know what it is like to live in, to immerse ourselves in the spirit of truth. Honesty and healing go hand in hand. Confession to the Body of Christ is the gift God has given us for our own wholeness. And that’s the truth!
Restoration in a Group Setting
There is such power in the group. We are learning more and more how powerful it is when we sit side by side with fellow strugglers and confess our sins. Not therapy, just support. Not teaching, just listening. Here are the upcoming groups at Branches. If you know of someone that would be helped, contact us.
G.O.O.D. (Growing Out Of Depression) This is one of our most needed groups and continues to help men and women of all ages. Based on the book, The Freedom From Depression Workbook by Carter and Minirth, we look at the causes of depression and talk about what we have learned to manage our own melancholia. The cost of this group is $15 per week and we meet on Tuesday evening.
Chronic Pain We began a group several months ago to help women who deal with ongoing pain. After several weeks the group was so helpful they asked to continue. This is a self directed group that meets on Thursday morning. The cost is $5.
Love & Respect A DVD centered group, based on the work of Emerson Eggerichs, this will be one of our most exciting couples groups. For married or about to be married couples, you will be amazed at the insights gained from this group. The cost is $25 per couple and the day will be chosen as soon as we get 10 couples registered.
Body Image I can’t think of a more needed support group than this. Body Image is for teenage girls who struggle with eating disorders. An epidemic of anorexia and bulimia sweeps through our teenage population. This 8 week support group will help girls confront this issue. The cost is $15 and the date will be set as soon as we register 10 participants.
Check-in Fellowship Group If you just need a group of people to love you and encourage you to tell the truth, try the Wednesday night check-in group. We meet at 7PM each Wednesday and worship and tell the truth. There is no cost for this group but great benefit.
For more information or to register call Branches at (615) 216-0455 or email mike@mikecourtney.net.
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