These are some of the testimonies of the alumni of the Faithwalking 101 Retreat in October 2010:
I experienced God's power through personal transformation during and after the 101 retreat. The solitude and reflection "being still" was something I desperately needed. Perhaps the most helpful part was the personal prayer with a member of the Faithwalking team as well as the small group sessions. Also helpful were the personal stories of the presenters. The hosts were extremely hospitable!
In the solitude session on vows, the Lord exposed an area I did not want in the light - it was a vow about staying hidden so people wouldn't know me. Being encouraged to share this with the big group terrified me. During big group time, I knew in my heart that if I did not share this openly, a freedom that the Lord had for me could be missed. So with the promise to be all in and a push inside me by the Lord, I shared. I will not say it was easy, but since the FW 101 weekend, the Lord has been showing me things in my life that have paralyzed me and how they had so much power over me because they were affirming, in my mind, the vow I had taken. In one area in particular, which for three years has knocked me off course, the Lord has begun to bring insight and freedom that I have longed for.
It opened some closed doors for me and I learned lots about my habitual disobedience as well as destructive vows I made as a young child. It will take more work but it was a very important step.
God used this retreat in my life to wake me up from just being satisfied with the lousy status quo. I had resigned myself to believing that things just weren't going to get better. The retreat helped me face the areas where I'd given up.
The integrity presentation was really eye opening for me. The understanding of a vow we may have made as a child in response to a traumatic event explained a lot about sins I committed in my life. Nothing was more powerful than renouncing that vow and making new vows w/the help of prayer from a team member and talks w/my small group.
God has used Faithwalking to renew and awakened my dry and parched land. I have a renewed relationship with the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. I learned that transformation is a journey, a process that we embark on with others and it is not a means to an end. Thank you to the coaches and team leaders for your sensitivity to the work of God in and through us and encouraging us to move out to build missional communities in Houston together.
FW was one of the most challenging things I have done in a while. It was emotionally exhausting in a very good way. I didn't leave with that "retreat high" but rather a resolve to become the kind of person I want to be and lead the kind of missional life I want to live.
Faithwalking 101 was instrumental to my realization that I still have unresolved issues from my childhood that need attention so that I can be more authentic and well-connected to those God has placed in my life. Personal transformation is hugely important - I now see that more clearlyIf you are interested in know more about the retreat, please contact us! To see next available dates for the retreat, please see our calendar.
1 comment:
Amazing stories!
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