The week had been exceptionally challenging. The pain ran deep. The brokenness reached far for both of them. For the first four days, there was little evidence that things would turn around.

But Friday morning arrived with an unexpected sense of peace—a whisper from the Lord that the week would end well. And then the day began, and everything shifted into a whole new spirit. A new sense of hopefulness emerged for their marriage and their future.

He left with words that would carry him forward: “God met us in our brokenness and restored a sense of hope that the best is yet to come. The week showed me there is hope for me, for my marriage, and for my ministry.”

She felt the embrace from the moment they arrived. “While it was a very difficult week,” she reflected, “the work that has begun here has the ability to change the rest of our marriage. We experienced ‘Jesus with skin on’ this week.”

The couple left knowing their trajectory had changed. The future looked different now—not because all their problems were solved, but because they’d encountered the God who promises that the best is yet to come.

The Ministry had left them dry. Parched. Desperate for something they couldn’t name.

He found it to be a safe place—a rare environment where ministry couples are encouraged and strengthened, where people actually want to see them succeed. “This is care for the care givers,” he said with relief in his voice.

But it was the second day that broke her open. They were presented with the biblical approach to forgiveness—not just the concept, but the actual process of walking through it. Before she’d even completed the exercise, tears of hope and relief began to flow.

“THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LONGING FOR!” she exclaimed. Finally, like rain in the desert, a deep spiritual need was being met. A prayer was being answered. She released her grip on past hurts and walked into a spirit of newness.

Hope stirred within her. The rear-view mirror of past hurts came off. She could walk forward now, equipped with tools and understanding she’d never had before.

For those in desperately dry places in ministry—and she knew there were so many—this was the rain they’d been waiting for.

He’d been going non-stop in life and ministry. Deep down, he knew he needed to pump the brakes, but he couldn’t figure out how. His marriage was beginning to suffer. Connecting with God was getting harder and harder. Something had to change.

They came during an incredibly busy week of ministry—which seemed counterintuitive—but they felt it was what they needed to do to take a stand for their marriage. And he’s so glad they did.

God met him that week and refreshed him in ways he desperately needed. Through the counselors, he began to see where he’d been struggling. He’d been “clogged” in his relationship with his wife and with God—blocked by unforgiveness, selfishness, and lies he’d believed without even realizing it.

The host family provided a peaceful refuge where he could meet with God each day and hear His voice again. In the chaos of life, God reminded him of His steadfast love.

She experienced the week as a love gift from the Lord. The time and space. The solitude in nature. The break from demands and the fast pace of ministry. It blessed them far more than they’d expected.

“Having space to be heard by our counselors and better equipped in our marriage based on our specific needs was everything!” she said. They were so intentional about making them feel understood, validated, supported.

They left with powerful wisdom and effective tools—not just to survive, but to build their dream marriage. Even better, they trusted that God’s grace and hand was upon them now, leading them into new patterns and His ways.

He was ready to establish new rhythms in life, marriage, and relationship with the Lord. His soul felt refreshed. Hope filled his chest. The future looked incredibly bright.

His marriage was about to be lost. He could no longer find a solution. The adultery had destroyed everything—his wife, his children, his relationship with God. Divorce papers seemed inevitable. Every day was a fight. There was no moment of peace. The worst part? He knew about God. He knew better. But sin had pushed the Father far from reach.

She arrived devastated, ready to sign divorce papers if this didn’t work. How could a ministry possibly address such deep betrayal? It seemed like an exaggeration to think that anyone could talk to her—correct her—with love and care after everything that had happened.

When they first arrived, they were angry and disappointed. She came to understand something profound: she didn’t need to keep hurting the one person who had put up with her and would continue to put up with her for the rest of her life—her beloved husband.
Through tears, tools, and Spirit-led guidance, they discovered something they’d lost: hope. Hope that with God, everything is possible.

They left speaking of a “new dawn”—a fresh start they never thought they’d see. The sun was rising again on their marriage, their family, their ministry, their life together.

Twenty-six months. That’s how long their ministry had been falling apart. Loyal friends had betrayed them. It felt like God had removed His blessings, His hand, His very presence from their work.

Their marriage struggled under the weight. The eternal optimist—always the one who saw silver linings—began to feel like Job. Like young Joseph, thrown in the pit and forgotten. Hope was running thin as depression and heartbreak grew. Twelve years of building had turned into two painful years of decline, departures, and despair.

When they arrived for their intensive week, they were fragile. Tender. Hopeful, but raw. Desperate for something real. They had no idea how much God had in store.

The hospitality was radical. The counselors walked with them daily, guiding them with what they called “surgical compassion”—fierce tenderness combined with prophetic insight and wisdom earned over years of ministry.

Then came the breakthrough. One day during a session, the Spirit came in power, not with thunder, but with clarity. He was given the courage to let go. To forgive. Not superficially. Not because he had to. But because God met him there and gave him the strength to do it.
Years of internal weight broke. Something that had been stuck for too long lifted. The bitterness dissolved. The stronghold shattered. His soul exhaled.

The forgiveness protocol they learned was the most functionally transforming thing they’d ever experienced. He’d worked through forgiveness before, read books on the topic, tried various methods. But this was different. After forgiving and releasing three of his most painful broken relationships, joy re-entered his heart for the first time in years.
His wife saw the difference in his eyes immediately.

Their marriage grew in closeness and connection. His soul began to feel alive again. He felt re-anchored in God’s love as Father, the nearness of Christ, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

She experienced God’s deep healing, revelation about where they’d been stuck, and breakthrough with tools to implement going forward. The grief, discouragement, heaviness, and confusion lifted. They now faced the future with newfound strength, courage, and confidence.

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy,” he quoted from Psalm 126. “We came tired and wounded. We came sowing in tears. We leave with tears turned to joy. We leave with sheaves in our hands.”

They felt incredibly equipped to reenter the next season—both family life and ministry—with renewed hope, anticipation, and excitement. A fresh wind of revival was on their leadership. The lies and judgments that had plagued them were addressed and resolved with the love of Christ. Even their view of the Church at large had been restored after years of jadedness.
The fruit was already undeniable. And they believed it would help their family, their ministry culture, and the hundreds of thousands of people their ministry reaches for years to come.

The noise of ministry had drowned out the voice of God. Somewhere in the busyness, the demands, the constant output, he’d stopped hearing the gentle whisper of the Spirit.
The counselors did something unexpected: they encouraged silence. They urged the couple to sit quietly and wait to hear from Jesus. In a world that prizes productivity and constant activity, this felt revolutionary.

“The tools they give are great and very helpful for all people no matter where they are spiritually,” he said. “The Lord has renewed my vision and spirit this week.”

For her, the week brought something she’d lost: hope. Not just generic optimism, but specific, anchored hope for a wonderful future. Hope that she could hear and discern God’s voice again. Hope that she could walk in the confidence and assurance of His love.

“I now have a wealth of tools to take and implement into real life!” she exclaimed. “I feel like I have a fresh start with God, my spouse, and every other area in my life.”

The Wonderful Counselor had done something wonderful. God’s voice—which had seemed so distant—was clear again. And that changed everything.

They’d felt invisible for so long. Not valuable. Alone in their pain.

He described coming as a deeply wounded and hurt ministry couple. But from the moment they arrived, the counselors met them with a sincere, kind, and affirming spirit that remained consistent throughout the week.

“Their gentle presence made the space safe for pain to be felt and freed,” he said. “The combined gifts of both competency and sincerity were healing to our hearts.”

God gave him greater insight into his wife’s needs, her deep hurt, her damage. He was guided through hard and difficult emotional barriers he’d been avoiding for years.
She was experiencing spiritual battle and denominational abuse. The wounds were fresh and deep. But knowing there were hundreds of people praying for their time that week comforted her in ways she couldn’t fully express.

“We have often felt invisible and not valuable, so to have strangers praying for us meant more than you will ever know,” she said through tears. “This week God allowed me to get a glimpse of goodness in the land of the living through people.”

Chains of fear fell away. The pain of feeling alone was replaced with hopeful connection—to God and to each other. They weren’t invisible anymore. They were seen. Known. Loved. And that made all the difference.

From the moment they arrived at the retreat center and met their counselors, she felt it: God’s hug. His presence saying, “I’ve got this.”

The counselors put the Holy Spirit as the number one leader of the sessions. They seriously sought Him in how they led. Because of that, the couple was able to receive the deepest help.
“I thought we were too complicated,” she admitted. “But our counselors were not put off even by our hardest things. They heard our story, reminded us that God is in this marriage, and continued to lead us through some of our hardest tangled messes.”

He learned something crucial: putting his wife’s needs as a priority, even when it’s hard for him as someone who has his own needs. God gave him this lady to love, protect, cherish, support, and to be her biggest fan.

All the topics they covered were good and helpful. But the most helpful? Forgiveness.
They left feeling held. Supported. Hugged by God through His people.