|
Goals
Healing  Freedom
Life Joy
Genuine
Change
In and through Christ Jesus
The heartbeat
of the ministry and its mission is found in Isaiah 61:1
...He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those that are
bound.
Ministry
Principles
1. God is Jehovah-Rapha, the Healer. We do not
promote personalities upon whom people tend to become dependent.
As part of His "team," we simply want to get in on what
He is already doing in the lives of the people who participate in
our retreats and conferences. Every aspect of the ministry points
to the Cross. Only God can bring the deep and lasting healing that
is so needed. Our team simply participates in the process He has
already begun. We come alongside participants with a goal of helping
them meet personally with God.
2. God is the Initiator. God always moves towards
us first! There are so many examples of this throughout scripture.
He loved us first. Before the foundation of the earth, He knew us
and chose us. He gave us the gift of faith so that it would be possible
for us to choose Him. He has always been at work on our behalf.
As team, our role is to encourage people to stop trying to figure
out what they have to do to get to God. Instead of anxiously striving,
they can relax and expect God to meet with them!
3. God is a Gentleman. This principle offers us
a picture of God as Perfect Love and the Lover who seeks His beloved.
In the great mystery of God, through the power of His Spirit, His
Love never manipulates. He guides and directs us towards truth and
holiness. God is not some “master puppeteer.” He created
us with a will that He honors. Love cannot be genuine without the
ability to choose what it gives itself to.
God's desire is that we would delight in Him and choose Him before
any other love. As HFN team, we also honor that right and never
attempt to cleverly manipulate a participant’s experience
during a retreat or conference.
4. God is the God of Surprises. Despite how mature
we may be, most of us have a few "formulas" for God. We
have had enough experiences with Him that we think we can predict
what He will do next. Or, perhaps, we have a mindset of what we
think He is "supposed" to do next! During HFN events,
we challenge participants to break free of formulas or preconceived
ideas of how God should act. We challenge them to begin to look
for Him and to be aware of what is happening around them –
to open their spiritual eyes and to see what He is doing. We encourage
an expectancy – a longing to not only see Him in a new way,
but to also hear from Him. Seemingly insignificant things can speak
volumes when God uses them to get our attention.
5. God is the God of Economy. It is amazing to
see how God puts the group together each month in the Intensive
Retreat. As the week progresses, participants develop a new understanding
of what it means to be in the Body of Christ. They find trust and
acceptance in one another. From this safe place, incredible learning
and revelation is possible. As participants share their struggles
and experiences, as they see each other meet with God, it is as
if God uses everything in His economy to speed up the healing process!
6. God is the God of Kairos. Chronos is the Greek
word for time as we know it. It is the time we check on our watches.
Kairos relates to God's special time – His appointed and anointed
time. We believe God has encouraged people to attend a retreat at
a particular time designed especially for them. When counselors
and pastors tell us that people they referred completed six plus
years of therapeutic work in seven days, we know this can only occur
in kairos! As team, we never push anyone to attend a retreat. God
will help them get to the retreat at the right time, His time.
Ministry
Approach
A Biblical Foundation - Many individuals who come
to our retreats express that they do not want to be given a “pat”
scriptural answer; they know scripture, but realize they need revelation.
We have put together a program that focuses on the truths of the
Cross and this presentation has been well-received by participants
from a wide range of denominational backgrounds. We are careful
to make sure that HFN’s teaching material is backed by Scripture,
and every aspect of our program is consistent with biblical truths.
A Dependency upon Prayer - HFN is supported by an international
prayer team who pray for retreats and conferences. During retreats,
over 300 people pray for each participant throughout the week. God
has done amazing things through this prayer effort.
A Cognitive, Rational/Emotive Counseling Model - This is
the primary psychological approach utilized in the “tool kit”
offered by HFN. This model has the following foundational structure:
- Core beliefs (often hidden in our
hearts) set boundaries for our lives in three areas: they affect
our self worth, the way we relate to others, and how we perceive
God. Destructive core beliefs can become strongholds—thoughts
that hold us captive.
- These beliefs affect how we express
our emotions.
- Core beliefs, together with our
emotions help to generate our attitudes and behavior.
- If these core beliefs do not line
up with God’s truths, they must be dealt with as sin, because
we are trusting a “lie” rather than God’s truth.
- We must rely on the Holy Spirit
to help us see these “lies”, be convicted that they
are sin, and look to the Lord to reveal His truth.
- Our desire is that God becomes our
Stronghold in the place of the distorted beliefs.
HFN follows 2 Corinthians 10: 3 –
6 in the application of the above model. We, as believers, are to
“take thoughts captive and bring them to the obedience of
Christ Jesus.” This scripture tells us that divine power is
necessary in order to “demolish stronghold” beliefs.
This is not just a matter of replacing one belief for another, but
exemplifies a process of knowing God more intimately and receiving
revelation of His love and truth.
As God’s truth is embraced, individuals are able to own and
celebrate their identity in Christ. From this growing inner reality,
Godly thoughts embraced as Truth, help to create more balanced emotions.
In turn, behavioral and attitudinal responses line up with these
godly thoughts in what we refer to as “Christ-like integrity.”
What we do on the “outside”, lines up with what we believe
on the “inside.” More and more congruence is apparent
between head and heart beliefs.
Emphasis on Root Work - Our material and exercises are
designed to help participants identify and deal with root issues
rather than “weed whacking”! Root changes require spiritual
healing that only God can bring. This is much more effective long-term
than simply learning more about symptoms and behaviors that are
destructive.
Equipping with Tools
for Daily Living - In addition to the tools related to
taking thoughts captive, the Intensive Retreat also helps participants
in the areas of dealing with conflict and communicating more effectively.
As participants discover who they are in Christ, they must also
learn how to "walk" a new walk claiming their God-given
inheritance.
Innovative, Creative and Interactive Program -
Every aspect of the program is interactive and requires not only
hearing and experiencing new knowledge, but also applying it through
various creative exercises. All learning modalities (seeing, hearing,
doing, discovering…) are stimulated so that participants can
“own” the material presented. From the seeker, to the
mature believer—everyone is challenged to discover afresh
the power of God’s love and truth.
An Intimate Setting - Each Intensive retreat is
limited to fifteen participants with a participant to team ratio
of 4 to 1. The larger group is subdivided into two or three smaller
groups for more in-depth heart work. Individual sessions are scheduled
as needed to “coach” participants with what they are
learning.
Team Members - All team members have been through
the retreat program as part of their training prior to serving as
a Listener / Encourager. HFN has a rigorous training program for
its teachers and small group leaders. Please refer to the Bios for
more background information.
Learn more about our history
|
