This isn't about getting someone to confess their sins. The goal is to create a space where they can cry out to God for His truth and His presence.

If no one wants to go first, we go first. Be real. Be honest. Jesus is washing your feet, too. This is about laying down burdens, inviting truth, and letting His presence meet us in the middle of the mess.

Let the Holy Spirit lead every part of this. Be in prayer — ask God for wisdom and clarity on how to pray and listen as each person opens up.

Take turns washing each attendee's feet. As you kneel to serve, gently invite the person to begin in prayer, speaking honestly to God about where they're at — what hurts, what's heavy, what feels hidden.

This isn't a performance. Encourage vulnerability. Go deep. Be present. As others feel led, they can quietly join in with prayer or gentle words of encouragement.

This is about getting the guys to open up and reflect, not about you teaching or explaining everything. Your role is to guide, listen well, and create space for honest conversation. Let the questions do the work and trust the Holy Spirit to speak through each man.

We all carry lies we've picked up about ourselves, others, or God. Some of those lies have shaped how we've lived or what we've expected from life. But God's Truth sets us free — not just in theory, but in how we live, love, and see ourselves. This talk is about exchanging those lies for Truth and bringing Light to what's been hidden.

This isn't about explaining demons or debating theology. It's about helping the men get honest about the spiritual influences in their lives — where they've felt opposition, where they've given ground, and where the Spirit has helped them stand. Be a guide. Let the questions lead, and trust the Holy Spirit to expose and heal.

There are real forces pulling us away from intimacy with God — lies, distractions, temptations, even internal battles that we sometimes don't recognize as spiritual. But we are not powerless. Through the Spirit, we've been given everything we need to stand firm. This time is about recognizing the battle, and choosing to fight from the victory Jesus already won.

You're not here to preach or teach. You're here to guide the guys into meaningful conversation. This is about creating a safe place where Truth can turn into transformation — where men process, respond, and support each other in walking it out.

Once Truth is revealed, it demands a response. Obedience is the step that takes Truth from our heads to our hearts and into our lives. For sons, Obedience isn't about earning Love — it's a response to it. It's also tied to Honor: obeying Truth shows Honor to God, to others, and to who He says we are.

• Never leave a voicemail detailing the surprise elements: Simply state your name, that you are calling from the church to discuss prayer for the attendee, and ask for a callback. (See voicemail script below).
• Call the Wife/Significant Other first: Ask her to help coordinate with other family members, friends, or important contacts. Most women are eager to help.
• Emphasize the Surprise: Emphasize to everyone that the letters and the return celebration are total surprises to the attendee.
• Corporate Opening & Reunion: Letters are opened corporately, and reunion is a big deal. It is incredibly heavy for a man to not receive any letters, or to have no one greet him at the celebration when others do. Make it a priority to secure letters and ensure close contacts attend the celebration.

• The exact dates and times of the Encounter.
• The importance of sending surprise letters/cards (via mail, email, or hand-delivery).
• The importance of attending the Sunday Welcome Home Celebration at Lifehouse Church in Rocklin.
• Contending in prayer for the attendee during the Encounter weekend (freedom from distractions, a deep encounter, and transformation).

• Check back: If you don't hear back from a contact within 48 hours of calling or leaving a voicemail, call again. Once contacts agree to coordinate letters, check back in a week to make sure they've actually sent them. People get busy and appreciate the reminder.
• Do NOT send texts or emails to the spouse/family: Stick to voice calls. If a husband or boyfriend sees texts or emails from an unknown male name on his partner's phone, it can lead to unnecessary jealousy or misunderstandings. Keep it safe!
• Trouble contacting? If you can't reach anyone on the attendee's contact list, text or email the server team immediately. Usually, someone else on the team knows them or has an alternative contact method.

• Tough Letters: Sometimes a loved one might not feel they can write a "loving" letter due to wounds. Encourage them to write anyway and be honest. It is far better for the attendee to face the truth and deal with it while surrounded by supportive servers and brothers, than to receive nothing.
• Estranged Relationships: Actively encourage contacts to reach out to estranged family members, old business partners, or people the attendee has longed to hear from. A letter mending a broken relationship can be completely life-changing.

• Warn the family that distractions or obstacles (family emergencies, car trouble, work pressure) often pop up right before the Encounter, trying to keep the attendee from going.
• Encourage them to trust God and get him on the mountain no matter what. We once had a man whose house burned down the day before, yet he still went. While he was away, brothers stepped in to replace his losses, and when he returned, his life was being restored.

Share a personal story of overcoming pride — how Christ transformed you from being focused on your own accomplishments or failures to finding your identity in Him. Pride involves an obsession with our own nature and achievements, leading us to compare ourselves to others (Ps. 139:14) and seek validation from people rather than resting in God's unconditional love (2 Cor. 10:18).

This testimony typically comes first because pride is a universal struggle. You were chosen because of your journey of victory over pride and your embodiment of humility.

Keep it Personal: Focus on how you have overcome pride through the blood of Christ and the power of your testimony. Share the personal transformation Christ has worked in your life.

Rejection is one of the deepest wounds we experience, often distorting how we see ourselves and hindering us from fully embracing God's love (Ps. 27:10). It attacks our identity, making us feel unworthy of love and acceptance. God's Word affirms that our value is rooted in His love, not in how others perceive us (Eph. 1:4–6).

Keep it Personal: Focus on how you have experienced rejection and how Christ restored your sense of worth and identity. Share how you let go of bitterness and self-doubt.

Focus on the Biblical command to forgive and the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is commanded by God (Matt. 18:21–25) regardless of who wronged us, while reconciliation is about restoring relationships when we have caused harm — though reconciliation is not always guaranteed.

Address "forgiving yourself." What we truly struggle with is accepting Christ's forgiveness. True freedom comes from surrendering pride and accepting the work of Jesus on the Cross.

Keep it Personal: Focus on a personal experience of forgiveness — receiving it from God and extending it to others.

Repentance is often misunderstood as a single act — but it is both a change of heart and mind. True repentance is a state of being, realized when we stop and recognize that God has been pursuing us all along.

Guide attendees through understanding how to experience freedom in their emotions — rather than being controlled by or avoiding them. Whether anger, the past, shame, fear, or control, your goal is to demonstrate that emotions are not to be escaped, but embraced and understood in light of Christ.

Emotions like anger are not inherently sinful — Jesus Himself expressed righteous anger (Matt. 21:12–13). Your testimony should emphasize that freedom is found in allowing emotions to draw us closer to God and lead us to serve Him and others.

Keep it Personal: Share how you found freedom in Christ — not just from circumstances, but by embracing His truth. Highlight how this freedom empowered you to walk confidently in His grace.

Address men on the topic of purity — which goes beyond the issue of sex. Help men understand that true intimacy is relational and involves the entirety of our lives and connections. Purity is not something we achieve by our own strength — it comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the only one who can make us whole.

Keep it Personal: Share your journey with purity, emphasizing the broader concept of intimacy with God. Focus on how Christ redefined intimacy in your relationships.

Share how your life has been transformed by placing Christ at the center of everything. This testimony is similar to the Repentance testimony but broader, focusing more on your ongoing walk with Christ. Show the real journey — including both the highs and the challenges in this broken world.

Introduce attendees to the reality of opposing influences in their lives. Many attendees may not be familiar with the concept of spiritual warfare — focus on helping them recognize these influences, whether from media, toxic relationships, or their own thoughts. Your story should demonstrate the confidence we have in Christ: the war is already won.

Share how the Holy Spirit has personally impacted your life, emphasizing His role as the enabler and helper for believers. Stay focused on scripture that clearly outlines His gifts and fruits. Avoid theological debate — keep the testimony personal and practical.

When you finish, invite anyone who feels led to come forward to receive prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Read John 14:16–17 (TPT) to close.

Share how fatherhood goes beyond providing financial support and physical security. Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), emphasize the joy and freedom that come when a father embraces his role. Many men struggle with expressing their emotions around fatherhood — reflect the power of a father's love and the critical role fathers play in their children's spiritual growth.

Share how the freedom offered by Christ has transformed your life. This session should be engaging and interactive — many attendees are spiritually open and ready to respond. Summarize the weekend's key lessons, involve the audience, and offer an altar call for anyone wanting to accept Christ (John 8:36). Be prepared to lead them in this step and ensure they are offered baptism.

This testimony offers a unique and powerful perspective — the wife of a ministry leader shares the raw and honest experience of their marriage. Many men may hear things from this testimony that their own wives have never shared with them.

Share how your understanding of manhood was reshaped by God — not by culture, performance, or pain, but through your identity as a beloved son. Help the men recognize that true masculinity is not found in dominance, success, or independence — but in dependence on the Father.

Invite the men to lay down false identities and step into the truth: You are a son. Fully loved. Fully chosen. Fully equipped — not by your might, but by His Spirit.

Begin by reading the account of the Last Supper from Luke 22:14–20 (TPT). Ensure the tone is one of reverence.

"Welcome everyone! What you have got yourself into is not just another retreat or camp — it's an opportunity for a real encounter with God. This weekend is about stepping into the good news that Jesus lived, died, was buried, and rose again, so we could have direct access to the Father. And that goes through the cross!"

"Think about when Jesus first called His disciples. He didn't give them all the details. He simply said, 'Come, follow me' (Matt. 4:19), and they trusted Him. In the same way, you're being invited this weekend to follow without needing to know all the details."

Proverbs 3:5–6 (TPT): "Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make."

"Before we dive into today's message, I want to show a powerful scene from The Mission. In this scene, Robert De Niro's character carries the heavy burden of his past sins — his armor. This armor symbolizes the violence he once wielded against the very people he's now seeking forgiveness from."

"As you watch, reflect on the weight we carry from our past — whether guilt, shame, or regret. How often do we hold on to burdens we were never meant to carry? And what does it look like when we finally lay them down? Let's watch."

Guide attendees through a journey of reflection on the weekend's topics, ultimately leading to a declaration of purpose. This talk blends teaching with personal testimony and is often the final full session of the weekend.