When I heard about the Healing the Whole Person Retreat, I knew this was an opportunity for an encounter I did not want to miss. As I learned about the history behind the Diocese of Metuchen and the wounds her members have suffered over the years, I quickly realized how much more this retreat meant to the wider community than just to me. I was personally excited to see and hear live talks from Dr. Bob Schuchts and Sister Miriam James, who I had heard from before in podcasts and YouTube videos. I was just not fully aware of what this retreat could mean for the people of this area and the gravity of such a healing that could manifest out of such a wounded place.
Heading into this retreat, I didn't really have any expectations. I knew the Lord would be present and that He would act, I just did not know what that would look like for me or the people around me. I tried to enter this retreat without expectations because I wanted to be surprised by the Lord. I did not want to limit the Lord or “put Him in a box” by having certain expectations. I also did not want to be skeptical of how much He wanted to do in my life. I wanted to be as open as possible and hope for as much healing as possible to make me as free as possible. I fully believe that “free people free people and hurt people hurt people.” I wanted to be a more free person. I wanted this not only for my life, but for the lives of those around me. I wanted to be healed so as to bring about a greater healing in the lives of my wife, my family, my clients and colleagues at work, my community, and anyone else I am blessed to encounter in this life. I know the only way I can be truly free is in Him and in His healing. Little did I know just how He was going to bring that about.
As I reflected on the first talk on “Healing the Whole Person,” I quickly realized there are a lot of areas of my life that still need healing to make me whole. There were a lot more things uncovered in me than I thought there would be. My heart was stirring up memories of wounds I thought were already healed and in the past, but clearly needed more of the Lord’s loving touch. A big wound that I was surprised to see rise back to the surface was the wound of my parent’s divorce. I found out my parents were getting a divorce as soon as I made it back to MN for SPO mission training in June of 2021. Since then, there has been healing from reconciling with my parents, the Lord, and even working through the spiritual practices of Neal Lozano’s book “Unbound” this past summer, it was evident the Father had unfinished business in this area of my heart.
He inspired me to call upon him in this way more often and to utilize healing ministry in my everyday life.
I did not want to address this at first and certainly did not want to relive the trauma from those hard memories surrounding the separation of my parents. However, I decided to trust in the Lord and to give Him a chance to heal me further. I recognized the importance of “opening the wound” so as to allow God to heal it. I brought the memories, and the difficulty that came with them, to the prayer meeting we had on Friday night. I invited my wife, Hailey, to pray over me and for God’s loving healing to descend upon me through the Holy Spirit. I felt His presence move in an incredibly powerful way that night. I felt a new peace and warmth that only He can provide. Perhaps this is needless to say, but the Father shattered my expectations. He inspired me to call upon him in this way more often and to utilize healing ministry in my everyday life.
I cannot wait to see how “healing the whole person” can become “healing the whole people” in our body and in the entire body of Christ.
I was really struck by the notion that healing is not only a gift from God, but also an essential part of our salvation. After this retreat, I am convicted of my need to seek healing from the Lord on a more regular basis. I already try to attend confession at least once a month, but there is so much more to healing than participating in this sacrament. Confession is huge, but it is also good to be prayed over, to claim Christ’s victory and authority over my life, my relationship with Hailey, and my health: body, mind, and soul. I want to be better about asking to be prayed over, especially by Hailey. I want to invite others to intercede for me and I want to be a man of intercession for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The last thing I want is for the healing or the invaluable lessons learned from this retreat to go to waste. True healing happened in our midst and I hope we do not soon forget that.
What a true gift and a blessing it was to be in that sanctified space with hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ who uplifted one another and greatly contributed to the healing and freedom of our Church. May God continue this work of healing and liberating in our community and may that start with me. I know I need it and I cannot wait to see how “healing the whole person” can become “healing the whole people” in our body and in the entire body of Christ.
-Jake, Lighthouse Member
We are grateful to Dennis Dalelio for providing these retreat photos. www.dennisdalelio.com
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