“There is something so rewarding about looking a thirteen year old boy in the eyes and telling him that he is a king”
Although it may have seemed like another quiet weekend in Petersburg, VA, the scent of destiny was in the air. As over a thousand Korean youth gathered for this year’s Grace Retreat, the Deeper Waters team joined them in full in force and rejoiced as they were released into a whole new view of God. This year’s conference was themed “Generation Hope” and as we taught, prayed, prophesied, worshipped and danced, we caught at least a glimpse of the power and purpose of God’s hope for the next generation.
Our team of six, from the Deeper Waters staff, joined the faithful pastors and leaders from over 30 east coast churches in teaching and modeling adoration prayer and inquiry of the Lord’s thoughts and feelings. Hearts were re-dedicated to Jesus, lives will never be the same and, in the face of the goodness of our God, we saw that shadow of despair chased from the hearts of His little children and replaced with a radiant smile.
And we’re off!!!! Well, almost!!! Our team arrived at MCI airport Sunday morning rearing to go. Plans changed with flight delays and Bob and Amyann split off from the team in an attempt to make it to the East Coast on time for the evening session as they were the scheduled speakers. Bob and Amyann were delayed for several hours in Chicago due to weather problems in the surrounding areas.
They spent the time going through Isaiah 37-39 and playing Black Jack. :) Meanwhile the rest of the team caught a later flight in Kansas City. The whole team made it to Richmond late that evening, although we missed the night session the conference had been launched by the power of His hope and presence and we were ready to roll the next morning!
6am Leadership Prayer & Equipping Times - The leadership gathered each morning of the retreat at 6am for a time of Adoration prayer and declaration, using the Hartley Institute Hope Prayer Model. This 6am meeting time brought us into the nearness of God and also equipped the leaders of the each church with practical tools of prayer.
Songs of Hope - Carly Johnson and Joey Wander opened us up with “Hope Songs” that touched our hearts and moved us into hope
Jesus Man of Hope – Bob brought us into the presence of God as he worshiped and adored Jesus the Man of Hope
Hartley Institute Hope Prayer Model – As a team, we were able to equip the leaders of the Grace Retreat with the same 3-step format we use at our daily 9am prayer meetings
- We ACKNOWLEDGED WHO God had been in the PAST for the Grace Retreat, thanking Him for the history He has built
- We APPROPRIATED who He was in the NOW for 2010 and all being brought forth for this Generation Hope
- We APPLAUDED one another and the leaders in the room for who they are and called forth their prophetic destiny in the Lord.
Main Sessions – Two of our team members, Bob and Amyann Hartley, were given the opportunity to address the youth and their leaders during the main sessions.
- Bob spoke to the group Monday morning and gave a message laying out the Hope Reformation by defining God as a hopeful Father. He told stories of his childhood that demonstrated how God is not far off and distant but present to rescue us and bring us into His enduring love and hope. Bob invited all the young people to become Hope Reformers in the knowledge of God's eternal hope for them.
- Amyann spoke Monday evening on the story of the Prodigal Son and the unconditional love of the Father (Luke 15). She presented a case for the love of God that secures our hearts and His hope for us that advances us. As the father in the story restored the son's authority by giving him the family signet ring, we also have been given our Father's signet ring and carry the authority of heaven to bring His kingdom in every arena of life. We know for sure Jesus the Man of hope was in our midst! One student wrote following the trip to thank Amyann for sharing and that he gave his life to Christ as a result of her session! Praise the God of living hope!
Hope Seminars Each of our team members taught seminars in the afternoons with the content of the five hope pillars: Hope in God, Hope in People, Hope in the Next Generation, Hope in Prayer, Hope in People.
- HOPE IN GOD - Hope in God and in His Unfailing Presence (Jedidiah Hartley) Jed taught on the reality that “If man is motivated by false hope based in the temporal things of this world, how much more should a message of true hope move the hearts of all those who hear it?” He brought a Biblical foundation and gave practical steps for learning to walk in a perspective of faith and hope as they daily dive deeper into His heart.
- HOPE IN PRAYER – HOPE HEARING (Amyann & Taylor Hartley and Amy Pomplin) Many long to be able to hear God's voice and to learn to receive guidance from God. Amy, Amyann and Taylor taught a Scriptural foundation and practical equipping in developing and walking out a “hearing ear” in the midst of busy, everyday life, with the main goal of leading them into burning, joyful hearts towards God and towards life. They brought for the youth to consider a new definition of the prophetic, explaining why it is important to hear God and the purposes of the prophetic, through practical examples and personal stories that help give context and understanding of the way God speaks to us everyday. This was the first time for many
- HOPE IN PEOPLE – ‘True Identity: Christ in us, our HOPE of Glory! (Carly Johnson) It is said that the value of something is determined by the price at which the buyer pays. Carly taught about seeing ourselves in the light of God seeing it fit to offer His life as a means of purchase of our lives. Surely God must have the highest of hopes in people to have adopted us in at such a price!
- HOPE IN THE NEXT GENERATION – (Blake Cadwell) This next generation is aching for an encounter with the living God that is powerful enough to completely recode us from the inside out. We were each created with a craving to meet our creator and understand what He really feels about us. Blake challenged the youth of Grace Retreat to dare to believe that they are enjoyed and valued by Him - dare to believe that they are loved - dare to dream again for themselves and for their generation.
Prophetic Rooms - We had the opportunity to ministry to individuals as we administrated prophetic rooms, praying and speaking hope to the young people by asking God questions about how he felt toward them.
Our hearts are full and we are amazed at the power and the goodness of God! How could we do anything but hope? Amyann commented that one of her favorite testimonies from the prophetic rooms was a young woman who cried and cried as we loved on her and recognized the gifts of compassion and grace God has put on her life.
Many thanks to the Grace Retreat Team for all your hard work and for our family, friends and hope team for keeping us lifted in prayer! We couldn’t have done it without you! We are thrilled to see you advancing in hope and we look forward to continuing this journey in the years to come!
Many blessings,
The Grace Retreat Hope Team
(Bob, Amyann, Jed & Taylor Hartley,
Amy Pomplin, Blake Cadwell and Carly Johnson)
TESTIMONIES FROM GRACE RETREAT
I went to the Grace Retreat 2010. I was saved and I accepted Christ after Amyann had given the very short message about the lost son. Amyann I really just wanted to thank you. Now I am a son of God and I no longer wish to live in the dark.
God Bless, Justin
---------
This year's Grace Retreat was the best yet!! Although extreeeemly early, the early morning prayer times with the leaders were such a hopeful way to begin the day looking to the Lord, adoring Him and asking Him what was on His heart for the youth and young people. Taylor, Amy and I had an opportunity to teach the Hearing His Heart Prophetic seminars in the afternoons and they each went so well as we laid out a redefinition of the prophetic, why we hear God's heart and practical steps to develop hearing.
We included a question and answer time and some activities which went great! The prophetic rooms were filled with hope, my favorite was one young woman who cried and cried as we loved on her and recognized the gifts of compassion and grace God has put on her life. The Commissioning Services were full of life and fun as we spoke over each group! This year we declared the Kingdom Calling we felt the Lord was highlighting over them. Each group celebrated as the other groups were honored and called forth. What a time of hope and fun!!
Amyann Hartley
---------
Grace Retreat this year blew my mind away. I feel honored and excited to be part of what God is doing amongst the Korean youth. I walked away from the three day conference feeling refreshed and launched in my spirit. Every day, we started off with an early morning prayer meeting. Although we were all exhausted, the prayer meetings replenished our spirits. This year there was something special about the way that the students hungered after God. They had hearts that would not be satisfied until they encountered the Father. Every day the prophetic rooms were full with teenagers who wanted to know what was on God’s heart. This year, the students were so open to what the Lord was doing. They were hungry for more of Him. When we commissioned the groups, I loved watching the churches’ reactions as dad, Pastor Bob, would call out their street address or their senior pastor. In the Hearing His Heart Seminar we taught the youth why we hear God’s heart, how we hear God’s heart and that ALL of us can hear His heart.
Taylor Hartley
---------
Sitting at the closing commissioning service of Grace 2010, I was simply overwhelmed by well, His grace in the journey of the Grace Retreat. I was one of the original 100ish students at the first Grace, and have been blessed to be a part of it every year, from student to small group leader, from administration to praise team and without a shadow of a doubt, this was the deepest, fullest, most overflowing year we have had yet!
The real miracle that I witnessed this year was the stepping out of the youth into their destinies. No longer is "radical love" defined as just coming to the front of the auditorium during ministry time, or jumping as high as their legs can take them during worship, The love for the Man, Christ Jesus that rises from the Grace youth is a lifestyle of hope, of faith, of compassion, of miracles! They have moved from the question of "Does God really love me?" to the loud declaration, "All of my life is for His kingdom!"
See you next summer, Generation Hope! I cannot wait to hear what He will do in and through you this year.
I loved seeing the kids respond and step into God's invitation into the hope journey, and I'm expecting God to do even more in 2011!
Hi, my name is Jason Chang and I have gone to Grace retreat 3 times and all were very moving but the third one "Generation Hope" was the most life changing for me because for six years I have been struggling with a sin that just consumed me but after going to the inner healing seminar I felt that I was set free, but truthfully God just cleaned my slate I still had to take a step forward.
After the second year of grace I had prophesied about my self, it was a road but a black mountain which was my sin was blocking my way and right behind it were the gates of heaven and i got a phrase you will be bestowed gifts from kings, and through inner healing I thought I got rid of the mountain, but it was just the sin being washed off, I realized this after I prayed to god thinking that I have already reached the gates of heaven but he showed me it was still there and I prayed for Gods guidance,
then I was able to move a mountain with the power of Jesus Christ. There he stood, Jesus with his arms open wide I walked to him and embraced him as he embraced me and he said that my gift to you is salvation and right then and there I bursted out crying and im the kind of guy that doesnt seem like a crier but I cried like a baby and I havent cried like that since over 5 years,
and it was all because Gods presence was so overwhelming and I couldnt help my self I mean I saw Jesus and embraced him and his hug to me was so warm there was so much love and I hope that others will experience what i did no.......... let me rephrase that I KNOW that others will experience what I did.
I will pray for all those who have gone or are going for the first time because Grace Retreat is always being overwhelmed by Gods grace and i just want everybody to know and feel that.