“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months…Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy will fight savagely. But the tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” - General Dwight D. Eisenhower in a speech to troops heading into Normandy.

What does this quote stir in your soul? A desire for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, maybe even a beauty to rescue? We remember the sacrifice these men made to fight for freedom and for the lives of others. We wonder if we would have made the same decisions. We wonder if, deep inside, we are “a stem of that victorious stalk.” Do we have what it takes?

Most men are tired of living lives of quiet desperation. Men want to live purposefully and with passion. They want to positively impact their families, their loved ones, and the world. In order for these things to occur; however, three things have to happen. First, a man has to get his own heart back. Without that, he isn’t going to make it. Second, he has to find his place in the battle. God has a call on every man’s life, and nothing seems to fit until we find the role we were meant for. Third, we have to learn how to fight. If we can accomplish those three items, then everything else will follow. Therefore, our mission is simple: give a man back his heart; show him his place in the battle; and, teach him how to fight.

There is a whole lot more that God wanted for us as men. Somehow, it has gotten lost along the way. The primary goal of this journey is to see if we can get it back. Wild at Heart has really struck a cord with us and we think that other men will love this journey as well. As William Wallace says in the movie Braveheart, “All men die; few men ever really live.” We want to come alive as men, to really begin to live.

That is why this event is not your typical men’s retreat. The weekend is more like a “boot camp.” Closer to the Heart is a three-day quest into the recovery of the masculine soul as outlined in John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart. Through teaching sessions; film clips; group discussions; guided periods of reflection and journaling; and, question and answer; we have designed something far more than a retreat--it's an expedition of the heart. The weekend begins on Friday night (registration opens at 4:00PM) with dinner served at 6PM. The weekend concludes Sunday after lunch.