October has been a brilliant month for us, for so many reasons. We held our first live Captivating retreat in over two years this month, and it was...breathtaking!

We honestly weren’t sure what it would be like, after these hard pandemic years and all the political tension. No one even talked about Covid; it was as if it didn't exist. Instead, everyone turned their hearts towards Jesus! The atmosphere was so loving, so thirsty for God! And he came, like always, and ushered in his beautiful work.

One of the women who attended tried to take her life the week before the event. Her husband intervened—he called us and got her into the retreat at the last minute. She came with a very broken heart. Jesus was waiting. He moved deeply, powerfully, breaking the dark holds on her life and setting her free. At the end of the four days, her countenance was shining. She was alive!

Jesus did that for hundreds and hundreds of women. 

Oh, friends––there is nothing in heaven or on earth as beautiful as redemption.

The very same weekend friends of ours were holding “BASICs” in the US and around the British Isles. “BASIC” is our full, four-day Wild at Heart retreat by video session, film clips and all. We made our men’s and women’s events available this way several years ago, for free, and hundreds have taken place right through the pandemic. My friend wrote me afterwards to say that he was speechless at how deeply God worked among the men. But his greatest joy was to have a dear friend, the only unbeliever who attended, come to Christ and be baptized at the close!

There simply is nothing like the beauty of redemption, the healing of a human heart and life.

Another BASIC took place in Scotland, with a group of pretty rough characters attending––guys off the streets and fresh out of drug rehab programs. I got to have a video chat with them; their faces were absolutely shining. Clearly, their hearts had been healed, set free. “No Jesus message has ever touched my life,” one man said. “This unlocked my heart!”

The beauty of God’s redemptive work through the Gospel of the Heart. Unlocking each human heart, and the heart of Jesus as he really is. 

I was raised Catholic, spent over 15 years studying the Bible at CBS (Community Bible Study). I’m an engineer, have three adult sons (one who is on the spectrum), one adult daughter, and five grandchildren. Fifteen months ago my husband of 37 years died after a short battle with stomach cancer. My relationship with Jesus was rocked (to put it mildly). A coworker gave me a copy of Beautiful Outlaw. THIS – CHANGED – EVERYTHING!!!! 

Since then, I have given away 40 copies (and counting). I think because of Covid, the forced isolation and all the other crazy things happening in this world, people are STARVING to hear the truth about who Jesus really is and what that really means in their lives. Beautiful Outlaw blows open all the crazy limits (and a TON of other things!) that we put on God and restores our hope in being able to have a real and impactful relationship with the God of the universe.

Like I said––October has been a brilliant, bright, shining month for us as hundreds and hundreds of these stories pour in from around the world!

And there is more to come. We’re holding our first Wild at Heart Boot Camp since the pandemic next month, we’ve launched a new podcast for women (Captivated), we’re creating a new film series we believe will reach millions, and our friends and allies are holding events offering this message all over the place! 

The sweeping beauty of redemption is growing, friends! It’s increasing, despite the world around us. Jesus is really moving!

And you have your own stories to tell. Oh, how we love being your friends in this hour! (Thank you, by the way, for all of the great responses to this newsletter! We hear such amazing stories about the impact of this simple missive each month!)

Jesus is moving very deeply. We are keeping up as best we can. But we do need your help.

We need your financial investment in this mission. (THANK YOU to all who do!)

We are a “crowd-funded” mission, which means that each and every year we rely on the support of our friends and allies to fill our piggy bank so we can keep the lights on and keep bringing podcasts, films, live events, and all we do to the world.

There is SO much more redemption to take place. Such beauty waiting to unfold. Would you invest in that with us?

We don’t plead, we don’t beg. We don’t have any grants, and we don’t do fundraising campaigns. We simply let our friends know a few times a year that we could use some help. Now is that time. Your gifts to us are investments in the rescue of a million more hearts. They are investments in the beauty of redemption––what could be more thrilling?

You can give online on our website, wildatheart.org; you can give in the return envelope; and now, you can give easily on our app! (The WildAtHeart app is available for free on the app store!)

At the close of our Captivating event, one woman said, “I’ve been waiting for this all my life.”

Jesus has given us a very special access to the human heart, to bring his healing and redemption there. In millions of hearts around the world. Thank you for investing in that, friends! You share in the joy and in the praise when Christ returns!

Thanks for supporting us here this fall; we are truly grateful.

Download the Wild at Heart October 2021 Newsletter here.