Retreat

What will God's response be regarding all of the noise in our world regarding sexuality, gender confusion and same sex partnerships? Can't we just love who we love? Recently I kept experiencing dreams and prophetic words of a coming war. I believe God is preparing his people to defend a biblical view of marriage. If you haven't heard my story I spent many years living in the gay lifestyle and many years walking with same sex attraction. Today, I want to share what I believe is a prophetic word for the church at this moment. For far too long people have taken the LGBTQ+ topic, politicized it and turned it into a way to harm and hate others. We need to have open and honest conversations about this topic. So we can greater equip each community to love and embrace LGBTQ+ people as they walk in the doors of the church. The story of marriage is weaved throughout the entire bible. The bride and the bride groom, Christ and the Church. I believe so many of us are afraid of sounding judgmental or corrective. Often times in scriptures judgement and correction is often an act of mercy and love. We are to speak truth, but we are to do it in love. Not as distant neighbors but as people who are beginning and attempting to build genuine relationships with others in their life. For some of you the idea of prophecy and dreams may seem a little bit out there, I've walked in both of these realities long before I ever decided to make a video involving them. It is under the fear of God and complete humility that I submit this video to you. "Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you." 2 Timothy 1:14Watch Following Jesus With Same Sex Attraction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuguEhwq21o&t=13sSubscribe to the Retreat Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3yNMvM6 

I watched a mega church go from thousands members to only a few hundred. Why is it that we see so many unhealthy churches crumble? How can one of the the fastest growing churches in America go downhill? How are we as believers to find healthy communities be apart of? I want to be clear that i'm not a megachurch hater. Good things grow and get bigger and I believe in that. Today, I focus on unhealthy and healthy church culture. I simply want to paint a picture of what we were doing and what it lead to. Unfortunately, in our church experiences there are times when Jesus slowly gets removed from the throne. We begin to focus more on our church branding, personalities on the stage, and our social media accounts. I am fully behind the Church and God's plan to reach the world with the message of the gospel. I'm now apart of a healthy church where i'm learning and growing together with others. My church hurt experience was over a year ago and I've walked through a lot of personal healing and processing since then. This video is shared with humility and under the fear of God. When a church falls apart, people do too. Trust is broken and often times it takes people a long time to heal and be able to move forward. With large organizations, the people who are attending rarely have a voice or a place to turn to when things go south. Pastors, Leaders, and Teachers are all called to a higher standard. We need look to Jesus and scriptures to define the true heart of a pastor. This calling is designed to be a humble position submitted before God. Sadly we see the office of pastor distorted by those who claim to be one. "Not many of you should be teachers. For we who teach will be judged more strictly." James 3:1 Here's what Paul says about the reality of the gospel going forth no matter the unhealthy circumstances. Philippians 1:15-18 "It's true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry, but others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me. For they know I've been appointed to defend the good news. Those others do not have pure motives are they serve Christ they preach out of selfish ambition. Not sincerely but intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn't matter, whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Jesus Christ is being preached either way so I rejoice and I will continue to rejoice."Subscribe to the Retreat Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3yNMvM6Watch my Video on Church Hurt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXO_UDmRu3w&t=14s 

In our walk with Jesus, what does "dying to self" look like in today's world? Is it okay to promote yourself, as a christian? Social media and celebrity culture often shapes our perception of success and self. Today, we discuss the journey of death to my personal brand. It can be easy to focus on the wrong things, and my pride can often get the best of me. As I have pursued art, creativity and business it has taken me years to realize that I don't need a personal brand. We can so easily tie our worth to our work or our success. There comes a point where we have to separate these two things so we can put our identity back in Christ. Living for affirmation and affection from people can lead you to a dry place. You become what you behold. When you follow Christ, what you become can actually surprise you. Transitioning Jordan Hawkins to Retreat means expanding the table for others to join. We will begin to create better and genuine content that's bigger than me. Follow along with us as we take this transition to a new place! Matthew 6:33Join My 7 Day Social Media Detox: https://bit.ly/3K3Gv3wWatch The Video Version of "Death To Personal Brand": https://bit.ly/3yNMvM6Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prizes which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die? - C.S.Lewis

In today's episode, I want to talk about the importance of slowing. God lead me to 2 things that I'm supposed to meditate on. I started the new year with so many ideas. The more time that passed, I realized I was only supposed to be focused on these specific things. “True vision has more restraints than liberties.” Once you figure out what you're called to, it will often cause you to say no more than yes. As I've been in a season of slowing, I have found a true place of peace. When we pray and read, it's important for us to not try and outsmart the plans of God. Faith is simply believing God. Slowing down is scary to me. Letting go of control hits my ego. As I slow down, I'm lead to a place of trust and dependence on my father. There comes a point when we have to be willing to look weird for the sake of following Jesus. Psalm 23 has been my passage of scripture for the year. There is one prayer that I've been praying that I believe will completely change my life. This year is about trusting the one who knows me better than me. Sometimes we're not bad people, we're just tired. We need to be refreshed by the streams of living water. There are moments in time when he calls us into a slower life.gmailJoin My 7 Day Social Media Detox: https://bit.ly/3K3Gv3wThe Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry: https://amzn.to/3vR0m26 The Practice Of The Presence Of God: https://amzn.to/3LUlTwwSubscribe to the Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3yNMvM6

First things first, church hurt is real. It's not a phrase lightly used for complaining millennials who want to get out of having to go to their parents' church. It's no urban legend or monster with a potential existence. It's a cry from broken people all over the world. A cry that very few can understand until they experience it.  With deconstruction on the rise (the pulling apart of one's belief system), church experience can often be the root of it. People of all ages step away from the faith because of something they experienced within it. Not just from the church, but also from the people who fill it. Church hurt is real, and it's no respecter of persons. You can be 95 or 19, and church hurt can completely wreck your soul and rip your heart out. You can have bad experiences with leaders, church people and even organizations as a whole.  For those of you who have experienced something different than a healthy Christ centered church. I want to start by validating your grief. No matter if you left your church yesterday or three years ago, I want to say that your grief is very real. Your pain is understood by few, but it's real. Your wounds are real. If you have experienced church hurt, if you have experienced poor leadership, lies, physical or spiritual manipulation. You are going to go through a season of struggling to go to church. Many of you will not go to church for a time.   What you experienced with church hurt was not normal. You watched a Netflix drama that you didn't ask to live through. It may not have been assault or rape of your body, but it was so degrading to your soul. Why are church people mean? Why do leaders fall? Why did God allow it? All reasonable questions that we can ask after a tough season of disappointment. I want to lovingly say, there is more out there than what you experienced. If you refuse to live again, unwilling to forgive and offer grace. You are choosing to stay stuck in a bad season. Healing happens in layers and in moments and that's okay. Invite God into your process and lay your frustration at His feet.

For most of my life I kept a secret. I had a dark place in my heart that I didn't let anyone else into. Many of us share in the feeling of suffering in silence. I would soon realize that I was walking with Same-Sex Attraction. In this season of life I thought, "I'm sure i'm not actually attracted to guys." I truthfully just got to a place in my life of doubting God. "If he really is God, and He is good, then why am I attracted to the same sex?" As Christians, we're often obsessed with behavior modification. It's easy for us to look at others and judge the issues that we don't personally deal with. As I stand at times between the LGBTQ+ community and the church, I know that although the Church is holy, it's people don't always stand blameless. Terrible things have happened to LGBTQ+ people in the name of God, and I don't condone any of things. With Politics, Laws, Stances and News Stories, we often miss the heart of the issue. They at times leave love somewhere far in the background. 1 Timothy 1:5-6 Says, The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. When I first reached the place of doubting God, I started to ask some tough questions. Do you really love me? Are you really a holy and trustworthy God? Can I Trust the scriptures to direct my life? All of this doubting caused me to push away my Christian community and even God himself. My distance from God caused more problems than my actions did. I don't believe in the heterosexual gospel. Everyone doesn't just turn straight as soon as they return to Jesus. Every person walking through this has a story with different experiences. We're all here, but we got here differently. People aren't gay just because they had dad issues, and trans women don't exist just because they played dress up with their sisters. This is a complex topic and it's time that we finally admit that. I believe that one way we can all move forward is with open and honest conversation. Attending church in America Is easy. Discipleship, Hospitality and Christ like love will take some intentionality and dependence on God. The church is the bride of Christ, therefore our doors have to be open to all who are weary. Our number one focus, for people dealing with this or any other issue, is that they meet Jesus. Jesus has now become the foundation of everything I do. God is satisfied with all of His fullness resting in Christ. If God is content with that, then why are we not? Why is Jesus not the focus of everything we do? The hope for all that walk with a story like mine isn't heterosexuality, it's Jesus. Other Verses Reference: Colossians 1:15-20, Ephesians 1:4-5

Do we trust God enough to sit under the shade tree with him? Psalm 91: 14-15 says: "I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them."We're convinced that if prayer was your new years resolution it wouldn't lead you to the wrong place. Will we be people who in the midst of our crazy world, slow down and call on His name? Will we slow down enough to hear what He's saying? With this podcast, we're not trying to be flashy or focus on keeping your attention. It's a season of going deeper. We're giving you permission for prayer, the word and time alone with God to be enough. Joined on this episode by Calista Russell Show Graphic by Jeremiah Russell 

What if there was a simple answer to all the problems in the world? LGBTQ+, Racial divides, Marriage, deconstruction, war, church hurt and all of these topics can be exhausting to face. What if we're simply looking at them the wrong way? With Retreat, we are coming together under the simple truth that less is more.  Everyone says you should love everyone, but when we actually do it, it makes people uncomfortable. We're not here to turn a movement of salvation and a new life into a rant about behavior modification. We're not going to fight you where you want to fight. We are simply here to present Jesus. Retreat is a platform to tell people's stories, speak on pressing topics and inspire one other. At the least, if all we do is sit with the Lord and pray it will never take us to the wrong place. Psalm 91: 14-15 says: "I will rescue those who love me, I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them."Will we be people who in the midst of our crazy world, slow down and call on His name? Will we slow down enough to hear what He's saying? With this podcast, we're not trying to be flashy or focus on keeping your attention. It's a season of going deeper. It's Jesus. Joined on this episode by Calista Russell Show Graphic by Jeremiah Russell 

Join the conversation as we discuss the vision for our new podcast, Retreat. Do you find yourself getting caught in senseless battles and exhausted from the media and division in the world? We're not created to handle all of this. It's not our burden to carry on our own. What is the path that Jesus would be on? If we carry peace and a new life in Christ should we fight like we've been fighting? Listen in as we cultivate a new space for deeper conversations. It's time we focus on what truly matters. The retreat is a platform for deeper conversations formed out of Jordan Hawkins Youtube Channel. To retreat is to refuse the fight and resist the rhythms of culture. As we slow and simplify the faith journey, we realize how complicated it has become. We are to engage with culture and build a life of our own, but as followers of Jesus, we should do it differently.  Joined on this episode by Calista Russell Show Graphic by Jeremiah Russell