A Woman’s Take on the Men’s Summit by Lori Roach

It’s always bitter-sweet when I spend time apart from my sweet husband, Rick. On one hand I miss him like crazy…we’re still practically newlyweds, having only been married for 7 and a half years, so time apart still stings. On the other hand, I get to immerse myself in all my various avenues of creativity…jewelry making, pottery, writing, all the things I push aside in the name of ‘I’ve got work to get done’, on a day-to-day basis. I’m a community development consultant, so my work just follows me from the office to the house and even on the road, it’s there silently screaming at me, “You need to get things done!” This weekend, however, was going to be different, I had decided I was not going to spend a single minute on work. I shoved all thoughts of it to the very back of my brain, but the taxes that needed to get completed somehow snuck out from behind my mental wall and demanded to be finished and filed.

Rick and I both love a good road trip, whether it’s a trip from one county to the next a 9,000-milesummer trip, or a trip to a new place to live like the time we moved to Portugal for two years,we’re almost always ready to jump onto the open road. As soon as we found out the summit was going to be just an hour from our home, we planned for me to take him and drop him off on Thursday when the summit started.

Now, there might have been a few of the men’s wives or girlfriends who were less than excited about their man being away for three and a half days, but in my experience, it is always worth it. Not so I can have some quiet time with just me and God, and not so I can just do my own thing from sunup to sundown, and not even because he comes back a better man, which he always does. The reason I think that it is worth it for Rick to go away for three days to an Influencers Summit is because I know it is going to be worth every minute there for him and he is going to have an amazing experience with men from around the world! He is going to come home with story after story of how men’s lives were impacted, about strongholds being broken in men’s lives, including his own, about a newfound closeness to Jesus being experienced by new Christians as well as those that have had many years of experience being close to God. Stories about men hearing from the Holy Spirit, sometimes for the first time. I know in the past the event has been absolutely life changing, and I wouldn’t want him to miss out on all God is going to do at this year’s summit.

Love one another deeply. - John 15:17

So back to our 50-mile road trip to New Life Ranch from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma last Thursday. Rick wanted to get there by three and I had a few stops I wanted to make before we left the Tulsa area. There were last minute snacks he needed at the store, and there was an estate sale I wanted to stop at along the way. He was the driver when we first started out, but then I ended up driving the last half of the way. Most of the trip was pretty uneventful, we didn’t even spend a single dollar at the estate sale that had more stuff than could comfortably fit in three houses packed into one single family home.

Then we arrived at the entrance of New Life Ranch, and everything changed. The narrow country road had been freshly paved leading up to the entrance of the ranch where several men stood as if to give us directions to make sure we didn’t accidentally drive by New Life Ranch, which was bigger than life, there would be no missing this place.

I slowed to a stop, and two men stepped up to my window, while two more stepped up to Rick’s, each one smiling as if we were their long-lost siblings. To say they were glad to see us would be an enormous understatement, they were almost giddy. The joy of the Lord was present, and it was contagious. They welcomed both of us to the event and handed each of us an Influencer’s backpack through the window.

“I’m not staying,” I said after realizing there were two backpacks and not just one for Rick.

“No, it’s for you,” a man named Mike explained.

With no cars in line behind us we took our time visiting with these men who we soon learned were from Bakersfield, California, which in the Influencer world Bakersfield Influencers are pretty much famous. Bakersfield Influencers are known to be absolutely on fire for the Lord and God seems to be doing a might work there.

Generation after generation will declare more of your greatness and declare more of your glory. - Psalm 145:4

Eventually a rig came up behind me giving me the cue to move along, but not before these four Bakersfield men prayed over me, prayed over Rick, prayed over our marriage, and prayed over our weekend apart from each other. This was so unexpected and lovely. We pulled past the entry gate with extra smiles and waves all around.

Before arriving, I felt like I was going to a place I didn’t belong. My mission was to drop my husband off quickly and get the heck out of Dodge, and yet, these men were not the least bit upset I was there, in fact it was almost as if they were glad I showed up.

Twenty yards down the drive another group of men in lawn chairs. They all jumped up as I drove closer to them. Again, they gave us gifts, again they welcomed us, and again they prayed over me, over Rick, over our marriage. These complete strangers became friends in an instant, after all we held a common bond, we all do our best to carry the light of Jesus around with us, and I was truly blessed by the light they showered on me.

Not even twenty yards later another table, more praying men, more gifts, more love.

No one was upset I was there. They welcomed me as if I totally belonged there. We’re all going to smile about these encounters when we all get to heaven someday, I’m sure of it.

After more than half a dozen prayer stops, we finally got to the registration tables, where Rick quickly registered before we took his luggage, bedding and snacks to the bunkhouse he was staying in. After a couple of hugs goodbye, he raced off to his first meeting and I drove away with a smile on my face, and joy in my heart. He was in good hands, and I knew his experience this weekend would, in some ways, alter the course of his life.

I made my way back down the freshly paved road but stopped to take a photo a heard of yearling calves all grazing in a field. As soon as I stopped and rolled my window down they all made their way to the fence and listened to me as I told them how cute they were.

Before I knew it, the weekend was almost over, it was Sunday and time to pick up Rick. Again, the trip to New Life Ranch was uneventful, other than the heard of yearling cows who all came up to the fence to greet me again when I rolled to a stop. It was as if they remembered me for several days before as they lined up along the fence again, only this time much quicker. They looked at me with those big ‘ol cow eyes as I once again told them how darn cute they all were.

I pulled into the entrance and made my way down the long drive. This time there was not any fanfare, just a quiet reverence that seemed to have settled over the grounds. Holy things had happened here; I was sure of it.

I arrived at Rick’s bunkhouse about 30 minutes before the Summit was over. We’d made plans with our International Co-Guides, Tom, John, and Chris, to meet up before they all headed back to their hometowns so we could give each other hugs and meet each other face to face instead of on a computer screen. Amazing how close people can get over zoom calls. I’m very blessed to call these men my friends, and I can hardly wait to meet all their wives someday.

As the summit ended, I watched the men leave the main building at the end of the event. The comradery was evident; smiles were across all of their faces. There were handshakes, pats on the back, hugs, promises to stay in touch, and talk about the next summit.

Rick made his way to where I was and then we found our co-guides for those hugs I mentioned, then Rick was excited to introduce me to several new friends he’d made over the weekend, along with buddies he’d known from past summits. He was happy, smiling, filled with the Joy of the Lord, like so many other men that walked by me on their way to grab their belongings before going home.

I am sure that part of the reason why I love it that Rick gets to have the experience of Journey Summits is because I know just how impacted I was when I attended the Women’s Journey Summit last year. I made friends, I had breakthroughs that impacted my mental health, I got to experience Rocky Fleming guide an auditorium full of women right to the feet of Jesus and I spent valuable alone time with my Lord and Savior. There were beautiful experiences throughout the entire weekend, and I came back changed, and still feel the effects of that change to this day.

So, I am here to suggest to you, if you ever get the chance to go to a Journey Summit, whether you are a man or a woman, don’t pass up that chance…and if your spouse wants to attend, don’t let them pass up the chance, the repercussions could possibly last a lifetime, after all the Journey was created for such a time as this.

And who knows whether you have not come to the Kingdom for such a time as this? - Esther 4:14

Thank you to all who make this amazing ministry happen day after day.