This is where it all happens!

Within The New Life Weekend we have created a variety of specialty programs designed to meet your specific need. All workshop attendees attend Steve Arterburn’s general sessions, where he explores the choices you can make to bring healing to your life. Each talk is followed by a small group session focused on one of the topics described below. In these small groups you will work with a Christian counselor/therapist and fellow attendees with similar needs. Here are the specialty track options:

* Please note, not all groups are available at every location.  

Anger Management (Separate Groups for Men and Women)
Are you struggling with anger? If so, you’re not alone. Anger has long been a struggle for men and women. Just open the first few pages of your Bible. I’m not simply talking about the worst of people either, but the best. Consider Moses—a man the Bible refers to as God’s intimate friend. He became so furious with the people he was leading that he threw the Ten Commandments to the ground, smashing them to pieces! And this wasn’t his only outburst. Thankfully, Moses was neither defined nor remembered primarily for his anger. He’s remembered for his courage, leadership, and special friendship with God. How about you? Do you rise in the morning intent on not letting your anger rear its ugly head, only to find yourself frustrated and angry with the people in your home, on the road, or at work? Do you worry your kids will look back on their childhood and remember you by your harsh words or your fits of rage?

If you’re given to exasperation, explosive outbursts, or the subtle danger of silent simmering, then this program is for you. Like Moses, you’re much more than your anger. God’s given you strength to bless, to protect, and to create a safe place for the people you love to flourish. What will be your story ... your legacy? You can continue to crush and control others with your anger. Or you can attend this program and learn why your angry, what you can do about your anger, and how you can live a in a way that builds, liberates, and blesses the people you love.
New Life Articles on Anger

Balancing Your Life (Men and Women)
Do you find yourself caught in the never-ending cycle of having more and more tasks to complete?  Are you unable to rest, constantly burdened by the feeling that you’re falling behind?  And do you ever feel—despite all your hard work—that you’re failing in every area of your life … at work … at home … with God?  In this small group you’ll discover from a biblical perspective what’s behind this frantic scattered lifestyle.  You’ll learn about God’s gift of rest and how it’s important for your soul.  When you leave, you’ll have the tools necessary to regain control of your life.  You’ll learn how to have fun again.  Most importantly, you’ll have discovered the God who’s able to provide for you, who delights in caring for you.  You have a simple choice, but one that can’t be avoided: continue down the path of fatigue, stress, and disappointment, or discover the rest your body and soul desperately need.  Attend this program.  It’s worth every minute of your time!
New Life Articles on Balancing Your Life

Body Image and Weight Loss (Men and Women)
“The Total Solution–Spiritual, Emotional, Physical–for Permanent Weight Loss.”
Chances are you’ve tried diet programs … you know the joy of making progress and the shameful defeat of gaining back the weight, plus more.  This program is for men and woman who want to get to the bottom of their inability to lose weight and keep it off. This uniquely balanced program that not only addresses the physical issues of overeating but also focuses on the emotional, mental, and often-missed spiritual factors related to weight loss.  We believe that you’re more than the sum total of your weight.  Through the wisdom and encouragement of the Bible, you’ll find grace and insight from the One who created you—the One who defines you not by your weight, but by the image in which you’ve been created—an image of dignity, beauty, and strength.

Even if you’ve already experienced some success on another weight-loss program (Atkins, South Beach or Weight Watchers), this program will give you the information and motivation you need to achieve a permanent "state of weightlessness," which is the secret to lasting results.
New Life Articles on Body Image and Weight Loss | Products on Body Image and Weight Loss

Creating Boundaries (Men and Women)
What are boundaries?  Boundaries are guidelines or limits you must set in order to live and love well. A relationship without God-honoring boundaries is a relationship destined for chaos, frustration, and disappointment. It's okay, and even good, to say no to some things. Jesus did it all the time. If parenting is a struggle for you, boundaries may be the key to help you bring respect and love back into your home.  Do you have a controlling family member? How can you respond to this person(s) in a way that’s pleasing to God?  When asked to help out in some way do you ... should you ... always say yes? The answers to these questions may surprise you. In this small group you’ll discover why you need boundaries, why you have trouble setting them, and where you need to set them. You’ll discover methods for dealing with abusive or controlling relationships.  And you’ll explore how boundaries bring stability, love, and joy to your life.
New Life Articles on Creating Boundaries | Products on Creating Boundaries

Depression (Men and Women)
To live in a fallen world is to know pain and suffering.  No one escapes the experience of loss and loneliness.  Yet for some—perhaps for you—the pain isn’t passing.  Instead, this pain has made a home in your heart; it’s burrowed deep within the core of your being.  Sorrow has become an unwelcome companion who travels with you everywhere.  At any time you can become consumed by feelings of gloom or despair.  Vincent Van Gogh, the great painter who knew these feelings well, wrote, “And then it sometimes happens that one becomes involuntarily depressed. . .often just in the midst of feeling cheerful; those are the evil hours when one feels quite helpless.”  Can you relate?  Some people love deeply and therefore grieve deeply.  Van Gogh, for instance, was a man of great passion and strong feelings.  But depression affects people differently.  Some live without passion.  They feel hollow . . . as if they’re broken beyond repair.  Whether you’re a passionate individual who’s being consumed by pain, or you feel as though sadness has left your heart numb, we’d like to help.  When you attend this program you’ll be assigned to a small group that will resonate with how you’re feeling.  A trained counselor will provide encouraging biblical insight . . . you’ll leave this weekend with hope, joy, and a heart ready to heal.
New Life Articles on Depression | Products on Depression

Fear and Anxiety (Separate groups for men and women)
Is your life crippled because of your fear?  Are you wising you could step out and be the self-confident person you want to believe God wants you to be—but you just don’t know how? Are you saying, “What if,” to every life situation and operating out of your fear instead of the promise of God’s faithfulness? Do you read in Scripture that we are to not worry about anything but pray about everything, and you find you have the order backwards—you don’t pray about anything but you worry about everything? This group will help you with the spiritual look at fear and worry and the practical steps you can take to move forward in life—steps based on the Biblical foundation of separating healthy and unhealthy fears. You will gain a freedom from a strengthening of your understanding and of your faith.  It will result in practical, simple, yet life-changing applications.
New Life Articles on Fear and Anxiety

Forgiveness (Men and Women)
How does a concentration camp victim forgive the soldier who imprisoned and tortured him?  How does a rape victim forgive her attacker?  And what about that terrible thing in your life that seems unforgivable?  Forgiveness doesn’t feel natural or fair, does it?  You’re the one who’s been wronged, and now you’re the one called to forgive.  How absurd!  At least apart from God’s grace.  For it’s only by God’s grace that forgiving the unforgivable is possible.  Even the desire to forgive is the result of God’s Spirit at work in your heart.  In this small group you’ll join others with unhealed wounds.  You’ll explore the roadblocks to forgiveness and common misconceptions about forgiveness itself.

Forgiveness isn’t about “letting others off the hook.”  It’s about letting your heart and soul heal.  We encourage you to attend this program, even if you haven’t yet reached the point of wanting to forgive.  The Bible speaks of our need to forgive, and medical research is realizing why: physical, emotional, and spiritual sickness are all linked to the inability or unwillingness to forgive.  You’ve already been hurt.  Don’t let it fester and control your life.  By God’s grace you will leave this weekend with a heart of hope and peace.
New Life Articles on Forgiveness | Products on Forgiveness

Getting Unstuck - Healing Is A Choice (General Issues - Separate Groups for Men and Women)
True or false? Real Christians should have real peace in all circumstances. Time heals all wounds. There is no hope for me.  False. False. False. 

Are you ready to get unstuck?  And move toward healing?  Were you under the impression that time heals all wounds?  Have you ever felt like there wasn’t any hope for you or your current situation?  Building on Steve’s main sessions, this small group will examine decisions you need to make in order to experience healing, as well as the potential roadblocks—the lies—that will prevent you from making them.

Healing is a choice.  It’s God’s choice, but there are choices you must make in order to experience what God has for you.  If you’ve known the pain of isolation, neglect, or betrayal … experienced the disappointment of shattered dreams … tasted the bitter regret of wounding others, or are continually afflicted with issues like fear, perfectionism, or control, we’d consider it a privilege to have you in this program.  We want to hear your story and share with you the story of the God who transforms mistakes, wounds, and foolishness into humility, blessing, and grace.
New Life Articles on Getting Unstuck | Products on Getting Unstuck

Grief (Men and Women)
When someone you love dies, your life is changed forever.  After Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff’s twenty-five-year-old son Eric died in a mountain climbing accident, he wrote, “Sometimes I think that happiness is over for me.  I look at photos of the past and immediately comes the thought: that’s when we were still happy.  But I can still laugh, so I guess that isn’t quite it.  Perhaps what’s over is happiness as the fundamental tone of my existence.  Now sorrow is that.  Sorrow is no longer the islands but the sea.”  Can you resonate with Dr. Wolterstorff’s words…are you living in a sea of sorrow?  Grieving is personal.  There aren’t rules on how to grieve or a timetable on how long you should grieve.  But there is hope, comfort, and Godly wisdom for your broken heart—we would like to share this with you.  When you join this small group you will have the opportunity to share your story; you will address the misconceptions of grief and will begin a journey of healing.
New Life Articles on Grief

Marriage (Three programs to choose from - Married couples only)

• Enhance Your Marriage
  Do you long for closeness and true intimacy that other couples seem to have? Have you tried to get there before but hit block walls? In this program, couples will come together and share their struggles with trying to reach a new level of commitment. This program is for the couple whose marriage needs some work, but it’s not intended for marriages in crisis and deep conflict.
• Rescue Your Marriage
  The truth about marriage is that it’s tough … and it’s tough for everyone—to varying degrees. A marriage that’s completely devoid of conflict is a marriage that isn’t based in truthfulness or authenticity. Do you and your spouse bring out the worst in each other? Is your relationship devoid of passion? Does conflict bring harsh words and hurt feelings? Whether you love your spouse and want to deepen your relationship ... or if you don’t feel “in love” and are facing some deep hurt, this program will provide the encouragement, direction, and communication skills necessary to heal hurts and revitalize your relationship. In this program you and your spouse will be joined with other couples in a small group setting to discover biblical solutions for the marital challenges you face. You’ll learn how to communicate in love and find joy in God’s good gift of marriage.
• Every Marriage Restored
  This program focuses on marriage and is intended for couples where the husband has attended an Every Man’s Battle Workshop, or is in recovery for his sexual addiction.  During this program the pain and hurt of betrayal is discussed and looked at from both perspectives—husband’s and wife’s.   Couples will learn how to forgive, and they will be given encouragement, direction, and skills necessary to mend and heal their marriage.
  

New Life Articles on Marriage | Products on Marriage

Post-Abortive Healing (Women only)
Abortion leaves many women with a deep spiritual wound.  Its shame may have caused you to suffer alone, leaving you haunted by unanswered questions.  Can God ever forgive me?  Can my child forgive me?  Can I ever forgive myself? Is healing really possible?  In this group you'll discover that the answer to these questions is "Yes!"  You’ll work with a licensed Christian counselor who’s had an abortion, and a small group of women who know your pain.  Together, you’ll examine the lies that lead to abortions.  You’ll walk through the grieving process and begin the healing God wants for you.  Best of all, you’ll experience the love and forgiveness of your heavenly Father in a profound way.  And if God can forgive, then you can forgive yourself.  We pray you’ll take heart and join us for this weekend of healing.
Products on Post-Abortion Healing

Restoring A Wife’s Heart - Every Heart Restored (Women only)
This small group is for wives whose husbands are currently involved in or in recovery from pornography, sexual addiction, or adultery. Betrayal is one of the deepest wounds a person can endure. Someone you love, someone you trusted, has introduced a world of pain into your life. You experience feelings of anger, bitterness, shame, hatred, deep sorrow, disgust, and the longing for everything wrong to be made right.  Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of this struggle is the isolation it so often brings.  Your instinct may be to hide in order to preserve some semblance of dignity and normalcy. But the hurt will never be healed by self-preserving. We hope you’ll find the courage to attend this program. When you do, you’ll be grouped with women in the same situation as you. You’ll learn how to work through your anger, your hurt, your confusion, and your sense of rejection. Your questions—What does God expect from me?  How can I trust again? Is it possible to forgive or rebuild this marriage?—will be answered. And so will many more. You’ll learn how to relate to your husband, what it means to forgive, and how you can live faithfully and hopefully before your loving Father. Before this program is finished, your life will be changed.
New Life Articles on Restoring A Wife's Heart | Products on Restoring a Wife's Heart

Self Worth and Confidence (Women only)
Deep inside a woman is the need to feel beautiful . . . to be cherished and respected.  This is how God made you.  The desire is so ingrained within the fiber of your being that if you’re not well grounded in a loving relationship with your heavenly Father you’ll misinterpret your design, or seek your worth and attractiveness in the wrong places.  Do you often wonder if the men you encounter find you physically attractive?  When you’re with others do you hope they’re struck by your physical beauty . . . your sense of style . . . or the quality of your character?  Do you feel awkward or invisible?  Have you ever been among friends and felt like you didn’t have anything to offer, afraid they might discover that you’re not smart as they are . . . that you’re not as cultured?  Do you portray yourself as being strong and tough, all the while feeling weak or unimportant?  

God is mindful of your beautiful, yet fragile, frame.  Only when you begin to know the lavish love of your Savior and his kindhearted, big-brother-like, protection will you be able to live as the woman you were created to be.  This program is for all women who want to understand God’s design so they can find and express the beauty and grace with which they’ve been endowed.
New Life Articles on Self Worth and Confidence | Products on Self Worth and Confidence

Surviving Sexual Abuse (Women only)
If your heart has known the pain of sexual abuse, then we’d consider it our great honor to share the love and healing of Jesus Christ with you. The wounds of abuse are deep, and the shame of this experience can drive you to isolation.  We’d like to provide your heart with a safe and loving place—a place where you can face the truth about the past and the resulting struggles of the present ... a place where you can be honest with God and others ... where you can learn to relate to other people, and to yourself. In a small group setting you’ll be lead step-by-step through the process of healing.  Here in this place you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and to be loved.  Here in this place you’ll find the strength and beauty with which you’ve been created.  Please bless us with your courage and strength of heart by attending this program.
New Life Articles on Surviving Sexual Abuse | Products on Sexual Abuse

* If the group you have selected is not available at your chosen location, a New Life Representative will contact you.