Countless Remarkable Moments

November 2025

Dear Women of The Crucible Project,

This past month, we witnessed something beautiful. Something that feels like a glimpse of the Kingdom of God unfolding in real time.

In just four weeks, three women’s Initial Weekends took place across the country.

  • October 17–19 in St. Charles, IL – our oldest and most established women’s community.
  • October 24–26 in Empire, CO – the first-ever Initial Weekend for the Colorado women’s community.
  • November 7–9 in Tulsa, OK – a new and growing community taking bold steps forward.

Across these three weekends, 58 women stepped into the sacred journey of meeting themselves, in the presence of God and other women, with courage, grace, and truth.

And the ripple effect is still spreading.

What moved me most wasn’t just the number of weekends or the number of participants—it was the women who staffed multiple weekends back-to-back, pouring out their hearts, energy, and gifts so that others could receive the same radical acceptance and challenge they have tasted. This is the essence of our community: women who keep showing up for one another, again and again, because they believe deeply in how much our broken and hurting world needs this work.

Repeatedly, I hear women say things like:

“I want my sister to know this kind of freedom.”
“I want my daughter to grow up with this kind of self-compassion.”
“I wish my mom could feel this kind of grace.”

It’s the dream many of us quietly hold, that the people we love most might discover what it feels like to be fully seen and still fully accepted. To experience healing in places long guarded. To wake up to their own strength and know their value. To know they are not alone.

This past weekend’s retreat – our final women’s retreat of 2025 – also marked a significant milestone. Since launching in 2019, we have now held 62 women’s retreats. Sixty-two times women have gathered in sacred spaces, braved their stories, encountered God in new ways, and left transformed. That number represents thousands of moments of courage, compassion, truth-telling, forgiveness, and breakthrough. It represents you.

These weekends remind me that our movement is growing not because of marketing, strategy, or programs—but because women are changed, and changed women naturally invite others into transformation.

As we head toward the end of the year, I’m celebrating the women who said “yes” to themselves, the women who served sacrificially, and the women who are praying, hoping, and preparing to invite others to a Crucible retreat in the months to come.

Sisters, thank you for the ways you are widening the circle. Our communities are expanding because of you.

With gratitude and fierce hope,

Lisa

Coming Up

Explore the opportunities ahead to deepen your journey, serve others, and invite new participants into the Crucible experience.

2026 Retreats

Click here to see open staffing applications and apply to staff a retreat! Don't see a retreat listed that you would like to staff? Staff applications are opened when the Retreat Leader is ready to begin receiving applications. Keep an eye on our initial women's Facebook page for staff application announcements!

* Denotes that staff application is open 

*January 16-18: Unshackled Second-Level Retreat in Tulsa, Oklahoma

February 13-15: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico

February 20-22: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico

*March 6-8: Initial Weekend in Houston, Texas

March 27-29: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois

*April 10-12: Initial Weekend in Bergton, Virginia

April 24-26: Initial Weekend in Centennial, Wyoming

*NEW* June 5-7: Initial Weekend in Limuru, Kenya

*NEW* June 12-14: The Mission Weekend in Limuru, Kenya

August 14-16: Leadership: Dark Side in Andover, CT

August 14-16: The Mission Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois

October 16-18: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois

October 23-25: Initial Weekend in Empire, Colorado

November 13-15: Initial Weekend in Andover, CT

Trainings

We’re compiling a list of people (men & women) who wish to participate in facilitation trainings this year. Please fill out this Google Form so we can plan how to best meet the training needs of Redwoods.

Register now for these upcoming trainings:

  • January-February, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Lover, Tombstone & Switch
  • March-April, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sovereign & God-Split, Risk Manager & What’s at Risk
  • May-June, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sage & Predator, & Shadow Reversal

If you are interested in attending these advanced process trainings, (first-time $350, repeat for $50), contact Lisa Modrzejewski.

Testimonial from Recent Attendee

“The Crucible weekend was life changing. I have so much to say and few words…it’s a feeling of peace inside me that I have never experienced before.” -Kristen

How You Can Stay Connected

- Join the Crucible Women WhatsApp Community and Private Facebook Group

- Join a Group or Lead One (scroll to the bottom of the groups page for info on leading groups)

- Check-in Wednesdays from 12-1pm on Zoom. For updates about specific meeting dates, join the Wednesday Lunch Bunch group in the Crucible Women WhatsApp Community.

📋 Fill out our weekend survey! 

🎧 Let these songs take you back to moments of the weekend  - check out our Spotify playlist.

 

The Mirror of Other Women: How Community Reflects Your Identity 

October 2025

We grow most not in isolation, but in relationship. The women around us often see things we can’t see about ourselves: both our beauty and our blind spots. Sometimes that reflection is gentle; sometimes it stings. Yet every time, it’s an invitation to grow. 

A woman once reflected to me that she judged I was afraid of my own voice and leadership. that I tend to step back when my wisdom and challenge are most needed. She said, “You think you’re giving others the chance to step up, but sometimes you’re leaving them out to dry.” Her words landed like a mirror I didn’t want to look into. I thought I was being generous and empowering, but what she saw was fear hiding behind humility. My real transformation didn’t happen through solitude alone, but through the friction and sharpening of relationship. 

Others act as mirrors. They show us what we look like to them—what we sound like, how we occur in their experience. Sometimes the reflection matches how we see ourselves; other times it doesn’t. But even the uncomfortable reflections are valuable feedback. I can’t control how others see me, but I can choose how I respond. Will I defend myself or get curious about what’s true? 

Crucible groups and weekends are sacred places for this kind of reflection. They invite us to look honestly at how we show up and to offer that same clarity to others with compassion. It’s a rare gift to be seen honestly and still loved. 

Shame tells us we should stay hidden until we’ve cleaned ourselves up. It whispers, “If they really knew me, they wouldn’t want to be around me.” So, we deflect, perform, or wear a mask - the competent, kind, or strong version that hides the scared self underneath. But transformation begins when we let others see both our glory and our mess without apology. 

When someone offers us reflection, our first instinct might be to say, “That’s not true.” But growth asks for a pause. Breathe before responding. Listen for the kernel of truth. Ask, “What might God be inviting me to see here?” We don’t have to agree with everything said to let truth do its refining work. 

Being a faithful mirror for someone else is just as sacred. It’s about offering honest reflection without fixing, holding space for another’s pain, and trusting God to do the transforming. We don’t hand people mirrors to wound them; we offer them to set them free. 

The refining fire of community isn’t meant to burn us down, but to burn away what hides our truest selves. In the company of women who tell the truth with compassion, we become both seers and seen. As iron sharpens iron, so one woman sharpens another. May you have the courage to look into the mirror another offers you, and the grace to hold up a mirror of love for someone else. 

Pause and Ponder: 

Where might you be avoiding a mirror right now? 

Who in your life reflects you with both truth and compassion? 

What would it look like to offer someone else that same gift this week? 

Coming Up

Explore the opportunities ahead to deepen your journey, serve others, and invite new participants into the Crucible experience.

Retreats

2025

2026 – Save The Date!

  • January 16-18: Unshackled Second-Level Retreat in Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • February 13-15: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
  • February 20-22: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
  • March 6-8: Initial Weekend in Houston, Texas
  • March 27-29: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • April 11-13: Initial Weekend in Bergton, Virginia
  • April 24-26: Initial Weekend in Centennial, Wyoming
  • August 14-16: Leadership: Dark Side in Andover, CT
  • August 14-16: The Mission Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • October 16-18: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • October 23-25: Initial Weekend in Empire, Colorado
  • November 13-15: Initial Weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Trainings

  • January-February, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Lover, Tombstone & Switch
  • March-April, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sovereign & God-Split, Risk Manager & What’s at Risk
  • May-June, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sage & Predator, & Shadow Reversal

If you are interested in attending these advanced process trainings, (first-time $350, repeat for $50), contact Lisa Modrzejewski.

Testimonial from recent attendee:

"I went into the Crucible weekend feeling like I had been lugging around a thousand pounds for a very long time. I felt like a failure as a mom and as a wife and I couldn't figure out why life just felt so hard. It was literally miraculous how that burden was lifted during a 48-hr period, how much my eyes could see myself more clearly and my world. I cannot wait to keep growing in this direction."  - Mackenzie

How You Can Stay Connected

Fill out our weekend survey! 

Let these songs take you back to moments of the weekend  - check out our Spotify playlist.

 

Authenticity vs Vulnerability vs Intimacy

September 2025

We often use these words as if they mean the same thing. But they’re not interchangeable. Understanding the difference—and living it—can free us to love well without burning out.

Authenticity: For Everyone

Authenticity is about integrity. It means being the same person wherever we go. Whether I’m teaching at a women’s retreat, having coffee with a neighbor, or sitting in a board meeting, I want my words and actions to match who I am in Christ.

Personal example: When I lead a retreat, I share both victories and ongoing struggles. I don’t put on a “perfect leader” mask. Participants see that I’m still learning and still in need of grace. That consistency builds trust.

Vulnerability: For the Trusted

Vulnerability goes a step deeper. It’s sharing the tender places of our heart with a small circle of people we trust. Jesus modeled this—He taught crowds but shared His grief with the twelve, and even more intimately with Peter, James, and John.

Personal example: I lean on a small circle of women when ministry feels heavy. With them, I can admit fears, confess weariness, and cry without shame. God often speaks His comfort through their voices.

Intimacy: For the Few

Intimacy is rare and sacred. It’s the slow, mutual work of being fully known.

Personal example: My husband and I hold space for this. It’s where we share unedited hopes, wounds, and prayers. Years of honesty, forgiveness, and showing up have built this depth.

Why These Distinctions Matter

Confusing these layers—being intimate with everyone or withholding authenticity from all—can either deplete us or leave us hidden. Authenticity offers the world a consistent picture of God’s work in us. Vulnerability keeps us connected and prevents isolation. Intimacy satisfies the God-given need to be fully known and loved.

My prayer is that you’ll offer your authenticity freely, choose vulnerability wisely, and cherish intimacy with the few who have earned your trust.

Coming Up

Explore the opportunities ahead to deepen your journey, serve others, and invite new participants into the Crucible experience.

Retreats

2025

2026 – Save The Date!

  • January 16-18: Unshackled Second-Level Retreat in Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • February 13-15: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
  • February 20-22: Initial Weekend in Valle de Bravo, Mexico
  • March 6-8: Initial Weekend in Houston, Texas
  • March 27-29: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • April 11-13: Initial Weekend in Bergton, Virginia
  • April 24-26: Initial Weekend in Centennial, Wyoming
  • August 14-16: Leadership: Dark Side in Andover, CT
  • August 14-16: The Mission Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • October 16-18: Initial Weekend in Saint Charles, Illinois
  • October 23-25: Initial Weekend in Empire, Colorado
  • November 13-15: Initial Weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Trainings

  • [In Progress] September 12 - October 3, Fridays, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT: Introduction to Facilitation Training, Hybrid [In-person in Arlington Heights, IL and Online] with Lisa Modrzejewski. Exact dates: Sep 12, 19, 25, Oct 2
  • January-February, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Lover, Tombstone & Switch
  • March-April, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sovereign & God-Split, Risk Manager & What’s at Risk
  • May-June, Thursdays 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Advanced Process Training: Sage & Predator, & Shadow Reversal

If you are interested in attending these advanced process trainings, (first-time $350, repeat for $50), contact Lisa Modrzejewski.

Testimonial from recent attendee:

"I have been healed in my identity. I knew scriptures, that told me I was a child of God. I clung to them for decades. Studied the word, prayed, etc. Doubt was always in my thought life. With the amount of trauma I experienced growing up, I could not believe that I was God's child. How a loving God, could have this abuse happen to one of his. My time at the Crucible retreat changed my entire being. I physically felt my mind coming together, thoughts lined up. With all the scriptures I had stood on for the last few decades. I know that I am His. Since this new healing I have so much more confidence, I weep for others, I boldly go wherever God sends me. I am His." - Roberta

How You Can Stay Connected

Fill out our weekend survey! 

Let these songs take you back to moments of the weekend  - check out our Spotify playlist.

 

Looking for more articles? Check out our "Women's Ministry" Archive!