Perissos is a Greek word meaning “abundant, vast, overflowing,” depending on the context in which it is used. Jesus’ teachings use it often,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 ESV

The lives of Christians are supposed to be full of joy, peace, patience, kindness, and other such traits. Still, when people have been beaten down by life, spiritual trauma, family trauma, and the stresses of life and our childhoods, a rescue must happen before healing can bring the fullness of life.

These five men came to Tennessee for different reasons, but the Creator had other plans. Kelley and Caleb arrived in Northeast Tennessee around 2020 and began attending the same church, where they were introduced to each other. Caleb and Jayson have known each other for many years and have a deep friendship and brotherhood. Derek had moved to the Nashville area for work. All three had been attending retreat camps in California organized by For Freedom Outreach, but Derek discovered Caleb and Jayson only after moving to Tennessee, having attended the same retreats. AJ was invited to the first small Airbnb gathering arranged by Caleb, Derek, and Jayson. At the end of the weekend, AJ was hooked on the message and saw the need and asked to be part of the process.

One of our team members' stories: Kelley’s journey with Wild at Heart and the discovery of his own soul’s secret began around 2012 with the reading of the book, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul. A year later, he attended a Wild at Heart retreat, then called a “boot camp” in Colorado. Those four days changed the trajectory of his life through self-discovery, a deeper and more genuine relationship with God, and a lasting, growing, and developing discovery of healing. After the Perissos Life’s November Wild at Heart retreat in Pikeville, Tennessee, God brought a long-buried memory. Kelley has avoided conflict for years; he was passive-aggressive in many ways, and to avoid conflicts and confrontations, he had learned to BS his way through life. Lying to family to cover his…you know, and most of it was unnecessary. The last few years all that has been healing, and his authentic honesty is in restoration.

That buried memory?

When he was three or four years old, his oldest sister and brother exploded in rage at each other when his parents weren’t home. Screaming and things being thrown overwhelmed him and his tiny heart. Scrunched up in that chair, hiding his head and crying, “stop, stop, stop, please stop,” he looked up as his brother ran to the bathroom and closed the door, followed by a butter knife that ripped the hollow door. This memory has been with him for decades, and after this November camp, in a crucial conversation with his wife, God was able to light up that memory with understanding, finally. That night's trauma shaped nearly all of his life by pushing him to avoid conflict at all costs. He made an agreement that night. “I will never get in this situation ever again, no matter what.”

We all have pasts. Most of those pasts have damaged our hearts. Most of us men have no idea how to deal with these things and do our best to guard our hearts, our core beings. Our lives might seem abundant or empty, but to find a truly abundant life, we need each other in a confidential, authentic, no bull crap opportunity to discover true freedom.

Freedom begins with a rescue. This is what Perissos Life is about, bringing messages of rescue to men, and eventually women, through compassionate understanding.

Let us begin your rescue now.