Dan Allender once said that we need to stay away from "nice" people and surround ourselves with "kind" people. Nice people tell us what we want to hear. Kind people tell us what we need to hear.

In January, the third iteration of the Sage Pilgrimage took place with nineteen men who travelled to Scotland to do the work of a Sage.  As they encountered severe landscapes and inclement weather, they engaged their stories to recover younger versions of themselves who were either forgotten, dismissed or never recognized.


“He firmly told me that I have many words,” one pilgrim noted about how his facilitator engaged him during a discussion. "I had never had someone bring this to my attention, but he was right, I was hiding behind my constant talking."

In a moment of opportunity, a Restoration Project facilitator took the risk of making a disruptively kind observation to this unsuspecting pilgrim. Like a skillful incision from a soul physician, this observation caused him to stop and reflect on this tendency to flood spaces with words. In his reflection, he came to notice this pattern having roots not only earlier in adulthood but all the way back to a childhood where isolation, rejection, and abandonment were common themes. 

In the company of his small group and friends on the Sage Journey, this pilgrim was empowered to open himself up to parts of his story that needed his curiosity and kindness to let the love of the Father bring healing and greater wholeness. This pilgrim continues to walk on the path of Restorative Manhood, thanks in part, to your faithful and generous support of RP’s work.