The Heart of a Warrior Encounter

About the Weekend


March 27-30, 2025

Registration: $425
YoungLife's Rockbridge Alum Springs

No man makes it through life without taking some hits. At The Heart of a Warrior Encounter, you're invited to join the company of other men who are going to God for healing and training, and to discover the full life he has for you.

During the weekend, you will discover how to live wholeheartedly, and learn how and when to fight for your heart. You will get to experience how Jesus wants to restore your heart, and to ask God to help you see the good he is up to in your life, with teaching based upon Michael Thompson's The Heart of a Warrior and also inspired by the writings of authors such as John Eldredge, C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, and others.

You will also have opportunities to explore the adventurous side of manhood through free time activities including hiking, frisbee golf, 3v3 basketball, and a clay shooting experience guided by expert shotgun handlers.

Discover Who You Truly Are

Through the journey of life, every man forms a "false self," a fake identity he wears to self-promote and self-protect. Receive tools, resources, and guidance from men with real stories to dismantle this imposter, and discover who you truly are and are becoming.

Invite God to Father Your Heart

Get your hands or boots dirty in one of the many free time adventures, which include clay shooting, blacksmithing, frisbee golf, fishing, basketball, zipline, and ropes course. This is an invitation to step into something new and invite God to speak to your heart.

Join a Brotherhood of Allies

No man is an island. Men need the company of other oriented men, for encouragement, strength, counsel, and friendship. Create lasting and life-changing alliances with other men and ministries from around the world at The Heart of a Warrior Encounter.



Men have a glorious and significant role in God’s Larger Story. They also are the target of special warfare aimed continually and ruthlessly at the center of their being … their masculine hearts. Naivety and ignorance keep many men running in circles while misinformation and poor training keep many more in bondage. Men are wounded, frustrated, angry and are being crushed under the weight of criticism and expectations.

The attempted solutions in recent years is education: tell men what they are doing wrong and give them a list to memorize. This strategy isn’t working and its time we fall back to an Ancient One. What if we are setting men up for failure rather than helping them be free? Join author and guide, Michael Thompson, and the Zoweh team as they invite men to a place of training and orientation that will ensure both a settled heart and a fierce courage. A man cannot enter this battle without knowing he is a Beloved Son for after all, that is what the battle is all about!

March 27-30, 2025

Registration: $425
Rockbridge Alum Springs, Goshen, VA

What you'll get ...

  • Encouragement, teaching, and stories from the lives of who have walked this road before
  • Fresh encounters with God and his heart for who you are as a man
  • A path forward to move into the healing and restoration of your own heart, and then the hearts of your family and friends
  • Opportunities to form lasting brotherhood with other strong men
  • An invitation to share any struggles or heartache and pray with a trained medic in a safe environment during a one-on-one hour long medic appointment

Registration includes ...

  • A free copy of the devotional based upon Michael's book The Heart of a Warrior
  • On-site lodging in upscale bunk rooms
  • All meals Thursday dinner -Sunday breakfast
  • A seat in all sessions
  • A journal and pen for Time Alone with God
  • On-site free time activities (archery, frisbee golf, climbing wall, game room, gym, hot tub
  • Clay-shooting (additional $10 to cover gear and costs)
  • Blacksmithing (additional fee to cover supplies)

Registration does NOT include ...

  • Books and gear from the Zoweh Outpost store
  • Drinks and snacks from the on-site coffee and snack bar
  • Items from the YoungLife camp store
  • Gear for fishing
  • Transportation to any off-site free time activities
  • Transportation to and from the event

Step into more as part of the conference team! Apply for the team here. A discount code is available to team members; refunds will NOT be made to team members who register at full price.

Email us at events@zoweh.org to set up a group name for them to select when registering (this will help us in the housing assignments)

The Heart of a Warrior Encounter includes subject matter and content that may be too mature for boys under 16. In order to protect the integrity of the weekend for our speaker team and for all the men in attendance, we have decided to limit registration for men aged 16+. For men and their sons ages 13-16, we recommend the father/son adventures offered by our friends at The New Frontier.

We strongly encourage you to experience the event for your own heart first, before bringing your 16+ aged son with you. The Heart of a Warrior Encounter is not designed as a father/son experience. For men and their sons ages 13-16, we recommend the father/son adventures offered by The New Frontier.

You are responsible for your transportation to and from the event. If you are traveling by plane and you'd like to connect with other men to potentially share rental cars, etc., please email us at events@zoweh.org

  • Roanoke, VA + 75 miles
  • Lynchburg, VA + 77 miles
  • Richmond, VA + 147 miles
  • Greensboro, NC + 175 miles

Other airports include Washington Dulles, Charlotte, Raleigh 3+ hours drive

First, we encourage you to journey with God, ask Him who may want to partner with you for this mission and getaway for your heart. Then email us at events@zoweh.orgto learn more about financial assistance from Zoweh's Aid Station. See Zoweh's Terms & Conditions regarding refunds.

For other questions about this event, or financial aid/scholarship needs, etc., please email us at events@zoweh.org. For our event refund policy see our Terms & Conditions.

Learn more about Michael Thompson's book, The Heart of a Warrior.