I just returned from a short trip to Texas where I met up with a small group of guys from the life group my wife and I used to be a part of. Some of us have moved to other states so we got together in Texas to catch up.
There was a core purpose to this gathering and that was to make sure we are maintaining our friendships with each other. It’s hard to keep connected when you don’t have a common reason to gather anymore such as meeting weekly for our small life group.
Joel put together some moments for us to get into God’s word and share with each other and we spent the rest of the time eating Texas BBQ, playing Top Golf, and talking.
The first session was on Ephesians 6:10-20:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Biblegateway.com
I spent some time alone reading and rereading the passage underlining and boxing words that stuck out to me (see the image below). Here is what stuck out:
- Be Strong
- Whole Armor
- Standing against
- Withstand
- Truth, righteousness, and readiness
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the spirit
- Ambassador
- Praying always
- Boldness
- Declaration
- Alertness
- The Word of God
- Stand!
There were a few items that stood out to me in greater detail and were mentioned multiple times in the passage. Whole armor stuck out as I thought about the times I simply walk around with my shield of faith in a bag as if it was something I pulled out during tough times. Here are more thoughts I had as we discussed the main passage together.
- James 4:7-8 Submit to God, resist the devil.
- Ephesians 4: 14-16 I am not easily influenced by the world. I speak truth in love making my whole body fit for His work.
- 1 John 5:19 I am a child of God and know what his word is.
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 We can know as we have the mind of Christ.
- We are outfitted with armor whether we want it or not. It might be the way we were raised or walls we put up during tough years of our lives. What armor are we letting the world put on us and is it serving us well?
- We must be aware of the flaming darts and fight them with the shield of faith. (v.16)
- Speaking truth fights the present darkness!
- This is not a method of attack but a preparation to fight evil with the truth.
We spent some time discussing attacks we frequently experience in life which led to discussion about our marriages.
- Communication is an expression of expectations.
Most men process information in a different way than women do. I often think of it like an image rendering. It starts with the foundation or the frame and it builds in more clarity as we get to the finer details. By the time the image is mostly complete, you can make out what the image is because there is enough context there. My wife likes to start with the finer details because that is the most important part to her. It takes me a moment to understand what she is trying to tell me because it lacks the context I need to connect it to something tangible.
The second session was on Matthew 17: 14-20
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon,[a] and it[b] came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.[c] 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”[d]
Biblegateway.com
This section was tough as each of us in the group are dealing with something personally or in our families that we long for healing. However, a few things did stick out to me.
- My lack of faith is often the limiting factor.
- I often lean on my own understanding rather than looking for a better answer.
Overall this was a great experience with a really good group of guys. Unbeknownst to us, Joel had our families write us a letter which he gave to us on the final evening. Here are a few lines from that letter:
You have grown so much these past few years. To see you paying attention to the calling that God has given you and obeying even when it’s hard. Thank you for your wisdom, patience, and clarity. I’m sorry for the times I have pushed back.
I love it when daddy tickles and snuggles me. ~M
I think you are doing really good keeping our family happy and healthy and that when I’m having a hard time you encourage me to do the right thing. ~E
I love how you encourage me when I’m struggling and thank you for all of your hard work. ~C
I’m thankful that you take time our of your day every day to spent time with us. I especially love when we get alone time together. You are a great encouragement to me. ~L
Quotes from the letter.
I make a lot of mistakes, but they took time to encourage me. I really needed it. It’s hard work and it’s lonely. It’s much easier to find guys to talk about sports or anything else besides family. It’s much harder to find a group of guys who have their priorities set straight.
I’m looking forward to connecting with these guys again next year in Montana.
