“Being part of a fellowship of men dedicated to sincerely and joyfully living out their faith inspires me to be the best version of myself. Witnessing and experiencing authentic love among our men’s small group (The “BOB’s”) is incredibly uplifting and renews my soul.  The fellowship facilitates an environment of fun and laughter but also focuses on prayer requests when a brother is heavily burdened.  We see ourselves as blessed, only to be a blessing to others.”

Charlie is an active member at St. John Vianney, husband to Veronica, dad to four amazing kiddos, played ball at Texas State and later got a graduate degree from Texas A&M. Interested in getting plugged into a weekly small group of your own?  FinD seeks to transform men through Jesus Christ in authentic, weekly fellowship in discipleship.  Real Men…Real Discipleship.  FinD out more by visiting our website at www.FinDdiscipleship.org or contacting us at info@FinDdiscipleship.org.

The truth about our group is that it was never supposed to exist.  We were just supposed to study a Lenten series together in the Spring of 2006 and move on with our lives.  14 years later, I see it differently.  We were group of men who had young kids around the same ages but we really didn’t know each other.  The part of not knowing each other seems so strange to me now.  You see a decade and half of life really changes a man.  Luckily, we didn’t have to do it alone.  We have celebrated together, prayed together, and we have cried together.  We have done life together.  In the middle of everything, we have studied God’s word.  That is how God shaped our group.  One verse at a time the Holy Spirit showed us what it is to be a follower of Christ in this broken world.  I thank God for the men in my group today.  God clearly knew the plans he had for each of us even if we didn’t see it coming.  That seemingly innocent connection had become something bigger than we could have ever imagined.  We are humbled by the growth of small groups in the area and are grateful to be part of something far bigger than ourselves.

Lastly, we obviously deal with the same things every group deals with.  We have to battle the same passivity that is deeply seated in each of us.  14 years later, we know to do it together.  What about you?  What are you battling with?  I pray that you bring it to God and to your brothers in your group and do life together.  Praise be to God that we don’t have to do it alone.

[Chris is an active member at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, husband to Meka, dad to two amazing kiddos, and is a graduate of Baylor University.  FinD seeks to transform men through Jesus Christ in authentic, weekly fellowship in discipleship.  Real Men…Real Discipleship.  FinD out more by visiting our website at www.FinDdiscipleship.org or contacting us at info@FinDdiscipleship.org.]

Growing up, my faith was always pretty easy. Church several times a week, youth group, camp, YoungLife, and a house of believers – God was everywhere.

As I grew older, I found it difficult to replicate the community that was such an important and automatic part of my life when I was younger. I spent years looking but couldn’t find a group within my community that supported my desire to grow my faith. There are plenty of secular groups and work-based groups but discovering a local community of Christ-centered men was surprisingly difficult.

FinD Discipleship helped me identify men seeking the same life as me. We want to be better dads and better husbands. We want more out of life than what society considers “acceptable” behavior from men. My small group serves as a reminder that life is not supposed to be a 9 to 5 grind – it’s supposed to be an adventure where we courageously live out our faith each day.

I am thankful that God has introduced me to the IRONMEN. We all have different stories. We’re from different backgrounds, we’re different ages, and we have different interests. However, our faith aligns us. It allows us to overcome our differences to talk about the important things – our faith and living a life of purpose. The men in my group have become great friends and allies as we navigate life today.

FinD is a blessing to me but it’s only as good as the effort you put into it. Do yourself and your family a favor — get involved and invest in the lives of the men around you. You won’t regret it.

 “When we formed FISH, I expected the experience to bring the Bible and Lord a little bit more into my daily walk, but it has been so much more.  At that time, I was at the tail end of slowly removing myself from a group at work that did a Bible study and knew I needed something else.

Like Chinese food you get at the food court at the mall, that study at work never really filled me up and I always left unsatisfied.  I knew I needed more but was not sure what it was I was missing until I joined my group.  I now realize that I was missing authentic, deep, Christ-centered relationships where I could be open, honest, and trusting with other guys who are going through the same struggles that I am going through.

We are sons, fathers, husbands, friends, bosses, employees, coaches, and teachers, to name just a few of our roles.  We wear quite a few hats and there is no better guide than how to fulfill these roles than Christ himself, but we all need player-coaches to help us along the way and this is what my group is to me.  I’ve always heard the phrase, “Iron sharpens iron,” but my group has made that a reality.  We counsel each other, we pray, we study, we challenge each other, and have a lot of laughs in between.  In two and a half years, I’ve built deep and strong relationships with these men and look forward every week to our Thursday meetings.”

“My FinD small group has brought an incredible bond with friends that I never expected to meet, and I am very thankful for them.

It has been a little over three years since joining BOSS (Brothers of Scripture Study) and the weekly commitment is just what I needed, and I still continue to feel the same way each Friday many years later.

Joining our group was a bit unique where BOSS had already been formed, but some of the original guys left the group and they were looking for a few others to potentially fill the gap. I could not have felt more welcome from day one.

Prior to joining BOSS, I really did not take the time on a consistent basis to read through scriptures of the Bible or even stay disciplined with prayer or know what to pray for or what to pray about. This group has helped me stay unwavering in my journey as a Christian man and as a result, I feel like a better man, husband, and father.

What I really enjoy about the men in our group is that I know that I can lean on them or turn to them if any need arises, and there’s no doubt that the feeling is mutual.

I know that we have and all will have struggles in our lives and knowing we can count on each other is an awesome feeling. What a blessing BOSS has been to me and I hope that our neighborhood small groups continue to grow because I genuinely feel my experience is no different whether a group has been together for 6 months or more than 15 years.”