Real Men: Fellowship In Discipleship
“I have been in my FIND group, BBC, for 10 years together with Glen, JT, Billy, Alex, Brad, Wade, and Robert. The primary reason that I am a member of a FIND group is that I have learned that my life goes much better if I build deep relationships with other men and meet with them regularly so that we can share life’s highs and lows together. I have done life alone and the results I got were addiction and heart disease that almost killed me (both of them). God did not make us to do life alone. Jesus did not model or teach us to do life as a lone ranger. When I have a group of men that know me deeply and whom I know deeply then I am ready to deal much more successfully with whatever comes my way. On my own my experience has shown me that I will surely fail.
When I am connected well with others I am set up for success. Why? Because I have these 7 men to support me, pray for me, encourage me, comfort me (and confront me) when I need it most and for whom I can also do those same things for them when they need it. The only way this happens is when I meet with them regularly over a long period of time to develop the chemistry and safety where I can get real with them when something is off in my life. Which will happen, it is never a question of if but only when. I have experienced job loss, business failure, slips in my addiction, marriage troubles, issues with aging parents, parenting challenges with my kids and more since I have been in my FIND group. If I hadn’t cultivated those relationships they would not be there when I needed them and I would have likely failed when confronted with these challenges. There is a lot at stake in facing these moments well because I am a husband, father, mentor, and friend and so a failure in my life has ripple effects in the lives of others.
Thankfully, I have my FIND group and it has served me very well over the years when I have needed God to speak into my life through other men who care about me and know me well. These relationships within my FIND group together with those in my married life group, recovery meetings and the network and service opportunities that I have there, work that Steph and I do with Affair Recovery in being a mentor couple for others dealing with infidelity, attendance and service work in my church, etc. has resulted in my personal transformation into a more “Christ-like” man. And my life goes much better (not necessarily easier) when I do it this way.
The evidence that I see and experience that shows that I am a different person these days is I ask for help now, am more vulnerable and can share about my feelings when appropriate, I am a better listener and more curious about others than before, I am able to even think of the needs of those around me much less put them ahead of my own (still working on that) and most important the quality of my relationships with God and others are much better. I will continue to be in a FIND group for the rest of my life because I believe without a doubt that God made me to do this life in deep community and FIND is one of the primary places I do that.”
Mickey and his family worship at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church where he serves as the Membership Elder. He is married to his lovely wife Stephanie and father to Zach, Emma and Luke. He attended the Texas A&M University and is currently a CEO at Vistage Worldwide in Houston, Texas.
FinD seeks to transform men through Jesus Christ in authentic, weekly Fellowship in Discipleship. Real Men…Real Discipleship
This testimonial and many others from FinD men can be found at: https://finddiscipleship.org/testimonials/
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