A Young Man's Vulnerability To Cruelty, Finding Strength By Being Contrary Whilst Realizing You're Not Really Ever Alone

Angie and I rented apartments 'till we'd saved +/-20% of what we'd budgeted to mortgage a home.  Plus, we eradicated our debt at the same time.  Therefore, apartment life was our mainstay for +/-5 years early on in our marriage, and we loved it.  For the most part.  Except the last of the two units we rented.  It was during those final 10 months prior to signing our lives away to the mortgage lender in late 2000 that we endured "the crappy apartment".

"Canton Square" apartments as it was officially called (when we lived there) had been constructed when Angie and I were children.  In fact, one of our youth pastors and his wife had lived there during the '80s.  Unfortunately, the construction quality was noticeably shoddy, even at the outset of our tenure there.  Nonetheless, it was cheap rent, and cheap is what we desired in order to accelerate our plans to acquire a mortgage.  Therefore, we swallowed hard and signed a month-to-month lease.

What I resented most about this place was how the cold, bitter winter wind would whip through our flat as if someone had intentionally left all of the many aluminum windows cracked (I used to check them regularly).  I vividly recall that early winter 2020 was the one where George Bush and Al Gore were legally wrestling over chads in Florida.  I'd watch the morning news shows every day during breakfast (wrapped up in a blanket) in order to hopefully see who'd finally been declared a winner.  It dragged on for forever.  

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Tommy Awesome was a classmate of mine for the majority of my high school years.  He was everything I wanted to be, yet I could tell that he was just as sensitive to both man's cruelty and witnessing man's cruelty as I was.  And that's what drew me to him versus some of my peers who either pretended they were invulnerable or were too distracted by life's pleasures to care.

It's that soft underbelly that's such the identifier of youth, and it simply comes with the territory, therefore, I would argue, you must come to grips with a strategy to deal with it - if you have the guts to acknowledge it firstly.  Tommy did.  I could see it, and that garnered my respect from the getgo.  It just wasn't the same strategy that afforded me.

My strategy consisted of embracing the notion of being a contrarian regarding much (but not all) of my choices versus buying into the notion of me simply being a freak (as my peers and setting would have me believe).  

Tommy's approach was to play along as if the cruelty he was witnessing wasn't necessarily all that bad to either acknowledge or witness unapologetically.  And this was a coalescence with his popularity and respect as a fine specimen of young manness.  Initially, I resented him for taking this approach until I realized the trap he'd found himself within no thanks to his perceived awesomeness.  

Me, on the other hand, backed away.  I had none of the goods Tommy had, therefore I simply could not play along on any level.  I was not the athlete nor the ladies' man.  Neither the brain nor an overly creative specimen.  Just your strangely effeminate yet overall average B- Mississippi boy.

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Fast forward to Rob being a young husband attempting to set up a permanent household.

Living in "Canton Square" apartments for those 10 months was testimony to me (& my now wife) finally beginning to embrace my true contrarian self versus hiding / pretending to be someone else.  And it was that stand that helped me embrace the notion of being labeled at times as a freak - circumstances being what they were - within the now "young married & childless" world Angie and I lived within.

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It's okay to reflexively go in the opposite direction.  Especially when it involves moving into territory that's likely not slated to become one's permanent home.  You may find that being a contrarian suits you despite the strange circumstances you may just find yourself in as a result.  Remember too, it's easier to swallow challenging circumstances when you refuse to play by everyone else's rules / consider them with a grain of salt.

Do know though that eventually, that soft underbelly firms up no matter what end of the spectrum you fall - between Tommy and Rob.  From there, you'll likely look back and shake your head in disbelief regarding what you endured.  This is one of the true gifts of middle age.

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In closing, Tommy is thriving in middle Tennessee.  He's definitely one of those guys that I'd love to have the opportunity to explain just how multifacetedly important he once was to me - from a safe distance.  High school was not easy for Rob (is it for anyone?), but it was then that I at least knew, through guys like Tommy, that I was not altogether alone - with my feelings - within that cruel climate.  Therefore that subtle empathizing with this model of youthful awesomeness served me firstly just as so many other men would down the road (mostly via Samson Society).  It was a stepping stone for sure.

Commit To Pray For the "P"s

Politicians and pastors both run headlong everyday in and through the shadow of their predecessors.  Their presence in our lives is not extemporaneous for they serve pivotal roles within our culture, and as such, our God should hear from us often on their behalf.  

Politicians make policies which guide our every day lives and pastors serve most all of us during those critical moments when we need them the most (death, birth, marriage, and so forth).  

Each of us harbor a concept of these two individuals.  It can be heavily based on previous exposure to others in their steed or simply our beliefs relative to what each represents to us.  

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Our senior pastor this AM admitted to the redundancy he's up against during this Xmas season relative to his sermons.  Plus, he's simply a textbook extravert, and therefore is sick and tired of all this pandemic safeguarding.  He and his fam have been at our church for +/-4 years now which means he's definitely "hit his stride".  Plus, he's sitting right square in the throes of middle-age with kidlets who're anticipating flying the coop.  He's the kind of guy who, like almost every other pastor I've known, loves to be heard, with no mouth fatigue in sight.  

I really found my respect for pastors well before I became involved in Samson Society.  Namely for their flexibility and resourcefulness.  Not to mention the constant demands they're under to serve whomever shows up on their doorstep.  

I'm convicted during this Xmas season and beyond to pray for both of these.  Their roles are huge, and there's no doubt they'll be blessed knowing my prayers (as with all prayers) will be heard on their behalf.

[REPRINT] - 2020 Lakeside Presbyterian Church Advent Book Excerpt

 Growing Faith

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

What a year 2020 has been!  I don't think I could have imagined a national shutdown, a pandemic, or the possibility of having a stroke if someone told me last year that those things were coming.  As far as I was concerned last November, life in the Turner home was rocking and rolling along just fine with kids, church, work, school, and extracurricular activities.  During the spring quarantine, our family enjoyed spending time together outdoors, playing board games, watching movies, and being still & quiet amidst the pandemic.  Now that I look back on those two months, I am eternally grateful for them.  Even though we didn't know it then, God was preparing us for a life-changing event.

One the morning of May 29, I had a stroke that affected the left side of my body.  From the moment it started, God's presence was real.  He worked out every detail in his perfect timing.  I have struggled with anxiety for a long time, especially anxiety related to my health.  But for the first time, I was not anxious that day - even riding in an ambulance down Lakeland Drive!  It was amazing & surreal!  God covered me with a blanket of peace and told me that he would never leave me.  I knew without a doubt that He was there.  I didn't know what the outcome would be, but God did.  He reminded me moment by moment to rest in Him because He already had it all figured out.  He also assured me that He would be glorified through this situation.  I was just along for the ride.  His peace was all I needed.  When my human nature wandered from those truths, He gently showed me that He hadn't left me.  Exodus 14:4 became one of my favorite verses:  "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."  There have been good days and hard days since May 29 as well as lots of hard work at therapy.  God continues to teach me to rest in him and trust His perfect plan.  And now, almost 5 months later, I can go to a doctor's appointment (& there are many!) without getting anxious even when there aren't clear answers for what's happened.  Never in a million years would I have thought that possible!  I look forward with anticipation to watching God's plan continue to unfold.  

This advent season, I challenge you to focus on God's continued presence and work in your life, despite what is going on in the world around us.  Immanuel - God is with us.  That is a truth that never changes.  He is worthy of our thanksgiving and our praise.  He allows suffering to come into our lives to ultimately bring us more contentment in Him and be less reliant on ourselves and the things of this world.  If it were up to me, I wouldn't have chosen to have a stroke and possibly have a physical handicap for the rest of my days on earth.  But far greater than that, I am so very thankful to God for walking this road with us and using this suffering to grow my family's faith.  We serve an awesome God!  To Him be the glory forever & ever, amen!

Angie Turner

Disembarking From The Anticipation Roller Coaster

The Children of Israel were needing to get a handle on their feelings during the beginning of their journey out of Egypt (where they'd been enslaved) to the Promised Land.  They'd been subservient to the Egyptians as their minions for 400 years, and when their rescue came, it was to God's dismay that they rather quickly jettisoned their gratitude, leaving behind the inability to relish their newfound (forever) freedom.

And this became the truthteller regarding their immaturity as a people group.  God despised this about them for it proved their focus was no longer on him but their own selfish feelings.

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I've heard preachers use this story in an attempt to quell criticism of shoddy preaching, but that's not at all correctly pitched.  The lesson in this story is about staying focused on God's rescue.  Paying heed to where you've come out of.  Seeing who's right in front, leading you forward today in all of his glory.  

But to do this, you must remember truthfully where you were prior.  And you must carry that with you into the present.  

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My "porn" as a child was the Service Merchandise / Spiegel catalog.  Especially this time of year.  Every day, often multiple times a day, I would gaze into this glossy-paged, oversized magazine and long for some toy(s) or electronic(s) that captivated by imagination.  And all it took was one professional photo of this object and a short descriptive paragraph to bide me over for those few imaginatory minutes.  Keep in mind that this was way before online professional / customer reviews much less online retailers.  

We are image bearers of God, therefore we have imaginations too which lead us to create / devise / plan / dream.  Considering that, we are also perpetually self-focused and subsequently indulgent with flesh that's hyper-sensitive to moods, hunger, fatigue.

And this was the means for the Israelites' undoing once they lost patience with God's provision / direction.

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Youth facilitates the propensity to constantly look forward.  It's what makes having children so much fun at times.  Santy Claus wouldn't exist were it not for this.  And yet, this component of childhood can overstay its welcome as we men are expected to grow out of it but refuse to.  Oftentimes, it's simply translated over into real estate, depreciating assets (cars, boats, video game consoles), but also into sexualized fetishes.

Internet porn provides a limitless amount of visual imagery for us to "feed" these latter longings, all from the privacy of our own PC, tablet, smartphone.  

And this is where God gets pissed, to the point of putting his foot down.

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So how do we go about encouraging maturation away from all this childishness?  What can we do to better manager our unsatisfied, unsettled anticipatory selves?  

Pray firstly.  Fall to your knees and ask God for release.  Ask him for a special measure of his Holy Spirit to fight back with.

Secondly, look clearly at others and see where they need you to be THE MAN.  Even within your private life when no one else is looking.  

Thirdly, repent of your childishness and all the idolatry that's manifested itself therein.  Make a list of these things and pray over them in retreat (backing away).

Put your feet on solid ground via these three moves and work hard to not look back.  From there, God's completeness will begin to suffice as you're more focused on where you once were in light of current circumstances.

Recommended Viewing

The Other You, The Rebellious One

I've been "catching up" on Madonna's music over the past few days, and frankly, it hasn't changed any since I heard her first tune as a child.  Growing up in the '80s, it was impossible to not be immersed culturally in all things Madonna.  Her music / image was as ubiquitous during that decade as Elvis / the Beatles were during decades prior.

Madonna always frightened me a bit.  Not necessarily as a person, but listening to her music made me worry about my soul.  Consistently, I came away feeling dirty.  Some of this had to with my sexuality, for sure.  I cringed (and still do) at her representation of what it meant / means to be female.  Yikes.

I watched this video last night for the first time.

And this got me thinking about what I've heard a number of men say about their propensity for keeping an ongoing narrative alive for years on end relative to sexual sin.  That being the notion of there being another version of themselves that participated / was participating in these activities.  And always, this other self didn't in anyway share in the same values as the original.  

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What seems to justify the existence of this other self is the means to satiate needs (outside of God's will) without seemingly tainting the core identity of the original man therefore resulting in a pragmatic schism.

Think back to the music video.  There's this notion of two halves existing within the interior of a person's true self, fighting constantly to be in control.  

The word that comes up often (in my conversations with these men) regarding this opposite point of view / self is rebellion, and the justification for that rebellion seems to mainly be a pulling away from the prescribed, obedient, subservient self into the subsequent thrill and sense of adventure that comes with that pulling away.

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Madonna's image is one of raw sexuality.  She embodies that within everything she does.  It's what's made her millions of millions of dollars as an entertainer.

I have two friends who've been swept away (sorry 'bout that) by women who characterized themselves as described above.  Yet, the spell seemed to inevitably be broken once the realization set in that no matter how intense the sexual vibe, no matter how sensuous the package, no amount of pleasure could justify ignoring outright man's obligation to other human beings.

The Bible calls it "looking out for the best interests of others".  

And this is where that rebellious self eventually lands himself within a dead end, and again, this harkens too back to the video above.

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Being sexually provocative is a power play, and some women, in particular, seem more fluent to its vernacular than men.  Add a substantial history relative to a woman's sexual "track record", and from there, you have both a powerful allure (to many a man) and a substantial liability (to her own self).

Therefore, what can we do as men (rebellious or not) to short circuit this?  

The Bible instructs us to treat women (& men) - even the most sizzling hot versions of both - as better, more relevant, to be more revered as we ourselves ever are / will be.  And from there, this love neutralizes that rebellious half of who we all would like to be.  Essentially neutering it.  Supernaturally.

For rebellion is born out of arrogance, self-centeredness, and pride, all of which should have no place in our portfolio as Christian men. 

Can You See Yourself As A Man Who's Whole Sans Internet Porn?

From the perspective of the virtual fulfillment porn brings, the likely answer for so many of us is no.  On the flip side of that though, relative to porn's ease of access and addictiveness, the answer is a resounding yes ("cut the cord, flip the off switch", etc).

Therefore, for many of us, our answer will always lie much closer to the latter than the former within this laughably unorthodox, Internet-capable world we now reside within.

Now, I used the word fulfillment up there in that first sentence, and this is a bit of a misnomer.  Porn, just like drug use, doesn't technically fulfill since it's a stopgap solution.  But, I'm not aware of a better word here.  Perhaps I should simply add the word "temporary" in front of "fulfillment".  

So, let me re-write that first sentence as such:

From the perspective of temporary fulfillment (virtual) porn brings, the likely answer for so many of us is no.

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Considering the expanse between this no and yes (harkening back to those first two sentences), where do you fall?

And this is such a timely question to ask as of late during the start of the holidays, because we're usually forced to relinquish our routines enough to actually see our true selves (in light of family / friends). 

Now, before I go any further, I need you to know that I'm in no way attempting here to elevate, celebrate, or pontificate to porn or any other salacious imagery that's designed to visually stimulate.  Also, I'm neither wiping the slate clean regarding the glory of God and how we as believers can and should be totally absolved within it, therefore finding our true identity / deep seated value there is and will always be the highest goal via faith in Jesus Christ. 

Why then write the first section to this post as I did?  Aren't I a Christian?  Yes.  But, I'm also a realist with a story of his own. 

Our flesh (we) has needs, and porn is available to man as a means to fulfill those needs.  All the while as a culture, it's now been deemed an "acceptable, harmless inevitability".  It is as prevalent as the automobile or underwear.  And as disposal too.  And these days, as indispensably cheap as most culture's drinking water.  Porn is the old and new math combined.  

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Needs.  Don't we hate that word?  Especially as Christian men.  It makes most of us want to puke just admitting to its very existence within the masculine realm.

Now, let's be more specific.  

What do those needs consist of / look like over the course of / taking into consideration this holiday week? 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  (That was a scream.)

And no, I'm not referring to your need to have someone go down on you - at your beck and call - whilst managing the familial hijinks involved within the holiday ahead.

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So here are my needs.  These are from my general list.

-  To be pursued

-  To be written to in love

-  Complex, masculine personal discovery through platonic (friendships) experiences

-  To be reminded that I have needs and of what they are

And yes, I've a plan currently in place to have some of these met this holiday week.

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Do yourself a favor.  Identity your specific needs for this day, this week, this month, the remainder of this year and from there, be intentional about finding ways to have them met in a way that's Christ's honoring.  And don't forget that Samson Society, at its very best, should exist to assist you in this needs fulfillment.

Paying Homage To My Hellacious Bout With Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

During the Samson Society fall retreat in Eva, TN, I met a husband whose wife was now suffering from PTSD.  Years ago, I organized a holiday dinner for the Metro Jackson Samson Society groups and there too, I had the privilege of meeting a Samson guy's wife who was struggling similarly.  For both of these wives, the emotional trauma had come in the form of shame (this is my best guess) relative to their husband's unfaithfulness towards them.  I recall vividly the latter wife's (at the dinner) story.  She showed me photos of her and her husband when they were young and in love, telling me stories all the while regarding their family unit (multiple children, etc.).  And then the ugly truth came out regarding her husband's unfaithfulness, and from there a detailed account of how the massive emotional trauma set in.  I found it interesting too that this wife (accompanied by her sister) had even tracked down her husband's lover and physically assaulted her in front of her abode.  None of that seemed to matter though.  Despite her best efforts to "rise above" what had gone down, the toxicity of emotional trauma had moved in for an extended stay.

Back in 2014, the man I served firstly as a Silas had been a minister in north Mississippi.  He had been committing ongoing adultery with two women (one of which was his wife's best friend) prior to her (& everyone in the church / community) finding out.  I cannot fathom the shame and horror she experienced.  I vividly remember him telling me how she would physically assault him, while their counselor was absent from the room, during counseling sessions.

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I have learned firsthand that the brain is fragile.  Much moreso in fact than we care to believe.  From what I understand of it (which is very little) as an organ, the emotional core / center of the brain is deep within, and that part is the oldest, most matured (historically) component.  That translates to mean (for me) that man's emotional core is central to the very definition of what a human brain is.  Therefore, without it, you're not necessarily qualifying a human brain at all.  All in all it's what helps to define us as human.  All manner of beauty and ugliness in life is ultimately transliterated out of this place inside of us.

Another means of translating or understanding that truth about the brain's emotional core, again for me, is how central to the entire expanse of our lives that it is.  As infants, the effective harnessing of our emotions are tantamount to actually surviving.  From there, we learn to trust (or not) our parents / guardians via our emotional selves 'till eventually these feelings lead us towards much deeper commitments such as romantic partners / spouses and even career choices.  All of this points us to how foundational our emotional core truly is to not only our existence but the very definition of who we are.  Therefore, it's very, very difficult to separate circumstance from feelings.  Everything is seemingly intertwined for us.

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My sweet wife suffered a stroke on May 29th of this year.  Today, after much good work in and through her miraculous recovery, she's still unable to feel her left foot or hand to any real degree.  Therefore, regarding her foot in particular, she's developed a gait that serves to compensate her inability to do this "that far down her leg".  This gait isn't nearly as steady or natural as a normal one, therefore when it comes to shoes (relative to safely walking, climbing steps / ramps), she's constrained.  

Of course, women wear lots of different shoe styles, coordinated perfectly with their attire.  Many of those aren't plain jane flats (like sneakers), yet my wife, is limited to / constrained by these choices due to the damage that was done via stroke to her nervous system.  And this as of late is mighty frustrating to her.  Especially considering how little she knows of her own continued recovery and what exactly that will look like - 12 additional months down the road.

So this serves as an example of a physical trauma seeding some emotional trauma alongside, but overall, my point in sharing her current situation is to demonstrate how holistically debilitating brain trauma (of any ilk) can be.  The point is this.  Ain't no organ of more critical importance than our brains.

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+/-Six months after I was terminated for breaking the IT policy (primarily by viewing gay porn and writing on my personal blog) at Delta State University, our family took a beach vacation while the little sinners were out of school for Spring Break.  Angie insisted we do this, and I begrudgingly agreed.  We had amassed bookoodles of Hilton Honors points during the years prior, therefore that served as our means to completely bankroll said excursion.  

At this time though, I was in the deep throes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, having self-diagnosed myself just one month prior.  PTSD's major symptom are the glorious flashbacks.  They are deeply disturbing and relentless, and for me, after the fact, I found myself dealing with the emotional fallout relative to these daily flashbacks for 2-3 hours afterwards.  From there, emotional fatigue would set in 'till eventually, following some semblance of a night's sleep, my brain would reset and the flashbacks would begin anew, reborn for a new day.  

These flashbacks were on repeat day after day for +/-18 months, and their focus was the 15-minute meeting I was part of in late September of 2013 where my immediate supervisor at DSU (the then CFO) as well as the then Human Resources Director terminated Rob from his position as Director of Facilities / Planning.  Needless to say, their professionalism was greatly lacking during these proceedings, therefore the trauma that ensued made a lasting neurological impression.

Immediately following the meeting, I knew I'd been demonized, but this wasn't necessarily the first time I'd experienced that.  What was distinctly different in this situation was how deeply respected (by me) were those who'd carried out the demonization.  Therein lie the problem.  

Hence, it was like being thrown off an emotional cliff and into a freefall that was neverending.  Day after day, month after month.  PTSD is chronic emotional assault that you have no means to escape from, no matter how much physical distance you put between yourself and the origination of the pain.  It is the most horrific experience I've ever encountered, and I would not wish it upon even my worst enemy.

Therefore, this aforementioned beach vacation, though I did my darndest to be present throughout, didn't do me any (conscious) favors.  For though I was there physically, acknowledging the fact that my traumatized brain chose too to not stay home, my emotional state of mind was all the while at the mercy of my PTSD.

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My most vivid memory of that beach trip was sitting in one of those standard hotel pool chairs on our small balcony overlooking the Gulf (out beyond the single-ply membrane low-slope roof below).  I would sit perfectly still with my eyes fixed on the horizon for hours on end each day.  For this I found was the best means of handling the flashbacks.  Simply sitting perfectly still and allowing them to hit me like so many waves of negative energy was my tried and true approach.  During these episodes, I could still observe what was going on around me, yet I had no empathy towards those within my surroundings.  And I suppose this was the result of my emotional core simply being too overheated / overwrought to carry on any present-day work.

My sweet Angie was kind enough to simply let me be during all of this.  And as you might imagine, the girls were simply happy to be at the beach, even if their dad was acting like a bit of a reclusive freak.

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I pray often for my new friend's wife (who I met during the Samson Society retreat a few weekends back).  Hearing of her bout with PTSD hurts my heart, but especially so knowing her trauma was the result of her husband's doing and subsequent disclosure.  I've often wondered why my Angie didn't similarly develop some form of PTSD from my job loss.  All I know is she did divulge to me that a month or so prior, she'd had a vivid dream of that very thing occurring to our family.  As such, she said repeatedly that she wasn't surprised in the least when I came home with the bad news.

In closing, a few days ago, Angie and I decided to book a beach trip for Q1 2021 to this same venue from seven years prior, and that has truly been sobering to consider over the past 48 hours.  The notion of returning to that resort all these years later is a bit overwhelming to consider.  Considering that, I'm so thankful to have survived the horror of PTSD, taking into account all the good that came from it, and I'm absolutely ready to make some better memories relative to that particular place in light of what it continues to stand for.

God is faithful.  Even when our brains are lying on the ROW bleeding out from the collision.

And of course, there is nothing more beautiful than restoration.  The more horrible the circumstances, the greater the opportunity.  It is the very language of our Lord.

Value Should Never Have Been Equated To Sexiness

Pubescent hormones and our own innate draw towards the visual make for easy fodder when it comes to sex appeal.  As children, we're indoctrinated (I realize it's a strong word) into equating value with sex appeal, sexiness, youthfulness, and so forth.  But Christianity banks nothing on these things.  Hotness isn't a fruit of the Spirit, and Jesus didn't parade around attempting to bed as many individuals as he could relative to his singleness.

The Bible speaks out against fornication and adultery as well as homosexuality.  No, no, and no again.  And Jesus addressed lust specifically as out of sync with God's will.

As Christians, our / other's personal value is always discounted in light of Christ.  This is back-assward to what our culture celebrates.  Hence, it should be Jesusbook in lieu of Facebook.

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How do we know / come to know this Jesus?

Scripture firstly, and from there via the Holy Spirit living inside of us and other believers.  These things combined results in solid teaching and preaching.

What draws us towards Jesus?

Life circumstance with a heavy emphasis on suffering because his appeal isn't and never has been cheap (it will cost you everything).

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To continue forward with that last sentence, when men face a circumstantial reckoning, it's then that Jesus may come into clear focus.  For example, via sickness or personal trials.  Christ's life is clearly documented within the gospels, and we're called to emulate him via the example he set.  

But it sure ain't no glamorous existence.

Just ask the apostle Paul.  

Yet, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians as if he'd just won the lottery and had the best sex of his life, all in anticipation of either dying and being with Christ or living and continuing to represent Christ.  His rejoicing within that correspondence is over the top! 

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I want to encourage you today to not Lolli gaggle around for a portend.  Misplaced value is a huge problem in our western culture.  Instead, open God's word today.  If you don't know where to start, start with the gospel of Mark, and from there ween yourself off of any and all cultural venues that do not put the emphasis on Jesus Christ (which is all of them).  

November - The "No Bull" Briefing Newsletter

 

THE NO BULL BRIEFING NEWSLETTER November 2020

Happy Thanksgiving! There's Still Time To Register for This Weekend's Virtual Retreat! John Lynch, KaKa Ray, and Nate Larkin LIVE! Plus highlights from the in-person retreat, live small group interaction, Andy Gullahorn concert, Tom Moucka's "State of the Society," and a special presentation you won't want to miss. Register HERE. Rumor clarification: just after he arrived at the Annual Retreat, our featured speaker, John Lynch, found out he had been exposed to Covid the night before. Since Tom Moucka drove him to the retreat, out of an abundance of caution, both of them returned home in order not to become "super spreaders." Both have since successfully self-quarantined. Matching Gift = Double Your Gift We have been blessed with a Matching Gift of $50,000.00! To date, we have raised $4,974.00 toward that goal. This is an opportunity of which we simply MUST take advantage. The matching donor has agreed to extend the deadline from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 in order to include year-end giving. Guys, please consider a sacrificial gift equal to the benefit you have gained from Samson Society. If you have realized significant gains in the stock market this year, you can give a gift of appreciated stock without impacting your monthly budget. Just email Chris Rosenhahn at New Horizons (our contributions processor) and he will walk you through the process. You will receive a charitable tax deduction for the full fair market value of the stock and you will not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciation. If you can make a special gift toward the match, Donate HERE. How will we use the match? Much needed administrative help, web development, improved SEO, improved onboarding platform, Silas training, improved Slack experience, and hopefully a post-Covid coast-to-coast community development road trip. Secondary Addictions A fellow Pirate Monk writes, "I got into Samson Society six years ago to deal with porn addiction, and as I got healthier, I discovered it wasn't my only bad habit - I was also a compulsive gambler." Our experience is, the Samson Society community can help brothers with multiple addictions. If you have discovered you have a gambling addiction and would like to join a Slack channel dedicated to gambling recovery, email Larry at riskman1@gmail.com. Prayer of St. Anselm O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You. You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You. You have made me and remade me, You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, Still, I do not know You. I have not yet done that for which I was made. Teach me to seek You. I cannot seek You unless You teach me or find You unless You show Yourself to me. Let me seek You in my desire, let me desire You in my seeking. Let me find You by loving You, let me love You when I find You. Amen  (from Graham J on Slack) Amazon Smile for Your Black Friday You can make an impact while you shop for Black Friday deals. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/82-2082396 and AmazonSmile will donate to Samson House, at no cost to you. NOTE re: Donations By Check Beginning January 1, 2021, Samson House will no longer process contributions by physical check at our Franklin, TN location. ALL contribution processing will be done by our contribution processor, New Horizons. Not only is this an effective outsourcing of a critical administrative task, but it also streamlines our 501-C-3 accounting to the IRS. You can donate HERE from now on.