The No Bull Briefing Newsletter - March 2021

 

THE NO BULL BRIEFING NEWSLETTER - March 2021

Time to Crank Up the In-person Meetings! Okay, can we all agree, this Covid thing has been a long haul? But there is light at the end of the tunnel and it's not another trainwreck coming. Many states are opening up, and more churches are as well. If you can safely restart your in-person meetings, according to local guidelines, go for it. When you do, please make sure your meeting is registered on the website and the members are listed, that way everyone in your group will get this e-newsletter. If you've never been in an in-person meeting and you're thinking you'd like to - start one! Just find a location, register your group on the home page so it can be found, spread the word, and then simply print off the meeting script on the website resources page. Simple as that. For further assistance and helpful tips, email Tom Moucka. 300th Pirate Monk Podcast We're celebrating the 300th episode of the Pirate Monk Podcast and we're making it all about YOU. Send your questions,  comments, and fond memories of the guys and the show, past, present, and future to: piratemonkpodcast@gmail.com. Or post on Slack at #podca_chat. We'll be recording the special episode in a couple weeks. Path Step Four by Andrew The Path Step Four: Encouraged by my Silas and others, I develop the daily disciplines of prayer, study and self-examination. I abandon self-help, asking God instead to do for me what I cannot do for myself. In a meeting today we discussed the part of the path about developing the daily discipline of prayer, study, and self-examination. I had a thought right at the end of the discussion which I didn't get a chance to share, so I thought I'd share here. I've realized that acting out on my addiction requires the daily disciplines of lying, manipulating, and isolating (to name a few). It takes incredible work and practiced discipline in order to orchestrate all the details that need to be in place in order for me to look at porn and/or masturbate comfortably and away from my spouse and kids - especially if they're in the house. Finding ways to do it on a regular basis, stuffing plans in the back of my mind so that even I don't believe they're there, and then piously and convincingly confessing to my wife that it was a surprise all take incredibly precise effort, one day at a time. Practicing prayer, study, and self-examination - all with the encouragement of a Silas and friends - is the exact opposite of the disciplines I learned and practiced for the 2 decades I was in addiction. With the help of others and a Silas, I hope to be as precise in those disciplines of recovery as I once was with my disciplines of addiction. And it's working for me. It's amazing how my halting, stuttering attempts at these new disciplines defeat the optimized precision of my old disciplines. God is in these disciplines. He magnifies them into more than my own efforts and helps me grow, one step at a time, on the path of recovery. (edited) Thanks for sharing Andrew. July 5th       is Silas Appreciation Day Samson Society is all about connection, and the most valued connection within the society is the Silas relationship. In the Path, we are reminded in the second step, "I start attending meetings of the society, and from its members, I select a Silas, a trustworthy traveling companion for this stretch of the road." Well, it's high time we celebrate those trustworthy traveling companions! This summer, on July 5th, we are going to honor all Silases everywhere. Put it on your calendar. Plan a special something with your Silas on that date, send him an email if you can't get together, and between now and then, keep an eye out for more on this in the NBB and our Slack channels. Helpful Quote "Never make a statement when a question will do." - Greg Koukl   Very helpful advice for a Silas ... thanks Shawn P. for the tip. Please consider this Samson Society doesn't have dues or fees, but we DO have expenses. We currently reach men in over 40 countries and we are stretched thin financially. If you can make a one-time or monthly contribution, that will help us continue to do what we do so well ... "rescue families by helping men live in the freedom of authenticity." You can make your contribution to the mission of Samson Society through Samson House HERE. Thank you!

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