Integrated

I feel wholly integrated into Samson Society.  It's taken almost eight years, but I've officially arrived.  And this is no fault of anyone.  Instead, it's testimony to how broken I was when I first stepped foot into the original Jackson, Mississippi meeting back in August of 2014.  

I've always been weighed down by my spiritual gifts.  That - combined with how impossible it is to see myself with any real clarity - positioned me perfectly for a serious emotional rape back in September of 2013 (institutional job termination).  And the shell of a man - contemplating suicide - is what walked into Samson Society all those many years ago.

I thought I'd summarize my journey here in order to clearly spell out that feeling integrated into this community can take a whole lot of time / patience / commitment.

August 2014 - Attend first Jackson, MS Samson Society meeting - First Baptist Church Jackson

October 2014 - Formally agree to firstly become another man's Silas

June 2015 - Attend a Jackson, MS Samson Society retreat (South MS)

December 2015 - Ask another man to be my Silas

April 2016 - Attend second Jackson, MS Samson Society retreat (Highlands, NC)

2017 - Begin attending first Jackson, MS Samson Society spinoff group (Grace Crossing Church -Gluckstadt)

April 2017 - Attend third Jackson, MS Samson Society retreat (Highlands, NC)

Summer 2017 - Begin facilitating the Lakeside Presbyterian Church Samson Society group

November 2017 - Attend first National Samson Society retreat (Middle TN)

February 2018 - Organize first (and only) local (by Rob invitation only) Samson Society retreat (Yazoo county, MS)

November 2018 - Attend second National Samson Society retreat (Middle TN)

January 2019 - Ask another man to be my Silas (#2)

November 2019 - Attend third National Samson Society retreat (Middle TN)

November 2020 - Attend fourth National Samson Society retreat (Middle TN)

July 2021 - Attend Samson Society "Telling Your Story" regional retreat (North GA)

October 2021 - Retire from Samson Society facilitator role at Lakeside Presbyterian Church

November 2021 - Attend fifth National Samson Society retreat (Middle TN)

December 2021 - Ask another man to be my Silas (#3)

December 2021 - Begin attending "Make Thursdays Great Again" virtual Samson Society meeting

February 2022 - Attend second Samson Society "Telling Your Story" regional retreat (Gulf Shores, AL)

That's a whole lotta Samson Society over the past eight years.  All in all, I've attended +/-400 meetings, been served by three Silases, served countless Samson guys as their Silas, attended four dedicated Mississippi Samson Society retreats, five National Samson Society retreats, and two regional Samson Society retreats.

And it's taken all of that to usher me into where I'm at today.  Fully integrated.

In closing, I'm still on fire for this men's ministry.  Just as much as I was at the outset.  I see God's spirit moving / working still in mighty ways.  Plus, to feel fully integrated therein is exceedingly special.  

Samson Society is the coolest venue I've experienced where talking openly about one's sin actively interrupts Satan's wiles.  As such, it's during those sweet episodes where there's great risk.  Risk that God can and certainly does use to grow us forward as his children. 

 

Recommended Reading - Cross Pollination Silases

 I Trust Them with My Sins: Four Ways to Welcome Confession | Desiring God

Recommended Reading - The Typical Mississippi Parents

 My Parents Ruled By Apathy | YourTango

How Lockdowns Combined With The Internet Made You So Sex(uality) Crazed, & Perhaps For The Better. Be Wary of Secondhand Internet.

Recommended reading:

Why sexual identities shifted during the pandemic - BBC Worklife

Are smartphones serving as adult pacifiers? (msn.com)

The Internet certainly does wonders to keep us focused on sex.  We can watch people have sex (ad nauseum), we can admire sexy people and their well-documented salacious lives, we can read about sex & chat about sex.  As such, the Internet has the market cornered on sex.

This begs the question:  Does the contents of the Internet accurately / proportionately reflect humanity?  Our overall interests / wiring?  Our modus operandi as human beings?  Or, did it become what it is in response to our consumer-fueled, hyper-individualistically customized culture?  And lastly, if an individual never utilizes the (that "portion of") Internet to consume sexualized (explicit) content, might they still be impacted indirectly?  In other words, is there such thing as "secondhand Internet"?

  

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The first item to explore here, in an attempt to answer these questions, is the western world's primary focus:  That being amassing bookoodles of material wealth.  And the Internet celebrates / rewards this feckless pursuit in line with its primary motives / reasons for being. 

It cannot be understated that never has there been such a force of material wealth reckoning (redistribution) than has been seen since the dawn of the Internet.  As such, the Internet is most certainly not an accurate holistic reflection of humanity.  Instead, it harnesses / exploits / distorts / trivializes / purports any and all aspects of our western, free enterprise CULTURE in light of its greater purpose (to make people $$$$$$).

As such, nothing online can be wholeheartedly trusted in spite of the Internet's ubiquity / convenience / pervasiveness.  Yet, we as consumers do not care about this.  For it's the consumer-fueled, hyper-individualistic customization that keeps us hooked / deceived.  Deceived into believing that each serendipitous click seemingly controls the degree to which we're exposed, thereby, by default, defining our time online via our own, perpetually darkening, browsing standards. 

All in all, the Internet typically speaks with authority, yet does so only to keep its users glued to their screens.  And the reputation therein continues to gain credence as URLs fine tune their interface to consumer preferences.

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Overall, consumers who're obsessed with sex, sexiness consume more readily (are more confident consumers).  Sexually stimulating the brain proportionally reduces feelings / concerns over fear.

Cheapskates typically aren't obsessed with sex, sexiness (though they may still think an awful lot about it).  Therein, most cheapskates are thrifty because they're not at all confident that they're necessarily going to be employed, have good health, be married, etc. tomorrow.  Confident consumers are convinced otherwise.

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It wasn't long after I'd arrived at last weekend's Samson Society Gulf Coast retreat that I met my favorite co-retreater.  He was about my age and came to the retreat without knowing anyone else.  This was one brave dude, and it was my privilege to bunk with him.  

As we chatted Friday evening, standing there beside our beds, he cited recently listening to a podcast featuring a pastor who was now owning up to his previous marriage to / exploitation of the Internet (I featured that pastor within a previous post).

Here's that pastor:

What I'm trying to wrap my head around today is this (& it points back to the notion of "guilt" by association):  Is there no purity left in this human (online) experience that we now embrace?  No place - that the Internet hasn't touched - that's free of this jaded decline in our outlook?

By asking those questions, I'm not condoning this pastor's attempt to evangelize via his own story, but to hear my new very intelligent, very articulate Samson friend talk of this dude, and now realizing how truly bizarre this very photogenic pastor's story is...it just makes my brain hurt to think about where we've come (pun intended).

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A previous Silas got off repeatedly throughout most weeks via salacious online imagery (accessed via his smartphone), yet never, under any circumstances, utilizing hardcore, explicit porn.  He and I walked together for years, and I watched as he justified this behavior, within his own mind, by downplaying his association with explicit content.  This young man had served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher (within the country church he grew up in) as a teen in small town Mississippi which spoke clearly towards his whitewashed image.  And this guy was obsessed with the Internet.  His smartphone / Apple Watch were of paramount importance to him, commanding his attention over everything else on planet Earth via each buzz and sound.  

As I've thought back through that relationship, I'm now convinced that his circumstance may be far harder to pivot away from than I originally assumed.  And this, I would argue, is presumably the case due to the association piece / "secondhand Internet" influence I've attempted to speak to here.

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One thing that can be said for Pastor Joshua Broome is that he's no doubt descended to his very bottom of (what's legally permissible) the Internet's deep well of reliable revenue streams.  And by doing so, there's no semblance of sin by association whatsoever.  Hence, there's no direction (for him) but up from here.  Plus, Pastor Broome didn't just dabble in his former career.  He actually made history.

That being the case, I worry far less about him returning to his vomit than I do my former Silas.  

God redeems but only those who can clearly see why they are in need for redemption.  I'm convinced that there's so much more contrast in black & white versus grey.  

Recommended Reading

10 Things I Learned When I Overcame Alcoholism, Got Divorced, And Lost My Job — All Amid A Pandemic | YourTango

The "No Bull" Briefing - February 2022

 

THE NO BULL BRIEFING - February 2022

Share Your Samson Story Nate Larkin is working on the second edition of Samson and the Pirate Monks.  This revised and expanded edition will feature dozens of real stories contributed by members of the Samson Society. Nate is looking for brothers who are willing to add their own redemption story to the collection.  Here are the guidelines: Each story must be a true account of personal experience Each story should focus on a single crisis, issue, breakthrough, or insight Stories should be 750-1500 words in length Submissions will be edited for clarity and brevity Authors may give their real name or choose to be anonymous. If you are willing to share the lessons of your experience with readers around the world, drop a line today to submissions@samsonhouse.org and let us know that you intend to participate. Ciao Amico! Join us in Italy from October 7-9, 2022, for a men's retreat at a venue a short drive from Rome. We are still finalizing the costs, but as of right now it looks like the in-country expenses will be very reasonable. If you want to make it a vacation for you and your wife, we will be providing opportunities for personal growth and fun excursions for women as well. If you plan on staying beyond the retreat for an extended vacation, we will be providing updates in future NBBs and on a dedicated Slack channel so you can coordinate with other Pirate Monks. We recognize that after paying rent, utilities, and grocery bills, it can be difficult to set aside the little cash that is left over each month for a future trip. Here are five practical tips for funding your trip to Italy.  Regional Retreat Opportunities Planning a regional Samson retreat? Let us know at samsonhouseoffice@gmail.com or drop it on the #upcoming_event channel on Slack so we can help you spread the word! Sarah Society Inaugural Retreat Sarah Society invites any woman, regardless of marital status, who has experienced betrayal trauma to our inaugural annual retreat.  Join us April 8-10, 2022, at Five Star Retreat in Nunnelly, Tennessee, for a weekend of soul restoration and receive encouragement and practical tips for navigating the journey of recovery from partner betrayal. For more information or to save your spot today, visit our website. 2023 Mega Retreat Team We are seriously considering a MEGA RETREAT for 2023 in Orlando or a similar destination. The planning for such an event is considerable, though, so we are putting together a 2023 Mega Retreat Team to plan and execute the whole event.  We will need at least 12 men to coordinate travel, location, venue, communication, merch, meals and coffee, sound, video, presenters, registration, and more. The commitment is approximately 5 hours per month from now until August 2023, with more hours needed in the final couple of months. If we can pull this off, this will be a game-changer event for Samson Society. Interested in joining the team? Email us at samsonhouseoffice@gmail.com  Monthly Resource Corner Each month, Samson Society will promote a resource that you may find helpful on your journey. Feel free to share any podcast episodes, blog posts, books, or documentaries that you find enlightening! Email us at samsonhouseoffice@gmail.com. This month, we are highlighting Sex, God, and the Chaos of Betrayal by Roane and Eva Hunter, featuring a foreward from our main presenter this past November in Eva, Jim Cress. Roane and Eva Hunter offer a raw and transparent account of the difficult path they have traveled together in dealing with sexual addiction. The result is their ability to offer a comprehensive road map for recovery. In addition to their own personal experiences, they are able to share as two seasoned and highly respected mental health professionals who have now field-tested this process of healing with countless couples through their clinical practice. The result is carefully crafted advice for discovering how to find the true intimacy of knowing and being known. Daily Dose of Samson Devotional Join others in listening to a daily 3-minute devotion from Samson House anywhere at any time on any device: Amazon Alexa iTunes Stitcher Google Podcasts You Shop. Amazon Gives. Don't forget us when you (or your small business) shop online. Just designate Samson House as your  charity of choice and each time you shop Amazon will donate to Samson House. The more you shop, the more Amazon gives! While Samson Society does not charge any membership dues or fees, we do have expenses and every dollar donated helps us rescue families by helping men live in the freedom of authenticity.  Connect with us on social media!