January 2023 "No Bull Briefing"

 

THE NO BULL BRIEFING - January 2023

Celebrate 10 Years of National Samson Gatherings with the Samson Summit! In celebration of our tenth national event, Samson Society is throwing a party in Texas with The Place We Find Ourselves podcast host Adam Young.  Adam is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with Master degrees in Social Work (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Divinity (Emory University). He currently serves as a Fellow with The Allender Center, and his approach to therapy has been shaped primarily by Dan Allender, Daniel Siegel, Allan Schore, Pat Ogden, and Bessel van der Kolk. LEARN MORE New Samson Swag Available! Light an inspirational candle while you listen to the latest Pirate Monk Podcast on your Samson earbuds before journaling about walking the path of recovery. All possible with items now available in the Samson Swag Store. CHECK IT OUT A Week-Long Traveling Retreat in England Recovery is not a solo activity, nor is it merely a mental one. This retreat is an opportunity for 10 men to walk together for an entire week along ancient paths in rural England, forming bonds, facing challenges, sharing meals and personal experiences.  In the process we will work our way through all seven stages of the Samson Society’s Path, taking time for deliberate work at each stage.    Space is limited to the first ten men to register. LEARN MORE Meeting Host & Co-Host Virtual Training Do you host or sub a Samson Society meeting? If so, you are invited to join us for a special virtual training session on Saturday, February 4. Whether you facilitate an in-person or virtual meeting, this FREE training with TrueFace President & CEO Robby Angle will dive into what it means to have the heart of a leader and how you, as the meeting host, can confidently take the community of men who attend the meeting to a deeper, more fulfilling level.  REGISTER Support Your Partner's Healing Journey Invite your wife to attend this year's Sarah Society retreat featuring Fight for Love Ministries founder and podcast host Rosie Makinney. This weekend of soul restoration and encouragement occurs April 14-16, 2023, in Nunnelly, Tennessee at a private lodge. LEARN MORE Thank You for Your Generosity! Thanks to your generosity during our end-of-year matching gift fundraiser we smashed our goal of $50,000! Here's a Pirate Monk fist bump for you! Are You a Recovery Coach? Let Us Know! As the Samson Society continues to grow, we are committed to helping men reach higher levels of healing in their journey of recovery. We are wanting to create an in-house directory of recovery coaches for Samson men to use as they seek deeper insight into the barriers and obstacles keeping them from finding freedom. If you are a licensed recovery coach, please let us know. Email us your contact information, credential information, and any other information such as specialized areas of focus you would like included in this directory. I Thought of You Today: A Note to Your Silas/Silee By Andrew As the day begins, the sun rising above the horizon, the first rays of sunlight brightening the dawning sky, I thought of you today. You, who are you? You the one who lives in a far away land, so far that when I climb upon the highest hill and there I stand, the only thing of you I see is the invisible heart of a man whose friendship and love I desperately need. What else is there of you? What do I not know? What should I know as you too, stand on that distant hill looking my way, wondering the same? What else is there of you? This I know. I wish we stood on closer hills so that in the distance you could see me walking towards you and you the same. In that moment of time we would know, we would see the prospect of time that would bring us together for the renewal of our brotherhood, a kinship born of life’s circumstances. As I would begin my walk towards the closer hill, my heart would quicken in anticipation. Upon meeting, the questions would continue to be answered one by one, the question, “What else is there of you that you desire to share of yourself?” We would sit. We would talk. We would stroll through the overgrown path that one once thought of as the one less traveled. It is here that we can ever so carefully unwrap the delicate parts of our hearts that are protected due to past hurts. Upon entering the clearing of the path less traveled we would find that there is nothing more to ask when questioned, “What else is there of you?” because the time spent sharing our heart, the private, sacred parts of our hearts would have been unveiled to one another. It is here that the life’s roadmap designed by God, would have allowed us each to expose the pain but also, I would like to interject, the beauty that we find in life, in our relationship. So now that the rays of sunlight fill the sky and the busyness of life carries many to and fro, oblivious to others’ wants and needs, I want to stop long enough to tell you that I thought of you today. December 2022 Meeting Host & Sub Winner Thank you Jamey Bennett for hosting the in-person Samson Society of Boca meeting! We would like to give you a one-time 25% discount in the Samson merch store as a thank you for donating your time and talents! Please check your email inbox for your discount code. Each month we will draw one name, so be sure to complete the host form online every time you host or sub a meeting to be entered in to the drawing. You receive one entry for each time you host or sub during the month. 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! 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!  Some of us may be able to pinpoint moments where we experienced harm in our formative years. Others of us may say: “My parents were just doing the best they could,” or “My upbringing wasn’t so bad compared to others’.” The truth is: We have all experienced hurt, abandonment, or disappointment at the hands of our parents or caretakers, whether it was intentional or not. So much of our beauty and brokenness — so much of what makes us human — is tied to our family of origin.  How do we begin to engage with the harm we endured? Are we dishonoring our father and mother if we name the hurt we experienced growing up? Should we just “let it go?” Furthermore, how do we engage the ways in which our families of origin have influenced our stories today? Are we doomed to repeat past patterns in our own lives, our children’s lives, and with future generations? Join Dr. Dan Allender and Adam Young, LCSW, MDiv, as they discuss the often-unaddressed burdens that adult children bear, how to engage the stories of the past with honor and grace, and how to find relief in order to step into the freedom that God has called us to in our own stories. WHEN: Thursday, February 23 (Lifetime Access to Recording) COST: $49 REGISTER Connect with us on social media!

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