Weekly meetings available to you are as follows:

Tuesday at 6:30 PM, Truitt Baptist Church - Pearl. Call Matt Flint at (601) 260-8518 or email him at matthewflint.makes@gmail.com.

Wednesday at 6:00 PM, First Baptist Church Jackson - Summit Counseling Suite - 431 North State St. Jackson. Call Don Waller at 601-946-1290 or email him at don@wallerbros.com.

Monday at 6:30 PM , Vertical Church - 521 Gluckstadt Road Madison, MS 39110. Mr. Roane Hunter, facilitator, LifeWorks Counseling.

Wednesday at 7:00 PM, Crossgates Baptist Church. Brandon Reach out to Matthew Lehman at (601)-214-4077 for further info.

Sunday night at 6:00 PM, Grace Crossing Baptist Church - 598 Yandell Rd. Canton. Call Joe McCalman at 601-201-5608 or email him at cookandnoonie@gmail.com.


Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Why Aren't There More Mormons Involved Within Samson Society?

I think it has to do with stigma more than anything else.  

What is stigma?

A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

Mormons are high, high, high performers.  As such, they're typically VERY concerned about avoiding being stigmatized.  

Samson Society is a gang of merry Christian men who celebrate (have a great time doing) recovery.  In so many ways, we're paradoxical due to our approach (attitude).  It's as if we embrace (laugh-off) the stigma wholeheartedly, having come to understand that being stigmatized isn't at all in line with healthy recovery.  

-------------------------

Weekend before last, I met a new(comer) Samson guy within my go-to, virtual Samson Society meeting.  During the after-meeting, he asked me to be his Silas.  I replied by thanking him before requesting that he think / pray about choosing Rob for one week.  He did so, and now I'm his Silas.

Firstly, I asked him for his story.  I had that within 24 hours.  

It wasn't long before he divulged (he recorded the majority of his story within an audio file) that he's a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (two-year mission, BYU alum).  

-------------------------

The first Mormon I ever met was an associate architecture professor at Mississippi State University (the year was 1994).  The attribute I recall mostly about his man was his work ethic.  It was unbelievable (compared to his professor peers).  The other attribute that stood out was his humility / meekness / kindness.  

How I knew he was Mormon, I don't remember, but I'm assuming it was whispered around not long after classes started my fourth year.  As such, I always did feel sorry for this man from the standpoint of being such the (fervent) religious anomaly within small-town Mississippi.  

Nonetheless, he was just as much of a hard ass as the other professors (if not harder).  He came - this close - to failing me relative to my final fourth year project due to it being "incomplete" (his words).

What I have continued to admire about this professor is he's stayed the course at MSU's School of Architecture.  Year after year, he's continued to teach / lead, and I believe he's still going strong.

That's persistence within a less-than-ideal (for him) environment.

-------------------------

I'm excited to be this Mormon's Silas.  I've always wanted to befriend a Mormon, but have never had the opportunity.  (We've never even had any Mormon missionaries come to our door.)  

And now, one just approached me - out of the blue - during the Samson Society "Brain Changers" meeting.  Wow.  I feel immensely blessed.  

Please pray for me as I walk with my new friend as his Silas.  I'm looking forward.  (Samson Society truly is a very big pond.)

No comments:

Post a Comment