Rarely does my sweet wife use her left hand to move her lovely salt & pepper hair out of her face. Instead, she uses her right hand. Why?
Some veteran Jackson Mississippi Samson guys' musings, recommended resources, and Samson Society news / updates (all written by 100% Grade A - Human Intelligence)
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, September 10, 2024
My Wife's Limp
Saturday, August 17, 2024
It's Been Ten Years Since I First Stepped Foot Into A Samson Society Meeting!
Over the past ten years, I've attended at least one Samson Society meeting a week. August 2014 at First Baptist Church Jackson (Summit Counseling suite) was when that first meeting (involving Rob) occurred. I had met with Mr. Don Waller (facilitator of said meeting) on one occasion, and from there, he ushered me into his group (which at the time was the only Samson Society meeting in Mississippi, as far as we knew).
Sunday, July 21, 2024
As a Christian, You're Going To Get Hurt Within Samson Society. Why Expect This? Because You're Called To Serve Firstly & Feel Secondly.
Prior to losing my Campus Architect / Facilities Director position at Delta State University in 2013, I was surrounded by men day in and day out via the demands of / setup within my vocational role. I did my darndest to treat everyone fairly, but since I was only there one year prior to my termination (thanks to me violating their IT policy), I really only had time to grow close to a handful of these blue-collar blokes. Overall, though, I felt this experience was literally the zenith of my career as an architect. And I felt this at day one. It truly had all the makings of a dream job.
My leadership approach was as follows: open-door, listen and try to help without in any way pretending to know better than they did (because I usually didn't). My predecessor had taken the exact opposite approach, therefore the change in leadership style, for my minions, was like a breath of fresh air.
Friday, June 21, 2024
The Earnest Wife (Puppeteer). Am I Happily Married To A "Doormat"?
During my first Samson Society meeting back in August of 2014, I met a younger man who'd also lost (two, actually) jobs for breaking company policy (IT / personnel). I wasn't at all sure how to feel about that connection for I was still deeply overwhelmed with shame / grief therein (my similar job loss occurred in September of '13).
He was very friendly though and did not discount the role his wife played in his recovery. This piqued my interest.
This younger professional man's initial job loss came during a season where their young family was (as the Turners were) living in small town MS. They'd been there a good bit longer than our one year, and therefore had made more platonic connections. As a result of his job loss, his wife promptly "threw him out" (his words) of their house which resulted in him bunking on a friend's couch for +/- one week. Eventually, he found another job (civil engineering firm), and after that seemingly reciprocal termination, they found themselves looking for work either back home (AL) or somewhere in Jackson (they landed in "The Bold New City").
At some point during all of these fits & starts, my new friend's wife declared that her husband was "someone she didn't recognize".
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Intimacy With Men Lives On Via Memory & Technology
Sledge's birthday is 2024's Memorial Day. Leading up to his birthday, each year, I re-listen to his audio journals & re-read his personal analytical work that he so fearlessly sent my way back in 2018. Sledge was 28 at the time, and I was 45. We'd met due to his willingness to step into the Samson Society meeting I facilitated at Lakeside Pres. At the time, lust was a sizable part of his life, and he'd found himself convicted therein whilst hearing a mutual friend of ours share his testimony (prior to referring his audience to Samson Society).
Monday, May 6, 2024
Rob's (Adolescent) Self-Pleasure Hidey Hole
You've heard the trope. "I'm taking / claiming sanctuary / asylum here within the church house".
During the previous US President's administration, a number of illegal immigrants took this approach (as a last resort to being deported).
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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
A Hard Funeral(s) To Sit Through
Out of respect for my father, I attended a funeral (unrelated to family) today. This wasn't the first time I'd done this. When I was in high school, I attended a funeral with him. I remember it clearly, for the deceased had killed himself via suicide, leaving behind a boy who was only one or two years older than I (the boy went to my high school and the divorced dad had attended church with us).
That was my first hard funeral due to the tragedy tied to the cause of death.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Overwhelming Recognition
Last week, I was approached by someone who's made an indelible, though very indirect, positive mark on my family. He's retirement age, though still working full-time, and as such, has recently embraced the perspective of preparing for the inevitable.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
What Is A Silas?
Here is what our experience tells us: You can get sober from anything going to meetings, but you can’t stay sober just going to meetings. That’s why, in the end, it isn’t even about the meetings. The meetings are a portal into the brotherhood. Samson really lives BETWEEN the meetings in relationships, conversations, friendships. Christianity, properly understood, is a team sport, not an individual event. We’ve been failing because we’ve been playing the wrong game! If we play 1-on-1 against a superior opponent, we will fail.
The lead person on your team we call a Silas. He is the one you are in regular communication with. There is an element of accountability, but it is not focused on sin management. If I just focus on the behavior, I run the risk of mastering that specific behavior and becoming a self-righteous Pharisee. Instead, I give another person (my Silas) real-time access to my whole life. What I’m feeling, thinking, doing, and thinking of doing.My Silas is not an expert. He is a guy on the same road walking the same direction. But when it comes to my life, he has an advantage over me – he’s not in it! That gives him a perspective on my life that I don’t have. There are whole parts of my life that I can’t see because I’m inside it. Like trying to read the label from inside the bottle.
Here are some of the things my Silas does:
- He gets to know my story.
- He remembers the things I tend to forget.
- He asks the questions I tend to avoid.
- He notices patterns I don’t see.
- He reminds me who I really am.
You are not imposing on him. He gets as much out of the relationship as you do. He needs you to call him. Everyone needs a few moments each day to get out of their own head and focus on another person.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Simply Feeling Circumstantially Unsafe As A Boy Can Have A Long-Term Impact
I run twice weekly. Once during the workweek and once during the weekend. Each run is 5K broken in half by a one-mile brisk walk. I run slowly sans a fitness tracker, and I only glance at my watch once in order to see the time. I do not keep tabs on pacing, heartrate or any of that other nonsense. I simply run away from home before coming back, the exact same route twice weekly.
I love to hate to run.
Last week, I ran one weekday evening, and upon my return home, it had become dark out. As I made my way into our 'hood, I could see a Chevrolet HHR parked just inside the property of one of the three surrounding churches - Episcopal, Assembly of God, Presbyterian (circumnavigating our neighborhood).
Despite the fact that the intensely smoking (it was on fire) retro-styled automobile had emergency off-ramped at the Episcopal church, it was just as vacantly quiet as their religious competitors' property (at the time).
If I'm remembering correctly, it was around 8:30-8:45 PM when I first noticed the smoldering vehicle and its distressed occupants (mulling about).
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Friday, December 8, 2023
BREAKTHROUGH!
I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I DON'T TRUST WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I DON'T TRUST YOU. I'M ONLY HEARING YOU.
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I choose to trust you. I'm not only hearing you but I'm allowing myself to feel your love for me as well.
Thursday, November 23, 2023
What Is The Greatest Gift You've Given Your Wife?