Most Samson Society men are married, at least based on my knowledge of the men I've connected with inside our community. Most married men are fathers - across the board. I can count on one hand the number of husbands I've met through the years who've not reproduced.
Marriage is sold to us here in the West as THE NORM. Bachelorhood is frowned upon. If you're a bachelor, you're typically pitied and often poked fun at for being as such.
One of the most interesting aspects of God's Word is it runs counter to this. And this is huge because singleness is no doubt a much less (all around) demanding position to be in. In other words, like so much of God's word, it lines up with pragmatism.
Christianity is a relinquishing of our individual rights. We're called instead to a fellowship of suffering with Christ which involves us finding family, meaning, and identity within the church, Christ's bride.
The apostle Paul was content in Christ. His writings exhort that fact. His life was tethered not by responsibilities to a spouse or children. Instead, he followed the great commission's lead and through the Holy Spirit evangelized to the gentiles throughout three separate missionary journeys. And all along, he did this with a number of close male friends (as well as married couples) at his side.
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So why is marriage elevated as it is within our culture?
Marriage (of any ilk) is good for the bottom line. It's as simple as that. Statistics prove that populations made up of married folks spend more money on just about everything, but mainly on loads of unnecessities - a bigger this and a bigger that, more of this and more of that. The men (& now the ladies too) work their hineys off too. Much moreso than bachelors, if you consider the white collar males' (& now female's) race to "the top". And this is due to that perceived marital obligation - that ever present drive to provide, provide, provide. KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES, BABY!
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Therefore, taking all of this into consideration, we husbands / fathers are no doubt at times overworked and underpaid - physically, emotionally & spiritually. And that's the liability found there versus that which our bachelor friends experience.
Hence, we often need to retreat. Even if it's a virtual one:
SPECIAL NOTICE:Virtual Retreat & Matching Challenge Grant
Virtual Retreat
Okay, so we had to limit the size of this year's Annual Retreat due to Covid restrictions, but we are refusing to "cave to Covid" (though we came close!) On November 20-21, we will be holding our first-ever VIRTUAL RETREAT. This will be a hybrid of recorded sessions from the in-person retreat AND live sessions from speakers that couldn’t make the retreat … WITH NO COVID! That’s right, John Lynch will be there LIVE, KaKa Ray will be there LIVE, and Nate Larkin will be there LIVE. There will also be time for questions and answers and small group discussions.
Only $49 - Register HERE - limited spaces, register today!
Schedule • Friday, November 20
7 PM Central Time Welcome
Welcome, Instructions, and Opening Remarks by Aaron & Nate
7:15 PM Central Time Keynote
Opening Message from John Lynch
8:15 PM Central Time Concert
Songs, Stories and Recovery Wisdom by Andy Gullahorn
Schedule • Saturday, November 21
9 AM Central Time Launch
Friday recap and Saturday preview with Aaron & Nate
9:15 AM Central Time Keynote
Second message from John Lynch
10:15 AM Central Time Personal Work
Individual reflection with guidance from John Lynch (45 minutes)
11 AM Central Time Small Group Sharing
Pooling insights with brothers in breakout rooms
Noon Central Time Midday Break
1:00 PM Central Time Workshop with Kaka Ray
Where Addiction and Trauma Meet
2:10 PM Central Time Workshop with Nate Larkin
Regaining Your Footing After a Relapse
3:20 PM Central Time Workshop with Aaron Porter
Stop Trying So Hard!
4:30 PM Central Time Workshop with Andy Gullahorn
The Spiritual Discipline of the High Five
5:30 PM Central Time Dinner Break
6:15 PM Central Time Small Group Sharing
Pooling insights with brothers in breakout rooms
7:00 PM Central Time The Grand Finale
Special Presentation by Dr. Tom Moucka, and closing message by Aaron Porter
Matching Challenge Grant
As announced in last month’s No Bull Briefing, Samson House has received an anonymous Matching Challenge Grant. It is a dollar-for-dollar match up to $50,000.00! The deadline for the grant is Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020. To date, we have raised $2,499.00. All one-time gifts and new recurring gifts are eligible for the match. Gifts of stock are included and have the added benefit of a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the stock and you will not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciation. NOTE: The Cares Act of 2020 provides special benefits for charitable donations, even if you don't itemize!
This is a HUGE opportunity for Samson House to acquire much needed administrative and IT help. We have experienced significant growth in the last six months, and it shows no sign of letting up. With additional funds, we will be able to expand our Slack community, redesign and launch a new app, and add additional native-language groups around the world. If all goes well, we will also re-launch our coast-to-coast road trip!
To give toward the matching grant, simply click on the donate button on our home page. You will be re-directed to our contribution processor, New Horizons. Follow the prompts to complete your gift. If you would like to make a gift of appreciated stock, contact Chris at New Horizons at (800) 531-4075 or click here to email him directly.
Thank you ALL so very much,
Tom Moucka |
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