Recommended Viewing - The Budding Of A Bromance / '80s Teen Heartthrob(s) Duly Wrangled (Still) By The Gospel

"The Piece About The Weekend" - Max Morton

Seventeen men, aged 23-73, attended the Jackson Area Annual Samson Retreat in Ocoee, Tennessee this weekend. From Thursday to Sunday there was fellowship, food, fun, farts, conflict (try getting 17 grown-ass-men to share two bathrooms and 1 kitchen without conflict) and conflict resolution. There were Paint-ball wars and White-Water Rafting. There was no cell reception (unless you wanted to hike up the hill, which I did not) but lots of connectivity. There was lots of snoring and not enough showers. There were laughter and tears. 

But mostly we shared our stories.

Some guys are very familiar with their stories, and have done the hard work of recovery to excavate the layers of hurt and trauma that led to their addictions. Some guys were brand new to this. I heard stories I have heard before, but each time I hear a guy's story I hear something new. There were men I'd never met and stories I'd never heard. Our stories are like the Ocoee River, each time you step into it, it is new. The water on my feet is not the same as the last time, the rocks are in a different place. Our stories are the same. Each time I tell my story I discover something I had not seen before.

I heard stories of pain, heartache, betrayal, shame, guilt, sin, loss, and the lack of a father to initiate us into the masculine journey. There's nothing quite like blubbering like a baby in front of room full of grown-ass-men at 8:45 on a Friday morning, but that was me. And I wasn't even the one telling my story. And I didn't care. There is nothing quite like being present with other men as they seek to navigate life, their pain, their addiction, their redemption. It was an honor, and I was in tears.

The first time I told my story was to a similar group of men two and a half years ago. It had been three weeks since my wife had told me she was filing for divorce. I was raw, in denial about the gravity of my own situation, and what had brought me to this place. I desperately needed acceptance and validation. Most of the men in the circle were men I didn't know. I told my story, and was not met with the kind of response I had hoped. I came away feeling like my story (or at least the way I told it) was not worth repeating. I felt my sins weren't grand enough to be relatable. But my story is my story. I don't need to tell it better or worse than it truly is.

This weekend when I had opportunity to share, healing took place. James 5:16 says, "Confess your sins one to another, so that you may be healed." I always thought confessing my sin was a private thing between me and God, and there is some truth to that. I John 1:9 says "if we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from unrighteousness." I had done that before, I had received forgiveness from God, but it wasn't until I started telling my story--confessing my sins one to another--that I received the kind of healing I needed to live in freedom and victory.

The main difference between my story this year and my story from 2019 was the audience. The story was primarily the same, but the guys I told it to are guys who have been walking closely with me all this time, and even from before (Max, not Max 2.0). They have listened to me struggle openly for several years now. They have walked this recovery journey with me. The affirmation and validation I received was not only comforting, it was liberating. 

This was my first time to go on the Jackson Area Annual Samson Retreat, but I'm positive it won't be my last. If you didn't have the opportunity to go, then make sure you go next year! If you have no idea what I'm going on about then I highly recommend Pirate Monk Podcast Episode 325 "The Importance of Story With Chris Inman". Give it a listen.

Thanks for letting me share. I'm glad you're here.

Max Morton

May 2, 2022

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TikToker Says Hookup Culture Will Be Ruined If Roe v. Wade Overturned (dailydot.com)

I admire the honesty here, as it relates to re-introducing the natural risks of engaging in fornication / adultery.

Lagniappe

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Those Wounds Are No More

Earlier this year, I was appointed to serve on a volunteer board for a local nonprofit.  All of our active board members (6 individuals) had to take part in some overarching (annual) training yesterday, (4/29), and that training grouped us together with a number of other "affiliate (localized - statewide) boards" that duly represent this national org throughout the Magnolia State.

The training was most of the day, starting around 8 AM at a local community college's workforce training center, and overall, there were around 50 volunteers present, representing most regions of Mississippi.

Within the first minute or two of finding my seat, I realized the former Human Resources Director from Delta State University (the institution I was terminated from in September of 2013 for breaking their IT policy) had also sat down.  Her table was at a 90-degree angle to my own, therefore I was literally within her direct line of sight.  No doubt she was there representing the Cleveland, MS affiliate as a volunteer board member herself.

I hadn't seen this woman but for just a few short minutes since my termination, and that was in 2015, therefore A LOT of water had passed under the bridge since then.

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This past Thursday, (4/28) during my weekly "Make Thursdays Great Again" virtual Samson Society meeting, an old friend (I met him at Lakeside Pres in '09) also attended.  Having never had anyone else from Mississippi join this virtual group, it was so cool having him there.  Especially considering his abode is only +/-3 miles from my own here in Rankin County (where he too was Zooming in).

Mr. Justin Schwind, "Make Thursdays Great Again" facilitator, made my invited friend feel welcome, and as usual, it was a great Samson Society meeting (+/-25 attendees) with the word being "false self".

What's really special about this is me, taking into account how long I've sang the praises of Samson Society to this friend, is now seeing both his schedule (allowing him to participate) and desire coalescence.

Too, this man was the first parishioner at Lakeside Presbyterian Church that I told my story to.  And as a result, he didn't shun me.  In fact, the opposite actually occurred which was very unexpected at the time.

As such, for many years, he and I would make a point to supplement our time together at church with a lunch or two, on occasion, but after the Turners' return from Cleveland, MS (immediately following my termination in 2013), I found that his life circumstances had ratcheted up considerably.  That combined with my shame over what had gone down in the immediate past, made for an easy series of excuses to leave him be.

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I immediately rose from my seat and made my way over to my former Delta State University colleague.  Today, this woman is in her mid to late 60s, and as I was doing so, I remembered sending her an apology letter (not long after my termination and subsequent return to the Jackson Metro) where I revealed how intimidating she was to Rob.

Yesterday morning, she wasn't intimidating in the least.  In fact, she actually looked really tired.  Almost to the point of concern.  

It took her a few seconds to recognize me (my stick-on name tag helped) before she cracked her stock wry smile.  We spoke our pleasantries, and then I returned to my seat, nary a blip in increased blood pressure.  

Surprisingly, I didn't think one additional thought about her from that point forward.  

Throughout the all-day training class, with her sitting just a few feet from me, it was as if we'd almost never worked together during that very challenging year of my life.

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After the "Make Thursdays Great Again" virtual Samson Society meeting concluded (around 8 PM CST), I sent my old Mississippi friend a few follow-up text messages before signing off for the evening.

And just a quick sidenote:  Earlier this week, I was really missing some of the face-to-face Samson guy interactions I've had conveniently available to me in the past.  As such, I felt God speak into my life regarding this, reminding me to trust him with it completely.

Of course, I have to wonder where all of this is leading with my newly reconnected Mississippi friend.  Will he take to Samson Society as I did - long-term?  Is the timing truly right for him to in this regard?  What about our friendship?  Will it blossom further, for such a time as this?  

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Having had the powerfully humbling experience I had Friday with my former colleague from DSU, I wouldn't be able to doubt God with my decried needs (nor my aforementioned questions) even if I tried.

It is remarkable how closely our God knows our true self, mediates for us, heals us.

My faith continues to grow as he demonstrates his hands-on care for Rob.  His love for me is more real than it's ever been, and I can only have expectant hope for more to come.

Be In Prayer For The Jackson, Mississippi Samson Society Retreat Attendees

Mr. Don Waller is facilitating a weekend Samson Society retreat - THIS WEEKEND.  Be in prayer for this event.  I know many Samson newbies will be in attendance, and it's those men who'll surely find the experience to be healing, enriching, and sustaining.  

(I believe) there's not been a Jackson, Mississippi Samson Society retreat since 2019.  Hence, this one is long overdue.

So many Samson guys will surely be blessed.  Thanks so much.

Recommended Viewing - I Took Ms. Ginny Owens On A Date Back In The Early '90s. What A Gift To Have Had That Experience With Her Here In Jackson, Mississippi