Wm. Paul Young shares his journey from believing he was a piece of sh** to understanding that the “truth of his being” is that he was made in the image and likeness of God. He describes how his modern, evangelical, fundamentalist upbringing as the son of missionaries taught him that he was a piece of sh** and how everything in life was about trying to cover it up. Young explains that the Holy Spirit helps reveal the truth of our being–which is that everything true about God is actually also true
about us. Young urges vulnerability in relationship–understanding our true nature and taking ownership of how we have messed things up so that we can get on the road back to wholeness and authenticity. He quotes Brene Brown: “If you don’t own your story, it will own you, but if you do own your story you will have the authority to write the ending.”
Wounded Warriors: Calling the Wounded to Battle (John Bishop – 10/6/17 – NCS New Canaan)
John Bishop shares the life journey that led him in 2007 to begin processing life through the lenses of spiritual warfare. He explains how his first 12 years of faith in Jesus were spent learning about war, training for war, going to war (in Vietnam) and recovering from war. In 2007, God showed him that “those days were for these days”.
John helps us understand that (1) we are at war against Satan (“the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy” and mass shootings like Las Vegas are instances where the thief found a willing ally to further his agenda), (2) we are all wounded (by our own sins and the sins of others) but in Jesus’s world we heal by getting INTO the fight and (3) we have weapons to fight spiritual warfare (chief among them are forgiveness and generosity) and are called to use them (we are called to be allies of Jesus in establishing His Kingdom and bringing the fight to the thief). Bishop explains how fellowship as a band of brothers (like NCS Energy Groups) is a strategic weapon in the fight.
Unwanted Sexual Behavior: A Path Past Shame To Healing Through Our Stories (Jay Stringer – 5/5/17 – NCS New Canaan)
Jay Stringer provides a path forward to healing by pointing us back to the stories that shape our thought lives, sexual fantasies and unwanted sexual behaviors. His research suggests that the nature of our fantasies and unwanted sexual behavior (including things like the search terms used when looking for pornography) are revelatory of our past lives, childhood issues and experiences, and situations we are now facing. Unfortunately, we are so busy apologizing to God for our behavior that we rarely take the time to explore what our behavior reveals.
Although men are usually surprised when they start making connections between their stories and their behavior, Stringer believes that God is neither surprised nor shamed by our behavior because the work of redemption is played out through our brokenness. Jay emphasizes that we have a kind and curious creator, pointing to Romans 2:4 (“It is the kindness of God that leads to change”).
Stringer explains that working through the hurt of our stories is critical because, without it, we end up hurting those around us. Quoting Richard Rohr, Stringer counsels “The pain we do not transform we transmit. Always someone else has to suffer because I do not know how to.”
Click here for a free chapter from Jay’s upcoming book. How Unwanted Sexual Behavior Narrates Our Past and Reveals Our Desired Future
The Power of Spiritual Sharing (Fred Sievert – 4/7/17 – NCS New Canaan)
With great transparency, Fred Sievert shares a faith journey that began with a supernatural experience at a young age, continued on through raising a family and pursuing a career all the way to running a Fortune 100 company, and then brought him to writing a book about how he has seen God work throughout his life. Fred talks about how he brought his faith into his work through prayer, how he daily sought and received guidance from the Holy Spirit, and how God “showed up” at key moments.
Fred tells his story in the context of three questions he presents as catalysts for deep “spiritual sharing”:
1. What effective coping techniques have you used to balance faith, family & career?
2. When have you caught a “glimpse of God”?
3. Can you recall providential experiences too improbable to be mere coincidences?
Three Questions that Haunt Every Man (Dr. Chip Roper – 2/24/17 – NCS New Canaan)
With NCS transparency, Chip Roper shares from his own experiences about three questions that have haunted him and that he believes haunt every man:
- Do I have what it takes (a question of adequacy)?
- Are my best days behind me (a question of hope)?
- Who is really with me (a question of friendship)?
Chip explores what the teachings of Jesus have to say about these three key issues and how “showing up” in love for others can help us find the answers–and find real friendships. Ultimately he concludes that Jesus is our “answerer” as we stumble and grow on our journey.