NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

When It’s Over . . . No Regrets (Dr. Randall Peeters – 5/21/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Dr. Randall Peeters is an aerospace engineer, adventurer, sportsmen, author and inspirational speaker. He is the 8th person in the world to complete the “Adventure Grand Slam” which consists of climbing the highest mountain on each continent (known as the “7-Summits”) and reaching both the North and South Pole. He has designed rocket engines and coached numerous CEO’s. But he tells us what matters most is his marriage of 56 years and the fact that Jesus has been at the center of his life for 45 years.

In addition to climbing the highest peaks (including Everest at age 57), Randy has skied from helicopters in avalanche zones, kayaked class 5 rapids, base jumped, sky-dived, surfed, and climbed some of the most challenging rock formations (including El Capitan) among other extreme sports, and he is still going strong at 76 (including off-piste powder skiing and surfing whenever he can). Although Randy has shared his adventures with many groups and organizations over the years, he shares with us his adventures as a follower of Jesus.

With incredible transparency and humility, Randy discusses his upbringing in the Lutheran church, his search for God through many other “isms” (including spiritualism, mysticism, buddhism, hinduism, etc.), his unforgettable encounter with Jesus at a marriage retreat, his miraculous healing from a marijuana addiction, his exploration of many Christian worship experiences and his eventual return to the Lutheran church. Peeters also talks about how he came to understand spiritual warfare, describing times when he recognized attacks.

Throughout sharing his life story, Randy describes how his faith has been central to his work life as well as his “adventure” life–seeing him through tragedies as well as physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges. He also shares advice on the adventure for which he says he would trade all the others–being married to his wonderful wife for 56 years.

Randy is also the author of “Journeys to the Edge: Where will your vision take you?”

From Rebellion To Obedience (Scott Simon – 4/23/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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With extraordinary humility and vulnerability, Scott Simon shares an incredible journey that, upon reflection, he realized is captured by the phrase “From Rebellion To Obedience”.

Scott describes a journey that took him from a “privileged” upbringing in a dysfunctional home to the hallowed halls of a prep school and then the Ivy League. He transparently shares a “rebellion” stage that resembles a painful movie almost too crazy to imagine: a secret double life in the drug world of New York City while “studying” in Philadelphia, walking away from Penn’s Wharton School after a year, hitchhiking to Seattle, working in a crab cannery in Alaska, getting “evicted” from Alaska, living in a trailer in Colorado and working at a water treatment plant. Scott explains that this is when he had the first of several dreams and visions that changed the course of his life.

Scott shares that his Colorado dream eventually led him back to Wharton where he met his wife, Margaret, and eventually graduated. He describes a successful Wall Street career as a bond trader in which pride was encouraged and nurtured among fellow “Masters of the Universe”. He then vulnerably shares how everything changed on September 11, 2001, when his brother and many close friends were killed in the attack on the World Trade Centers. Scott talks about this unbelievable tragedy beginning a new faith trajectory and a profound new experience of God’s love and inexplicable peace.

Scott describes the new faith journey that he and Margaret embarked on together, including incredible experiences, encounters, visions and dreams that eventually led him to leaving Wall Street behind and “obediently” following a path toward Christian counseling and a ministry of healing. Scott shares how this phase of his journey taught him the power of listening and the power of the ministry of presence–of “showing up”. Finally, Scott talks about the recent, sudden and tragic loss of their daughter and how God once again was a source of unimaginable strength.

Every NCS brother should listen to this amazing journey of God patiently leading a man to lay down rebellion for obedience and pride for humility and of God “showing up” during the most painful moments–to listen and to be present.

Deal With It! (Brian Lahoue – 3/12/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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In his talk, Brian Lahoue shares key insights from his book “Deal With It!: How to Stop Running from People, Problems, and Pressure”. In an extended Q&A, he opens up with tremendous vulnerability about the personal struggles and challenges that led to a dramatic encounter with God and, ultimately, writing a book to help others confront and “deal with” the past experiences that may be sabotaging their relationships and lives.

Lahoue describes the link between psychological concepts such as “attribution error” and Biblical principles and demonstrates why “confrontation” can be a tool for expressing love toward those in our life. In fact, he goes so far as to assert that confrontation is a “moral imperative” for followers of Jesus.

Brian explains concepts such as:

  • Our problems often come not from the reality of our past but from our perception of that reality. Through confrontation, we can understand a different way to view past events–which can change how we are impacted by them–which, in turn, can heal the problematic ways in which we engage life, perceive reality and relate to other people.
  • Even when we do not have the power to change our reality, we have the power to change how we react to our reality.
  • What it means to be a “peacemaker”.
  • How the Biblical commands to pray for our enemies and avoid judgment can free our heart to treat people with greater love.
  • Our greatest agency is to choose who we serve–Jesus or the worldly system over which Satan is the prince–which requires understanding the spiritual dimension of the negative messages that bombard us constantly in an effort to trigger destructive attitudes that can lead to destructive behaviors.
  • The gift of the Holy Spirit, who can help us recognize Satan’s words and choose the way of Jesus.
  • Why we can try to outrun people but we can’t outrun our problems (and why those who “run away” through divorce are at risk of divorcing again).
  • The power of compassion, humility (recognizing our own weakness) and gratitude (knowing we have been forgiven) to heal relationships and help us “renew our minds”.

Brian also offers practical suggestions on how to remain grounded in healthy perceptions of our reality and relationships, consistent with following Jesus.

You can purchase a copy of Brian’s book at this link.

Loving the Man To Your Left and Right (Charles Paksi – 2/19/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Charles Paksi has served in the U.S. military for 29 years, and he shares, with amazing transparency and humility, the story of his life and the men who God used to mould him into the courageous man of faith, grateful son, devoted husband, loving father and faithful friend he is today.

Although Charles does not like talking about himself, his stories also reveal how God has used him to shape other men. From those on his “left” who influenced him, to those on his “right” who he is influencing, we see how God uses the power of relationship to raise up, train and protect his children.

Paksi looks back and recognizes how God blessed him and prepared him for his future as a warrior, a leader, a husband, a father and a friend through the people he encountered and the lessons they taught him. From a father who instilled in him a deep appreciation for faith, freedom and the privilege of being an American, to the uncle who inspired him at age 7 to become a Marine, to the bully who showed him the difference between offense and defense, to the man who exhibited the power of a man on foot, to the coach and small town that helped him understand the importance of culture, to the teammate who instilled the need to be prepared at all times, to the seasoned Marines who taught him through their actions the importance of love for the man on your left and right. He knows there were no coincidences.

Charles vulnerably explains the humbling experience of bootcamp and learning that you must rely on the Marine to your left and your right. He also reflects on the first time, at the tender age of 19, he witnessed a fellow Marine get killed and then observed the courageous response of his leader. And he shares the life-changing “born again” experience when he believed he was likely to die.

Through an extensive Q&A session following his talk, Charles gives a glimpse into why his life may hold many titles and many jobs, but he is, and always will be, a United States Marine.

Shame on Me (and How To Get Free) (Hal Rosser – 7/10/20 – NCS CT Chapters)

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With great courage, humility and transparency, Harold (“Hal”) Rosser shares the amazing journey of his life, including the fears, struggles, failures and challenges, as well as the joys, victories, miracles and lessons learned.

Hal takes us along the road that brought a kid with a 1.86 GPA in college who drank heavily to being a senior credit officer at one of the most respected financial institutions in the world and then to being the co-founder of a successful private equity firm and finally to founding his own private equity firm. He vulnerably tells about his fears and how he was always trying to prove he was good enough. Hal also talks about how he came to know Jesus and the profound impact it has had on his life, both personally and professionally, including an immediate healing through prayer that has led to 25 years without alcohol.

Looking back on his life, Hal ends by sharing and explaining eight lessons learned along the way:

  • Keep asking “Am I actually fully committed to Jesus?”
  • Living for yourself leads to an empty life.
  • Being in a community with other followers of Jesus is essential and life-fulfilling.
  • Many people are hurting and living superficial lives because they lack purpose and hope.
  • We are all created uniquely and need each other.
  • We need to release the expectations we have for others (particularly our closest loved ones) and learn to delight in them as God created them to be.
  • Looking back at even our most difficult times, Jesus is with us every step of the way.
  • Shame is a barrier to loving others and feeling loved, but we can get free of Shame by experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus.

This is a story of healing for anyone who has ever felt the shame of failures or being “not enough” or who is struggling with an addiction. It is a story of hope for anyone who wonders if Jesus is real or if God really has a purpose for their life. But mostly, it is a story of God’s unceasing love for and delight in one of his children–a love and delight he feels for each of us–and the miraculous power of accepting the open invitation to meet Jesus.

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