NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

Let Us Play the Man (Ken Fish – 12/17/21 – NCS New Canaan)

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Ken Fish is not known for mincing words or dumbing down Biblical truth to make it more palatable. He laments that fatherhood is in crisis in our world, and looking to the words of Joab in 2 Samuel 10:12 KJV (“Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God“), he issues an urgent “call to action” for men to “play the man”–or “man-up”–as fathers. We must do it for the sake of our families, our cities and our nation.

Ken shares that, as he travels the world, the #1 prayer request from women in every nation and every country is for God to bring “a Godly man who will lead my household”. He explains ways in which many men are failing to fill the Biblical role of fathers as “priests” of their family and lays out a straightforward Scriptural path to turn things around and “raise a generation of the righteous”:

  • Be of Good Courage.
  • Play the Man.
  • Give Yourself To Others

Ken asserts that the best way for Satan to destroy a country is to destroy families, and the best way to destroy families is to destroy fathers. He also explains why the restoration of righteous fathers is a necessary condition to revival.

Emphasizing that the key to this simple three-point formula is the execution, Fish walks through various Biblical passages that provide guidance on fatherhood and manhood.

You may support Ken’s ministry at this link: https://orbisministries.org/support-orbis/

The Problem of Pleasure (Ravi Zacharias – 10/8/10 – NCS New Canaan)

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The world-renowned evangelist and apologist Ravi Zacharias went home to be with Jesus at the age of 74 after a battle with cancer.

DO YOU REMEMBER?

It was 2010 and we received an e-mail from an NCS brudder asking if we would be interested in having Ravi Zacharias speak to our Chapter.   Ravi was going to be in the area, had heard about NCS and was willing to speak to us.  Why is that amazing?  At that time, Zacharias spoke 300+ days/year and still turned down 99% of the speaking requests he received. He was used to speaking to thousands/tens of thousands/hundreds of thousands.  We didn’t ask, but he offered to come to our little restaurant in Darien.  It was one of the two largest crowds we ever packed into Ten Twenty Post Restaurant over 11 years (the other was Paul Young shortly after The Shack became a best-seller).

What do we take from this story?  Our loving Father wanted us to hear Ravi’s message in 2010.   We think He may want us to hear it again.  Ravi talked about “displaced priorities”–he shared vulnerably about his own regrets–what he missed as a Dad from a life on the road.  The Covid Crisis has been a reset for many–some families eating dinner together for the first time in years.  Old priorities have been disrupted and re-ordered.  When things “re-open”, we will have a choice–rush back to “displaced priorities” that feel familiar (that is where the world will draw us) or pause to consider “re-ordered” priorities.  

So here it is again–to honor the life of a man who gave to others and who incredibly offered to give very tangibly to our little community almost 10 years ago.

A Call to Virtuous Masculinity (Fr. Louis Leonelli – 11/8/19 – NCS New Canaan)

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Father Louis Leonelli starts by sharing a bit of his life story, including his radical and miraculous conversion from a successful Wall Street businessman pursuing wealth, woman and a music career to a humble Franciscan friar serving the homeless in the South Bronx.

Father Louis then examines “masculinity”–real “toxic” masculinity, the normal masculinity that our politically correct culture has deceptively labeled “toxic”, and finally, the “virtuous” masculinity we are called to pursue as followers of Jesus. In exploring virtuous masculinity, he explains and stresses the virtues of temperance, sacrifice and humility. Father Louis ends by sharing what he believes to be the three most important priorities in the pursuit of virtuous masculinity: (1) develop and nurture a relationship with God, (2) develop and nurture relationships with the small circle of people whom we love and who love us and (3) in whatever our stations or callings in life, strive to be the very best version of ourself we can be, all to the glory of God.

Unwanted Sexual Behavior: A Path Past Shame To Healing Through Our Stories (Jay Stringer – 5/5/17 – NCS New Canaan)

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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

Empathy at Work (Michael Stallard – 9/25/15 – NCS New Canaan)

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Mike Stallard continues his explanation of the importance of creating a “connection culture” in any organization (even in a family), as well as practical steps on how to make a difference by caring.  We were designed by God for relational connection, and humbly loving and serving others creates a connection.  From Nick the “hugger” at Memorial Sloane-Kerring to the supervisor who gets to know her employees, Mike uses examples to bring the concept home.

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