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Against All Odds: Casting Your Nets (Eric Torres – 3/17/23 – NCS New Canaan)

March 23, 2023 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment


With great transparency, Eric Torres shares the broken childhood that equipped him to love broken kids, and the words of life spoken into him that have allowed him to speak words of life into so many young people.

Eric vulnerably describes a challenging childhood growing up in Bridgeport with a father who was an addict and a drug dealer. He tells about the lies–the words of death–spoken into him and how he began to internalize them and believe he had no future other than to drop out of high school and follow in his father’s footsteps. He believed he had no hope, no purpose and no destiny.

Eric then explains how, on his 16th birthday, his life was set on a new trajectory. He was invited to church, and a woman took him out for pizza and a pitcher of water. He describes how she affirmed him and spoke words of life. Torres reveals that he came to know Jesus that day through the relational acts of that woman. She invested in him and gave him a hope, a purpose and a destiny.

Eric tells how he went on to graduate from high school, get a bachelors and a masters degree, teach for 18 years in the Bridgeport schools and spend two years as a principal.

Torres then talks about how his life took another turn at 40 years old when his kidneys failed. Within a year, God miraculously provided a transplant and a new job as Executive Director of Elevate Bridgeport.

With tremendous humility, Eric describes how, though Elevate, he is able to show Jesus to young people by speaking life, hope and purpose, changing the trajectory of their lives just as words of life and the love of Jesus changed his. In describing the four-part Elevate model of character building and life skills, full-time mentors, adventures, and college and career preparation, Eric shares that the Elevate motto is “No one gets there alone.”

In closing, Eric challenges us to recognize we were made “for such a time as this” and to hear Jesus’ call to cast our nets on the right side of the boat to see what He has waiting for us.

Filed Under: Audio & Video, Uncategorized, Video Tagged With: Audio & Video, Calling and Purpose, Chapter Friday, Crisis and Adversity, Faith, Father-Son, Friendship, Great Commandments - Love God - Love Neighbor, Health Challenges and Losses, Mentoring and Discipleship, Nature of God, NCS New Canaan, Nuggets, Raising Children, Relationships, Right Wrong, Serving Others, Speak Truth, Spiritual Warfare, Substance Abuse and Addictions, Transparency and Authenticity

Finding Peace: Christian Mindfulness and the Holy Spirit (Steve Gilbert – 3/3/23 – NCS New Canaan)

March 8, 2023 by NCS New Canaan Leave a Comment


Steve Gilbert vulnerably shares, from his own experiences as a therapist and a man, about the power of “Christian mindfulness” to help us find peace through an understanding of God’s constant presence through the Holy Spirit.

Gilbert explains that the last three years have been a struggle in his role as a therapist. His struggle has come from watching an increasing number of other people struggle with addiction, depression and relational issues as a result of the pandemic. Steve talks about how this struggle has challenged his faith.

Steve describes the important difference between practicing “mindfulness” and “Christian mindfulness” as a path to lessening anxiety and finding peace. He explains that the practice of “mindfulness” is “just about you” being in the moment, while “Christian mindfulness” includes Jesus and the recognition that the Holy Spirit dwells within us and is with us, always, in the moment.

Gilbert reveals how our prayers are so often misguided in failing to recognize God’s presence with us and in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and he offers how prayers change when we recognize that reality.

Steve describes the difference between “shame” and “guilt” and the power of “shame” to block our ability to be mindful of Christ’s presence, and he goes on to explain how we can break that blockage.

Steve also reveals and explains the frequent lie of “religion” that we can manufacture personal holiness and overcome the temptations of sin through spiritual “self-help” disciplines, which too often create pharisees and legalism.

Gilbert shares how we can overcome the temptations of sin, be transformed “from inside out”, and find peace through “Christian mindfulness”–understanding that God dwells within us always through the Holy Spirit.

Filed Under: Audio & Video, Uncategorized, Video Tagged With: Addiction, Audio & Video, Chapter Friday, Christianity-Theology, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Crisis and Adversity, Dealing with Emotions, Faith, Fear and Worry, Healing, Isolation-Loneliness-Depression, Nature of God, NCS New Canaan, Nuggets, Prayer, Relationships, Sexual Habits and Addictions, Shame-Guilt, Spiritual Warfare, Substance Abuse and Addictions, Transparency and Authenticity

My Journey To Freedom and Flourishing (Michael Tremain – 4/9/21 – NCS New Canaan)

April 9, 2021 by NCS New Canaan 1 Comment

In some sense, Michael Tremain is New Canaan Society “royalty”–he and Dave Robinson were the very first NCS “chapter” leaders. Back in 2003 they started the first NCS group outside Jim Lane’s home in New Canaan, CT (the original group from Jim’s home became our NCS New Canaan chapter)– they called it “The Parks Society, a chapter of the New Canaan Society”. The first Parks Society meetings were held in Michael’s home, and he was known for standing at the door and welcoming every man with a hug. The Parks Society eventually became NCS Orlando. He also discusses how he and Robinson heard about NCS, his first impressions experiencing NCS in Jim’s home, and how they started The Parks Society.

Given his NCS lineage, it is no surprise that Tremain shares with tremendous vulnerability and transparency the incredible journey of faith that God has had him on. Michael explains that the topic of his talk comes from the family mission statement that hangs on their wall at home: “To live free and flourish as children of God.” Michael’s story is the story of how he travelled from living in a broken home with no stability and no faith to establishing a stable home for his wife and four children with an inspired and inspiring mission.

Michael shares that his “faith journey” really started with a “happiness journey” while he was a Disney Imagineer, leading him to ask everyone he met “What is the meaning of life?”. He reflects that the responses he received were disappointing (at best) until the answer from a young woman that literally changed his life and his heart. Tremain describes how that answer led to an incredible series of faith experiences, including a 13-week study in London with John Stott and spending several months being discipled by Henry Blackaby.

Michael unpacks four internal obstacles that he had to face and overcome on his journey:

  • Unbelief (including a fascinating Blackaby story)
  • Identity (including how to get a ticket to the owners box at the Super Bowl)
  • Sin (including six months meditating on the meaning of “abide”)
  • Unforgiveness (including a call to radical forgiveness).

These are obstacles we all can overcome–if we are willing to face them!

Filed Under: Audio & Video, Video Tagged With: Audio & Video, Calling and Purpose, Christianity-Theology, Faith, Forgiveness, Friendship, Integrating Work into Faith, Mentoring and Discipleship, Nature of God, NCS New Canaan, New to Christianity, Nuggets, Prayer, Raising Children, Relationships, Speak Truth, Transparency and Authenticity

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Recent Posts

  • Against All Odds: Casting Your Nets (Eric Torres – 3/17/23 – NCS New Canaan)
  • Finding Peace: Christian Mindfulness and the Holy Spirit (Steve Gilbert – 3/3/23 – NCS New Canaan)
  • Going from Mess to Mission (Nick Agneto – 2/17/23 – NCS New Canaan)
  • A Tale of Tragedy, Triumph and Changed Lives (Tom Mallon – 1/20/23 – NCS New Canaan)

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