A New Connection

I get to be a part of a connection group started recently by our Pastor, Kevin Clark. I have been a part of small groups before, but usually as a facilitator. This opportunity is great because I get to be just a guy. I like the men in our group.

Hans owns a citrus grove and packing house. Hans spends a large portion of his day navigating and submitting to the FDA and providing a workplace for those without a lot of other options in life. He is extraordinarily generous and his heart is as large as the acreage he has been blessed with.

John can be best described as a man's man. He owns his own lawn business and farms a bit too. His laugh is full and robust and if you look closely enough at his eyes you'd get more than a hint of the wild man that I think is at the core of who he is.

Al is the newest guy in our orbit of friends. Unpretentious, without the complicating fake layers that many men add to their persona. He is intrinsically honest in his dialogue and possesses a desire to help those a great deal less fortunate then he is.

James is my friend, intelligent, un-selfish, low-key and without hubris. James is the guy that has been helping me spiritually raise my younger girls and I trust him with that role. I can say few things more important than that with regards to him.

Kevin is a guy that I want to know the rest of my life. I am a fan of great communicators. I appreciate people that can take a thought and express it systematically in an oral or written form. Kevin is one of those guys. He is also kind of cheeky, but in a pious sort of way. Lately I have been poking fun at his squarish head and gigantor modeled torso and limbs, but each time I do...his retort always beats my initial insult. I am giving up on that...the day after tomorrow.

The meeting is early in the morning and I drive a half hour to get there. It is worth it, though. I am very pleased with the material Kevin has chosen - Experiencing God by Blackaby and King - the lessons are proving to be so fruitful. The great thing about the whole experience is the way the study and fellowship is providing me with new perspectives and ponderings.

I sense a new freshness in my life forming and I know now I have emerged from a recent valley. I am looking at a ridge above that will take weeks to reach, but from there I am confident I will better see a vista that excites me to the core. More to say about that as time goes by.

Peace.