End of Entrust

Our men's group has just ended. It was set from the beginning to only be a six month group. I must say, I'm sad to see it end. Each of us felt that this group had something unique. Linden asked me to put my thoughts in writing, so I'm posting them here as well.

After thinking about it, I think what I liked can be summarized like this:

It allowed for an open, personal interaction without fear of judgment or embarrassment so we could support each other through our walk with God.

Those points:

1. It was open. We were committed to being upfront and honest. We were with the intent of sharing, not just going to a bible study or going along with our wife. We wanted to be there and talk.


2. It was personal. We didn't just discuss scripture to learn. We wanted to learn about each other and God. Some groups I'm in, or have been, we weren't really trying to get to know the others and weren't sure we wanted them to know us.


3. No fear of judgment. It was established early that we are who we are. Each of us shared something during this time that was personal and exposed a more intimate side that we just as easily could have hidden.


4. No fear of embarrassment. This was private and confidential. We knew that what we shared wouldn't go outside this group. It was a safe place to open up.


5. Support through our walk with God. We were there to share this portion of our walk together. We had the purpose of bearing each others burdens and deepening our faith.

Looking at this list, this is what I would hope happens in each small group. However, it hasn't been the case for me. I may not have seen this modeled before. Or I had, but didn't know what to do to continue it. Either way, this really struck me.

I really hope to find another group like this again soon. We're all thinking about where God has next for us. I may try to get another group together, this time with some new guys. Maybe a few of the originals. We'll see.