Give Permission

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.”
- Isaiah 12:3-4

Friends,

A couple of weeks back I sent an email regarding the subject of community, and in particular, amongst men. Towards the end, I invited responses, thoughts, and ideas about what community and friendship looks like for you. I received dozens of emails, and so it seems men have much to say about this subject.

I’ll keep this email much shorter than the previous, but there’s one clear opportunity I want to invite each of you into, especially as we head into an extended weekend with family and friends.

Many men I heard from indicated some level of involvement in a bible study, small group, networking group, or some form of consistent gathering on a weekly or monthly basis. Most of which had positive comments and words to say, but nearly all of them had a disclaimer that nearly floored me.

Their sentiments are summarized in the two statements below:

“I’ve been involved in a variety of “men’s groups” over the years, bible studies, small groups, men’s conferences, etc….but what’s contributed most to the transformation in my life as a follower of Jesus is when someone in the group had the courage to say what was real. I’ve been part of groups where all we did was study theology or read books, but we never went deep, we never had conversations that talked about what matters most.”

“When someone was courageous enough to speak from the heart, and share about the real details of their life, it gave permission to everyone else in the group.”

Did you catch that? It gave permission to everyone else in the group.

Friends, we simply don’t have time to park on surface chatter any longer, we must engage in conversations that awaken the soul, spark our imaginations and tell of the redemptive story that God is weaving in and throughout our lives.

As we gather with friends and family this week and the weeks to come, I implore you to engage in dialogue that tells of the God we serve.

Tell your children about how God has mercifully redeemed your life.
Tell your grandchildren too.
Tell stories about how you fell in love.
Forgive.
Ask for forgiveness.
Invite others to share about how God is revealing himself to them in their lives.
Invite others into what’s burdening you.

Be courageous in conversation, give each other permission to open a dialogue that’s remembered for years and even decades to come.

With deep gratitude and thanksgiving,

Peter Ostapko

Founder | Publisher