Why study your faith in a group?
Disclaimer: F3 is open to all faiths. Although the following refers to studying the Bible, the overarching point, is that
every man should gather to invigorate their faith in something outside themself.
Before 2012 I had never attended a Bible study. As a child I rarely went to Sunday school, although I did sing in the choir
for years – anything not to have to go to Sunday school – after all, the other kids in Sunday school knew a lot more than
me about anything in the Bible. I also attended an Episcopal school where we had chapel every day and Reverend
Burke would tell us stories. The ones I remember most were about when he attended the World Series. He probably
shared some Bible stories but none of those stuck with me as much as anything he said about sports.
Enough of that, bottom line, I had not picked up a Bible to see what was there until 2012. I owe it to being busy with
kids, work, wife, me – you all know the deal – I was an undiagnosed “Sad Clown”. Let me jump to what put the shock
paddles on me and sent me into studying the Bible. Divorce! That is not the subject of this, but it is the turning point in
my life for my faith. I do not wish any such thing on anyone, and I know there are other “shock paddle” incidents out
there that upend our lives. But as part of my recovery, God led me back to Church to where a group of men were
studying the Bible.
To be honest, it was a little frightening – I did not know any of the men, I barely knew the difference
between the Old Testament and New Testament, and I understood nothing about what was expected of me after
walking into the group. At work, we are inundated with goals, expectations, results, etc. so why would it be any
different studying the Bible.
I discovered that the men in the group were just like me in the sense that they were led by God to gather and study his
Word. Different circumstances, different times of their lives, different denominations of faith, and different levels of
understanding of the Bible. But what was common was that they cared about deepening their faith in a power outside
themselves.
That is my hope for you.
Do not wait for the shock paddles to be put on you for whatever reason, because everyone will face some sort of life trauma eventually. Prepare yourself to weather life by finding your group. Below is a list of groups that I am aware of in the Metro area. I assure you that each of them welcomes all comers, because I was one that they welcomed. Like your first time at a workout, it is a little intimidating if you do not know someone in the group before you jump in, but again, just like any F3 workout, you will immediately be welcomed when you post for the first time. There are no initiations, tests, or secret handshakes. There will be encouragement, support, and growth.
Again, as in workouts, F3 leaves no man behind, but leaves no man where we found him. Please DM me if you have any
questions or hesitations about jumping into any of these groups. If none of these times works for you, let me know if
you are interest in joining a new group at a different day/time.
Tuesdays, 7:14 a.m. (yep, 7:14 a.m. that’s not a misprint) Bible In a Bag “BIB” currently on Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7043650808
Meeting ID: 704 365 0808
Wednesdays, 6:30 a.m. The Map, Sidewalk outside ATT store near the Cotswold Brueggers
Thursdays, 6:30 a.m. Witness currently on Zoom
DM @tom_d_ellis F3 Doc for Zoom link
Fridays, 7:45 a.m. Almost Bible Study “ABS”, Community Matters Café and on Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/923885168
Meeting ID: 923 885 168
Carrier