Tonight I met with a group
of men in what we call a JOI group.
JOI stands for a 'journey of illumination'.
It is
a simple group.
Just men coming together to share and listen.
Some weeks there
only four of us and other times there's more.
It is a safe place to be able to
speak without judgement or critique.
There is trust and respect.
It is a place
to be real.
To learn to be real.
To be vulnerable and fragile.
It is a place to listen and be heard.
There are times when we meet just to sit in silence.
Contemplating our existence before God.
We are from all walks of life.
With different creeds.
Different ages and experiences.
Those things do not matter.
We meet as men.
As equals.
As
servants and as brothers.
There is no real format or agenda which we follow.
When someone speaks, we listen.
We do not interrupted them and we learn to listen.
I'm
so grateful to these men.
They are my brothers.
They show me compassion and love
without judgement.
They are authentic men.
Each in their own right.
All of
them.
It is a good thing when we meet.
When men meet.
It reads like a poem... which is really nice. thank you.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Kent. Amen :-). This very practice has been a growing value for me for some time. Thank you for helping make it happen for me; our recent coffee chats have brought the essential power of "authentic men" meeting together :-).
ReplyDelete-- Stret