“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)
For over 5 years now I have been leading a Thursday evening men’s Bible study and accountability group we named Brothers, Bibles, and Beer (B3). We are a group og guys from various church backgrounds, some none, who meet at local breweries in the Huntsville/Madison area. We share life, our successes and struggles, read and discuss a passage from the Bible seeking advice and encouragement over our lives and marriages, and we pray over each other.
Last night we met at our “regular” brewery we frequent the most. The bar tender, staff, and some of the regulars are “colorful” people. They are adorned with tattoos, piercings, alternative hair styles and colors, and some alternative life styles as well. The bands that play there are rage metal, goth, and punk and the crowd of youth that attend are all dressed in black with tattoos, piercings, hair colors, and explicative slogans on their shirts. While we are meeting at our table in the conversations we over hear around us “F bombs” and other explicatives are frequently dropped. It would be safe to say most of them would never attend a traditional church. Our B3 group of men do not dress or look like them. When I was asked what I do for a living I did not throw out the pastor card, but told them I do “Community Development.”
The first few times we met there they watched us. They heard us read the Bible out loud, talk about Jesus and our faith, and watched a we all bowed our heads and prayed for each other. Our life style seemed as “radical” and different to them, as there’s did to us. At first they did not know what to think about us. However, as we kept coming back, we always treated those we met with love and respect. We smiled as we greeted them, did not pass judgement on them, asked about their lives and day., and listened to their responses. The young bartender and staff in their 20s now all say “Hello Mr. Gary” when we walk into the brewery and “We hope to see you next Thursday” when we leave.
So God has given us access into the lives of these youth and regulars in which we can talk into their lives and ask how we can pray for them. We are only there a couple of hours, one day a week, but at least for that short time they are exposed and have access to our faith, Jesus is spoken out lord and prayer takes place in that place. And myself and the other men who attend are learning and being blessed by our interactions with them.
Paul tells us earlier in Romans 10:14-15, “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?” There are so many people, so many young adults in our communities who do not know who to call out to, who to trust, because no one is entering their space to be trusted enough to share with them whom they can trust.
My family, I pray as we head into a weekend you will ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and guide you to the “brewery”, whatever that place may be or look like, where you can be a trusting source of the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Please pray the same for me, God Bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and comments below. Also share and encourage us with examples of your “brewery” experiences.
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