By Tim Wesemann
As fall settles in and your men’s group may or may not be meeting in person, here are some fun ways to get the conversation started, whether it’s in person or digital.
Everyone has been watching a lot of TV, Netflix, and so on in the previous six months, so use that to get your guys to jump in. Consider a discussion about favorite male characters on TV or in movies.
Try these questions as discussion starters:
- Are there characters who have played a role in how you respond to situations or people in real life?
For example, the question was asked of me, “Who is your favorite television dad?” That was an easy one. I grew up without a dad. My siblings were quite a bit older so for many years it was just my mom and me in the house. I longed for a big family. Say, three boys, three girls, a mom and dad, a dog, and a big house. Yes, I was a huge fan of The Brady Bunch. So, my answer came quickly: Mike Brady.
- Have any of these characters enriched your life or faith?
- How are men and dads often portrayed on TV?
- Are there specific lines they’ve spoken that you’ve carried with you?
Someone in our group said Eric Taylor. Oh, yeah. I had to agree, as did others. Coach Eric Taylor was on the television series Friday Night Lights. I could get carried away talking about this man, but I admired the way he loved and respected his family, the high school football team he coached, his community, and strangers. He was tough but had a compassionate heart. He wanted what was best for others. He was so … real.
Here are some favorite Eric Taylor lines and lessons. (Kudos to the show’s writers who created this memorable dialogue.)
- Every man, at some point in his life, is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight, and he’s gonna lose. But what makes him a man is that, in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself.
- Marriage requires maturity. Marriage requires two people that will listen, really listen to each other. Marriage, most of all, requires compromises.
- Don’t just stand by and watch it happen.
- I am in awe of each and every one of you, Gentlemen.
- You may never know how proud I am of you.
- There are more important things than football.
- Stay away from dumb, Gentlemen.
- Right here, right now, God has placed you to do what you do best. Go all the way.
- I can tell you that your children and the mother of your children are the two most important things in life.
- Can you do me a favor? Do the best you can.
One saying that was shared often on the show was spoken to the football team before the start of the game. Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose. There have been different interpretations of that saying. What does it say to you?
Which of the Eric Taylor lines above resonate with you?
- Have TV shows, movies, or characters led you to learn about life as a Christ Follower?
- How can you—or how have you—used those mediums as a backdrop to Scripture in living the life of a man of God?
- How might those everyday secular tools help in sharing Christ with others?
The Forgiven and Free book in CTA’s Men’s Ministry area offers thought-provoking devotional thoughts (designed to take just five minutes a day!) that will help the men in your group live as faithful men of God—forgiven and loved—within their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Keep the conversation going—and all God’s best to you and your men’s ministry as you move through the month of October!
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Editor’s note:
