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Yes this is Bob!

Bob, this is Don. I met you at the party over the Moore’s home the other night. The reason for my call is that I just wanted to thank you for the little talk we had. Hopefully you didn’t get the wrong idea? You know after a few drinks sometimes, I get, you know, it’s like not us talking?  And I want to thank you for the Catholic Men’s Ministries card you gave me. But really I’m not into joining anything?  I'm sure it's a good thing for some men that need it but not me. I’m just so busy. Honestly, I don’t have the time for anything like that. However, can I make a donation?

B: I understand you might have a problem joining and thanks, but we do not take donations. Did you get a chance to look at our website, cmmircfl.org?. It was on the bottom left of the card.

D: Yea! I glanced at the website. I got to say that Jesus’s Stare scared the hell out of me, Oh, excuse me, the heck out of me.

B: Thanks for noticing. It was meant to scare the hell out of you. If you do not mind, what did you mean when you said " I'm sure it's a good thing for some men that need it but not me”?

D: Well you know, there are guys out there that are truly hurting. You know, divorces, bad marriages, financial problems, unemployed, kids gone astray, loss of a spouse . I don’t have any of those problems, that’s what I mean. I appreciate what your Catholic Men’s Ministries are doing, but it’s really not for me.

B: Thank you for your appreciation! Yes, indeed, we do support each other in times of need, but that is only one function of our ministry. Here are the others:

.We learn to live our lives according to Jesus’s teachings

.We witness programs that make us strong in our faith .

.We learn to be better men, husbands, fathers, and grandfathers.

.We learn to Pray.

.We learn to replace Anger with Love.

.We learn to become Christian Teachers, leading by our examples.

.We change our little world.

B: Do you see anything there that you think you may be in need of?

D: Well Yes, there are a couple of things that I can see that I can improve on but I don’t see that they would make much of a difference in my life.

B: Could you name one that could?

D: Well! I, um, I have to admit that I exhibit anger at others too often and frankly don’t have the patience I should have to see their point of view. However I don’t really have a lot of spare time to deal with it. If that’s an excuse?

B: Not an excuse. Are there others?

D: I don’t pray often. Sure I pray if something is going wrong in my life, but other than that, not often. And I really don’t know much about Christ’s teachings as they pertain to Men. Sure I was baptized a Catholic and made my first Holy Communion, but my family didn't go to church very often or read the bible or belong to any church group.

B: So, I gather that you don’t attend church or bible studies or other faith based programs either?

D: No, I don’t

B: Do you believe in God?  I mean , do you really believe in God?

D: Absolutely, I really believe in God.

B: OK! So do you think that you are the best person, father, husband, or son, that God wants you to be or, for that matter, you want to be? Bottom line, are you totally satisfied with your life?

D: I  recognize I have a need for improvement on the things you just mentioned, And sure getting together with other men can help. But it’s the time problem. I just don’t have the time.

B: Let me ask you this? You said that you absolutely believe in God, so  if you had to have a face to face talk with God today, could you defend not doing the things we teach because you just didn’t have the time?

D: Well, I, um , No, I could not defend how I spend my time not doing the things you teach.

B: OK!  Let’s look at your time, another way. Do you work out in a gym, play Golf, watch TV, browse the internet? And do you do any of those things, more than one hour per week?

D: Well! I have to say, I average well over one hour per day doing most of those things and well over one hour per week. But it 's my way of relieving stress.

B: So you do relieve stress. But do you not go right back into doing the things that create stress? We see this life style of living often in the men that first come into our groups. I identify it as being caught up in a maze of secularism and then using the same secular system to try to find a path out.

B: Can you see yourself caught up in a maze?

D: I never really thought of it that way, but I guess I could be.

B: Did not Jesus Christ himself, over 2000 years ago, come into a world that had lost its way and were caught up in their own maze of beliefs, rituals, and exclusions. And did He not, by his teachings, radically changed that behavior?

D: I never thought of Jesus as being a radical, hmm, interesting!

B: Radical, He was. Fortunately He left us a testimony on the paths we are to take that will lead us out of the captivity of our individual mazes. It is called the New Testament. We use this book to teach men how to get back to the purpose of their being. 

B: So let’s just simply summarize our conversation, 1. You are extremely busy.  2. You believe that you need to improve on certain aspects of your Christian behavior. And 3. You can find, at least, one hour per week to relieve stress. Did I get it right?

D: Yes, right or wrong, that's where I am.  

B: So can I continue?

D: Sure! why not?

B: OK! I  know, and others can testify, our Catholic Men's groups can relieve secular stress. Our Ministry's mission is to treat the Soul because we recognize that the Body is finite and with time will pass. However the Soul is infinite and as such, will be the one to be judged when one has to face God  What do you have to lose?. How about giving us a try?

D:  Well! I never thought of my life style as being captivated in a maze, but I can see it probably is. And indeed , somewhere along the line my Christian faith got lost. And It would be wrong of us not to admit what you offer can help me. And yes just as wrong for us to say I can’t find the time to attend a Catholic men’s group. So! Alright, OK, I’m in. Where do we go from here?  

Time Can Mean Everything or Nothing at All.

WE ARE THE CATHOLIC MEN'S MINISTRIES OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY FLORIDA