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What it is…

We want to have a time for the Men at Magnify to continue to gather together to sharpen one another – to purposefully grow in our lives to be better men. To this end, we’ll be covering books that we consider some of the most impactful we’ve ever gone through. These are the kinds of books that get in your head and really make you take stock of your life. Each week we’ll gather together to:

• Talk about the book and it’s impact (see the “Suggestions for Reading” below)
• Pray for and with each other
• Discuss our devotional life with God in our spiritual disciplines

Why?

In a nutshell: we want to grow as men of God and we want you to as well. We know when we get our heads together around important conversations, we set each other up to do this well.

Check out these videos for more specific reasons why we want you to join up this summer…  TRENT VIDEO

 

Logistics…

When / Where (feel free to attend whichever works for you):

• Rockford Campus: 6am, Landing (inside Door 1, down the stairs to the right)
• Northview Campus: 6:30pm, room M2 (main floor, opposite end of building from Worship Center/offices)

ROCKFORD:

• May 15: True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer
• June 5 & 19: Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler
• July 3 & 17: Prayer by Tim Keller
• Aug 7 & 21: The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

NORTHVIEW:

• May 15: Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• June 5 & 19: Confessions by Augustine
• July 3 & 17: Good News for Anxious Christians by Phillip Cary
• Aug 7 & 21: Learning to Disagree by John Inazu

Check out our complete list of Summer Events HERE.

 

Steps to Prep…

Here’s what to do to prepare:

STEP 1:

Read the book, jotting down notes and marking along as you go (see “Suggestions for Reading” and “FAQ” below)

STEP 2:

Come to the Connects to meet and discuss the book.

STEP 3:

REPEAT

 

It’s that simple. We know summers can get full and busy. But we don’t want to miss out on chances to grow together. We also don’t want to pile you up with an unrealistic amount of work. We hope to hold the tension of being filled-up-and-refreshed and challenged-and-stretched together.

 

Suggestions for Reading…

Here’s some basics of how we will be processing the books together and what we’d recommend you doing at home to prepare (printed copies available at group):

Helpful Reading Bookmark (pdf version)

• Read the Introduction
• Read the Conclusion
• Read the Intro Again
• Find the Main Point
• Locate the Supports
• Note “Describing” Words
• Note Conversation Partners
• Think through…
  • What stood out most to me?
  • What resonated with me?
  • What challenged me?
  • What do I agree/disagree with and why?
  • What do I think I should be/know/do because of this book?

 

FAQ

Who is this group for?

This group is for any man interested in reading, learning and growing.

 

What if I’m not a “scholar”?

Let us answer your question with two more questions:

Can you read? and Do you want to learn?

If you’re not an “academic” or “scholar”, that’s ok!

We want men of all walks of life to come. A teachable spirit and a humble heart know no status. As long as you want to grow, you’re good to go!

 

Where do I get the books?

You can find these all at most bookstores including Baker Book House, ChristianBook.com, Amazon, or even your local library. The church as some copies available for borrowing or purchase (check with the M@M team).

 

What if I don’t know anyone?

Then this is a good place to get to know the guys. There will be many guys from different walks of life, so this is a good spot to get to know others.

 

Why these books and not others?

Each month we hope to post a video as to why specifically that book was chosen, but in general we chose these books because these are ones we refer to often in our own lives. These are the ones that have “stuck”. We can’t get away from them. The ideas the authors have put forth are ones that keep us thinking about God, ourselves, and others. These books are some that if we only had a few we could handout to everyone, these would be on the short-list.

Why not others? Because we figured one a month was a good pace and – to be honest – if we included all the books we wanted to, it’d be a really, really long list.

 

Should I read the book ahead of time or only after the meeting?

Come to the meeting with that date and book to discuss that book.

Example:

May 15, come prepared to talk about True Spirituality (Rockford) or Life Together (Northview), having read them ahead of time.

June 5, come prepared to talk through the first parts of Crucial Conversations (Rockford) or Confessions (Northview).

 

What if I didn’t read the book ahead of time?

This is ok, but not recommended – see the next question…

 

How will I get the most out of this?

As with a good workout routine or diet, the more you are “all in”, the more you’ll get out of it.

GOOD: Being familiar with the book ahead of time, skimming it, reading it without taking notes. This will get you a bit down the road, but will limit how much you’ll be able to bring to the table of conversation. But showing up ill-equipped is better than not at all.

BETTER: Reading the book in full, marking as you go and chatting about it with us at the CONNECT meeting.

BEST: All of the above plus remaining committed to your daily devotional life, coming prepared to dig in with other guys about the book, prayer, and your spiritual disciplines – contributing your own thoughts but also seeking the thoughts, insights, and challenge from others.

 

What if I can only come to one meeting this summer?

Once is better than none – bring it!

 

Do I get a trophy if I come to all of the CONNECTS?

We’ll do you one better: a hand shake, the respect of your peers after having grown in relationship, and the satisfaction of knowing you used your time wisely this summer.

 

I have other questions and/or thoughts I didn’t see listed, what do I do?

Reach out directly to the Men at Magnify Team (Trent & Josh)