I use this prompt every time I read a chapter from the Bible: A hermeneutic study simply means learning what the author intended to communicate before jumping to what it means for us today. When studying a chapter, we walk through five simple steps: 1. Observation What does the text actually say? Who is writing? Who are they writing to? What is happening? What themes, commands, warnings, or promises appear repeatedly? Observation is about seeing before interpreting. 2. Context What is happening historically and culturally? Where is this taking place? What circumstances prompted the writing? What would the original audience have understood that we might miss? Context prevents us from reading our modern assumptions into the text. 3. Interpretation What did the author intend to communicate? What is the central message? What truth is being taught? What is God revealing about Himself, humanity, faith, obedience, suffering, leadership, or redemption? Interpretation seeks the author’s meaning, not our opinion. 4. Biblical Connection How does this chapter connect to the rest of Scripture? Does Jesus reference it? Do other biblical authors teach the same principle? How does it fit into God’s larger story? Scripture interprets Scripture. 5. Application What should change because of what I learned? Where am I aligned? Where am I drifting? What action, repentance, obedience, or growth is God calling me toward? Application is where knowledge becomes transformation. The Bagged & Tagged Question Every chapter ultimately leads us back to one question: “What kind of man is this passage forming me into?” Scripture is not merely information. It is formation. The goal is not to know more. The goal is to become more aligned with Christ. Cut and paste this into your AI app. It’ll help walk you through some of the more difficult chapters to understand. See what it does for you. Let me know your thoughts.

The mirror reveals more than appearances. It reveals truth. It reflects patterns, priorities, drift, stewardship, and formation across the 5 F’s. The mirror does not care about image, excuses, intentions, or performance.Eventually, it reveals what is truly being practiced repeatedly. *Faith The mirror asks: • What governs me under pressure? • Do I seek God only when struggling? • Is my peace conditional? • Am I becoming more humble, grounded, and surrendered? • Does my life reflect obedience or performance? Faith is reflected through: • peace • patience • integrity • consistency when nobody sees **Family The mirror reveals: • presence or distraction • patience or irritability • leadership or avoidance • emotional availability or withdrawal Your family experiences the version of you that the public never sees. The mirror asks: • Do people feel safe around me? • Do I bring peace into the home or pressure? • Am I leading with steadiness or emotional reactivity? ***Fitness Fitness reflects:• discipline• honesty• resilience• recovery• nervous system regulation• ability to endure discomfort The body reveals patterns quickly because the mirror does not negotiate with excuses. Fitness is often less about aesthetics and more about stewardship. ****Finance Money reflects:• patience or impulsiveness• stewardship or consumption• fear or trust• discipline or emotional spending• long-term thinking or short-term relief The mirror asks:• Do I use money to serve purpose?• Or to soothe insecurity, image, or comparison? *****Fun Fun reflects whether a man is alive internally or merely performing life. The mirror asks: • Can I rest without guilt? • Can I enjoy people without productivity? • Am I present enough to laugh? • Have I become all pressure and no gratitude? A healthy man does not merely grind. He remains connected to joy, brotherhood, gratitude, wonder, and presence. The mirror reveals the truth. Not who you pretend to be. Who you are becoming through repeated daily actions.

I want to open this up again and help get some conversation going in here. So let’s keep this easy. A lot of this community has still been growing in the background, and that’s on me to keep stewarding it well, making it simple to participate, and helping men know where to start. Who are you, where are you from, and what brought you here? Out of the 5 F’s, what is one area you want to grow in right now? Faith Family Fitness Finance Fun No perfect answer needed. Just a simple introduction and one area you’re working on. I’ll start engaging more intentionally in here, and I’d love for you guys to start jumping in too. This is meant to be a place where men grow through honesty, structure, brotherhood, and showing up together. Let's go!

Faith. Family. Fitness. Finance. Fun. Small wins are huge wins when accumulated. Most people overlook the small daily choices because they don’t feel dramatic enough. But real transformation is usually quiet at first. Showing up for your faith when nobody sees it.Choosing connection with your family instead of isolation. Training even when the schedule gets messy. Handling responsibilities instead of avoiding them. Finding small moments of joy and progress in the middle of real life. None of those moments seem massive on their own. But repeated daily? They change a man. Peace is built there. Confidence is built there. Trust is built there. Strength is built there. Not through one perfect breakthrough moment…but through consistent alignment over time. A lot of life is won in the ordinary moments people are tempted to dismiss.

Jacob is well on his way to recovery! Thanks be to God! Words from my Brother-in-Law Jacob: I have mulled over what to say in this for days. I’ve come to the conclusion that I may never truly have the words to express my gratitude to Shelle Glover for sacrificing part of her body for my wellbeing. I am humbled and honored that she would selflessly give. She knew full well that there would be pain and the potential for complications as the donor, but she boldly moved forward. Thank you so much! Shelle’s sacrifice is such a beautiful picture of God’s love for all of us. Each and every one of us. He speaks about it in John chapter 15. Jesus begins in verse 12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”. He continues speaking in verse 13, “Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.”. Thank you for loving a friend enough to lay down your life. I am so grateful that you are recovering well! One of the joys through this process that I’ve shared is the tangible experience of the peace that passes all understanding. Shelle spoke of the same peace, that she was called to give of herself. I believe that her reward will be great in heaven. Shelle, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I pray that the Lord blesses you greatly! He has worked a mighty work through you, and I am certain he has more great plans for you! You are my hero! Many years ago I worked for an organization that had my favorite mission statement. The last part of the mission statement goes like this . . . That transforms guests [acquaintances] into friends, and friends into family. Shelle, welcome to the family! Jacob isn’t someone who likes asking for help, but the reality is the insurance didn’t cover everything from his kidney transplant and recovery. If his story has touched you and you feel led to support him, any donation, prayer, or share truly helps lighten the load for him and his family. Fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jacobs-kidney-transplant-recovery