Transformation

This was our first time in our new, temporary, home (while Potthoff Hall is being renovated). Our “Guest Speaker Series” continued, and this month featured a memorable and deeply personal testimony from our brother, Bob Esquibel. Bob shared the story of his life through a prepared presentation that lasted nearly 40 minutes and held the attention of the entire room throughout. Beginning with his childhood in East Los Angeles, Bob moved through each major stage of his life by removing one shirt after another, each revealing a new shirt underneath representing that chapter of his journey. His first shirt read “Born in East L.A.,” followed by an Army shirt representing his draft and service in Vietnam during the early 1970s, then medical scrubs symbolizing his career as a radiologist, followed by a polo shirt from his radiology staffing business. His final shirt simply read “JESUS,” representing this current stage of his life and faith at age 75. Along the way, Bob shared stories, photographs, humor, struggles, Scripture passages, and reflections on where God was present in each season of his spiritual journey. Particularly moving were photos from boot camp and another showing the severe facial injuries he suffered from a candle flame accident, from which he experienced what he considers a miraculous healing only months later.

The testimony connected strongly with the men, especially several who also grew up in East Los Angeles and could personally relate to many of Bob’s stories and experiences. The presentation was heartfelt, creative, and engaging from beginning to end. Following Bob’s testimony, the group reflected on Sunday’s Gospel reading from John 14:15–21, continuing discussion around Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit and the call to remain in His love as we move toward Ascension Sunday and then Pentecost. The morning’s song was Nobody by Casting Crowns, which fit beautifully with Bob's themes of humility, gratitude, and God working through ordinary people.

Featured Scripture

John 14:15-21

Featured Song

“Nobody” by Casting Crowns (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Dale, Daniel (first time), David, Gilbert, Joe, Julian, Mike, Sarge, Tony

Whom Do You Seek?

With the Hall in the early renovations stages, today we met at the Chisholm Family home for our breakfast gathering. Michael led us in a discussion inspired by John 20:15… when Jesus asks Mary, “Whom are you seeking?” This is a question Jesus asks all of us today…”Whom do you seek?” Are we seeking the things God does for us? Or are we seeking what God seeks from us - a relationship? It’s a question we should ask ourselves often…

Featured Scripture

John 20:11-18

Featured song

“He’s Alive” by Don Fransisco (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Anthony M, Anthony P, Chris, Dale, David, Don, Gil, Jack, Michael, Mike, Ray

MC

Standing Trial

This morning the men explored a Christian’s approach to preparing for - and dealing with - trials in our lives. After reflecting on the Scriptures, the men discussed concepts that are unique to how Christians view trials…concepts such as “gift”, “all joy” and “with faith”. Prayer, being in community, and praising God were some of the tools mentioned for enduring times of difficulty.  Some of the men also shared personal trials they've experienced.

Featured Scripture

James 1:2-8

Featured Song

“Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” by Michael W. Smith (Music Video)

Additional Scripture reflections

“My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.” (Sir 2:1)

“In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 1:6-7)

“the Lord knows how to rescue the devout from trial” (2 Pet 2:9)

“God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10:13)

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Gil, Jack, Joe, Larry, Ray, Roger & Tony

CA

Called By God

Today was a special gathering as our Guest Speaker Series continued, and this time we were blessed to have Ruben share his story with us. Ruben’s life is an example of what it means to be “Called by God”. Many think this calling means “into Religious life”, but that’s just not true. God calls us to all the different vocations; and for Ruben, that meant a call to the vocation of marriage - where God continues to use him and Pat as models of Catholic marriage. It was a powerful testimony, especially where his time with the LA Sheriffs was involved, and we are so grateful to Ruben for opening up and sharing his story.

We were also happy to welcome Anthony to his first Fellowship Breakfast. Anthony began joining us for Men Praying Rosaries on Wed nights, and it was wonderful to see him arrive this morning.

Featured Scripture

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Featured Song

“I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris, Dale, Deacon Al, Don, Gil, Jack, Jose, Julian, Larry, Michael, Mike, Ruben, Tony

(RH)

New Beginnings

We had a strong turnout this morning with about 18 men in attendance, including a new young man, Alexander, whom we first met at our Men Praying Rosaries gathering on New Year’s Eve.

Breakfast itself was a highlight thanks to David & Anthony. David debuted a new commercial-grade waffle iron and a new batter recipe, and the waffles were a big hit with everyone.

Jack opened the morning with the song There Was Jesus by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton, setting a reflective tone for the discussion that followed. He then led us through a Scripture-rich exploration of New Beginnings, focusing on the call to commit all that we do to God and to allow Him to guide our lives each day. The many biblical references Jack shared generated thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion, as Scripture often does. Given the time spent on those readings, his full presentation on making, keeping, and recovering from broken resolutions was covered more briefly at the end, but still provided solid biblical perspective and encouragement. (Topic Outline)

Despite competing with increasing noise from the parish hall as preparations began for a “Pathways” event at 11am, the discussion remained engaged and fruitful. Special thanks to the men who stayed after the meeting to help reset the room for the program that followed. We continue to hope that the long-anticipated hall renovation will begin after Easter, as we’ve been hearing. Deacon Al joined us at the conclusion of the breakfast to offer a blessing and lead us in closing prayer.

Featured Scripture(s)

Scripture Reflections

Featured Song

“There was Jesus” by Zach Williams & Dolly Parton (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Alexander, Anthony, Bob, Chris, Chuck, David, Deacon Al, Gil, Jack, Joe, Jose, Julian, Larry, Mike, Ray, Ruben, Sarge

Journey of the Christian Man: A Self-reflection Under God

As a result of the feedback the Core Team received from our survey responses, we were inspired to invite a non-Team member to lead the topic discussion for this meeting, and Chuck Martin was who came to our hearts for this inaugural Guest Speaker opportunity. As we all expected, Chuck delivered… He gave a beautiful talk on what it means to be a Man For Christ - all the challenges and joys we experience along the way, and the need for constant surrender to God. The men seemed to thoroughly enjoy what Chuck had to share. We were blessed to listen. It was also nice to welcome Raul - Chuck’s neighbor whom he brought along this morning.

Featured Scripture

Luke 12:22-34

Featured Song

“I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Bob, Chris A, Chris C, Chuck, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Don, Gil, Greg, Joe, Julian, Larry, Michael, Raul, Ray, Roger, Sarge, Tony

Christian Love

We had about 11 men in attendance this month, a lighter turnout than usual as several regulars had other commitments. Dale led the meeting with the theme of Love—a topic, as he humorously noted, that Christian men’s groups don’t often choose to discuss! Yet, as Dale reminded us, love is central to our faith because God is love and Jesus modeled “love thy neighbor as thyself” throughout His ministry, culminating in His sacrifice on the cross for each of us—not just for the “good Christians.”

Dale guided the conversation with several Scripture readings on love, each proclaimed by one of the men. The reflections offered unique perspectives and led to a rich discussion about loving those who seem unlovable or who treat us poorly. The song Everyday God by Bernadette Farrell, a simple and powerful litany, encouraged everyone to sing along. Toward the end, Father John joined us to invite the men to serve as “Companions” for parents in the parish’s Pathways program for first graders, and to attend next weekend’s conference on spiritual warfare. Mike also reminded everyone about our annual men’s retreat at Mater Dolorosa next March.

Featured Scripture

1 John 4:7-21 & 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Featured Song

“Everyday God” by Bernadette Farrell (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Chuck, Dale, Deacon Al, Gil, Julian, Jack, Jose, Larry Chu, Larry Church, & Mike. Cameo appearance Fr John

(DA)

Recognizing the Poor

This morning’s CMF Breakfast centered on the Gospel passage from Luke in which Jesus tells the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Chuck proclaimed the Scripture and Deacon Al led us in a wide-ranging discussion. Together we reflected on themes of Heaven and Hell, the fate of the unnamed rich man versus righteous Lazarus, and how the story relates to today’s reality of homelessness. The conversation was lively and thoughtful, with many men contributing their insights.

We were blessed with close to 20 men in attendance, including two newcomers, Randy and Mark, who introduced themselves and joined in the discussion. Overall, it was a morning of fellowship, prayer, and meaningful reflection on God’s Word.

Featured Scripture

Luke 16:19-31

Featured Song

“Sacred Silence” by Tim Booth (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris A, Chris C, Chuck, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Gil, Greg, Joe, Julian, Larry Chu, Larry Church, Mark, Mike, Randy, Ray

The Miracle Hour

This meeting was unlike previous ones. This month, the men spent an hour in prayer led by Chris. This guided prayer experience was based on the book “Miracle Hour” by Linda Schubert. The “Miracle Hour” is an hour of prayer that is broken down into the twelve different five-minute topics, such as praise, spiritual warfare, release of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, thanksgiving, etc. This prayer process is designed to clear out potential spiritual obstacles, plant seeds for future growth, and draw participants into a closer relationship with the Lord.

The usual song and Scripture were embedded in the process as well. The Scripture was from Mattew and the passage emphasizes how Jesus works miracles out of the compassion in His heart, like He did when He looked with pity upon the condition of the blind men.“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it” (Phil 1:6)

Handout

Featured Scripture

Matthew 20:29-34

Featured Song

“Our God” by Chris Tomlin (Music Video)

In Attendance:
Andrew, Anthony, Bob, Chris A, Chris C, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Frank, Gil, Greg, Joe, Jose, Julian, Larry, Mike, Roger, Sarge, Tony

Holy Spirit - The Forgotten God

This morning Jack led a discussion on the Holy Spirit, focusing on His nature and His role in our lives. We looked at the Holy Spirit’s role in salvation, discussed His gifts and manifestations, and reviewed how He works in our lives and the life of the Church.

Scriptures featuring the Holy Spirit

John 3:6, 7:37-39, 14:15-20, 14:25-36, 15:26, 16:7-13
Romans 8:9-11, 8:26-27
2 Thessalonians 2:3-7
Ephesians 1:13-14
1 Corinthians 6:19-26
Matthew 28:19-20

Featured Song

“Father, Son, Spirit” by Jason Upton (Music Video)

In attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris A, Chris C, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Don, Gil, Greg, Jack, Joe, Julian, L Chu, L Church, Michael, Mike, Ray, Roger

(JR)

Ave Maria

It was wonderful to be back with the men this morning, and we had a very nice turn-out. We were pleased to have Andrew and Greg return after some time away, and we were especially pleased to welcome Gil’s brother-in-law, Max, for the first time. On a sad note, Tom joined us for the last time as he will be moving to Mesa, AZ. We sent him off with some beautiful prayers.

Michael led today’s discussion and he shared about his personal experience going through a Marian consecration (a topic that seemed appropriate as May is the month of Mary). Michael shared some highlights of the book he used for his consecration (“True Devotion to Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort), and the men seemed to be really engaged in the conversation. While Mary is loved as the Mother of Jesus, many Catholics struggle with how to relate to her, and this book helped provide some light to this.

Featured Scripture

Acts 8:26-35

Featured Song

“Ave Maria” by Connie Salazar

In Attendance:

Andrew, Chris, Chuck, Dale, Don, Gil, Greg, Jack, Larry, Larry, Max, Michael, Ray, Tom, Tony

(MC)

A Father's Love

This morning we enjoyed an off-site gathering at Dale’s house, and it was enjoyed by all who attended. As we head into Holy Week, Dale led a discussion on the love of God, and how we receive it. All the men spoke up with some wonderful stories and insights.

Featured Scripture

John 17

Featured Song

“O What A Father You Are” by Gary Szymik (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Chris, Chuck, Dale, Deacon Al, Julian, Michael, Ray, Roger

(DA)

Traveling With The Magi

After a Christmas break, it was wonderful to be back with the men this morning. It was especially great to see Cody again before he heads back to Mississippi, and also to see Ray R after a very long time away.

Today Chris led a discussion focused on the journey of the Magi, and how our own personal faith journeys can relate. The journey of the Wise Men was long…challenging…required faith and perseverance…very much like our personal journeys to heaven. The men seemed to really enjoy the discussion.

Featured Scripture

Matthew 2:1-12

Featured Song

“We Three Kings” by Tenth Avenue North (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris, Cody, David, Deacon Al, Don, Dr. Ray, Gilbert, Joe, Julian, Larry Chu, Larry Church, Michael, Ray Roger, Ruben, Sarge, Tom, Tony

(CA)

Faith of Job

Once again we had a wonderful turn-out of men joining us for our monthly meeting. It was inspiring to welcome back Sarge, and great to have Jacob show up for the first time - even if he couldn’t stay.

This morning Michael led a two-part discussion. The first part introduced the Multiple Intelligence Profile. Don’t let that scare you - it is merely a tool that helps us understand how we each learn; and that then helps us to learn what prayer methods might be best suited for each of us. (Due to copyright concerns, we will not be posting the test on this page, but a copy will be sent in the email blast to all the men).

The second part of Michael’s discussion focused on Job…his incredible faith…and how do we get there ourselves? “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” This is a very powerful place of faith, and it’s that strength of faith that we should all be striving for.

Featured Scripture

Job 2:2-10

Featured Song

“Here for a Reason” by Ashes Remain

In attendance:

Anthony, Chris A, Chris C, Chuck, Dale, David, Gil, Greg, Julian, L Chu, L Church, Michael, Mike, Ray, Roger, Sarge, Tom

(MC)

Humility

Once again, we enjoyed a wonderful gathering with our brothers. It was amazing to be able to welcome Oscar back after a very long time of recovery from a horrible accident. It was also nice to debut our brand new table cloths - paid for with the funds collected from our cash box.

Chris led us in a discussion on Humility, ending with a reflection on the Litany of Humility. The men loved the topic and were very responsive with their own thoughts and stories.

Featured Scripture

Philippians 2:1-11

Other Reflections:
”God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)
”…the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 4:11)
”…the humble of spirit acquire honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)
”Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find mercy in the sight of God.” (Sirach 3:17-18)
”And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Featured Song

“Litany of Humility” by Danielle Rose

In Attendance:

Anthony, Bob, Chris A, Chris C, Chuck, Dale, David, Deacon Al, Frank, Greg, Jack, Joe, Julian, Larry, Michael, Mike, Oscar, Ruben

Love Your Enemies

This wasn’t our intended topic for this session, but after reading the Scripture reflection, the conversation just grew and grew into what it means when Jesus asks us to love our enemies. As is always the case when the Holy Spirit takes over a meeting, the men really enjoyed the discussion and many contributed their independent thoughts.

Special prayers were offered for our brother Gil who was flying with his family to Mexico, and also for our brother Chris who recently lost his father. And special thanks to Ray for covering waffle duty this month!

FEATURED SCRIPTURE

Luke 6:27-36

FEATURED SONG

“What I Need” by Collin Ray (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Bob, Chris, Dale, Don, Gil, Greg, Jack, Joe, Julian, L Chu, L Church, Michael A, Michael C, Mike, Ray, Roger, Ruben, Tom

Praying Boldly

The breakfast went very well this morning. Dale did a terrific job leading the men in prayer and in discussing prayer in Scripture and how (and why) to pray “boldly.” He also prayed over our brother David, and led us in song with that selection from Don Potter, “Show Me Your Face”. We also closed with a Divine Mercy Chaplet.

We had a good turnout, including a couple of guys we haven’t seen in a while; and we also welcomed Michael A for the very first time.

Featured Song

“Show Me Your Face” by Don Porter (Music Video)

Divine Mercy

Today was a day full of blessings. Not only did we have an inspired discussion on Divine Mercy led by Deacon Al, but we also had four different men bring their sons with them, and Frank performed some beautiful worship music on his guitar during breakfast.

Deacon Al had previously done a 3-night session on Divine Mercy for the parish, and he was able to condense it beautifully down to an hour for us. The men found his teaching enlightening and powerful. Here is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation Deacon Al put together for us:

Divine Mercy

Gil Rivera joined us for the first time in forever, and was one of the dads who brought his son with him. Luke Rivera gave a quick testimonial on the NET Ministry he’s involved with, and it was wonderful to hear so much of the Spirit coming out of one of our young men. If any of you might be interested in hosting a group of college-age kids while they are participating in this ministry, please use the Contact Us page of the website to let us know, and we’ll get you in touch with Gil for more details.

Featured Song

“As The Dear Longs” (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Andrew, Chris (and his son, Christopher), Dale, David (and his son, Anthony), Deacon Al, Don, Frank (and his sons…minors, so leaving names out), Gil G, Gil R (and his son, Luke), Jack, Joe, Julian, Michael, Mike, Ruben, Tom, Tony

AG

Knowing God

We enjoyed another wonderful meeting, and were excited to welcome some brand new men to the group. It’s amazing to watch the Holy Spirit use this ministry to reach so many different men. And it’s also amazing to feel His presence as He works through the men during our gatherings.

Featured Scripture

Psalm 46:10 (46:11 in NAB versions)

Featured Song

“Know (Be Still)” by Jeremy Riddle (Music Video)

JR (18)

Feasting On The Word of God

Today was a lot of fun. In lieu of a Featured Scripture, Chris turned our entire topic into a “Bible Potluck”. Each man offered a favorite or meaningful Scripture into a hat. As we pulled the different Scriptures out, the brother shared why that Scripture is meaningful to him, and then we did a quick dive into each Scripture. It was a wonderful way to learn about all kinds of different Scriptures, while also getting to learn more about each other. Here is the full list of Scriptures that were offered up (in alphabetical order):

Colossians 3:23-24
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 5:1-2
Hebrews 4:12
Isaiah 54:10
John 1:12
John 3:5
John 6:44
Joshua 1:9
Luke 1:45
Matthew 5:13-15
Matthew 5:9
Philippians 2:12-15
Philippians 4;13
Psalm 43:4
Romans 7:14-20
Sirach 2:1

For those interested, here is the worksheet Chris put together:
FeastingOnTheWordOfGod

fEATURED SONG

“Thy Word” by Amy Grant (Music Video)

In Attendance:

Chris, Chuck, Dale, Don, Greg, Jack, Julian, L Chu, L Church, Michael, Mike, Ray, Sarge, Tom, Tony

(CA)