u/Gentleman-Warrior

I have been writing personal essays for several years. Most are about faith, family, work, mistakes I have made, and trying to understand why people, including me, do the things we do. I would like to start publishing them somewhere like Substack or Medium, but I want some honest feedback first.

I am looking for someone to tell me where you got bored, where I rambled, what did not make sense, what needed more detail, and what I should cut. I can take criticism as long as it is meant to help and not merely to prove that Reddit remains Reddit.

I am happy to do the same for you if you have essays or other writing you would like someone to read. We can exchange one piece to start and see whether it is useful to both of us.

If you are interested, send me a message.

I have been writing personal essays for several years. Most are about faith, family, work, mistakes I have made, and trying to understand why people, including me, do the things we do. I would like to start publishing them somewhere like Substack or Medium, but I want some honest feedback first.

I am looking for someone to tell me where you got bored, where I rambled, what did not make sense, what needed more detail, and what I should cut. I can take criticism as long as it is meant to help and not merely to prove that Reddit remains Reddit.

I am happy to do the same for you if you have essays or other writing you would like someone to read. We can exchange one piece to start and see whether it is useful to both of us.

If you are interested, send me a message.

I’m the head of the Men’s Ministry at my church, and I’m trying to figure out how to get younger men involved.

Right now we have a breakfast once a month, but most of the men who come are retired. I’d like to find activities that would appeal more to men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, especially men with jobs, kids, and busy schedules.

For those of you who have a successful Men’s Ministry, what has worked? What kinds of events get younger men to show up and keep coming back? I’m open to anything: service projects, outdoor activities, sports, dinners, speakers, family events, or something completely different.

I’m especially interested in ideas that don’t feel like another meeting.

This question is specifically for people who were once staunch atheists and later became Christians. What happened? Was there a particular experience, argument, book, or person that caused you to reconsider what you believed? Was your conversion sudden, or did it happen slowly over time?

I’m not looking for a debate between atheists and Christians. I’m interested in hearing what changed your mind and what finally convinced you that Christianity was true.

This morning we took the canoes out to the bay. I was nervous from the moment I got into the canoe. I kept thinking that I was going to tip it over and end up in the water. Every time the canoe shifted, I wondered if this was the moment I was going into the water. I never did.

The water was much shallower than I thought it would be. In some places I could see the bottom, which made me feel better. Falling into a few feet of water seemed considerably less alarming than disappearing into the the drink.

Once I became a little more comfortable, I was able to pay attention to where we were. As I paddled, I thought about the Native Americans who traveled these same waters and ruled this land long before the Europeans came. For a little while, I felt like one of them, although they probably knew what they were doing and were not constantly worried about tipping over.

We paddled into the Bay, which contains the remains of more than 100 wooden steamships built during World War I. They were supposed to carry supplies across the Atlantic, but the war ended before most of them could be used. They were eventually brought to the bay, stripped of anything valuable, burned down to the waterline, and left there.

At first, the wrecks did not look like ships. Pieces of dark wood and rusted iron stuck out of the water like ribs. Some of the hulls were just beneath the surface, and I could make out their long outlines through the shallow, muddy water. Others had collected enough mud and seeds that trees, bushes, and marsh plants were growing directly out of them. They looked like narrow islands until I got close enough to see the remains of the ships underneath.

It was strange paddling through the wreckage. These ships had been sitting there for about a hundred years and had slowly become part of the river. Birds perched on them, plants grew from inside them, and fish lived beneath them. I took photographs from the canoe while trying not to make any sudden movements. I wanted pictures of the ships, but I also wanted my camera and me to remain above the water.

This morning we took the canoes out to the bay. I was nervous from the moment I got into the canoe. I kept thinking that I was going to tip it over and end up in the water. Every time the canoe shifted, I wondered if this was the moment I was going into the water. I never did.

The water was much shallower than I thought it would be. In some places I could see the bottom, which made me feel better. Falling into a few feet of water seemed considerably less alarming than disappearing into the the drink.

Once I became a little more comfortable, I was able to pay attention to where we were. As I paddled, I thought about the Native Americans who traveled these same waters and ruled this land long before the Europeans came. For a little while, I felt like one of them, although they probably knew what they were doing and were not constantly worried about tipping over.

We paddled into the Bay, which contains the remains of more than 100 wooden steamships built during World War I. They were supposed to carry supplies across the Atlantic, but the war ended before most of them could be used. They were eventually brought to the bay, stripped of anything valuable, burned down to the waterline, and left there.

At first, the wrecks did not look like ships. Pieces of dark wood and rusted iron stuck out of the water like ribs. Some of the hulls were just beneath the surface, and I could make out their long outlines through the shallow, muddy water. Others had collected enough mud and seeds that trees, bushes, and marsh plants were growing directly out of them. They looked like narrow islands until I got close enough to see the remains of the ships underneath.

It was strange paddling through the wreckage. These ships had been sitting there for about a hundred years and had slowly become part of the river. Birds perched on them, plants grew from inside them, and fish lived beneath them. I took photographs from the canoe while trying not to make any sudden movements. I wanted pictures of the ships, but I also wanted my camera and me to remain above the water.

I worked all day and stopped around 3:00 so I could pack. My son and I drove to the Scout meeting place, picked up the other Scouts, and headed to the State Park.

This was the first time in my life that I had ever towed anything. I had to learn how the trailer hitch worked because I was pulling a trailer full of canoes. It was not nearly as complicated as I thought it would be. The hardest part was lifting the front of the trailer high enough to lower it onto the hitch. It was heavier than I expected, but once everything was connected, I was fine. I was still very aware that I had several canoes following me down the road.

I’m looking for someone who enjoys talking about books, not just exchanging titles and then disappearing into the Reddit wilderness.

I mostly read nonfiction, especially history, biography, religion, mythology, and science. I recently went through several books about the Roman Empire, and I’m currently reading Heroes by Stephen Fry. I also enjoy biographies by writers such as Ron Chernow and books about people like Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.

I’m interested in what a book says about human nature and our own lives, so I enjoy conversations that go beyond whether the book was good or bad. We could read the same book together, discuss whatever we happen to be reading, or recommend books to each other. I’m open to fiction too, although I tend to prefer books with something worth thinking about after the story is over.

I would prefer someone interested in an actual ongoing conversation.

What are you reading now, and what is the last book that stayed with you after you finished it?

I’m married with two sons, and between family, church, Scouts, books, photography, writing, movies, music, history, travel, and bourbon, I have enough interests to keep me busy and not enough time to become especially good at any of them.

I like real conversations. Serious ones, funny ones, and the kind that begin with a normal question and somehow end with somebody explaining why they were once chased through a parking lot by a goose.

I’ve lived long enough to collect a few stories of my own. I survived three bank robberies, spent years as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and once nearly got killed by the mafia. That story is less glamorous than it sounds, which is usually how life works.

I’m not looking for pictures, followers, flirting, or a forced friendship by the third message. Just decent people who enjoy talking about life, books, faith, travel, family, movies, strange experiences, or whatever else comes up.

Tell me your age and something about yourself that sounds made up but isn’t.

I’m married with two sons, and between family, church, Scouts, books, photography, writing, movies, music, history, travel, and bourbon, I have enough interests to keep me busy and not enough time to become especially good at any of them.

I like real conversations. Serious ones, funny ones, and the kind that begin with a normal question and somehow end with somebody explaining why they were once chased through a parking lot by a goose.

I’ve lived long enough to collect a few stories of my own. I survived three bank robberies, spent years as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and once nearly got killed by the mafia. That story is less glamorous than it sounds, which is usually how life works.

I’m not looking for pictures, followers, flirting, or a forced friendship by the third message. Just decent people who enjoy talking about life, books, faith, travel, family, movies, strange experiences, or whatever else comes up.

Tell me your age and something about yourself that sounds made up but isn’t.

I am sitting here at the edge of the ocean watching the waves roll in. The dunes are behind me, covered with grass and other plants. It is mostly cloudy, but every now and then the sun breaks through a small opening and lights up the water.

The ocean feels endless from where I am sitting. There is an entire world beneath the surface that I cannot see. Fish, crabs, plants, and creatures I will never know are living their lives below the waves. There is another world beneath the sand, filled with insects, crabs, and whatever else.

The birds are flying over the beach looking for breakfast. A crab is crawling toward me. Another bird passes with a crab in its mouth. People are beginning to arrive and take their places along the shore. The waves keep coming, one after another, as they have long before I was here and will long after I am gone.

None of this depends on me. I did not create it. I do not control it. Most of it exists beyond my understanding. Still, I sit here and see a small part of it.

I look around and feel very small, but not unimportant. The same universe that made the ocean, the sky, the birds, and the creatures beneath the sand also made me.

I give gratitude for this place and for every living thing around me. I give gratitude for for allowing me to be here with enough quiet to notice any of it.

Looking for a pastor or theologian for thoughtful Christian discussions and writing feedback

I am looking for a pastor, theologian, seminary student, or someone with a strong background in Christian theology who would be willing to have occasional spiritual discussions with me. I had a dear friend who was a pastor and we would talk but he passed away several years ago and I've come to realize that I miss our conversations.

I grew up Hindu, attended Catholic school, spent several years in a Unitarian Universalist church, and eventually became a Christian and was baptized with my family in the United Methodist Church. Because of that journey, I sometimes approach Christianity from a different angle than someone who grew up in the church.

I have been writing personal essays about faith, doubt, prayer, grace, suffering, and my journey toward Christianity. I would appreciate finding someone willing to read some of my writing and offer honest, constructive feedback. I am especially interested in whether the theology is sound, where my Christian perspective could be clearer or deeper, and how I can improve without turning the essays into sermons.

I am not looking for someone to simply agree with me. I enjoy thoughtful questions and respectful disagreement. I am also not looking to argue about denominations or politics. I want to better understand Christianity, strengthen my writing, and make sure I am representing the faith fairly and thoughtfully.

This could be through Reddit messages, email, Zoom, or occasional conversations, depending on what works. I understand that people’s time is valuable, so I would be respectful of whatever level of involvement someone is comfortable offering.

Please message me if this interests you, or if you know someone who might be a good fit.