Origin Story

Back in 2006, a small group of us agreed to gather together on Wednesday mornings at 7am in a little pool house in my backyard over coffee and scones.  Initially, the purpose of our meetings was to engage in a marital study guide but as we worked through and completed this curriculum, we decided to “keep the band together” and continue meeting.  Over the years, the group has morphed and grown.  We’ve switched venues and meeting times.  We take breaks for summers and holidays but the core group has remained faithful to meeting and staying in community through the good, bad and ugly (and trust me, there’s been plenty of each). 

The group remained nameless for a season until we started meeting at a restaurant and having breakfast together.  Since we were using the Bible as a guide and resource to many of our discussions, I named the group BnB (Bible-n-Breakfast).  Then, in mid-2015, I began feeling frustrated by some things happening within the group and could sense I was detaching a bit.  There was a shift taking place and it was grieving me.  I didn’t want this to happen and never imagined it would but I sensed a new season was at hand.  At some point, I was reading something and came across the word “Recalibrate”.  As soon as I read it, I thought about BnB and how our beloved little brotherhood was in desperate need of some recalibration.  After taking some time to really think about what this next phase could look like “if” I were to spin it up again, I felt like God was telling me, “Son, stay faithful to this.  Don’t get discouraged. Rename the group “Recalibrate” and use your gift for writing to invite men from all over to engage in the discussion.”   God has been refining my vision and passion for mentorship, discipleship and fellowship with other men.  The true meaning of the word “calibrate” is a verb defined as: to make corrections in, to adjust or to mark or measure accurately.  How cool is that?  I think that’s exactly what I need in my life right now (and I’m believing you may as well).  I need to constantly be making small (and sometimes large) course corrections or adjustments in my life to stay on the rails and maintain proper and healthy boundaries and priorities.

Let me be super straight up and honest here.  As I began to think about you, my audience, and this site, I realized that I would have to be sensitive to a few key elements that I promise I’ll be true to as we take this journey together.  First, this site is intended for men only.   Why is this important to point out?  Hopefully, there will be aspects of this site that you’ll want to share with your wife or girlfriend or maybe even your children, however this site is really my personal invitation to you to join this “Virtual Brotherhood” of other men and commit to an intimate and organic process of deep reflection and growth.  Second, I realize that as men, we are busy, easily distracted and impatient with anything that wastes our time, so I have set out to ensure that the content here is efficient in its messaging, easily digestible and not cumbersome to read.  Having said that, you will notice that the site contains 52 fairly short entries, one for each week of the year.  I have chosen this format for a strategic purpose.  I have come to realize that most men do not have the discipline (myself included) to wake up each morning and carve out a significant amount of time to sit and reflect, pray, meditate, read, etc. about their relationship with God, their wives, children, and others.  Obviously, we are all well-intended and would love to wake up early with a cappuccino and cozy up to a blazing fire in our prayer-worn leather chair with our faithful dog by our side and engage in the ritual of a morning devotional and prayer time however let’s be honest, this just isn’t the rhythm of life for most of us.  That said, our posture each morning we are welcomed with the gift of life, should be at minimum, a deliberate attitude of gratitude to our Maker for a new day and a goal to love Him and others better because we get to live it out. 

If you’re honest, could you say you are making regular times of personal reflection and intentional connection with God at least 52 times a year?  If you are, that’s awesome!  Recalibr8 is not intended to replace anything you’re currently doing.  Think of it as a weekly supplement. 

I love to mountain bike.  I ride as often as possible however my goal is to do at least one, what I call “Epic” ride per week.  This is where I really get out and push myself.  I intentionally carve out extra time and just go for it!  I’m hoping that Recalibr8 becomes your weekly “Epic”.  I hope that you will engage with just one entry every week for a year and allow yourself to marinate in it over the course of seven days, returning to it throughout the week if necessary, taking the challenges being offered, and opening your heart and mind to the fundamental principles being discussed.

Before we dive in however, please allow me to set the stage by saying that I respect your individuality. I realize we are all coming from different life experiences, world-views, religious backgrounds and so on.  I do not claim to have all of the answers but I believe God has answers for each of us as we seek Him and as we challenge one another in love toward becoming better men, better husbands, better fathers, etc...

Are you ready to take this journey and make a one-year commitment to becoming the best husband, father, son, and friend you can be?  I truly believe that next year at this time, as you take to heart the principles outlined here, that you’ll be better equipped to deal with life’s common nuisances and struggles and you’ll be more in love with God and others than you are today.

Now that I have you all fired up, let’s go get it!