A Few Good Guys

Written by Tracy

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Six years ago, a friend and I were eating pizza one night when I said, “How about we start an eating group. We’ll sample desserts, then have a lively discussion to burn off the calories.” Thus began The Circle of Six. We convene every other Tuesday, adhering to some strict guidelines as laid out in our red Principles and Procedures notebook:

Rule #1: Be there at 8:30 P.M. Unless you’re late.

Rule #2: Hosts will be selected in alphabetic sequence. If you are hosting the event, bake something. We reserve the right to watch you eat it first. If you choke, lose consciousness, or die, we will try to revive you. Next time you must get your wife to bake something.

Rule #3: If you bring a cell phone, we will take it apart and hide the pieces.

Tonight we’re meeting by candlelight for my wife’s cheesecake. It is available in three flavors: strawberry slam, triple raspberry rage, and death by chocolate. Helpings come in three sizes: the Ballerina, the Allegro, and The Cardiac Arrest. Collectively we have gained more than one hundred pounds in four years of Tuesdays. We’ve also gained some friends. I wish you could meet these guys. If I were heading into battle, well, I would take some Marines. But I’d want these guys to bring the cheesecake.

Lately I’m learning that the next best thing to being wise yourself is to hang out with people who are. When I think of real guys, I think of the following acronym:

Graceful. This is not Gossip 101. This is Sinners Anonymous. Overwhelmed by God’s grace, we are looking for ways to pass it on.

Understanding. If you come here looking for hugs and sensitivity, you may be disappointed. But if you’re looking for some timely advice, or a listening ear it’s great to be surrounded by a few wise guys.

Yielded. We sometimes disagree on child-rearing techniques or music or automobile brands. But we share one thing in common. Each of us has handed the steering wheel over to God. Yes, we sometimes want to take it back, or offer suggestions on how to drive. But we’re learning. Together.

Successful. Tonight we got to talking about Stuff we wish we had. About riding mowers, and power sprayers, and hot tubs. Then we laughed. Though it’s easy to forget, success is not defined by the stuff we grab, but by the footprints we leave. Our incomes don’t define success. Our legacy does.

It was slow going at first. Guys aren’t always comfortable talking about what’s really happening in our lives. We hide behind the weather and the Toronto Blue Jays. But before long someone removes his catcher’s mask and admits that he’s just an old sinner in need of God’s grace. And before you know it the clock strikes midnight and you’re all sitting around wishing it hadn’t.

Tonight we talk about a friend’s failed marriage and what it takes to keep the flame burning. After we say goodnight, I sit on the sofa wishing that every guy on earth had this many friends. Guys who love to laugh. Guys who know that burdens are lighter and the path a whole lot brighter when traveled with a few fat friends.

Now, it’s time to clean candle wax off my wife’s tablecloth. And, oh yes, I need to do something with this last piece of cheesecake.

Phil Callaway is a best-selling author and popular speaker.
Visit him at www.philcallaway.com