4th Annual BBB
We hosted our fourth annual Bible, Brass, and Barbecue event (BBB), and it was an incredible day!
Over 60 men attended. While attendance isn't the scorecard by which we measure success, it was encouraging to see so many men sacrifice a Saturday morning - a day that could have been filled with countless other activities - to gather together, sharpen one another, and pursue the Lord.
What encouraged me even more was the diversity of the group. We had teenagers sitting alongside men approaching 90 years old. Seeing multiple generations gathered around God's Word was a powerful reminder that discipleship was never intended to be isolated within age groups. The older generation has wisdom, experience, and lessons learned to share. The younger generation brings energy, questions, and opportunities for investment. It was a blessing to watch both generations intentionally engage with one another.
A sincere thank you to everyone who participated, as well as those who helped set up, prepare, serve, and clean up afterward. Events like these don't happen without people willingly giving their time and energy to serve others. What a tremendous blessing that was to all of us.
This year's theme centered around the four people we encounter throughout the book of Proverbs: the Simple, the Fool, the Scoffer, and the Wise. As we worked through those categories together, several key themes personally emerged for me that I wanted to share in this week's blog.
1. Wisdom Begins with the Fear of the Lord
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." — Proverbs 1:7 NASB2020
My specific group spent a significant amount of time discussing what it means to fear the Lord.
For many people, the word "fear" can create confusion. We often associate fear with being terrified of someone who wants to harm us. But biblical fear is much deeper than that. It is a reverent awe. It is recognizing God's power, holiness, authority, and rightful place in and above our lives.
As we talked through this, I couldn't help but share with my group about my son, Noble.
The boy has already had four or five rounds of stitches in his short life to his head. He is fearless in many ways, which can be admirable, but it also means we've had many conversations about respecting things that can hurt him. Whether it's climbing up something and jumping off of it unsafely, or rough housing around something that he could easily bust his head on, we're constantly working on helping him understand that some things deserve respect.
Not because we want him to live in fear, but because we want him to understand reality.
In a much greater way, the fear of the Lord is understanding reality. It is recognizing who God is and who we are. It’s the realization that we’re a part of His story and not the other way around. The path to wisdom begins when we rightly understand His position.
2. Who We Surround Ourselves With Matters
One of the recurring themes throughout Proverbs is the influence of those around us.
Who are we allowing to speak into our lives?
Who are we spending time with?
Who are we giving permission to shape our thinking?
These influences come through friendships, mentors, books, podcasts, social media, and countless other sources. Whether we realize it or not, someone is discipling us.
Proverbs repeatedly encourages us to seek wise counsel and surround ourselves with wise people. The simple drift. The fool rejects correction. The wise seek it. Sometimes one of the wisest decisions we can make is simply choosing who gets a voice in our lives.
3. The Wise Welcome Correction
Here are some specific observations that stood out to me during our breakout and opened up some terrific discussion:
The fool rejects and despises instruction (Proverbs 15:5; 18:2). The scoffer mocks it (Proverbs 9:7–8). But the wise person welcomes it (Proverbs 9:8–9).
That sounds great in theory, but in practice, our flesh doesn't naturally enjoy being corrected (Hebrews 12:11).
Our pride often wants to defend, justify, or explain away our mistakes. Yet Proverbs continually teaches that growth requires humility. Men who stop receiving correction eventually stop growing.
The wise understand that correction isn't an attack - it is often one of God's greatest gifts for our spiritual maturity.
4. Wisdom Is a Lifelong Pursuit
One of my favorite parts of the day was looking around the room and seeing teenagers learning alongside men who have followed Christ for decades.
No one graduates from needing wisdom.
The older men still have lessons to learn. The younger men have lessons to learn. The beautiful thing about biblical wisdom is that it isn't reserved for the gifted, the educated, or the experienced. God freely gives wisdom to those who humbly seek Him (James 1:5–8).
Our flesh is "more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). It doesn't take much for any of us to drift into the mindset of the simple, the fool, or the scoffer. But praise be to our Lord and Savior that the simple can become wise, the fool can repent, and the scoffer can be transformed. The Holy Spirit is actively at work within us, conforming us to the image of Christ. Through Him, we can continue growing in our understanding of who God is and how He calls us to live.
Questions to Reflect On This Week
1. When you hear the phrase "fear of the Lord," what comes to mind? How does your view align with what Scripture teaches?
2. Who currently has the greatest influence on your thinking, priorities, and decision-making?
3. How do you typically respond when someone offers correction or challenges you?
4. Are there areas of your life where you have been acting more like the simple, the fool, or the scoffer than the wise?
5. What is one practical step you can take this week to pursue wisdom more intentionally?
May we be men who fear the Lord, pursue wisdom, welcome correction, and invest faithfully in the generations around us.
Written By: Lee Miles
