Welcome to Forming Connections!
Making and Keeping Great Friendships Among Men
This book is a real-life positive adventure and journey to form enjoyable, genuine, and spiritual relationships in every area of life. Those who have your back will usually be the same individuals who know they can count on you in the good times and in times of trouble.
David Smith identifies the social and spiritual causes of our friendship disconnect in both a personal and well researched manner. He writes and speaks from his own experiences and from information gathered from hundreds of interviews. David clearly identifies and explains what’s wrong but he doesn’t leave us wondering, ‘What do we do now?’ David is pro friendship and pro men and pro women. He demonstrates that there is a remedy for the problem and offers insights to guide men in the adventure of building deeper and more lasting and meaningful friendships.
— Gary Smit, Ed.D., Dean of Faculty, Josephson Institute of Ethics
Purpose
Through this modest website men’s groups and other faith based and business groups can connect with David Smith to schedule a speaking or interview event. In fast paced weekend retreats which confront the issues men face daily, David comes along side and partners with men and helps better equip them for their essential leadership and relationship responsibilities in every aspect of their lives. A new trade book resource available now as an eBook and pre sale for release this September is, Who’s Got Your Back? The main goal of the book and the main goal of the conference sessions, retreats, prayer breakfasts and other activities, is to build better and more satisfying and spiritually oriented relationships and friendships which will stand the test of time and be there during the ups and downs of life.
Key Ideas
Much of life is about forming meaningful and spiritual connections: A great indicator of both spiritual and physical health is how well we are connected to others. And yet many men wander through life very much alone and they are the poorer for it. David Smith created Forming Connections to help bring attention to the importance of men’s ministry and to the essential need for men to make and keep close and meaningful relationships with others.
Overview
“Who has your back?” A large majority of men will answer, “No one.” Not many men have close friends in the sense that women do. Most try to maintain an independent and strong image even though such a life style contributes to superficial and unsatisfying relationships. Men get use to living without friends of the heart and instead pass their time with buddies, friends of the road, good for a laugh and a drink but not much else. These are friends with whom men play golf or work with and always limit conversation to safe subjects. Unexpectedly even the church is a place where men are usually alone together.
The Story Behind Who’s Got Your Back?
My wife Sue Ann and I and our children were very involved with our community and our church and our neighborhood and our careers. After several years we prepared to make a career move to another city. I was surprised that my “goodbyes” to my friends were causal even perfunctory while Sue Ann’s “goodbyes” to her friends were heartfelt and included hugs and tears and commitments to stay close and in touch.
I wondered was this just about me or do most men have similar superficial relationship experiences? So I decided to interview people, conduct survey research and study what the Bible records about friendship. All these sources reinforced my belief that men do not have friends. This topic was exciting. Next I began to speak at men’s conference events and then to write Who’s Got your Back?