Brett Clemmer guest speaker at REWIRED event this weekend

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 8/22/19

How many men have ever felt lost in life? Like things were coming undone from every angle, with nowhere to turn to? With no one to talk to? If so, they are not alone, as many men fall victim to such …

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Brett Clemmer guest speaker at REWIRED event this weekend

Posted

How many men have ever felt lost in life? Like things were coming undone from every angle, with nowhere to turn to? With no one to talk to? If so, they are not alone, as many men fall victim to such thoughts at some point during their life. And the Man in the Mirror organization wants them to know that there are options and people who have faced challenges in life, just like them, who are willing and ready to listen.

That’s the premise behind the REWIRED event taking place on Sat., Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and hosted by Prodisee Pantry (9315 Spanish Fort Boulevard, Spanish Fort.) Registration cost is $30 and includes a continental breakfast and full lunch. The guest speaker at the event will be Brett Clemmer, Man in the Mirror CEO, who knows firsthand the feelings of being lost and alone during difficult times.

“Twenty-one years ago I started up a software company,” Clemmer said. “We had a great first year of business, it was a great time to be in the industry. I was travelling all the time for work, leaving my wife and our two kids at home. I just got consumed by building this company. Then one day I called my wife and told her I had a last-minute business trip, and she said it was okay because it was easier when I wasn’t at home. And I knew right then, that was not good.”

Around the same time, a book was handed out at Clemmer’s church: The Man in the Mirror. A friend of Clemmer’s approached him about a men’s group forming with church members, following in the footsteps of the women’s group already meeting at the church. The first meeting began with a discussion of the book that had been handed out.

“I’m telling my friend that I’m at trouble at home, that I don’t know what to do about it, and then we begin reading this book,” said Clemmer. “It begins by talking about those leading an unexamined life, cultural Christians or Biblical Christians, people who are off track. And as I read this book, the high-tech market crashed and took my company down with it. At the same time the guys at church took this book and got a Bible Study group started, and it got me back on track. My career flopped but my home and church life went through the roof.”

While searching for work, Clemmer learned Man in the Mirror was not only a book, but a ministry. A friend submitted Clemmer’s resume to the organization, and Clemmer received an interview. He states he didn’t think they’d want to hire a man who had recently lost his business, but was offered a job in the end. That was nearly 20 years ago, and now Clemmer has risen to become CEO of Man in the Mirror and loves sharing his experiences with those going through their own hardships, helping them to overcome them. Events such as REWIRED are a perfect opportunity for Clemmer to connect with men seeking fellowship in their lives.

“The event’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Clemmer. “We’re going to talk about Biblical concepts from a man’s perspective, it’s not a typical ministry event. We’ll have time for the guys to hang out with each other and talk around the table about things in each session, there will be games throughout the day, and the biggest thing will be to see the guys make connections with others and realize they’re not alone in facing problems, that other guys are facing them too. They learn that they have brothers to walk through these things with. When guys get in trouble and stressed they tend to isolate themselves, but this helps them to interact and lock arms and walk through life together.”

There are four sessions during the event: From Performance to Grace; Idols to “Spirit and Truth”; From Self-Sufficiency to Faithful Dependence; and Rewired for Biblical Manhood.

Since its inception, Man in the Mirror has reached approximately 35,000 churches and ten million men through books, events, and Bible Studies.

“My Big Holy Audacious Goal is to reach 12 million men to help them lead powerful lives by the year 2040,” Clemmer said. “In my biggest dreams at least one in three churches would have strategies for men’s disciple. They have weekend activities or men’s retreats, but they don’t have a cohesive strategy to reach every man in their church to be transformed by the gospel. I estimate if we could get one in three, that would be the tipping point. If we can get them devoted to their faith, that would have a tremendous impact on our culture and world.”

For those attending the REWIRED event, there will be worship time, teaching time, and lots of time for men to get to know one another and have discussions. Clemmer states while he’s the speaker, his part is one of the least important of the day: the most important will be the group getting to spend time together and find friends to hang out with outside of the event.

“We’re not trying to force these guys into fake relationships, but we hope they will find guys that are like them so they aren’t going through life by themselves,” Clemmer said.

For anyone who wants to attend REWIRED, registration can be found at https://forms.gle/2eXHdpoV6F93Eybv5.

For any questions, call Chris DeTombe at 248-974-9960 or email chrisdetombe@maninthemirror.org.