Friday Mornings: Fish on the Road, Brothers at the Table
- May 11
- 5 min read
May 8, 2026
Friday Mornings: Fish on the Road, Brothers at the Table
This week, as we explore some of the most sacred spaces in the most unlikely places, I’m reminded that the greatest sanctuary is not always a cathedral or quiet chapel. Sometimes it is a simple breakfast table at The Brook Besor in Pell City, Alabama, surrounded by brothers who have become family.
It begins at 4:46 a.m. on my property in Southside, Alabama, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains along the Coosa River. I step outside and see the moon hanging bright and clear in the still-dark sky, keeping watch over the quiet land. In moments like that, I’m reminded of Psalm 19, where creation itself declares the glory of God long before a single word is spoken. Even before the drive begins, God is already present.
The road is still dark when I leave Southside and wind toward Pell City. Along the way, the route follows the Coosa River. In the pre-dawn hush, the water lies calm beneath a sky just beginning to blush with the first hint of sunrise. Those quiet miles become a moving sanctuary, a place where the noise of the world fades, and the Lord gently prepares my heart for what is ahead.
Then, just past 5:53 a.m., a glowing shape breaks through the mist on my windshield. A perfect fish, bright and unmistakable. Ichthys. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. I take it as a reminder that God still knows how to speak in quiet ways to those willing to notice. I’m on my way to meet the fish people.
By the time I walk into The Brook Besor, I sit down as the founder and president of Lettermen of the USA, also known as Chief Bottle Washer, but once I’m at the table, I’m simply one of the guys. Men from every walk of life gather there: the wealthy and the less fortunate, some still battling addiction, others carrying invisible pain. Yet around that table, titles fade, and grace takes over. It feels a lot like the kind of table Jesus Himself would have chosen to sit at.
Tim Hendrix Senior and his son Tim Junior lead us, along with Rod McSweeney, Chris Seay, Ken Carr, and others.
Chef Jason normally cooks breakfast for us every Friday morning, serving some of the best breakfast in East Alabama and, quite honestly, some of the best scrambled eggs this side of heaven. This morning, he got a well-deserved break when our brother Paul stepped up. Paul not only led the discussion on Chapter Twelve of Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart, “Out in the Open,” but also brought an incredible spread: sausage-egg-and-cheese casserole, potato-cheese casserole, pan biscuits, and a gooey cinnamon roll casserole topped with frosting. The whole room smelled amazing before we even got started.
Chris Seay always has a joke ready to get us laughing. Ken Carr carries a deep well of biblical knowledge, and Bart brings strong scripture into every conversation. According to my prayer breakfast brother Chris Seay, “There are hundreds of years of knowing work experience but wisdom in our men’s group. And just as many years of sin!”
We are usually working through one book, but we take our time. It might take us a full year to finish because we are not there just to read. We talk about real life, the hard things, the painful things, and the honest things. We open scripture alongside the book and let God’s Word search our hearts. We pray for one another, worship together, and experience the truth Jesus spoke in Matthew 18:20 when He said He would be present wherever two or three gather in His name.
This gathering does more than feed me spiritually. It strengthens me as a leader. Every Friday, these men remind me why I started Lettermen of the USA in the first place. As Proverbs teaches, iron sharpens iron, and these brothers sharpen me constantly. They keep me grounded, honest, and dependent on God. They help shape me into a better servant for the veterans and former athletes we are called to reach.
That glowing fish on the dark road was right. We really are the fish people: broken, bruised, and swimming upstream together while following the same Savior. From the moon over my yard in Southside at 4:46 a.m., to the Coosa River along the drive, to the fish in the mist, to the table at The Brook Besor, these Friday mornings have become the anchor that ends my week and launches the next.
In a noisy world, this journey and this room have become holy ground.
Pre-dawn fog on the Coosa River
The sky is painted in deep reds and grays as the first light fights through the clouds. A thick blanket of mist rises off the water, softening the shoreline and turning distant lights into gentle glowing reflections. The world is still quiet… almost holy.
This is the kind of morning that reminds me why I make this drive every Friday. Before the coffee, before the conversation, before the table at The Brook Besor — God is already speaking in the silence and the beauty along the way.
Another sacred mile. Another quiet invitation to gather with my brothers.
This is another stunning pre-dawn shot from your drive along the Coosa River.
The sky is just beginning to wake up with soft oranges and pinks on the horizon, while a gentle mist rises off the calm water. The trees are silhouetted against the fading night, and the whole scene has that peaceful, almost sacred quiet that only early mornings on the river have.
It perfectly fits your Friday morning series — another beautiful mile between Southside and Pell City, right before you reach The Brook Besor.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:3)
Another beautiful reminder that our Friday mornings don’t end at the table — they launch us into the day with light, hope, and renewed strength.
Photo provided by Chris Seay
Friday Morning Brothers at The Brook Besor
Left to right:
Tim Hendrix Jr., Tim Hendrix Sr., Pastor Mark Correll, Rod McSweeney, Ken Carr, & Chris Seay
Just a few of the faithful men who show up every Friday for real talk, good food, prayer, and iron-sharpening-iron fellowship.
Always good to be with my brothers.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:20
The Brook Besor Prayer Breakfast Brothers
Every Friday morning, this room fills with men who choose to show up — not perfect, but present.
Some weeks we’re 20+, sometimes more. Different ages, different backgrounds, different battles… but one shared desire: to walk with God and with each other.
We eat, we laugh, we wrestle through books and Scripture, we pray hard, and we sharpen one another. This table has become holy ground for many of us.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
— Matthew 18:20
Grateful to be part of this band of brothers.
The Moon over Southside — 4:46 a.m.
Still dark, still quiet, and there it was — bright and faithful, hanging in the early morning sky right above my property.
Before the drive, before the fish in the mist, before the table at The Brook Besor… God already had a light on. A gentle reminder that He watches over us through the night and meets us in the morning.
Another beautiful start to a Friday.
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