What exactly is a Bearded Gospel Man?
"Of course the key words in bearded Gospel men are obviously Gospel and men," Brock said, the emphasis on beards largely a joke.
"We actually profile a couple of women in the book, as well as guys who didn't have beards, we call them the 'beards that could have been,'" Brock added.
Nevertheless, there is something about meeting fellow bearded fellows that establishes an instant connection, he noted.
"There is something about when I pass another guy on the street with a beard - we give each other a little 'Hey what's up bro' nod, and there's so much more (of a connection) when you bring God into the mix," he said, such as when he met the book's other author, Aaron Alford, a Catholic seminarian for the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.
"For Aaron and I that was definitely a bonding moment - hey we both have beards and love Jesus? Cool!" he recalled.
The Bearded Gospel Men who stories are told throughout the book include perhaps more obvious choices, such as John the Baptist and Jolly old St. Nicholas, along with some lesser-known but nonetheless bearded and holy men such as Charles Monroe Sheldon.
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'What Would Jesus Do?' Sheldon invented the phrase about 100 years before those bracelets took over the world," Brock said.
He was looking for a way to attract young people to Christianity, and eventually published a book full of stories about a man trying to live like Jesus. However, due to a publishing error, the book ended up in the public domain, and while it was a wild success, Sheldon barely saw a cent from his original idea.
But that didn't stop Brock from living life as a Bearded Gospel Man, Brock noted.
"He just continued doing his thing, he kept preaching, he kept writing books, he was a social activist before social justice was even a phrase," he said, founding schools and mentoring men from poor areas.
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Brock said he hopes that the devotional can inspire community and Christian conversation among men who may have felt they were missing those things in their lives.
He added that he views the whole community of Bearded Gospel Men as a pub - anyone is welcome to come in and join the conversation.
"We kind of picture Bearded Gospel Men like a pub, it's this warm, welcoming space where anyone is more than welcome to pull up a stool and have a conversation about things that matter," he said.
"The fire is lit, the drinks are poured, welcome to the pub."
More information about the devotional book and the community can be found at BeardedGospelMen.com.
Mary Farrow worked as a staff writer for Catholic News Agency until 2020. She has a degree in journalism and English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.