So, what do you believe - really?

As any good Catholic school product, I was taught the Nicene Creed. And I estimate that I've said it as many as 4,000 - 5,000 time over my life time. But I never really discussed it with anyone. Never really dug into it.
Once you do - especially with a group of guys working to build stronger relationships with Jesus - the question quickly surfaces: What do you believe - really? Not what you say. Not what you repeat from rote. Not what Sister said to believe. What do I believe - really believe? Really believe so that people see it in your life.
One of us felt that if you didn't believe the first part - "I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth" - the rest doesn't matter. But if your really believe the first part, how do you not live your life with a great amount of trust in your Almighty Father? Several of us struggled with "one, holy, catholic (is that a big "C" or a little "c"?) and apostolic Church" given what has been going on in some parts of the church over the last several years. Is the Nicene Creed our mission statement and the Beatitudes our values statement was another part of the conversation. One of our guys had an encounter with someone that left him really questioning whether he lived what he said he believed. He was so humbled by the experience that he went home and wrote a poem - about being humbled. (He also plans to follow up with the person he encountered to put his belief into practice.) Another guy struggled to articulate why he prays when one of his grown children asked him why he prays. What would my personal testimony be in answer to that question?
If you stand in a row, you can repeat the words. If you sit in a circle, you dig into your beliefs. I'm praying more people get in circles. And I'm praying that those of us sitting in circles grow deeper in our creed so that our actions scream out our beliefs.