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| Sunday, November 25, 2007 |
| Friends |
"It's friendship, friendship,
Just a perfect blendship,
When other friendships have been forgot
Ours will still be hot!"
I have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Prov. 18:24) That's saying a lot, because I know my two brothers would be by my side in a heartbeat if I needed them. But I love how the Lord has set up the church to fill that need for his children: the need for friendships.
Job needed friends. His friends were there for him, too. (Job 2:11-13) Granted, they would've been more help to him if they'd just stuck to their first reactions: "Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great." But it's a rare friend who doesn't offer advice in a well-meaning effort to 'fix' things.
We spent the last two evenings with different friends we don't see nearly often enough. It's funny how the relationship works. We share a meal or sip coffee together; we skim magazines in a bookstore or play dominoes at a kitchen table; we talk or we listen. But in those small pursuits, a connection develops. The more frequency, the more familiar and the more familiarity, the more intimacy and consequently we have friends.
Is it that easy? I think it's supposed to be. Christians have a ready-made community in their fellow churchgoers. The word 'friend' shows up in the New Testament only 15 times, but the word 'brother' appears 101 times. Call them friends or family, God expects us to develop relationships with one another that go even beyond friendship (see Monday, 3/13/06 post for ONE ANOTHER scriptures). He never addresses the issue of being too shy to make friends. He doesn't make allowance for us to spend life alone rather than interacting with one another, because the Christian life is lived in concert.
I'm thankful that God expects me to make friends. I'm thankful that He gives me what I lack to move past shyness and self-consciousness and ask someone if they'd like to talk over coffee or something. I'm thankful for people like the ones we passed the last two evenings with, who purposefully pursue friendships the way they do and include us in their pursuit.
Just the perfect blendship. |
| posted by Joye @ 3:11 PM |
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| Tuesday, November 20, 2007 |
| Our Precious Moments Boy |
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| posted by Joye @ 4:36 PM |
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| Sunday, November 18, 2007 |
| Looking Back |
This is my anniversary. Or birthday. Or something. Anyway, it's a special day to me. It was on a Sunday, too. I was scared, nervous, determined, and by the end of the day, elated.
This was the day I determined to let everyone know I decided to follow Jesus. I didn't understand the full scope of what that decision meant, but I'd learned enough to know it was the right thing. I stepped out into the aisle of the church to make that profession, scared to draw attention to myself, nervous about what would come next, but determined to embrace a relationship with Christ. My legs felt like they'd give out on me before I reached the front of the church, but I made it.
It was also the day I met Mike. My dad introduced us before church. A hello-nice-to-meet-you sort of thing. I had two more encounters with Mike that day. He was the minister who waited at the front of the church to counsel anyone who walked the aisle to make that public profession of faith.
This was the day I was baptized during the evening service. My baptism followed that of my dad, my uncle, and my brother. It was a family affair. And afterward Mike walked up to me to congratulate me. The rest is history. Thirty-four years of it. The Lover of my soul and my soulmate given to me on the same day.
Looking back, I thought I loved Mike 34 years ago, but I never could've imagined how much love could grow over the years. I can say the same thing about Christ- I thought I loved Him 34 years ago, too, but my love for Him has grown and hopefully matured a little. Yeah, that's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving: knowing love.
What really stands out in my mind is God's faithfulness through all those years. And His patience. I tried to walk away from Him once. I put other people and other things before Him many times. But when I turned away, He didn't. When I drifted, He stayed. When I displaced Him, He remained faithful.
I still don't understand the full scope of our relationship. But I still know it was the right thing.
Hebrews 13:5 says, "... for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU..." It's true, you know. |
| posted by Joye @ 3:23 PM |
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| Sunday, November 11, 2007 |
| Birthday Alert |
Today is Mike's birthday. You can visit his blog here and leave a birthday comment. // He says that when he was a kid his dad took him to a Veteran's Day parade and told him the parade was for him. Of course it wasn't, but I sure think he's worth celebrating! // Happy birthday, honey! |
| posted by Joye @ 10:56 AM |
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