Friends

It has been several weeks since I found the time to write! Wow... I did not realize how busy I have been. Needless to say, being busy is not always a blessing! But as ridicuous as it has been lately, I am thankful for all that God has brought me through and is taking me to!

I have been fortunate for the majority of my life to have been blessed with many friends. I am sure to some extent my abundance of friends is mostly due to my shy and diminuiative nature... NOT! I have always been pretty much a people person and much prefer crowds to solitude. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I long for the quietness of a solitary deer stand high above the forest floor overlooking a stand of white oaks, but most of the time I prefer the fellowship and comoradare of genuine friendship.

Perhaps it is due to the experience of my ever increasing age, but more and more I am learning that things are not always as they seem. Take friends for instance. I have used the term "friend" very loosely for most of my life. If I knew someone by name and saw them fairly regularly, then I considered them a friend. In keeping with that definition, I currently have and have had many many friends. I noticed the other day on my Facebook page that my "friend" count has grown to over 850. I never realized I had so many "friends"!

But to define a "friend" so loosely only serves to diminish the value of those who are much more than just a casual aquaintance. I suppose we could break our friend groups up into "casual friends", "fun friends", "school friends", "work friends", "friends you dont mind taking advantage of when you need to move something heavy friends", "friends who will always tell you what you wanted to hear but never really tell you the truth for fear of not being your friend anymore friend", and well I guess you get the picture.

In my past I have had many friendships. People that I would have moved mountains for, fought for, and I believe I would have died for. But life throws us curves sometimes. These curves can come from self inflicted wounds or just from the unforseen difficulties of life. It is in these times that friends are not only tested, they are defined. I too walked through a very difficult time a few years ago. I found myself in a state of mind and understanding that I never though I would. I emerged from this trial, stronger, more determined, and my mind and heart in the right place.... focused on God.

I survived this time due to the love and companionship of my wife, and a very few dear friends. The truth of the matter is this, I did not lose a single friend during this time, I just found out who they are. I came to realize that I had invested much of my life and energies into earning the love and friendship of some who would not be able to return that level of committment.

A little over a year ago I began to pray for God to send me 10 men. Men who would become so much a part of my life and ministry here, that our thoughts and desires would be one, and our friendships would be real. I no longer have the time or energy to nurse and foster friendships that are not real, and truthful, and eternally focused. In the last 6 months, God has brought 8 men into my life, and I have come to value their friendship and council greatly. At first glance, some of these men may not register very high on your typical "friend" scale. They have past issues. They have past failures. They have past regrets. But I have never been blessed by a greater circle of friends!

Take a moment to appreciate your true friends. Tell them you love them... and that you are there for them... and that you value them. True friends will be there... no matter what.

Love,Honor,Serve
Pastor Eugene