Some People...

It has occurred to me lately that there sure are a lot of different sorts of people in this crazy world (Yes I know- Captain Obvious here!) and that I seem to know a lot of them. This train of thought came to me recently while reading some Facebook posts from a former member of one of my student ministries from back in the day. He has been going on and on lately about social/political issues in ways that blow my mind. He spews hatred towards our current President, claims that racism and sexism are creations of the liberal media and is all in favor of having all of USAmerica arm itself with guns. All of this from a man who as a teenager had me prepare a file so he could prove he was morally opposed to war on religious grounds in case the draft was ever reinstated. This was one of my all-time favorite students, and now I am not sure I would want to be in the same room with him. Some people, huh?

It has been one of the true blessings of my life to get to know so many people in so many situations. I bet you know some of them too...

• Some people like lima beans and liver, proving beyond any doubt that we all have capacity to be wrong!
• Some people do not have the capacity to admit they are wrong.
• Some people make you smile every single time you see them or hear from them. These folks are keepers!
• Some people piss you off with most everything they say or do, no matter how hard you try to be accepting. These people are toxic.
• Some people know everything about you and love you anyway.
• Some people know almost nothing about you and dislike you anyway.
• Some people treat others like crap and no one ever calls them on their behavior.
• Some people can change your day with a hug.
• Some people disappear from your life and leave a hole in your heart.
• Some people vanish from your life and you barely notice they are gone.
• Some people know the worst things you have done and choose to remember the good things.
• Some people can only focus on the negative.
• Some people are wonderful sounding boards, who listen with open ears and non-judgmental hearts to anything you have to say.
• Some people only want to talk about themselves.
• Some people I can't imagine living without their presence in my life.
• Some people just need to move on!
• Some people see diversity and change as scary things.
• Some people see diversity as God using his paintbrush and creativity to include all the colors of the rainbow.
• Some people are family, even when there is no blood relation to you at all.
• Some family members are just people. Blood may be thicker than water, but love is thicker than both. It's not family without love.
• Some people use their faith as hammer, beating on people and driving them away from our loving God .
• Some people use their faith as a blanket, wrapping people in the loving arms of Christ and making them feel safe and included.
• Some people I miss terribly each and every day.
• Some people you can go months without talking to, yet when you do talk it is like no time has passed.
• Some people you see everyday and have no idea what to say to them.
• Some people can change my day for the better with a text, a call or an email. 
• Some people I love so much that it hurts not to be with them.
• Some people make my world- and THE world- a better place simply by being in it.
• And some people don't...

Do you know any of these people? Are you any of these people? It is my prayer that my life make a positive difference in the lives of the people and the community around me. And to those of you "some people"who make my life worth living in these difficult times, thank you. You are appreciated and loved. And I would love to get a chance to tell you that in person. 

Because of Jesus,

"I'm Gonna Be..."

You know that thing where you would do anything to show another person how important they are to you? Yeah...this is about that. I woke up singing this song today. Now it will be stuck in your heads too! :)

Now that's commitment! Have a Happy Hump Day, my friends!

Friends With Benefits

One night a while back while goofing around on Twitter I tweeted the following in an attempt to be funny: My friend has health insurance. I have a 401K. Does that make us friends with benefits? #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm

Unless you have been hiding under a rock (not that there's anything wrong with that!) for the past decade or so, you know that is not what our society means by Friends with Benefits. There have been movies made, books written (both pro and con) and countless situations on situation comedies featuring the concept. If you don't know what it is, watch the early episode of The Bang Bang Theory in which Penny tries to explain the social construct to Sheldon. Then you'll be really confused! For now I'll just say that the benefit in question in the majority of those cases in sex. But that's not what I want to talk about today. The title may have reeled you in, but what I want to focus on today is not the idea of Friends with Benefits, but instead on a much more important concept- the Benefits of Friendship.

One of the great blessings of any life is true friendship. I was fortunate to discover as early as my junior high years what a true friend looks like. I became part of a group of people who both corporately and individually showed me the keys to being a good friend. And that key was trust. You see, we shared everything. We talked about relationships and sports. We shared dreams and disappointments. We told each other when we thought someone was messing up. We explained dirty jokes to each other when someone didn't "get it." We held each other accountable and laughed in the face of peer pressure. And we talked about God and our faith and our doubts. Most of those people- my first REAL friends- remain my friends to this day. And the group added more and more people as we got older. But I also discovered more friends with whom I could share everything as I moved from church to church, and as former youth morphed from their roles as students to a more important place in my life- friends. There is no greater blessing in life than friends and family. And then there are those very few people in our lives we love so much that the word FRIEND, even bold and in all caps, is not nearly big enough. But that's a post for another day...

There are many people who mistake acquaintances for friends. Facebook has done as much to devalue the word friend as the Apple Store has to devalue the word genius. A true friend is not someone you know or even someone you know about. Being able to tell you when you went on vacation, what you had for lunch and what you are watching on TV at any given moment does not make us friends. It makes us acquaintances. We know each other, but we don't KNOW each other...ya know? Being a true friend means getting your hands dirty and actually spending time sharing life with a person. It means opening you soul to them and being trustworthy enough that they do the same for you. For me, a true friend is less someone I see everyday and more someone I wish with all my heart I could see everyday! They are not the people I long to see only when things in my life are good, but the people I NEED to see when life gets rocky. One of the things that holds my life together in the midst of the storm is knowing there are so many people who have my back. True friends who see my mess, hear me cry and love me anyway. People who will tell me I'm an idiot even as they give me a hug. Go back to the concept of Facebook friends for a moment. How many of those people do you wish were your next door neighbors so you could share life with them everyday? Or better still, how many of them would you invite to live with you if they had such a need? There is nothing wrong with having lots of acquaintances. They add to our lives as well. But aside from knowing Jesus, there are few benefits in life that equal having true friends.

So why this rant today? Because I wanted remind myself- and you- that Michael W. Smith may have been wrong. Friends are not necessarily friends forever. Through faith, we can be brother and sister in Christ forever, sure. But to remain true friends we have to work at it. Friendship that is taken for granted can wither and die. Friendships that are only pulled out of the closet when we have special needs morph back into acquaintances. Friendships that are abused often end very badly and with a devastating certainty. There are few pains worse than losing a good friend, for any reason. But there is no excuse for losing a true friend because one of you just gives up on the other. Some of the most special friends in my life are people that I lost for a period of time and was left to wonder if our friendships were over, only to come back stronger than ever because neither of us quit on the other. Keep fighting for the friendships that matter to you. They are the best benefits around.

I have homework for you today. Make a list of the people who are your true friends- the people who you can talk to about anything, who know you inside out and love you anyway. The people your life would not be the same without. The people you wish you could see today. And them reach out to them. TODAY! If you can see see them, see them. If not, give them a call or a text. Tell them that this crazy guy you know told you to tell them that you are so thankful to have them as friend and that you want all of the benefits that come from your friendship. That ought to get a conversation jump started! Let them know they are treasured. I hope my friends already know that. But lately life keeps reminding me that every day is a day to take nothing for granted. So share the love today. Be well, my friends...and you too, acquaintances. :)

Because of Jesus,

You Are My Sunshine

I am a very blessed man in many ways, but perhaps the greatest blessing in my life has been the gift of friendship. My old friends are plentiful and wonderful. There are friends from my own youth group days at New Garden Friends Meeting who should have given up on me years ago- but didn't! I have high school and college friends who are still part of my life. My days at Quaker Lake Camp connected me with campers and staff who have stayed in my life as we have all grown up- or at least pretended to! My work at various churches left me with dozens of adult friends and hundreds of former youth who are now adults, many of whom are still a very active and important part of my life. My dear friend Lisa is one of the lights of my life. And Marilyn and Will are not only family, they are my friends- the best and strongest kind. Old friends are the best!

Over the past few days this has become more apparent than ever to me as several old friends who had been absent from my life for a while reappeared with a wonderful flurry of activity. It was so great to have them back; but it was also like they had never been gone. That's how it is with old friends. They can move in and out of our lives seamlessly without truly losing the connection we share. It is such a great gift. 

But regretfully, there are partings along the way. There are people we lose track of, either for short periods of time or because life leads us in different directions. Saying goodbye is never easy. Letting go is often hard. Back in 1982 I was working at QLC and thinking a lot about saying goodbye to a wonderful group of high school campers (one of whom gave me the mug pictured at top) that I didn't know if I would ever see again. At that time I wrote a song that was never sung in public. It began and ended with the chorus of the old standard, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don't take my sunshine away." Last night I found myself humming that, and suddenly the words I wrote back in '82 were fresh in my mind. I share some of them here today- my ode to old friends.

People come and people go through a life like mine

You never know just who you can count on

But whenever I reach out for you you always seem to hear me

And you take time to shine your light my way

The thought had never crossed my mind that I could lose you

'Cause I don't think I could ever let you go

But now I see that we could have to say goodbye and mean it

The pain is real and it just won't go away

CHORUS: I wish that I could find the words

To say how much I love you

I wish that I could know that this really isn't the end

There must be 1000 ways to explain the things that I'm feeling

And to let you know that you'll always have a friend...

I know I've sometimes let you down, I know I've sometimes failed you

But you have always loved me anyway

We've shared some special moments and some special people

I just won't believe that our time has come to an end

But the time will come again when we will walk this trail together

It's part of our past, but yet it takes us home

And even if the sunshine becomes just the flicker of a candle

It still gives us hope that we'll never be alone!

Old songs are much like old friends. They take us back to times of joys and sorrow, times of jubilation and frustration. And they remind us that we are loved. Sometimes we misplace them, but real friends are never really lost to us. Where there is love, there is always hope. My old friends- the ones still present in my life and the ones I have misplaced- are indeed my sunshine. They give me courage, hope, love and support when skies are gray and when the sun is brightest. I hope they know how much I love them. And I thank God every day for never "taking my sunshine away." Have a blessed day, dear ones!

Remember, Remember... All We Fight For

Lately my thoughts have been deeply immersed in the subject of friendship. There have been remembrances of good friends that are no longer in my life. There has been reminiscing about complicated relationships that have led to a drifting apart. And there have been joyous memories- more that I can count- of friends who have stuck with me through the years, no matter the circumstances and no matter my own issues. 

My message for this Sunday is not a religious one, but it is deeply spiritual to me. When you reach my age the stories you have of the people you love are among the most important things in life. Friendships are worth fighting for. They are worth the effort, the time and trouble to salvage when they appear to be on the brink. Listen to this song and soak in the lyrics. The song is called Heaven for a reason. It was the final song in the final episode of How I Met Your Mother- and that fictional group of friends knew all about fighting for friendships. Listen...and remember...

As Helen Keller once said, "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." Set aside some time today to value your friendships, to repair those that need work and to express love to the people who have carried you when you needed them most. I am blessed to have so many dear friends. I love you all.

Because of Jesus,

Bruises

Yesterday at church was one of the those Sundays when a 3 minute sermon was packed into 30 minutes. The message was on point; it just didn't require as much time as it was given. It could really have been reduced to three sentences:

1. Having friends is a good thing.
2. Having true friends who stick with you when times get tough is a GREAT thing.
3. Jesus wants to be our friend and for us to be surrounded by friends who help us draw nearer to him.

Like I said- all good stuff! But I confess that in the remaining 28 minutes or so my mind wandered and my thoughts turned to the friendships in my own life. There are so many people who have stuck by me through thick and thin and my life is so much the better for it. A list of names began to scroll across the window of my mind and the blessings each has brought or still brings to my soul was very clear to me. And as these thoughts processed and whirled in my head, I cam to realization. Everyone has hard times. We all have "stuff" in our lives. And the people who have been most significant in my life are not the ones who get the most right. I feel closest to the ones most willing to share their bruises.

Life gets real when we talk about the people that hurt us, the things that have damaged us and the failures we are haunted by on a daily basis. We can be better friends when we quit saying things are "just fine" and start sharing our needs and our pain. Over the years many people have come to me with their hurts and bruises, and it is clear to me now that those same people are the ones who have loved me through all of mine. Bruises appear in all shapes and sizes- but they all hurt. Friendships grow deeper when we allow each other into those painful places and allow one another to love as God wants us to love- unconditionally no matter the circumstances. The band Train had a song a couple of years ago called Bruises in which two old friends reunite and speak of how "bruises make for better conversation...you're not alone in how you've been, everybody loses, we've all got bruises." They also talk about the inclination of people to want to fix each other, to blot out the bruises, when in fact it is our blemishes that often make us unique. It's a great song. Watch and listen below.

So the truth is yesterday's sermon spoke to me. Maybe not until after I tuned it out, but still...it spoke to me. God moves in mysterious ways. And I am so thankful that I have so many people in my life who love me, bruises and all. Have a great Monday!

Because of Jesus,

The 2014 Jones Family Christmas Letter

There are many Christmas traditions on this blog, and one of them has been to do a Christmas letter for our friends and family. If you are thinking, "WOW! What a cheap and lazy way to send a Christmas letter!" you are not wrong. But it is important to us to include you in our lives and let you know how important each one of you is to us. So imagine, if you will, that this letter is addressed specifically to you. And thanks for reading...

Let's start with Will, who somehow turned 19 this year. He's one semester and one summer class away from finishing his AA degree at St. Pete College and then heading off to the film school at UCF. He will share an apartment on campus with an old friend from high school (and one other guy), and for the following 2 years his adopted parents will be Jerry & Melissa Hanbery. He is still with his girlfriend Michelle who is also off to UCF next August. How convenient! We love Michelle, and she and her family have become a part of ours over these past months. Will spent the first part of the year working for Chick-fil-A in the local mall. He sought new employment after discovering that the "our pleasure" they share with customers turns into "we don't care!" when you are an employee. He got a job as a host at Olive Garden, but spent the summer working both places and taking classes. It's just a shame the boy has no initiative! He's exclusively at the OG now, working 40 hour weeks in only 4 days because according to management, "the place falls apart when Will isn't here!" He's still very much into music and movies. He's also turned himself into a pretty stellar guitar player. And finally, at age 19, we were able to secure a car for him to use (a hand-me-down from my mother) and so he got his license.  It's been a really good year for Will...

Marilyn is also doing well, except for having to work way too much. She continues to serve as an executive assistant to an attorney who is one of the leading authorities on alcohol beverage licensing in the nation. Want to know how busy they are? You know how all of the Red Lobsters were recently sold? They handled all the license transfer and what-not. And there are many more HUGE examples I could share. The alcohol business is booming! In addition to her work, Marilyn finds time to visit Walt Disney World on a fairly regular basis and to keep up with friends and family via Facebook. If you are her friend and you have posted pictures on your feed, chances are good she has seen them. Especially if there are children involved! She loves dinners with friends, going to the movies and the occasional trip over to the beach. And if you want to talk about the goings-on on The Good Wife, she's your girl! Her year hit some rough patches back in the late summer with the death of her father and trying to help her mom through the hard times that followed. Dealing with family trauma from 700 miles away is not easy, but she has done what she can. She and I will be heading up to NC the week after Christmas to spend time with her family. Her bravery in being a practical and organized woman living with two "creatives" cannot be overstated. She is the glue that holds us together.

Conner the Dog continues to be a big part of our family as well. At age 11 he has slowed down a bit, and wakes me up way too early way too often, but we still love him! He spends his days napping, eating Beggin' Strips and anything else he can talk the rest of us into sharing. The dog has his own recliner- I think he's pretty happy with his lot in life!

As for me, life continues to be both a blessing and a roller coaster. My mom's health is not good; she has days when she doesn't get out of bed and she rarely leaves her house. But not unlike her son, she is stubborn and wants to stay there despite our best efforts to move her to Tampa. My health, on the other hand, has been very good. No toe surgery in 2014- I call that a big honkin' WIN! We were blessed and thrilled when my probation was terminated 3 years early on April 1 (no foolin'); we were crushed to discover that my transgression of nearly 8 years ago would prevent me from ever going back to WDW. I did get to cross many bridges with my newfound freedoms however, including spending a week in Myrtle Beach with Marilyn's family and an extended weekend in NC visiting friends, some of them for the first time in years. And I have to say- I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for! They continue to support me through thick and thin and look after me no matter the circumstances. This includes my Twitter family, which continued to grow this year. As you know, I continue to write this blog on a regular basis. I also write for couple of other blogs about once a month. My novel (Even Better Than Before), which I began back in the spring, is nearly complete and should be ready to be shared with the first batch of readers in early 2015. My work as a personal assistant for Lisa Jewett continues, reminding her when to buy groceries, looking at pictures of her grandchildren and answering her very random questions about very random things. She is a great friend to the whole family and very much a part of our lives. All-in-all, life is good. There have been trials and struggles and even a few major disappointments along the way. But God is good. All the time.

It is our prayer that 2015 will bring us more opportunities to spend time with family and friends and to continue to seek to discover what God has in store for us all. We wish for each of you a merry and blessed Christmas season, filled with the love hope, love, joy and peace that the Christ-child came to bring. We love you all!

Because of Jesus,

Friends With Benefits

The other night on Twitter, in an attempt to be funny, I tweeted the following:

I have a friend who has health insurance. I have a pension plan. Does that make us friends with benefits? #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

Unless you have been hiding under a rock (not that there's anything wrong with that!) for the past decade or so, you know that is not what our society means by Friends with Benefits. There have been movies made, books written (both pro and con) and countless situations on situation comedies featuring the concept. If you don't know what it is, watch the early episode of The Bang Bang Theory in which Penny tries to explain the social construct to Sheldon. Then you'll be really confused! For now I'll just say that the benefit in question in the majority of those cases in sex. But that's not what I want to talk about today. :) I lured you here with the title because I love when people read my blog, and sex sells! What I want to focus on today is not the idea of Friends with Benefits, but instead on a much more important concept- the Benefits of Friendship.

One of the great blessings of any life is true friendship. I was fortunate to discover as early as my junior high years what a true friend looks like. I became part of a group of people who both corporately and individually showed me the keys to being a good friend. And that key was trust. You see, we shared everything. We talked about relationships and sports. We shared dreams and disappointments. We told each other when we thought someone was messing up. We explained dirty jokes to each other when someone didn't "get it." We held each other accountable and laughed in the face of peer pressure. And we talked about God and our faith and our doubts. Most of those people- my first REAL friends- remain my friends to this day. And the group added more and more people as we got older. But I also discovered more friends with whom I could share everything as I moved from church to church, and as former youth morphed from their roles as students to a more important place in my life- friends. There is no greater blessing in life that friends and family. But it's not as easy as it sounds...

There are many people who mistake acquaintances for friends. Facebook has done as much to devalue the word friend as the Apple Store has to devalue the word genius. A true friend is not someone you know or even someone you know about. Being able to tell you when you went on vacation, what you had for lunch and what you are watching on TV at any given moment does not make us friends. It makes us acquaintances. We know each other, but we don't KNOW each other...ya know? Being a true friend means getting your hands dirty and actually spending time sharing life with a person. It means opening you soul to them and being trustworthy enough that they do the same for you. For me, a true friend is less someone I see everyday and more someone I wish with all my heart I could see everyday! They are not the people I long to see only when things in my life are good, but the people I NEED to see when life gets rocky. One of the things that holds my life together in the midst of the storm is knowing there are so many people who have my back. True friends who see my mess and love me anyway. People who will tell me I'm an idiot even as they give me a hug. Go back to the concept of Facebook friends for a moment. How many of those people do you wish were your next door neighbors so you could share life with them everyday? There is nothing wrong with having lots of acquaintances. They add to our lives as well. But aside from knowing Jesus, there are few benefits in life that equal having true friends.

So why this rant today? Because I wanted remind myself- and you- that Michael W. Smith may have been wrong. Friends are not necessarily friends forever. Through faith, we can be brother and sister in Christ forever, sure. But to remain true friends we have to work at it. Friendship that is taken for granted can wither and die. Friendships that are only pulled out of the closet when we have special needs morph back into acquaintances. Friendships that are abused often end very badly and with a devastating certainty. There are few pains worse than losing a good friend,for any reason. But there in no excuse for losing a true friend because one of you just gives up on the other. Keep fighting for the friendships that matter to you. They are the best benefits around.

I have homework for you today. Make a list of the people who are your real friends- the people who you can talk to about anything, who know you inside out and love you anyway. The people your life would not be the same without. The people you wish you could see today. And them reach out to them. TODAY! If you can see see them, see them. If not, give them a call or a text. Tell them this crazy guy you know told you to tell them you are so thankful to have them as friend and that you want all of the benefits that come from your friendship. That ought to get a conversation jump started. Let them know they are treasured. I hope my friends already know that. But today is a day to take nothing for granted. Be well, my friends...and you too, acquaintances. :)

Because of Jesus,

True Friendship

Carl, Marilyn and Steve

I have been blessed in my life to have lots of wonderful friends. I grew up with with a group of people who changed my life and made me so much of (the good parts) of who I am today. Two of those friends, Steve and Carl Semmler, have been visiting this week and it has been so wonderful to catch up with them. During their stay we have heard from many others who were a part of that "family" and the laughs and smiles we have been sharing have been multiplied. That's how friendship is. There are unexplainable bonds with undeniable power, and when you have those types of friendships you KNOW that they are always with you- even when they aren't!

The blessings of great friendships has continued throughout my life, and one of the joys of the past few says has been sharing stories of some of best friends that Carl and Steve have never me with 2 of my oldest friends. They got to meet Lisa Jewett yesterday. They have heard many tales of Jerry Hanbery, Teresa Tysinger and other people who have been and still are such important parts of my life. They've renewed their friendship with Marilyn and gotten to spend some time with Will. We've remembered old friends and great stories together, and tried to remember others that have slipped away over the years. It has been a wonderful combination of sharing the old and the new and feeling like our connection to one another has really never changed. I am reminded of this anonymous quote: True friendship is not about being inseparable. It's being separated and NOTHING CHANGES. 

Carl flies out today and Steve tomorrow, and we will miss them when they are gone. But one of the great joys of true friendship is the knowledge that there is always more to come. There will be mores stories. There will be more adventures. There will be more times when we will need each other to lean on. With great friends there will always be more. And this morning, for the amazing gift that is true friendship, I give thanks. Have a blessed Saturday my friends!

Because of Jesus,

Flashback Friday: Through the Roof!

Most of you are probably familiar with the story found in Luke 5:18-26 in which 4 friends carry a paralytic to see Jesus.  Unable to get to him through any normal route, they cut a whole in the roof of the house and lower their friend down to Jesus.  The story had many layers, including the divinity of Christ and the Pharisees complete lack of faith and understanding. But primarily this story is about the faith of a man and his 4 friends- and how that faith led to major moment in the Jesus Revolution. Today, as we continue to seek our own personal revolutionary moments, I invite you to spend some time with these two questions:

1. Who brought you into the presence of Christ?  This question is not so much about who preached the sermon or sang the song as it is about who dropped you through the roof to get you there.  For me, it was my best friend from 8th grade on, Steve Semmler.  And just like with the friends in the scripture, there were obstacles to overcome.  He had invited me to go to summer camp with him and to attend his youth group, but I kept coming up with excuses.  And he kept asking.  He finally got through to me when I found out that the right girl would be at a youth group skating party.  The mats our friends use to take us to Jesus can take many forms.  I didn't know that Steve was changing my life forever- and I'm not sure he did either.  But he did.  He brought me into the presence of the Christ who would say to me over and over again in my life, "Get up!  Your sins are forgiven."  And trust me, there are still plenty of Pharisees who scoff at that today.
2. Who is it in your life that you need to lower through the roof?  I was taught a long time ago that it is important to have at least one specific person in your life that you are praying for in the hopes that they will come to know Jesus.  In my youth groups we often spoke of praying for the Empty Chair- lifting up our friends who needed to be there and were not.  And while the praying is important, I think sometimes we let ourselves off the hook too easily.  Sometimes we need to physically bring them to the feet of the Savior.  We need to invite them to church, or to a small group, or a concert, or dinner at our home- someplace where they will encounter the living Christ.  We may need to put them on a mat, or in a car, or on a boat- whatever means necessary- to get them to Jesus.  For the friends in Luke's gospel, it was about having their friend healed.  It is no different for us.  The healing may not be physical.  It may be a relationship.  It may be emotional.  It is certainly spiritual.  They need to see the Great Physician.  They need to experience the Jesus Revolution in their lives.  And it is our task as their friend to make sure they have that opportunity.

Take some time today to be still and think on these questions.  Remember who it was (and it may be many people on more than one occasion) that brought you to see Jesus at a time when you desperately needed Him.  And who is it that God is calling you to bring?  Even if you need to go through the roof...

Because of Jesus,

I'm Glad That You're My Friend

Inspiration can come in strange places at strange times.  Our maid Agnes (Who is actually me.  For those of you who don't know, Agnes is my alter-ego.  I turn into Agnes whenever I am house cleaning!) was cleaning one of our bathrooms yesterday afternoon and thinking  about how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends, and what a technological miracle it is that I can stay in touch with them on a regular basis these days.  It never fails to light up my life to get a ping on my phone indicating I have a new text message, or to find I have a new Twitter mention from one of my buddies there.  These are reminders that there are people who care about me, and reminders of the power of friendships old and new.  As I was thinking to myself that I might have stumbled on to a good topic for a blog post, I realized that there was a calligraphy hanging on the wall of the bathroom that had a lot to say about the blessings of friendship.  So rather than bring all of you to our bathroom, I share it here with you.

Sometimes I view the pattern of my life and say a prayer

A prayer of thanks for many things I see so lovely there

And woven into this pattern is a shining golden thread

Reflecting something kind you've done or something nice you've said

And so I want to tell you that the peace and joy you lend

Can make one's life so rich and sweet

I'm glad that you're my friend.

Thanks be to God for filling my life with people who make me smile, bring me encouragement and make this world a far better place than it would be.  And yes- I mean YOU!  I hope you have a blessed and wonderful week!

Because of Jesus,

Through the Roof!

Most of you are probably familiar with the story found in Luke 5:18-26 in which 4 friends carry a paralytic to see Jesus.  Unable to get to him through any normal route, they cut a whole in the roof of the house and lower their friend down to Jesus.  The story had many layers, including the divinity of Christ and the Pharisees complete lack of faith and understanding. But primarily this story is about the faith of a man and his 4 friends- and how that faith led to major moment in the Jesus Revolution. Today, as we continue to seek our own personal revolutionary moments, I invite you to spend some time with these two questions:

1. Who brought you into the presence of Christ?  This question is not so much about who preached the sermon or sang the song as it is about who dropped you through the roof to get you there.  For me, it was my best friend from 8th grade on, Steve Semmler.  And just like with the friends in the scripture, there were obstacles to overcome.  He had invited me to go to summer camp with him and to attend his youth group, but I kept coming up with excuses.  And he kept asking.  He finally got through to me when I found out that the right girl would be at a youth group skating party.  The mats our friends use to take us to Jesus can take many forms.  I didn't know that Steve was changing my life forever- and I'm not sure he did either.  But he did.  He brought me into the presence of the Christ who would say to me over and over again in my life, "Get up!  Your sins are forgiven."  And trust me, there are still plenty of Pharisees who scoff at that today.
2. Who is it in your life that you need to lower through the roof?  I was taught a long time ago that it is important to have at least one specific person in your life that you are praying for in the hopes that they will come to know Jesus.  In my youth groups we often spoke of praying for the Empty Chair- lifting up our friends who needed to be there and were not.  And while the praying is important, I think sometimes we let ourselves off the hook too easily.  Sometimes we need to physically bring them to the feet of the Savior.  We need to invite them to church, or to a small group, or a concert, or dinner at our home- someplace where they will encounter the living Christ.  We may need to put them on a mat, or in a car, or on a boat- whatever means necessary- to get them to Jesus.  For the friends in Luke's gospel, it was about having their friend healed.  It is no different for us.  The healing may not be physical.  It may be a relationship.  It may be emotional.  It is certainly spiritual.  They need to see the Great Physician.  They need to experience the Jesus Revolution in their lives.  And it is our task as their friend to make sure they have that opportunity.

Take some time today to be still and think on these questions.  Remember who it was (and it may be many people on more than one occasion) that brought you to see Jesus at a time when you desperately needed Him.  And who is it that God is calling you to bring?  Even if you need to go through the roof...

Because of Jesus,