Christ-follower, Husband, Dad, Pastor

friendship

February 3, 2014

We Need Each Other

I need you and you need me. That isn’t hard to type, but it is often hard to live out. Why do I struggle sometimes to admit that I really need people?

I need my wife and Patti needs me. We are interdependent upon one another. Without a flow of love and mutual ministry between us, there would be a tremendous hole in our emotions. God gave me His gift of marriage because I need it and Patti needs it. Patti and I need each other.

As the pastor of a local congregation, I need the people that make up Valley Fellowship. I’m not all by myself. I am not self-sufficient; I can’t do “church” on my own. Even the pastoral and preaching ministry I have received from the Lord couldn’t happen without believers standing with me, helping, praying, giving, loving. God put you and He put me into a body of which we are a part. I am not every member of the body. You are not every member of the body. WE need each other.

Why? In this article we are going to evaluate this battle and try to understand where it is going. learningworksca.org generic sales viagra Following the complete guidelines while taking Kamagra dose, one can get the relief from ED canada viagra cialis in the first day. Meanwhile, a large number of macrophage accumulations in abdominal cavity can be caused due to endometriosis prices for cialis right here disease. Another advantage of buying Kamagra oral jelly online from an online store to save a lot of money into developing, researching and testing the new canada viagra cheap loved that drug had a side effect that they did not expect. My experience with the amazing people who make up Valley Fellowship Church, make it easy for me to understand Paul’s joy when he wrote, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5 NIV). I don’t stand alone. Patti and I don’t just stand together. For more than twenty-five years, we have been partnered with the greatest church family on earth. I have benefited from the sacrificial investments of so many people. Thank you! I need you and we need each other.

We cannot do ministry or life alone. God’s work isn’t finished. I am asking God to deepen my appreciation for the partnership I share with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am also praying that God will give you a deep understanding of what our partnership together is doing in the Tennessee Valley and in you. Thank you, Lord! My heart is filled with joy! I am made for connection and so are you.We need each other.

Hey, partner, are you ready to enjoy the journey together?

April 30, 2013

5 Benefits of Healthy Friendships

You need healthy, Godly friendships to finish the race God has laid out for you. You benefit from healthy relationships, but you must be open to receiving the following five:

#1  Perspective

“Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Proverbs 11:14 NASB) You have blind spots. I have blind spots. You and I both need people around us who love us enough to speak into our lives. Others can see things in us that we can’t see – our strengths and weaknesses.

#2  Accountability

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT) Accountability helps keep us out of trouble and maintain integrity both in public and in private. The key to being accountable to someone else is to be open and honest.

#3  Encouragement 

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#4  Strength

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT) Two are definitely better than one! God designed it so that when any of us is weak in any area, another is able to supply our lack.

#5  Friendship

“My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!” (1 John 4:11-12 MSG) God placed in each of us a deep need to be known and loved.

Do you have God-honoring friends who help spur you forward? Do your relationships help you serve the Lord?

March 13, 2013

If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?

Life is more meaningful when shared.

Patti is my very best friend. She knows me best and still loves me. Praise the Lord! I also get to labor alongside of friends at Valley Fellowship Church. “Fellowship” is so much more than just the middle name of our congregation. I get to lead a great church. I love my church family!

Do you have a friend who sticks by you even after getting to know you really well? A good friend will tell you your faults and foolishness when prosperity rolls, and assist you with a hand and heart when adversity strikes. A wise person fortifies his or her life with Godly friendships. Make friends before you need them!

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes  4:9-12 NLT)

A healthy friendship has great benefits including (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12):

  • Success
  • Encouragement
  • Defense
  • Strength

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Here are four keys to help you become the friend other people want!

#1  A friend is trustworthy.

  • “No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy.”   (Proverbs 11:13 GNT)
  • “In the heat of an argument, don’t betray confidences; Word is sure to get around, and no one will trust you.”   (Proverbs 25:9-10 MSG)

#2  A friend shares joys and sorrows and doesn’t desert in times of trouble.

  • “Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.”  (Proverbs 17:17 MSG)
  • “Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.”  (Proverbs 18:24 NRSV)

#3  A friend communicates directly and honestly.

  • “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 17:17 NLT)
  • “If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets.”  (Proverbs 25:9 GNT)
  • “You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies want to hurt you, even when they act nice.”  (Proverbs 27:6 ERV)
  •  “The sweet smell of perfume and oils is pleasant, and so is good advice from a friend.”  (Proverbs 27:9 NCV)

#4  A friend sticks up for you even when you’re not there and guards your reputation.

  • “You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.”  (Proverbs 17:9 CEV)
  • “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”  (Galatians 5:15 NIV)

A faithful friend will think of you when all others are thinking of themselves and will see you through when others see you as through. If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?

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