FRIENDSHIP- How to build and sustain a friendship
I know an elderly neighbor who collects pennies. Nothing wrong with that. I know people who collect classic cars. Nothing wrong with that either, just a bit more expensive hobby. But I want to have a far more valuable collection than any earthly item. I want to have an invaluable collection of great friends. Don't you? Then let's learn more about how to collect and keep great friends. Our passage in Proverbs 8:13-24 reveals another important friendship principle. But first, by way of review, yesterday we discovered that gaining and sustaining a good FRIENDSHIP includes the following-
F- Focus on what you have in common. Being on a team can help greatly here.
R- Remember to keep in touch and Return calls promptly.
Now let's look at a couple more-
I- Include the flair factor- This means that occasionally you include surprises, or you do things with an extra touch of class, or you give a thoughtful gift. Proverbs says this about gift giving and friendship- "Everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts" 19:6. I once counseled a dad and his overweight boy who was being teased on the bus. I said, bring a pack of gum and ask, "Who wants gum?" His dad told me excitedly at our next session, "It worked!" No, this is not the cure for all school bullying, but it simply illustrates the power that gift giving can have. Think of what it can do with nice people you meet. And it doesn't have to be a costly gift. For example, daily I give out our beautiful Greatest Mini-Movies outreach cards with the waterfalls on it. People are always appreciative. "You mean I can keep this?" Sure, no charge today:)
Want to gain favor with a person in power? Proverbs 18:16 gives great advice- "A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great." Years ago when we were still renting buildings to meet in for church services, we were running out of our lease. We desperately needed a new location in which to meet on Sundays. So I went to meet with the woman in charge of the IIT facilities, armed with a bouquet of flowers. To my surprise, she had recently been replaced by a man! :( Fortunately he gave us a long lease and thanked me for the flowers anyway. :)
Want to sooth your angry spouse? Try giving her a gift. "A gift given in secret soothes anger" Prov.21:14. It doesn't have to be expensive, though the jewelry store wants you to think so. It's the thought that counts- that you were thinking of her. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I surprised my wife with a gift. The nice evening walk we took yesterday, didn't end so happily. (Just keeping it real.) So a trip to Dunkin Donuts may be just the thing.
E- Encourage your friend and Enrich him with what you’ve been learning. We don't need to spend a lot of time here because you already have been practicing these things in M3. You are encouraging your new friends on the blog and you are enriching others from your MP3 verses. Apply those two things to any new friend you want to make, and you will succeed if they also want to grow. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Prov.27:17. Such sharpening friends are definitely the ones you want to collect and treasure. You've got them right here! And the more you recruit, the greater your priceless collection grows.
Anther vital quality in friendship that also starts with the letter E is Empathy. It's seeking to enter into the feelings of another. Paul put it this way- "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn" Rom.12:15. A good friend will love you and be there for you even when you're going through the ringer. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Prov.17:17. Men, we are a part of a band of brothers. We were born for adversity. When a fellow soldier is feeling overwhelmed, all he needs to do is send out a two word text to us all- "Broken Arrow" and we will respond. For those who are newer to the team and you haven't seen this powerful scene from We Were Soldiers, watch it. I am not glorifying killing in war or inappropriate language. I am honoring men who fight to rescue their overwhelmed brothers. I still am stirred when I watch this devotion to team mates. It's been great to see you respond in the past when a broken arrow call went out. I love that about you all. What a band of brothers!
We need each other and we need to help each other out. "No man left behind." "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up...Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" Eccles.4:10,12. You have your wingmen. You are a cord of three strands. How strong when devoted to one another.
1.- Send your two wingmen a text today of encouragement, prayer or appreciation. We stand together or fall alone. Together, we will not be overpowered.
2.- Read through Prov.18:13-24 and share with us the verse or phrase that you picked out and what you like about it. Then as always, look for opportunities to share it with others.
Announcements
For you men of Midway, since I will be at another church for my daughter, Eilsa's graduation ceremony, please go to the front at the end of church and help Sam and others of the team who regularly minister there. Make sure to exchange contact info with any man you talk with. Give him an M3 card too. (There are plenty at the Resource center in the corner of the lobby.) Then follow up with him. We are in a war- go to the front. These men at the altar need us then and there. If you meet a new man Sunday, be ready to share about it on the blog Monday when I ask. Thanks. I'm right proud of you!
I will be tallying up the weekly points this weekend and posting them Monday, so please go to the scoreboard when you finish writing your comments and fill in your points. Thanks! Remember, an easy way to score more points is to simply encourage your teammates.
Friendships- you can survive without them, but your can never thrive without them.
I know an elderly neighbor who collects pennies. Nothing wrong with that. I know people who collect classic cars. Nothing wrong with that either, just a bit more expensive hobby. But I want to have a far more valuable collection than any earthly item. I want to have an invaluable collection of great friends. Don't you? Then let's learn more about how to collect and keep great friends. Our passage in Proverbs 8:13-24 reveals another important friendship principle. But first, by way of review, yesterday we discovered that gaining and sustaining a good FRIENDSHIP includes the following-
F- Focus on what you have in common. Being on a team can help greatly here.
R- Remember to keep in touch and Return calls promptly.
Now let's look at a couple more-
I- Include the flair factor- This means that occasionally you include surprises, or you do things with an extra touch of class, or you give a thoughtful gift. Proverbs says this about gift giving and friendship- "Everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts" 19:6. I once counseled a dad and his overweight boy who was being teased on the bus. I said, bring a pack of gum and ask, "Who wants gum?" His dad told me excitedly at our next session, "It worked!" No, this is not the cure for all school bullying, but it simply illustrates the power that gift giving can have. Think of what it can do with nice people you meet. And it doesn't have to be a costly gift. For example, daily I give out our beautiful Greatest Mini-Movies outreach cards with the waterfalls on it. People are always appreciative. "You mean I can keep this?" Sure, no charge today:)
Want to gain favor with a person in power? Proverbs 18:16 gives great advice- "A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great." Years ago when we were still renting buildings to meet in for church services, we were running out of our lease. We desperately needed a new location in which to meet on Sundays. So I went to meet with the woman in charge of the IIT facilities, armed with a bouquet of flowers. To my surprise, she had recently been replaced by a man! :( Fortunately he gave us a long lease and thanked me for the flowers anyway. :)
Want to sooth your angry spouse? Try giving her a gift. "A gift given in secret soothes anger" Prov.21:14. It doesn't have to be expensive, though the jewelry store wants you to think so. It's the thought that counts- that you were thinking of her. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I surprised my wife with a gift. The nice evening walk we took yesterday, didn't end so happily. (Just keeping it real.) So a trip to Dunkin Donuts may be just the thing.
E- Encourage your friend and Enrich him with what you’ve been learning. We don't need to spend a lot of time here because you already have been practicing these things in M3. You are encouraging your new friends on the blog and you are enriching others from your MP3 verses. Apply those two things to any new friend you want to make, and you will succeed if they also want to grow. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Prov.27:17. Such sharpening friends are definitely the ones you want to collect and treasure. You've got them right here! And the more you recruit, the greater your priceless collection grows.
Anther vital quality in friendship that also starts with the letter E is Empathy. It's seeking to enter into the feelings of another. Paul put it this way- "Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn" Rom.12:15. A good friend will love you and be there for you even when you're going through the ringer. "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Prov.17:17. Men, we are a part of a band of brothers. We were born for adversity. When a fellow soldier is feeling overwhelmed, all he needs to do is send out a two word text to us all- "Broken Arrow" and we will respond. For those who are newer to the team and you haven't seen this powerful scene from We Were Soldiers, watch it. I am not glorifying killing in war or inappropriate language. I am honoring men who fight to rescue their overwhelmed brothers. I still am stirred when I watch this devotion to team mates. It's been great to see you respond in the past when a broken arrow call went out. I love that about you all. What a band of brothers!
We need each other and we need to help each other out. "No man left behind." "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up...Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" Eccles.4:10,12. You have your wingmen. You are a cord of three strands. How strong when devoted to one another.
1.- Send your two wingmen a text today of encouragement, prayer or appreciation. We stand together or fall alone. Together, we will not be overpowered.
2.- Read through Prov.18:13-24 and share with us the verse or phrase that you picked out and what you like about it. Then as always, look for opportunities to share it with others.
Announcements
For you men of Midway, since I will be at another church for my daughter, Eilsa's graduation ceremony, please go to the front at the end of church and help Sam and others of the team who regularly minister there. Make sure to exchange contact info with any man you talk with. Give him an M3 card too. (There are plenty at the Resource center in the corner of the lobby.) Then follow up with him. We are in a war- go to the front. These men at the altar need us then and there. If you meet a new man Sunday, be ready to share about it on the blog Monday when I ask. Thanks. I'm right proud of you!
I will be tallying up the weekly points this weekend and posting them Monday, so please go to the scoreboard when you finish writing your comments and fill in your points. Thanks! Remember, an easy way to score more points is to simply encourage your teammates.
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