Friends
I have had the privilege of being on a Ministry committee of a worship conference called The Experience Conference for the past 10 years. This group consists of 50 worship leaders from around the country who gather once a year in January at a ranch in Texas to discuss the conference and to plan together.
The group gathers again during September in Orlando for the Experience Conference. 1,500 ministry leaders from all around the country come together for 4 days to worship and refuel. This group of 50 has become some of my most trusted friends whom I could call on anytime.
When I see these friends, it's like we pick up where we left off. This group of men and women have been faithful friends and have represented themselves as the church should.
For instance, on the second day of meetings in January, we met at 6:30 pm in the church on the ranch’s property. We put the piano in the middle of the church and 50 of us gathered around it to worship and sing. The last time we met, my friend Jerry started to sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," when he got to the last note, he couldn’t sing it and just broke down. Two men came and stood next to Jerry and sang the chorus again with him. In the end, the two men stepped back and let him finish the last notes on his own. This is a great example of what the church is. Whatever place we are in, we come into church looking for answers. We stand alongside each other, and hold one another up, allowing everyone to "finish their song."
Regardless of where you are in your life, you must value your trusted friends. These are the friends who you can call on at any hour and say, "I need your help," and they will be there. These friends will go to lunch with you and not just talk about the weather. They will do life with you. Keep in mind, my 50 friends from the conference do not live close by, but they are as close as a phone call or a message of encouragement.
So, when the world seems to be closing in on you, look around and see who your real friends are and make sure they know they are loved by you.
The one true friend you will always have is Jesus. Look no further than Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”.
I have been blessed to have friends who have been there in my darkest of days. Friends who want to see me flourish.
This church has been such a blessing to me. I will always remember when my mother passed away. Vicki and I were meeting people who were coming into the service, and I was ok until I saw Pastor Alan and Robert Trigg walk into the Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. They drove 12 hours to come to the service and support my family and me on some of the most difficult days. That time and effort they put in for us will always be treasured and I am so grateful for them.
Always pour yourself into the friends who want to see you flourish because it is a two-way street. Reach out to those people and know that in the end, the time, effort, and respect you both put into the relationship is what will be remembered.
It is a new year and a new beginning. Make yourself a better person and a better friend.
Blessings to you,
Mike