I was unable to make it to church Sunday morning so I didn’t hear the sermon. I planned on listening to it yesterday afternoon but unfortunately it wasn’t online yet. So I’m sad to say I have no reflection to give.
My husband said it was really good and that it was about friendship.
Let’s do something different this time. What struck you the most from yesterdays sermon?
July 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
It was a good practical sermon. Mike told us that we need to make the choice to be a friend that it just doesn’t happen. We need to make the first step and then work at maintaining the friendship. And that we should practice hospitality.
He also reminded us to be patient and forgiving. Love does cover all wrongs and that we should practice the grace that has been given us by God the Father
July 28th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I thought it was really good how Mike shared that friendships are work and we have to be intentional. A lot of times I kind of expect a “real” friendship to be easy and not require a lot but it is really true that friendships require our time, effort and grace. True friendships need to be cultivated!
July 29th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I really loved that Mike said that friendship is a choice. About a year ago I was struggling with feeling like I was alone and didn’t have any really good friendships. I complained that the friends that I did have weren’t calling or emailing me. It came down to me realizing that I have to make the choice to be a friend if I want friendships. Since then I have been an active participant in cultivating the friendships that I have, and it has made a world of difference.
August 1st, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Thanks for the comments. One thing I was going to say but didn’t… Sometimes, what keeps us from making friends is that we expect that “perfect” person to show up one day to be our friend. We are waiting to invest in someone who shares our interests and values, thinks like we do, has a similar background, runs on our time schedule, etc. In reality, there is no “perfect” person out there, so we will be waiting forever. We need to pick out a few people that we perceive God has brought into our lives, and invest in them even though we may not like certain things about them. They may have idiosyncrasies that drive us up the wall. But since friendship is a choice, we have to push through our objections and let God surprise us. An odd couple can be friends!