May 26, 2003
Friends
(thanks, Ben)
While true friends have close to innumerable worth, I was thinking recently of two especially valuable benefits friends bring.
First, friends are a great place to learn and use your spiritual gifts. In the middle of a discussion a while ago about finding one's spiritual gifts, I began noticing the dynamics of my closest group of friends. From acts of leadership to quiet displays of mercy, spiritual gifts previously unnoticed began gaining my attention. I'm certainly no fan of charts and surveys used to "discern" spiritual gifts, but in the wake of those discussions focusing on gifts I began to see them in living color in our daily interaction.
Second, true fellowship with friends brings ideas and concepts into sharp clarity. Ideas that had long been a mere haze in the back of my mind take clear form in the natural flow of a conversation. In fact, I regularly find myself walking away from an indepth conversation with a friend realizing I had never thought an idea so clearly or cogently as when I had been forced to speak it, and that moment of clear revelation comes as a bit of shock to me, even though I'm the one presenting the thought.
Frienship-a precious gift from the greatest Friend and Lover of fellowship.
As a side note, the game Shawn Hatcher is holding is called Settlers of Catan. It is by far the best board game I have ever played. It is the first board game I have to refer to as "addictive." I've never played Risk, but I hear it's somewhat similar. At any rate, it's a blast. The $35 price tag and two hour games are slight drawbacks, but I really enjoy it. Thanks for the intro to it, Ev.
Posted by apelles at May 26, 2003 03:19 PMA few years ago several in my circle of friends pacted together to study fellowship in the Bible, drawing conclusions inductively rather than deductively. One thing that struck me continually was that every time I looked up a word like 'friend' or 'companion' or 'fellowship,' etc., the brotherly love aspect of friendship was also always paired with something that emphasized holiness. I literally could not find biblical ideal friendship that wasn't coupled with the significance of biblical ideal righteousness--at least somewhere in the context. Even vertical fellowship with the LORD--ascending into His holy hill requires clean hands and a pure heart.
The conclusions I drew from my portion of that study was a challenge to find and be friends that are two things: (1) agents of edification and (2) sin-preventatives. Our friends should be more like God because of encountering God in us.
I played a new game this weekend with some agents of edification and sin-preventatives here in Rockford, IL. It's called OUT OF CONTEXT. It's kind of like Balderdash and Apples-to-Apples if you've ever played either one of those, only far neater and logically formatted. Each player selects one of the six famous quotes he's holding (cards in hand) to have been supposedly voiced by the person in question (for instance, Nancy Reagan or John Glenn).
I am belongings-sitting for a friend who is currently in transition between homes. He has a lot of European games, a couple of which are Risk-ish, and I'm keen to try them soon. I'll do some homework on this one you've mentioned.
Posted by: joydriven at May 26, 2003 11:48 PMHebrews 3:13-But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin-came to mind immediately as I read your comment, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for those two characteristics in other passages too. Thanks for that, Joy.
By the way, how did you know Settlers was European? (did you?) It's the product of a German named Klaus Tuber. (sp?)http://weblog.millerfamily.info/karagraphy.