The Laughter Left Her Face But....

While we were in Tennessee last week, we were able to get

together with some very good friends. 

Bill & Melody worked side by side with the preacher and I in the ministry 

here in Colorado before they moved to Tennessee. They actually moved to

the town where the Storytelling Festival is held.

We love them to death and miss them terribly, but we believe that the Lord

has a plan for their lives and we are sure that they have touched

many lives and have shown the Lord's love through the

work they are doing.

We also were able to meet with Alvaro & Dennisse and their boys. 

They are very special people. In Florida we worshiped together, 

we went camping together, we loved going to Cici's Pizza on 

Sunday's for Church After Church. It was so great to get to seem them.

They have purchased an investment property there in Tennessee and were 

getting it ready for renters. We were able to spend just a few hours

with them eating Dennisse's awesome food. She is an amazing 

cook. She and Alvaro love to cook for the preacher and of course

the preacher is in heaven when we get together and break bread together.

There was a line in a story that Tim Tingle told, 

"The laughter left her face but the friendship stayed."

This is how I feel when we get together with these amazing friends.

This is how I felt when we had to say good-bye to our friends.

It is so amazing how the Lord brings us together.

I believe that when you build relationships through the love of Christ

those friendships never die. 

I did a word search and there are many scriptures that talk about 

friendship, but the one that I found fitting is John 15:12-15.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his live for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." (ESV)

Jesus understands friendships. He wants us to have deep friendships with one 

another, but even better than that, He wants to have a deep relationship

with us. He calls us friend! Just like the song, "I Am a Friend of God" by Israel Houghton

says, "God Almighty, Lord of Glory, You have called me friend."

Think about the friendships in your life. Do you have deep friendships?

Now think about your relationship with Jesus.

Do you call Him your friend? 

Is your friendship with Him a deep relationship?

He wants to have that kind of friendship with you.

He calls you friend!