My hope is…
We will enjoy the most wonderful time of the year – summer time! The kids are out of school, the winter coats are put away, and we get to be outside seeing neighbors and friends. The relational opportunities are wide open.
As you are out and about this summer, slow down and enjoy some time building friendships. Burk Parsons is right when he writes, “We all live in a world starving for true friends, genuine community, and meaningful relationships, but that takes love, patience, repentance, and forgiveness and it only happens if you are willing to risk your temporary discomfort for long-term joy.” We talk about living hopeful and being helpful. One of the most hopeful and helpful things we can do is share our lives with other people with genuine friendship.
As we do that, they will get to see and hear about Jesus. Those that know Jesus cannot help but love Jesus. We always talk about what we love. The conversations we have with friends about what we love are often the best and most fruitful. They amplify what we enjoy and also remind us of what we may have forgotten or overlooked.
The one thing that is tough about friendships is that they take time. How can you make time for friendships in your life? As you make your plans for the summer, be sure and set aside time to be with friends and to invest in those that you would like to make your friends. It is an investment that will bless your life and serve a great need in our city.
While you are making your plans, be sure and set aside the afternoon of Sunday, July 8. We are going to meet at Basil Griffin Park from 5p-dark for a picnic. You can bring your own meal or buy it from a food truck that will be on site. We are all going to gather in the amphitheater and just enjoy some time talking and catching up with one another. Enter the park off Smallhouse Road across from Holy Spirit Church. Feel free to invite your friends and introduce them to us, your church family.