We're Rich in Friends

It's been said that no one is poor who has friends. Friends literally make life worth living. I don't know what I would do without the friends God has blessed me with. Just as an example, Thursday, Jodi and I went out to eat to celebrate our 16th anniversary. The couple that took us, Michael and Stacy Bennett, drove us, then paid for our meals. They wouldn't have it any other way no matter how much we protested. Then, Friday, a belt came off of the mower while I was trying mow the yard. My brother-in-law, Rodney Furnish, came over, laid on the grass beside the lawn tractor, and put the belt back on (it's a two-person job).

Then, today, our friend Julia Poff from church came and sweated bullets with us working on the flower bed in front of our house. She went and bought pine mulch and a garden tarp that keeps weeds from growing around the plants. We all worked hard for several hours on this project. She had her own house to take care of, but she wanted to do this for us for the simple reason that she loves us. That's true friendship. That's the spice of life.

Michael Giles has been to our place a several times to mow our field since my lawnmower can't cut it. He'll show up with a work crew and say, "What do we need to do?" How cool is that? And Larry Jones has brought his tractor a couple of times to help me move dirt around.

Sometimes I feel a little guilty for letting people come to my place and help me, but that's part of being a minister. You have to let people show their love for God by sharing blessings with you. I could let my pride stop them, but I would be robbing them and me of the blessing if I did. I've always had people in my life who come to my rescue. God never intended us to live solitary lives, but to be connected to one other. I'm thankful for that -- and to all of our friends who help us out and keep us going.