Friendships Old and New

Celebrating friendship during these days of quarantine has become a lifeline for many, including me.

• Friends from a former church gathered for dinner at a restriction-compliant restaurant and it reminded us all how much we enjoy each other.
• My closest friend and I go to lunch every other week, schedules permitting.
• I have regular phone conversations with a guy friend who has a similar lifestyle and history. We encourage one another with information and wisdom on how to live this life successfully.
• A new friend from my new church, Gateway Houston, and I are spending three weeks in special prayer for one another, talking weekly and by text for updates.
• The online prayer and worship community that began during this quarantine season with Kent Henry and Carriage House Ministries has grown into a group of friends who pray for our world and one another.

Paul was ministered to by his friends while he was in prison as detailed in Acts. Imprisonment varied from incarceration in underground cells to house arrest with a guard present. Necessities of life were provided by family and friends. Favor with the governing authority allowed Paul to look to his friends for food and other provisions.

So too, in this time when my family is far away, am I looking to my friends for encouragement and social interaction. Phone calls help with both family and friends. Online chats are helpful and seeing friendly and loved faces bolsters the soul. Choosing to be there for one another has become paramount to our successful living. I am so grateful that God has placed so many good friends in my life, as He did for Paul.

Acts 24:23 Then he (Roman governor Felix) ordered the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to let him have some freedom, and [he told the centurion] not to stop any of his friends from providing for his needs. Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.