"D&J" Friendships

You might be asking yourself, "What in the world are D&J friendships?!" Well, read on my friend ...

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. (1 Samuel 18:1-4)

Wow! Do you have friends like that? Are you a friend like that?

I have a few friendships that embody the "David and Jonathan friendship" model ... not many, I can count them on one hand for sure, but those few that I have are surely a gift to me. I am writing this in part to honor them ... to thank God for them. I am not going to call them out because they know who they are ... this one is for you guys.

People who know me well, know that I like to take things slowly ... very, very slowly. (I may be cautious to a fault actually). These D&J friendships didn't happen overnight. They began in my early 20's ... and I think the reason that they have lasted until now is largely due to the fact that we have a common faith in Christ. The differences between us are glaringly bright at times—the words we use, our sense of humor, or lack thereof in certain situations:), where we were raised, where we are now, our marital status, kids, jobs, interests, hobbies, the list could go on and on. But God, in his grace, has bound us together like David and Jonathan.

I was talking to a D&J friend about this the other day and it made me think about practically how it works—because I am also hopelessly practical! But in the process of thinking this through, what was it about David that made Jonathan "love him as he loved himself"? Here is Jonathan, King Saul's son, rightful heir to the throne by his very birth, and he becomes fast friends with David, who was chosen, not by birthright but by God, to be the next King. That meant that Jonathan would not take his rightful place on the throne as the king of Israel ... and he was ok with that! And not only was he ok with it, he gave David his "soldier clothes"—his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt. He was more than ok with it, he was going to be sure that he did his part to make it happen! (Some of this is revealed later in 1 Samuel 23). Wow! But why? I think Scripture is pretty clear as you read the whole account that Jonathan's deep, committed faith in God was the foundation that he needed to be a faithful friend to David and vice-versa.

As I reflect on my own D&J relationships, I see the same principles at work ... commitment—to God and his word, to serving rather than being served, to being honest even when it's difficult, to know and to be known even when it's scary, to confront, to encourage, and to forgive when things go bad ... this is what ultimately defines a true D&J friendship and it also defines Jesus and his friendship with us.

I am thankful for my D&J friends who walk out their faith in Christ and point me back to him when I need it the most. God has used them in immeasurable ways in my life ... and I am thankful.

"God"

by Phillip Loss

This was written by my Uncle Phil. He accepted Christ just over 2 years ago and is now very active in his church—Forest Hill-Rock Hill. He wrote this moving piece after reading Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. Enjoy ...

Here I am lying in this hospital bed trying to piece together what happened. I remember my best friend and I were talking about the existence of God. He got distracted and ran a red light. According to the doctor, that was five years ago. He said we were T-boned by an eighteen wheeler when my buddy ran the light. Then he dropped a real bomb; my buddy was not so lucky. He died instantly. What bothers me the most is that I remember the last part of the conversation like it just happened.

“Look man,” he said. “You’ve been sold a bill of goods. Can’t you see that all this business about heaven and hell is just a way to control people? I don’t believe there is a God.”

“C S Lewis didn’t either,” I said. “So he set out to prove it and came up with the opposite conclusion. He felt like everything pointed to the existence of God, rather than the lack of a God.”

“I don’t have any idea who C S Lewis is,” he replied. “But it’s obvious that you and ole CS have both been smoking the same thing. There is no God. Period. Besides, even if there were a God, I wouldn’t want to know him. Anyone that would let all the pain and suffering continue in this world is not worthy of my acceptance.”

My mind was reeling. Did he really mean those last two lines? Can it really be over just like that with no chance to recant? I can’t bear to think what he must be going through after such a thorough renunciation of God.

__________________________


I can’t be dead. The grave isn’t supposed to be like this. Nothing that so called “group of friends” told me even comes close to fitting.

“Your friend has been pulling your leg,” they said. “He really doesn’t believe there’s a God. He’s just trying to control you like the rest of those religious nuts. There is no God, and he knows it. No heaven. No hell. When you die, it’s just lights out. There’s no feeling what-so-ever. You just go on the long dirt nap. It’s just the end man. Since there’s no God, there’s no judgment. So eat, drink and be merry. Make your own rules. It’s all yours for the taking.”

Talk about being sold a bill of goods. I can’t believe I bought that crap; hook, line and sinker. I don’t know if that was God I saw just before I was sent here, but I do know there was a judgment. The funny thing is that it really wasn’t harsh; it was just mater of fact. I was just confronted by what I had done and said. My last line was particularly damning: “If God exists, He is not worthy of my acceptance.”

So here I am (wherever that is). Well, they were certainly right about one thing. There is no God here. At my judgment, I was pretty much told that since I didn’t want to accept God, He was not about to force me to. I was about to say I had changed my mind when the lights really went out. For good. Inky black with a deafening silence. And I ended up here. Oh I can see and hear just fine, but I’m limited to this plot-less movie of my past that just keeps running over and over in my mind. I can’t make it stop. Hey guys, you may want to listen up; this just may be the hell you convinced me did not exist. You absolutely do not want to come here.

As for the long dirt nap, what a bunch of bull. I’d give anything for the peace and quiet of a good nap. Just to be able to pull the plug on the terrible thoughts that keep running through my ever active mind. We use to joke about sleep deprivation being torture. Well that would be a cake walk compared to all the sleep I’ve been losing. Too bad you guys can’t hear me. Misery loves company, but I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

“No feeling what-so-ever,” you said. Well I got news for you guys. There’s plenty of feeling, and it’s all bad. That movie continues to run with all the bad things I ever did. No matter what I do, I can’t make it stop. It dominates my mind and pushes out everything else. I just get to remember how bad I screwed up.

“The end,” you said. Yea, right! There’s no way this feels anything like the end. It seems like I’ve been here forever, but somehow I know it’s just the beginning. And I know I’ll never get another chance to try any other way. You guys may still have the chance to do it the other way and reach out to God, but I have no way of reaching back and letting you know your choice, whatever it is, will be final. I have no way to tell you that you’re heading straight for the hell you think does not exist.

A Call to Worship

I am really excited! My best friend of 15 years is finally launching her website to promote her music and to secure concert bookings once again!

I have known a handful of really talented people in my life and Christabel is definitely one of those people. Over the last couple of years, God has really inspired both her lyrics and her music. But even back when I first met her, God was using her magnetic personality and awesome talent to bring glory to his name. Christabel was performing on stage way before I met her, in fact, by the time I met her she had already been dubbed "Professional Singer From the USA" in her hometown of Mizoram, India, and she had shared the stage at Disney World with a few recognized artists of the 80's and 90's. You can read more about this in the "About Me" section of her website.

It has been a privilege through the years to see how God has shaped and developed Christabel's talent. I had the opportunity to work in ministry alongside her in recent years. She led worship at Manchester Creek Community Church in SC, and I served with her there as the sound technician for 5 years or so. It was great to be part of that team with such a gifted and committed leader in place. I am sure I will never forget those years—they were some of the best that I've had so far.

Christabel has always had an incredible voice, but now to be able to hear her perform the music she has composed and the words that she has written ... it leaves me with a sense of awe. It's compelling, it's authentic, it's worship-inspiring, and it's such a beautiful picture of her own journey with God ... it really is a call to worship. Go and check it out for yourself!

I have placed a permanent link to the bottom of my blog also, so you can find her site again easily, but I encourage you to bookmark it and check back often for new music—you definitely won't be disappointed!