I have been unbelievably blessed with friends...some of you who fall into that category are hopefully reading this right now. Matter of fact, it is with great joy that I get to tell you that this week's blog-installment is a little late because I got the rare opportunity to have some very special days with a few of those great friends.
You see, I just returned from Minneapolis (technically, Bloomington) where I was privileged to spend 3 days with an entire group of men & women who have devoted their lives to serving Jesus Christ, pointing countless numbers of others towards Him (you would know this group by the collective name of "pastors & their spouses"). They are not better than my other friends, but they are definitely unique!
As a kid, I was blessed with some great friends. As a collegian, I was blessed with some great friends. As a young adult, I was blessed with some great friends. As a husband, I was blessed with some great friends. And as a not-so-young increasingly empty-nester, I am blessed with some great friends. I've been blessed in Iowa, New York, California, Colorado, Indiana and Costa Rica...each many times over.
No matter my geography, title, life phase, occupation, income, success rate or age, God has filled my life to overflowing with great friends, and capped it all off by giving me the very best friend I could have on this earth: my beloved & faithful wife, Tonya. I haven't deserved any of them, have learned from each of them, been loved by all of them and forgotten by none of them.
And I guess, in this belated post, I simply want to say "Thank You" to each of you (I hope you're one of them). If you don't yet fall into this category, I'd like to believe that it's purely from lack of opportunity. And if you do fall into this category, be assured again today that every good thing about me is a result of God bringing you into my life, to teach & mold me, that I may in turn pass a little bit of you (and a little bit of Him) on to each and every person whom I am privileged to call "friend."
If by chance it's been a while, Friend, since we've talked...drop me a line...let's catch up, OK?
