Shovels & Smartphones

Two guys working in the dark. Three friends holding a handful of smartphones with the flashlight app on each of them. One friend capturing the moment...on his phone, of course. Another friend stands in the background, watching in appreciation, the body of Christ coming out to help her with an issue on her property. Welcome to "doing life together".

While we had a great time for the two or so hours we were there, we had a good few moments where the comedy came so easily, it didn't feel like work.

Reminds of me of the advice, if you enjoy what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

The same is true for helping friends, family and even strangers in their time of need, whether its one of life-threatening seriousness or the mundane, can't do it by myself task. Either way... if you truly enjoy helping out when someone puts forth a request, then it's really no big deal to respond. But to the friend in need, appreciation extends from the depths of the heart.

Healthy friendships foster healthy lives. Strained friendships foster broken lives. Maybe not to the point where a person can't function properly, but someone will sustain damage to their heart, mind and perspective where it will affect future interaction with people, whether in social settings or professional. You'll feel burned and reluctance and bitterness will keep you at bay from being a blessing or receiving one, should you be the one in need.

Amazing how God works...I'm typing this, as Phil Keaggy's video on YouTube, "Worship and Song In Guitar Artistry" is playing. He's closing out the performance at Wheaton College, with a song from The Salvation Army Band, singing the lyrics, "heart to God, hand to man".

This is friendship. This is community. This is the body of Christ. Love God. Love your neighbor. Show yourself friendly.
Be the kind of friend that others will wish they had. Be the kind of friend others will be inspired to be by your example.

Pray this #communitySaturday, for healthy friendships to dominate our culture and society. Pray for broken people to be made whole through the power and blood of Jesus Christ, for while hurt people hurt people, those who have been healed and restored offer healing. Pray those who have been shown grace will show grace. Pray that in this "woe is me" mentality, people will use discernment with their friends, as not to spur them towards regret and retreat from for being friend, both now and in the future. Pray God is glorified through people coming together, sharing life, sharing truth, sharing a cup of cold water with those in need, happy to help, able to do so, willing to be a friend, grateful to have a friend, all accompanied by the words, "be blessed in Jesus' name" for whereas we have received from Him, I now give to you.

Love, compassion, forgiveness, hope, healing, restoration. For the glory of God. For the sake of our friends. Community.
Hard at work. Even at dark. The Light of the world, with the help of some apps from our smartphones.

-PNC

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