MY FRIEND written by Donna (Ensign) Woods

My Friend is always beside me

To share in all I do and see.

Behind me to guard my back,

From Satan's plan of attack.

In front of me to lead the way

Lighting my path for each day.

He is under me---for strength to stand

For trials and joys He has planned

Up over...to release blessings rain

Showering me with mercy....soothing my pain.

In my heart... He lives within

An awesome Friend, I have in Him.

Under, Over, Beside, Behind....

In front of me, to ease my mind.

My Friend protects me under His wing...

Forever gives me a song to sing.

Daily refills my cup of hope

Renewing my strength to laugh and cope.

I feel His arms hug me tight.

For me....I know He'll fight.

He shares in my laughter and my tears,

Calming my doubts, and my fears.

My friend is always very near,

To whisper His truth in my ear.

Caressing my aching soul,

When trials of life take their tole.

When I stumble and fall

I hear Him gently call.

.....Or if I lose my way

....Close by me He will stay.

Long ago.....He went before me

....So my heart could see

.....His forever love....on Calvary.

Learning to Trust God in All Things by Joyce Schafer

After spending the last few weeks cleaning, painting walls and finishing floors I have come to a few conclusions. First of all I am definitely not as young as I think I am. I used muscles that had been dormant for a long time.

Secondly, how great it is to have family and friends that will help you. Our kids were great helping to tear up carpet, sand floors and moving the heavy items. Our grandsons helped us tear out the old brush and our granddaughters helped us put in the new flowers and trees. Plus everyone made lots of trips back and forth carrying things from the old place to the our new home. My brothers who just live down the road from us now were in daily to check on us to see if we needed anything and our church friends prayed us through all of it-the closing of this house, the renovation and the selling of our place in town.

After the hard work was done it was time to celebrate with a party. It was so nice to see our former neighbors and our new neighbors, our relatives on both side of the family and our friends all coming together to share in our happiness at being back in the country. Once again our kids and grandkids pitched in with the cleaning and cooking. We are truly blessed.

The most important thing I learned through all of this is if you put everything in God's hands he will take care of you. This happens in his time not my time. I am an impatient, Type A personality that expects instant results to all my problems and goals. If I pray about it in the morning by nightfall I should see results. I am working on this and it has been one of my personal goals for the year. I need to keep reminding myself to pray and trust that God will answer my prayers in his way and in his time.

One of my favorite verses in the bible is James. I always feel like he is speaking directly to me. James 1:2-6 reads: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Friendship by Rachel Pitcher

A friend of mine and I have often discussed that we wished we could just have microchips inserted in our brains. This would enable us to talk to one another whenever we wanted before we forget what it is we had to say and so that it wouldn't be interrupted by children or daily duties. We live 45 minutes apart and with small children don't get much time together. Often when we are together we say, "Go ahead with your story but remind me to tell you about _______ (fill in the blank)." We have so much to say to one another and so little time to say it in. If we are together, the kids are there too and it's hard to keep our train of thought going. Without exception, we can never get enough and the time simply flies! Our husband's marvel at how much we can talk about and for how long.
For us, it's like being at a buffet and having all this good food staring at us but only a dessert size plate to put it on. So we fill up once and when we come back it's all gone; time's up—kitchen's closed. We have so much we want to share and say and we just can't fit it all in!
Sadly, that isn't really at all how my conversations with God are. Judging from human measures it might even appear that we are only acquaintances. Maybe we seem like we used to be friends but haven't really seen one another in awhile. Maybe we don't seem to have anything in common at all anymore. Maybe, we've just lost touch. Correction: Maybe I've lost touch. Ever felt like that?
I always tell our children that "to have a friend, you have to be a friend." We make and keep friends by spending time with them. The way we get to know God is to spend time with Him, because we want to, not because we have to. Praying, worshipping, reading the bible, coming to church, attending bible studies or reading Christian books, these are all ways that we can get that microchip installed with God on the other end.
The bible says we should "hunger and thirst for righteousness" ( Matthew 5:6 ) and I know God wants me to hunger for conversation with him like I do with my good friend. Other friends of mine whom I don't get a lot of time with may think I don't make the time. I'm sure that's how God would see it if he were human. Thankfully, he's not and he knows me better than I know myself. So, even if it's been awhile, my "old friend" - my Redeemer, Savior, Friend - is always ready and waiting for me to slow down, quiet down and have some good quality time with Him. What a friend I have in Jesus. If you haven't met Him, I'd love to introduce you two sometime!

Be a friend by Susan Shull

Diana Weishaar. She is and has been my lifelong bosom buddy. We teamed up before I can even remember, as pictures of us as toddlers attest, and have been best friends ever since. With the exception of a rocky period around 3rd grade, I don’t recall ever being out of sorts with each other. I treasure her so much and I know I can spill my guts to her, and she will love me still-no matter how much of my “ugly” spirit I reveal. I consider her to be one of the best gifts God has given me. Unfortunately, our friendship is mainly by phone now. She lives in Padukah and we don’t get to see each other very often. Thankfully, we know that if one of us needs the other, we are just a phone call away.

When my kids were growing up, my desire for them was never that they would be “most popular” or part of the “cool” kids. I just prayed for each of them to have at least one person they could count on. If there was one, I knew they would never feel totally alone.
At school, I see some students who always seem to be surrounded by others. Maybe they have a contagious smile, are naturally friendly, or have that illusive everyone-wants-to-be- me charisma that draws others to them. On the other hand, a student or two always seems to either be alone or trying too hard to fit in. I bet, if the truth were known, most of us have felt like that student at one time or another.

Have you ever been in a huge crowd and felt totally alone? Maybe it was a conference or workshop, a busy restaurant, or even a ball game. Maybe it was at church. That may seem like an oxymoron, but I know it can be true. Our family has visited in more than one relatively large congregation while we were on trips or just away from home on Sunday and have been very disappointed when no-one spoke to us. One time, no one even made eye contact with me. What’s up with that?

When this happens, I always wonder-what about our church? Do we make newcomers feel welcome? I hope visitors leave our congregation overwhelmed by our friendliness, feeling inundated with an outpouring of the love of Christ. I’m afraid for some this might not be the case. Our fellowship hall can be a pretty intimidating spot after Sunday services. It seems everyone rushes to the same groups every Sunday visiting up a storm. But…what if you are a visitor, a new member, or just not part of a group? The temptation might be to run out the front doors as quickly as possible. I know it is hard to just walk up to someone you don’t know and start a conversation. What if you say the wrong thing? Someone might think you are a dork, a ding-a-ling, or an idiot. Or… that person might be extremely grateful for a kind word, a handshake, an acknowledgment that they are a valued human being.

I guess what I am suggesting- to myself first of all- let’s all step out of our comfort zones, look around us, and go out of our way to make Scott Avenue Christian Church a place of friends-true friends. I pray that we will remember what it is like to be lost and lonely and show to others the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience spoken of in Colossians 3:12.

My Friends by Theresa Zuber

A friend is a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic touch, an all-knowing smile, a friendly face and an ear to listen. A friend has feet that come running, arms that hug firmly, laughter that is contagious, and a heart that understands disappointments & hurts. A friend applauds successes, shares joy and sorrow, and loves through it all.
God made each of us in His own image. I suppose that’s why at times when I see my friends, I get a glimpse of my Savior Jesus.
I only pray that I can be a good friend in return — that they might see Jesus in me!

Friends by Joyce Schafer

I have often thought that friends are special angels that God sends to help us and teach us here on earth. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them we have for a short time and some we have for a lifetime.
The first friends I remember making were in second grade. These two little girls and I were best friends all through grade school. We played together, had sleepovers and most importantly shared the same opinion of boys. They were Stupid! One friend was Catholic, one was Lutheran and I was Methodist. God was teaching me at a very young age that we are all His children.
Then in high school there were six of us that became really close. We met in Home Ec. Class. A class all of us were taking not because we wanted to but because our mothers insisted. Thankfully we had a wonderful teacher that made the class bearable. As everyone knows, as a teenager your life consists of a lot of highs and lows and we helped each other through all these phases.
By Senior year things really started changing and some of the six decided boys were not so stupid and started becoming couples, leaving little time for their girlfriends. Another valuable lesson was learned. Friends change and not all friendships survive.
As a young adult another special friend came into my life. She eventually got married and moved out of state. Lesson #3: friendships can survive long distances.
About this same time I met someone who has been my best friend for almost 40 years. This friend has been there for me through the bad times and the good times. The most important lesson I have learned is it is truly a gift from God when you marry your best friend.
My life has always been and continues to be blessed by friends. They truly are my angels on earth and I thank God everyday for sending them to me.

Give and Receive by Julie Short

Give
An ear,
A hand,
Honesty,
Your time,
Unconditional love,
Expecting
Nothing
In return.
Be
Understanding
Forgiving
Available.
Be
A
Friend
And
You
Will be
Blessed.