Friends.

A friend had an opportunity this week to talk with young, impressionable college freshman and asked advice on what to share. It got me thinking, if I had the same opportunity, what would I say.

I think this particular group was preparing for ministry so the focus was a bit more specific and they were looking for what to share that would be a nugget of wisdom early on the journey.

What would you say to them?

If I look back at the best moments in my life, the best moments in ministry I find one common denominator.

Friends.

I've had friends all my life. I've even called a few different people "best".

That one thing is to me the make or break factor for life and ministry.

It starts who with you watch walk down the aisle towards you or who you walk down the aisle to. If that ain't right, I'm not sure the other two matter. I speak from the joy and blessing that I am blessed beyond measure on this one. And if you are too you know the truth of this one. It doesn't need any explanation. If you have a true partner in life, life is good.

It continues with those you serve with. Where you serve, what you do, how many people are a part of what you do, that means very, very little if you want to enjoy longevity. It's all about the team you serve with. My deepest friendships are with the people who I've done life with in the trenches in the past and those that I serve with now. Who you serve with means the most.

It concludes with those who speak truth to you that aren't in the first two categories. Those who don't walk the hallways of your work but know you, love you and get to speak into the "rest" of who you are. They might be your sounding board, your confidant or the one who asks you the tough questions. Without these friends, the ones who call your crap, push your comfort zone or hold up the mirror and force you to face what you see, I just don't see how you keep going.

So where does God land in all this? Glad you asked, He's the first and the last. He's the one who's always there and never leaves or forsakes you. Never let's you down and sustains you as only He can. But we weren't meant to walk this life alone in the flesh either. And sure, each of the 3 categories sometimes provides a portion of what the other groups do. Sometimes my wife calls my crap. Okay, often she calls me on my crap. Sometimes my coworkers ask me the tough questions and sometimes my other friends share in the joy of ministry with me.

But without them, I just don't know where I'd be.

So here's to friends. Real friends. Not the ones from fourth grade that I was convinced I'd always know. It's the ones I have served with. Laughed with. Wept with. Share my deepest thoughts and concerns with. Here's to all of us being that for others as well.

Faithful.

I have found that I usually speak or teach on a topic that I feel confident representing. No sense standing in front of people and waxing eloquent over something you have no idea about. Sometimes there's been parts that I don't fully get but for the most part I'd like to think that once I open my mouth, I've spent an appropriate amount of time thinking, reflecting and listening on the topic.

Turns out that wasn't true back in May.

Each summer I get a chance to share a devo with all of the event staff that we hire to serve with our summer programs. It's an opportunity to share my heart and challenge them with some personal and professional development while exploring scripture. To be honest its one of my favorite opportunities I get each year.

This year I posed a somewhat impossible question, one that is certainly open to interpretation but was meant more than anything to set our compass towards true north. If you could only use one word to describe God, what would you pick?

What I told them, what I would still pick, is faithful. Of course you could make any word make sense but for me, if He isn't faithful, it all falls apart. If He isn't faithful, I can't move forward with boldness and confidence. If He isn't faithful, I'm wasting my time. If He isn't faithful it's all an elaborate, over thought bunch of crap.

Faithful. At the end of the day it's what gave Gideon the confidence to go into battle undermanned. It's what gave Isaiah the faith to write words that sounded too good to be true. It's what made Joshua lead people around a city day after day. It's what made Abraham take a walk with his son. It's what well, fill in your own story I'm guessing.

Without boring you with the details it's what gave me the ability this summer to at times simply put one foot in front of the other. It's what humbled me, moved me, compelled me, sustained me and ultimately broke and restored me.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd still give the same devo. In fact I probably wouldn't change any of it. I'd say the same things but I'd better be able to share them from a place of confidence.

I was sharing this with a friend today who spoke the truth to me that now I could offer those words and believe them myself.

Perhaps one of the lessons I needed to learn this summer was that when I spoke those words a few months ago, what I thought I was speaking to provide an anchor for others was me actually casting out words I needed to walk through myself. Words that weren't as grounded for me as I had originally thought. Words I needed to sustain me.

So here's to our own discovery of His faithfulness. And here's to that truth of Him become more real in us. And here's to us resting in those words not just in moments when we are weak but even more so in moments we think we are strong.