THANK YOU LORD FOR GOOD FRIENDS…

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.” As I walk through this life I find myself from time to time having to let go of things that are precious to me. Valuables I’ve lost, positions and careers I’ve seen come and go, and most difficult for me, friends. Some of those who have grown dear to me have had the privilege of graduating from this life to the next. Souls I have loved and labored in the ministry with have moved on to a heavenly residence. Others though have just moved! Taken new positions, relocated to other assignments, or in the case of my focus this morning, retired. Ah retirement, that elusive bandit that rides on the horizon of life that if we are blessed, we’ll catch him and hitch a ride. My family has been blessed for the past fourteen years to work with and labor along side our friends Richard and Linda. At the end of this month they will retire to “their other Eden”, which in He and Linda’s case is the Great State of North Carolina! This Southern Gentleman and his precious wife for the last 13 years have been a Pastor to my family and me. That’s a big statement if you’re in the ministry you understand. Pastors don’t always have a pastor themselves, and trust me, they do need them! C.S. Lewis. Said friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You, too? I thought I was the only one."
When I first met Richard and Linda I was the interim Pastor of the Rarden church of the Nazarene. Not long after that came the call to Pastor The Plymouth Heights church where I have been for the past 11 plus years. During that time we have traveled around the world on missions trips together. We have laughed, cried and often prayed together. I can still remember the first time they visited our home, I believe it was during our first year at Plymouth Heights. Richard was to preach the next morning at our church so on Saturday evening they came by for dinner. Picture this if you will, a prominent figure in denominational leadership coming to dinner in a young inexperienced preachers home. I was a little intimidated I’ll tell ya. But what happened soon after they arrived would set the tone for our friendship for many years to come. It wasn’t a minute into the visit until Richard was on the floor of our living room looking at baseball cards with my 11-year-old daughter! Here this guy was, genuinely interested in what my little girl thought was important. It was as if I wasn’t even in the room. He made an impression on her, and me as well. That friendship with that same little girl would one day lead to my friend Richard praying the Pastoral prayer at her wedding. Someone once said, “Prosperity begets friends, adversity proves them.” As the years have rolled along there have been good days and bad, parties and funerals, but one lasting common denominator. Our friends Richard & Linda. Solomon aptly said “A friend loveth at all times”
That friendship has also been a help and encouragement to me as I have meandered through the beginning years of full time ministry. From encouraging words to just taking the time to simply listen when I was going through a difficult time. Chuck Swindoll in his book “The Grace Awakening” writes these words… “During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river, which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged in and made it to the other side, the stranger asked President Jefferson if he would ferry him across the river. The president agreed without hesitation. The man climbed on, and shortly thereafter the two of them made it safely to the other side. As the stranger slid off the back of the saddle onto dry ground, one in the group asked him, "Tell me, why did you select the president to ask this favor of?" The man was shocked, admitting he had no idea it was the president who had helped him. "All I know," he said, "Is that on some of your faces was written the answer 'No,' and on some of them was the answer 'yes.' His was a 'Yes' face." It is true, prosperity begets friends, adversity proves them. It was also Solomon who said, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”. I want to be that kind of friend to many.
These friends of ours are known to many as the District Superintendent of the Central Ohio District Church of the Nazarene, Dr. Richard Jordan and his wife Linda. So as I close this column I hope to have accomplished two things. First, to give roses to my friends now while they can enjoy them from their new digs way down yonder in the Tar Heel State. And second, to remind myself that I still have many years to enjoy this precious couple who God has made a part of our lives. Richard & Linda, Happy retirement and you better have some Starbucks in your cupboards; Terri and I are planning a trip south!