:: greatness is a life well-lived ::

on the pleasantness of friends...

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. ~ Proverbs 27:9

What a great two days. God blessed and encouraged me through some great conversations with great friends. On Friday, Kristin called me from Florida. It's been far too long since we've talked and it was wonderful to chat again. We both came into CU Radio at the same time and connected instantly on missions and life stuff, but then at this time last year she and her husband moved to Florida. I've missed laughing together and sharing times of meaningful conversations. We're hopefully going to connect next month when they're up visiting, and I'll get to meet their new little one.

At lunchtime I ran into an old friend Jennie who is headed for Bosnia to work with InterVarsity soon. We both share a love for the Bode family in England. We had a fantastic conversation, very encouraging, about waiting on God and not "kicking against the goads" (to be discussed in a future blog). She's one of those friends who you can not see for ages but then see each other and easily get into a real and deep conversation. It was a great, unexpected blessing.

And I got to hang out with my good friend CJ as he was passing through town. He's studying in Texas to become a missionary pilot and on his way to Alaska for the summer (lucky!). It was great to meet up and have a chance to compare notes and lessons on the journeys God has us both on. We had some good fun and laughs, and had a fantastic time of encouragement and challenge toward Christ.

Finished out the day by going out with Kristin and Kirsten to see the Mines play at some dodgy place in town. They kept me out too late (haha!) but it was fun to just chill and unwind (and show off some dance moves).

Today (Saturday) I got loved on by my favorite boys as I spent some time at my parents' and my sister brought her three darling boys. Played baseball, ate ice cream, climbed trees, played at the park, lots of hugs and kisses.

This afternoon, I had a great talk with Esther (yay for weekend minutes), sharing hearts, concerns, joys and what God's been teaching. Once just my friend's sister, now also my dear friend (and my 'tollers'), always a pleasure to talk.

And in the evening I sat leaning on my Grandpa's shoulder, watching the Tigers beat the Red Sox while hearing stories of him and my Grandma, sharing love, being counseled and encouraged about trusting God and being faithful and letting God have His way in our lives.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a call from Down Under, and catching up with my Aussie mate Brooke.

Wow! God is so good to me, to give me an outpouring of encouragement and love from dear friends and family lately. Joy to my heart, the pleasantness of good friends and their earnest counsel.

Words of Amy Carmichael that fit these and many other friends God has graciously given: There are times when something comes into our lives which is charged with love in such a way that it seems to open the Eternal to us for moment, or at least some of the Eternal Things, and the greatest of these is love.
...it is the dear human love about us that bathes us as in summer seas and rests us through and through. Can we ever cease to wonder at the love of our companions? And then suddenly we recognize our Lord in them. It is His love that they lavish upon us. O Love of God made manifest in Thy lovers, we worship Thee.

posted by FaithChristine @ 22:20