Wedding

I survived! That is my response to the weekend. For those who don't know, Megan and Clay tied the knot this past weekend. What a interesting and stressful time it has been in the past several months. I have tried to keep my mouth shut, which has been a very difficult thing to do. Needless to say, it has been stressful around the house.

The wedding and the reception were beautiful, if I must say so myself. I can say that because I had so little to do with it. The only thing I had to do was show up at the wedding and keep my mouth shut. Everthing went off without a hitch.

One of the good things about the wedding was being able to visit with family and friends that we don't get to see often. I was able to visit with some friends that we haven't seen in several years. One of those was my old roommate from college days. I was able to visit with him, his wife, one of his daughters and his niece. Even though it was a short visit, we enjoyed the time.

It was also good to visit with some former church members who have moved to other places. It was good to see some of these former members. We have lost touch with some of them, so the short visit was good. All of these former members are educators who have moved on to bigger and better things.

On a personal note, I must confess that my daughter was a beautiful bride. I already knew what a pretty girl, now young lady, she is, but to be able to walk such a beautiful bride down the aisle was an honor. I also made it though most of the weekend without too many tears.

I also must confess that when I received a text message from her on Father's Day, it brought tears to my eyes. Just knowing that she took time between flights to send me a text, made Father's Day very special. I also got to spend some time with my son Sunday afternoon. Just driving to and from Austin was a special couple of hours with my son.

I am a fortunate man to be able to have two such great children. My wife and I are trully blessed by God.

Friend of God

Jesus, a day before He was to be crucified, met with His disciples. The Gospel of John records those moments in John 14 - 17. It is in that context, following Jesus' teaching about the vine and the branches, where Jesus says: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." Those are amazing words from our Savior. He changed the relationship with the disciples in that special moment.

Henry Blackaby says: "You did not choose to be a friend of God. This is by invitation only. Only two people in the Old Testament are referred to as being a "friend of God." Abraham walked with God to the extent that God referred to him as His friend (Isaiah 41:8). Moses spoke to God face to face as a man speaks with a friend (Exodus 33:11)."

Phillips, Craig and Dean have recorded a song, "Friend of God," written by Israel Houghton.
The song says:

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How You love me
It’s amazing

Chorus:
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

What we need is to have such a special friendship with God - one that is totally devoted to Him - and that we have such an intimate relationship with the Almighty, that God would call us His friend. If you cannot describe yourself as a friend of God, commit yourself to seek after God with all your heart.