What are friends and friendship

Friendship.

According to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher from ancient times, there are three types of friendship,

I. Friendship of utility II. Friendship of pleasure, and finally, III. Perfect friendship

But what is a friend?

A friend is someone other than family that you share close affection with. A friend will share kindness, sympathy, compassion, loyalty, fun, common beliefs and values.
A true friend will celebrate the good times, and provide support during the bad times.

Ecclesiastes tells us

“You are better off having a friend than being all alone…..if you fall, your friend can help you up.” Ch 4 v 9-10

In the Bible there are many mentions of friends, and it is easy to see the attributes that make a good friend;

Loving, respectful, positive, forgiving, reliable, loyal, inspirational, vigilant, supportive, non-judgemental, trustworthy, cooperative, wise, and self- controlled.

We are told in Luke 6 v 31

“treat others as you want to be treated.”

Of course, the most powerful example of a friend, was Jesus.

John 15 v 12 -13 “Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.”

Let us all remember the example Jesus gave us, and be the sort of friend to others that we would want for ourselves.

In a world where we can be anything, let us be kind, compassionate, sympathetic and empathetic, loyal, and fun to those around us, as we journey together towards the Kingdom. There, by God’s grace, we will meet our best friend.

 

Dear Lord,
Help us to be good friends to those around us.
Help us to show love and kindness to others, as you have shown us.
Help us to provide support and comfort to our friends as they have need.
Thank you for being our friend and comforter,
and for our many blessings.
Amen 🙏🏻🙏🏻

 

+++

Related

1. Learning from others
2. Growing Friendships, Changing the World
3. Part 3: Why Schedule People and People People Should Be Friends
4. Love Lust Break-up Friendship.
5. My Cute Friend
6. Meeting others in our mess
7. How do you know if your friend has your back? What if they the devil you need to run from? This scares me alot
8. rich
9. Who are your friends at work?
10. Slick Ways to Make Friends When You’re Targeted by Bullies
11. Happy Endings
12. Prioritizing Relationships
13. Visits with Friends
14. My thoughts to present Friends with benefits..
15. Into every life some rain must fall.
16. All the World’s A Stage
17. Despite the Let Down

Be it in May or September: Run the race

The last two academic years have been very weird with many restrictions. September is here again and soon it will be October, the month when everybody is back at work or back in school. Once more we faee a new academic and church year. Once more we are reminded we have work to do on this earth. We have our obligations and we have to strive to get some results in what we are supposed to do.

In Belgium, last year, sports were more a thing for one person on his own, because no group events were allowed. Everyone had to stay in isolation and contact sports were not allowed. The text underneath normally was to be published in May, when we had the underneath ‘prayer theme’ for the month, but we got somewhat behind with a lot of work, because other matters, like taking care of people, providing food to isolated people and help for those in need, certainly after the floods, required our attention.

In the Covid period it might not have been easy for many. Now it could well be that this year may be a year of transition, for becoming back to normal.

Jane Edwards has a look at what happened mostly in May. In her country that is the time the sun starts showing herself more and more attention is given to outside sports. She then thinks of the race which we have to finish.

Be it May or September, each day we are confronted with a lot of matters. Every day of the year, we have to get on and continue our way.

°°°

Run the race

When I was at school, the month of May meant only one thing…..
Practicing for Sports day.
Today, children are encouraged to just take part, and they are all winners. Helping others along the way to finish together.

When I was at school, it was all about the winning!
Who could run fastest.
Who could throw furthest.
Who could jump highest.

Winners were winners, and losers were just that – losers.
Winners received prizes, losers were scorned.

There were cheers, and plenty of boos.

I hated Sports day. Whilst I enjoyed hockey and netball – team games, I hated the one against one competition of Athletics – mainly because I was rubbish, and not really built to run!

We are told in the Bible in Hebrews 12 that we need to ‘run the race’ , but we are also told that ‘bodily exercise profits little’ in 1 Timothy 4v8 – which is correct?
Of course we need to exercise.
For our hearts and minds exercise is good, but too much can become an obsession – and take us away from other activities that matter.
So, what race do we need to run?

Of course, this is the race to the Kingdom. This race is much better than the ones I failed miserably at school. This race, (perhaps more apt to call it an Obstacle Course) makes everyone a winner!
It’s about getting to the finish line – some may reach that before others, but everyone has a chance to finish and win… and have help from others along the way.
And the prize – eternal life!
No boos, but cheers from the Heavenly Hosts.
As we watch our children on Sports Day, or think about exercise for ourselves, let us remember the most important race of our lives.

 

 

 

Dear Lord,
Please be with us as we run the race to your Kingdom.
Some of us may be slower through lack of faith, anxiety, and fatigue.
Give us the encouragement and strength needed to make it to the finish.
Please help us to help others to the end,
giving them encouragement as you have to us.
Amen

 

Jane Edwards

+

Preceding

Race and Grace

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong

++

Additional reading

1. Life is like a ten-speed bike.
2. The high calling of God in Christ Jesus
3. We are redeemed; we are “bought with a price”
4. Followers with deepening
5. Troubles testing your faith and giving you patience and good prospects
6. Matthew 20 Are you willing to work for Jesus?
7. Today’s Thought “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (May 27)
8. Every athlete exercises self control
9. Running the battle
10. A race not to swift, nor a battle to the strong
11. Run for the Everlasting Cure
12. Atonement and the race been bought
13. Being of good courage running the race

+++

Related

1. “Fit In!”
2. Just Keep Going by Bridget A. Thomas
3. A Crown Beyond the Sun
4. Running The Race
5. Running The Race by Tara Randel
6. Running This Race Called Life
7. His Closed Circuit!
8. Life’s race
9. How do you stay strong in the midst of change
10. ending well
11. Leaning On The Father
12. Running the Race of Holiness: DON’T give up
13. Catching up to the Win
14. Old and Heavy
15. The Race
16. It’s Friday…Run With An Eye For Nothing Less
17. Preparing to Fly!
18. First of All!
19. How To Run A Steady Race Right Into Glory
20. One Thing I Know
21. With “Blinders” of Grace!
22. The Surrendered Disciple!
23. The Funneling Effect!
24. With Reverence, Returning…
25. Reawaken the Redeemed!
26. Saved from Self’s Strainings!
27. The Second Hand’s Moment!
28. His “Stone Soup” Creations!
29. Sunday Morning 7/25: Unit 34, Session 4: Running the Race
30. Clear ye the Way!
31. Shaking the Comatose!
32. Eyes on the Goal
33. A Cloud of Witnesses
34. The Fool’s Boundary!
35. Discarding Camouflage!
36. The Piper’s Promised Peace!
37. Keep the Focus
38. Choice Intersections!
39. Faithful to the End
40. Wholeness…in Him!
41. Running the Race
42. Finishing well

a Helpful salutation to God

 

 

 

Good Morning! Thank You, God, that we can great each other with this holy, helpful salutation.
It is morning, a new day, and it is good.
I am beginning it right, I am connecting with You,
and You are communicating to me through a positive mood,
or perhaps through a positive memory that will be recalled in this quiet, relaxing place,
or through a positive word from the Holy Scriptures.

O God, I am connecting with You, the Ultimate Spiritual Master Mind, my Heavenly God.
Thank You, Lord! Hallelujah! Amen.

 

Thomas Merton’s Prayer in Uncertainty

Lots of people may have lost the track of the path and do not know to temper their fear for what might be coming in this coronacrisis.
We only can hope more people shall find some more time to meditate and to pray to the One Who governs everything.

Words on the Word

I’ve loved this prayer of Thomas Merton’s since I visited Abbey of Gethsemani as a teenager:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the…

View original post 24 more words

Christian Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Sometimes people have to be confronted by something terribly bad. At regular intervals, certain people come to struggle terribly and have to learn by a hard lesson, being pulled down by an accident or serious disease.

Several people at a certain moment in their life got struck. Suddenly they become confronted by a longer period that they can not do the things they normally do. During that time of not doing anything, they are given time to think about the past but also the future. Then they can take time to meditate and to really start to reevaluate the value of things.

Before they got sick or bounded to the bed by their sickness or paralysation, they can have the film of their life repeated over and over again for days. At that time they have hours and days to think about all those things that kept them busy. Then they also realize that they had and still have so many dreams that they’ve had over the years and projects that they wanted to do.

From people who previously had serious accidents and diseases, we do know several people came in confrontation with the matter of a godhead, and started examining the Scriptures, coming to one conclusion, that there is Only One True Divine God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is a loving God and not a cruel Being that would have His children being tortured or being burned forever.
It is then for them the time to recognise how so many churches or denomination lied to their flock and used fear to master them.

The devil, being spoken of in the Bible, is any or every adversary who walks on this planet. For sure there are many adversaries of God too, who would love people not to believe in the Divine Creator or have them keeping to the many false teachings, human traditions and heathen festivals.

But it are the real lovers of God who in such difficult times should show how they know for sure Who is behind everything and Who can be the helping hand in times of problems but also be a Guide in times when everything seems alright.

These days when there is a virus making many victims, those real followers of the son of God, should show the world how God has given the world a saviour and mediator, who paid the ransom for all the faults we as human beings have done.

Now is the time that all real lovers of God can show the world Who That real God is and how we as united lovers of God are not afraid of what comes upon this world but are willing to unite in prayer to protect all those around us, believers and unbelievers.

In the article of Janisha Jacobs, affectionately known as “Keela“,, the greatest hope is expressed that during this crisis more people will be drawn closer to Christ, the son of God. We only can hope and pray that more people shall come to see that in this time of fear there will be no other choice but for our faith to increase and to join hands spiritually. That in this time of not knowing what tomorrow holds we will learn to let God worry about tomorrow and focus on getting through today, with the knowledge that there shall come even worse days and even a more severe battle, with the third World War or Armageddon. Therefore we can look at this pandemic as a rehearsal for what still has to come and to make us stronger to be prepared for what is still to come.
Let us, therefore, pray not to false gods, like some many have taken themselves false gods, but learn also others to pray to the God Jesus also prayed too, namely his heavenly Father (and not himself) the One and Only True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

*

To remember

• facing global Pandemic of Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus.
• enough news surrounding panic > All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma & a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19.
• Persons afraid, lost loved ones, +  wondering if they will be next.
• China, Italy, America, UK, etc. > unimaginable crisis.
• biggest question right now =  “when will it end?”
• for the church = also the question of “how do we react?”
• to get us to close down churches > building =/= church
• people = church
• via Zoom = enjoyable + more intimate than “pulpit and pew”
• try + prevent spreading virus => stay home
• response/reaction to world crisis & pandemic = faith, wisdom, compassion, forward thinking, leadership + most importantly prayer.

Keela's Chronicles

As most of you know, we have all been facing the global Pandemic of the Covid-19 virus #CoronaVirus. Initially I had no intentions of blogging about it, figuring that there is enough news surrounding the panic and I didn’t want to be one more person adding fuel on an already blazing fire. But, if you read my latest post you know by now that I decided to change my mind

All across the world right now persons are facing panic, trauma and a lot of uncertainty because of the effects of Covid-19. Persons are afraid, many have lost loved ones, some may not even know if their loved ones are still alive in places like Italy, some persons are sick and many others are wondering if they will be next. And all of these emotions and feelings are completely understandable but so very heartbreaking.

View original post 492 more words

A huge world with giant trees in danger by the fault of man

You will search in vain for a mention of mammoth trees in the Bible, but because they belong to the group of the tallest trees in the world, we must not overlook them. By the way, that would be very difficult; because their tops are almost invisible from the ground!

Mammoth trees can reach a height of 90 meters and the trunk can have a diameter of 7 meters. They are native to California, but are often planted as a street or park tree in Europe.

The egg-shaped cone the huge trees throw on the earth, consist of thirty scales, that offer complete protection to the very tiny seeds until the time of reproduction. Incredible what a great strong tree can grow out such a small seed and can stand there for ages which surpasses many human generations.

Is this not one of the most remarkable wonders of creation?

The Giant Sequoia it’s massive size, resilience, longevity and beauty brings us in awe. It also can bring us to think about the creation. We can be amazed that this magnificent tree starts from a seed smaller than a grain of oat.

Thinking about the organization of the universe, the configuration of our solar system, the construction of our earth, the composition of all matter, all the DNA sequences that make up all things living, not to mention the human brain which is able to contemplate all this – it’s unfathomable.

Today we also might find that even those giants are threatened by the carelessness of human beings with dealing with nature. We cannot longer ignore the global warming and all the pollution our industry and our way of life creates. The input of our lifestyle to fauna and flora is horrible and unacceptable. Man has to change its way of life soon.

Those who love God should also love and respect His creation. They should defend those who have no voice and should take care to protect them from ‘eternal’ destruction. In the last few years we have seen far too many animal species and plant species disappear. We should take on our responsibility.
Those who believe in God must make their voices heard among the unbelievers and encourage world leaders to protect God’s creation.

 

 

The whole world is in our hands
– plants and animals, oceans and ice caps, rain forests, atmosphere and ecosystem. 

*

Jehovah, God, we know we got this earth in loan from you,
touch our hearts, O God, make us worthy of this trust 

Help us care for life on this beautiful earth. 

 

Shabbat shalom

The Most Almighty  Elohim asked us not to repeat endlessly words or prayer actions. He has given several examples of how we can pray and worship Him. For sure, He does not like it that we would pray to more than one person or god. He requires the full attention and honour, Him being the Bore, the Giver of life and Sustainer of everything. He appreciates it more when we are willing to come to Him with our own words and out of free will, loving to accept Him as the Only One True God.

++

Additional reading

1. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
2. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity
3. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God
4. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #13 Prayer #11 Name to be set apart
5. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
6. Eight days of sprinkling lights

Matters of Interpretation

Rabbi Shimon said “When you pray, let not your prayer become routine, but let it be a sincere supplication for God’s mercy, as it says: ‘For He is gracious and merciful, endlessly patient, overflowing in love, and eager to forgive.’ And never condemn yourself as totally wicked.”From “Chapters of the Fathers” in Gates of Prayer, Chaim Stern, ed. (New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1975), 20.

View original post

Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – What do you want from us, Lord

*

++

Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – Wat wilt u van ons, Heer: “Czego chcesz od nas Panie”
Agata Galik – harfa/harp
Henryk Wojnarowski – dyrygent/conductor
Chór Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir
koncert zarejestrowano 1 kwietnia 2016 w sali koncertowej Filharmonii Narodowej
recorded at Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, April 01, 2016
Realizacja Telewizja Polska S.A.

*

What do you want from us, Lord, for your generous gifts?
What are the benefits that you have not measured?
The Church will not embrace you, everywhere you are full,
And in the abyss and in the sea, on earth, in the sky.

I also don’t want gold, because it’s all yours,
Whatever is changing in this world.
Lord with grateful heart, we confess
Because we don’t have a more handsome victim.

You are the Lord of all the world, You have built the sky
And he embroidered beautifully with golden stars;
You founded the unearthed ground
And you covered her nakedness with various herbs.

At your command the sea stands in the shores
And the intended borders jump over afraid;
Rivers of uncounted waters have great generosity.
White day and dark night know their times.

You will see many flowers Spring gives birth,
You are in a wreath of flowers Summer is here.
Autumn wine and various apples,
Then lazy Winter gets up.

By your grace, the night dew on bland herbs will fall,
And the die-hard grain rain comes alive;
At your hands every animal looks at its food,
And you feed everyone on your generosity.

Be praised forever, immortal Lord!
Your grace, Your goodness will never cease.
Hide us while you deign in this low land;
Let me be one under Your wings!

[Jan Kochanowski, XXV Song from the Second Books, published in 1562. A masterpiece of Polish poetry.]

Jan Kochanowski, (born 1530, Sycyna, Poland—died August 22, 1584, Lublin), humanist poet who dominated the culture of Renaissance Poland.

Born into the country nobility, Kochanowski studied at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and later, between 1552 and 1559, at the University of Padua in Italy. On his return to Poland in 1559, he served as a secretary at the royal court in Kraków. He married about 1575 and retired to his family estate at Czarnolas, in central Poland.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie: Józef Świder, Jan Kochanowski – Wat wilt u van ons, Heer

There are more unchurched people and more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

There are more unchurched people in our world than ever before.
There are also more non-believing people in our world than ever before.

Dear God
Give us enough opportunities and power
to go out in this world
to preach the Good News of your coming Kingdom

 

Altitude begins with an attitude of gratitude

Altitude begins with an attitude of gratitude.

‘…with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4:6-7

Dear God, I direct my eyes on You and trust You with all my heart.
I wouldn’t be without You.
Without your help I would not have moved much further in this wicked world.
Let me help You to make Yourself known to others
and let me enjoy Your benefits and share them with others in all simplicity.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Hoogte begint met een houding van dankbaarheid.