The Gift of Friendship; click here to listen

Jesus was using life feels more like a losing battle and something worth dying for, and now welcome to the masculine journey radiation ledger here for this.

I guess guys Christmas addition of the masculine journey radio show Robby it's Christmas Eve something like that, but I use narrow forever, but will get there yet. It went late Saturdays Saturdays and Eve is going. It's after Christmas.

Yes Wednesday is coming Wednesday is not at all confusing it all now. I got that straightened out. Will head right to what were going to talk about today. We got Sammy on hand today Al Henley and Robby Gilmore.

You've already heard from Dennis Bredon were absent Vinnie again today and we miss you anywhere or wherever you are today, were you're always here in spirit and will carry on without you as best we can't.

So were talking about gifts this month. Sam were talking about. We talked about the gift of identity. We talked about the gift of healing and restoration and in week three now are going talk about another gift, the gift of friendship and on. Why is that important and why does God deal that is being important or is even biblical that might be part of the question is friendship biblical and so can look at some of those things might be. Last week we didn't get to a clip that we realized in our meeting that we might be able to use that this week for friends and friendships we were going to use it for healing and restoration.

Surrender. Write to Mr. Voss, is played by Kevin always get the name on Kevin James was the King of Queens and he's in this movie that's called. I've got it right in front of you guys here comes the boom and will hear about his talking about the restoration of cells can someone tell me what I will try again itself to hear that good people sell that is not in motion is not a productive member of the system will pick up the slack somewhere back the imitator straight cell. Basically the whole organism begins in biology is an amazing thing.

Here's the good news. All Kay's can be restored like Calcutta feels like Brian is back on track.

Energy is getting little everybody is as well a little bit okay is the beginning of the process. The entire system is what assistance you he goes after Martinez on purpose and Martinez's class is always on the Dragon which is Dragon but if one person doesn't play their part in the symphony.

If there's diminishment. We don't get all that were supposed to have everybody is involved and that's the cool thing about community is everybody plays the role of time restoration friendship, together on the man's mankind gets out on his own. He just doesn't need anybody in that field for some of the talk about why you looking at me doing this because I don't know that's what said such a lie because God says in Genesis is not good for man to be alone.

He makes Eve but he also creates friendships, God was originally in community when you go back like John 11 and when you look at all those Christmas movies that are titled home for Christmas and all this feeling of coming home and what we all long for them but we don't often feel it because we have all these agreements and wounds that are in our past that make us feel like we can really get home homes in heaven, but includes all these people that are eventually going to be working together is this organism it's really phenomenal it's gonna be awesome to back up to what you said just a minute that when you talk about and ships and Adam and Eve because we have another clip that you brought along today.

Sam from one of my favorite movies of all time before Scott seen it, so Jenny and Jenae, and Forrest is on the buses are young and this is one of friendship really starts to just let it listen to this interaction between Christmas I got now. When I went on my first sweet thing so beautiful in my life. She was just And had a conversation all the latest no one ever talked to me and asked me questions and and is always together, getting me was like and care help me learn how to not show her how to sway.

She was proposing. There is now pretty much straight up in conversation and deep intimacy that results from that was no closing going on.

There was no barriers and think sometimes kids that so much clearer than we do as adults is there. They're pretty good at this saying what they think and speaking the truth us. Not much sometimes. That's right.

Now you ever had a friendship like that man have to say the best friendship I ever had is my wife. I went through so many relationships where either they were psycho or I drove them psycho but my wife, because I'm afraid we'll have to answer your butt anytime were always there is always a conversation between and there's something to that because I never had in the course.

I did pray for that relationship but you know there's another thing I did before the boot camp.

My first boot camp.

I prayed for friends or guys because it there was just I felt isolated and everybody. Everybody I knew was at work and they were posers or it we all can oppose through work but you know a look at how we all came together, and it's kind of a blessing is rough in different areas and yet we all came together as one ministry, one message we had our struggles.

I mean, yeah, I know that Robby and I we went through.

Where our friendship was very tenuous. It was very tense and yet it just took both of us. Sincerely, say out what this tension between us and we know in a sample of the gift that's described her that we now have each other to help keep each other up through the tough times but also when were having a good time. It's so much more fun when I was with us, you know, because otherwise we don't hear about how Sam got to go back and listen to the podcast week to catch that one folks on Sammy to come in earlier. Everyone was made for community and I just want to follow up on that as well because one of the things I told you on the phone fairly recently were talking about it I said you guys have really become my community this year.

You guys are really along with my my daughter who have a very close relationship with you guys are really my brothers and in my band of brothers and the guys are a lot that's been very hard for me because I'm I'm not that man that comes out and gets into relationships and not you know, I spent a lot of time in my life as it is a loner and even earlier this year. We talk about accepting the gift and you talked about that as well. It's something that gift it times the enemies got in the way and I thought that nerve and we express it when I can't make it this way because this is going that's going around feeling a little depressed and not in it. Finally got got into my head. Not too long ago and and God put it there. You know I'm at my best, and I feel the best when I'm around my brothers, if it isn't then we told you this, if you don't come next week were coming to get threatening. Yeah, yeah, that's what friends do they threaten things that you look back at Jesus's life. He walked with 12 guys. About three years and in Jesus day the friends I don't know maybe he did. Maybe Denny had his father the Holy Spirit, but he knew that those men needed each other to get through what was coming. They would need to rely on each other at times when there was no one else there for them right and even when he goes shows before he leaves.

He talks about.

I don't recall you serving I call you friend in wanting to make that announcement that you are so deep and intimate with the I consider you to be my friend say something there.

I would like you say something I was that I heard the music, like I know what was it that we always free to speak up after you joined us for the masculine journey radio show, talking about the gift of friends and friendships today and we can be friends and have friendships on the air and talk back and forth with each other doing that log on to the masculine journey radio.org to listen to any of our past podcast tablet your iPad gradually just became a radio that's right you take the Truth Network with you everywhere. Now they start branding work out. That's right. Listen to Dr. Michael Brown line of fire. The Christian truth, thought life. All of our programming 24 seven) fracture out of range of your radio or traveling in a busy airport. You can plug into the truth that would just go to TruthNetwork.com download for you Truth Network.com Robin Roberts as a news anchor. I asked tough questions, athletes, business leaders, even the president. So here's a question for you. If you have the power to save a life with you. I have a chance to survive because my big sister answered yes to being my marrow donor. You can go to be the match.org sure to someone with the disease like leukemia, so what will your answer go to be the match.org you now Hanley ladies and gentlemen, singing a song, for she got a friend in me. Actually we know better, don't we now yes we do friend was talking about something before the break, and you said you wanted to come back with. That's a good head you know throughout a man's life is a boy. We we play sports we develop friendships and that we get camaraderie it in.

They become very tight bonds as you go through high school.

The difficulties of going through high school.

You develop those bonds in the military for me. Also develop close bonds.

But then when you become a man is the greatest battle of all. That's when you need to robbery the most. That's where that's what this band of brothers mean so much to me because when I am doing something this boneheaded. You guys a call me on and I can do the same thing for you we can make fun of each other but yet somebody makes fun of us we can laugh about it. I like that. The fact that there is no insecurity involved in absolutely only got a couple of clips that are Christmas oriented. This particular show and Robby found one of those once you set that up for driving you. I love the whole concept of home for Christmas because I think that ultimately community is a picture of heaven and I'm so excited about when I get there and I had that when I get that idea. Christmas feel that that's a picture of what is likely to this poor lady in the movie home for the holidays. She was divorced, homeless and her daughter lets her know she's coming home, so she puts on the wildest scheme ever, and then listen to how vulnerable and how risky she steps out there to invite somebody with the truth and I was so determined to make a good life for my daughter myself attracting the kids were smoking and shot hospital bill locked me out of my apartment. I lost my job and I was making it work and my daughter told me she was coming for Christmas so I just attend my life.

It's working jewelry and I got Christmas present something with Christmas dinner. I completely understand the is what what all she is willing to try to do create that home for Christmas feel but also the vulnerability of going to this man in North authenticity. Sherry think of what she's risking. You can obviously ever locked up different reasons and and certainly never talk again but by being authentic. There is this level of intimacy that now he's in the story and through that he can help her be home for Christmas. I probably consider going to dinner shouldn't talk like a question I was going to ask Rob is what you think she's really trying to say there. He's holding back so much, but what you have only fear the intimacy, willingness to be vulnerable, she just can't put it all out there and being a friend is one of the riskiest things I know of to do or lover, which several when we risk being authentic allow some and it's tremendously risky and that's where a lot of us find our deepest wounds with the people that were closest to the people that we love girlfriends and so that's a picture of heaven to me to be able to get past that and find ourselves in that truly vulnerable place, but in that deeply intimate place with both the father obviously. Do you want to live in the place of no risk and no reward and I don't deliver the benefits without the risk right and so as to make a choice to live in this little cocoon and be isolated and not have true life or step out in risk as you can get hurt and you will get hurt from time to time his friend friendships is not always clarity sometimes of misunderstandings. Sometimes her skirt.

That's part of that relationship.

But the reward that you get from walking so tremendous that it's so much worth the risk.

One click that you've got that we don't want to live without for me anyway. It's a wonderful life you got excited about this and I am because talk about a man who risked everything and everybody not everybody seen the movie but those who seen the movie know he risk everything for all these different people and Mr. Potter was telling this is play out too good for, but this clip shows what happens when you risk everything, sometimes you get every get this from London will cast out my office instructed to advance you up to $25,000 and Merry Christmas Sam Wainwright, the richest man in town and in listening to that is a lot of friendships in my life I've had some drinking buddies guys that I thought were friends. It turned out to be drinking buddies. I've had some Fairweather friends books were along for the ride.

When things were going well and but when things got bad. All the sudden they disappeared or I disappeared on here when I listen to this clip is authentic friendships.

This guys at the end of his rope. George is almost try to commit suicide the family business fell apart. You hear all this deity, for lack of a better word. All this party and this going on. Will this friendship that's going on and not and then they start singing auld lang syne. All these friends together all coming to his rescue and helping him out and saying these are the things you've done for me and I want to help you out. I just get this beautiful picture what friendship supposed to be all about on with Yeutter percent and while you guys don't bring the money like they they did George put guys bring me something that's almost as good. And that's friendship and that's love and that's loud most of that is picture to me of you know a man who is sowing no last week we talked about the Grim Reaper and the ghost of Christmas future.

But this man had been sewing, love, joy, peace, patient, and sincerely money into these people and peace during the depression and all the things that he did. He he did not realize what he was going to harvest in that movie you knowingly when Clarence takes him that he really gets to see what the gift of friendship without it with these people's lives would've been like yet we see it as he made an impact really had he not stepped into friendship then vulnerable made sacrifices. The whole town would've been different and we don't often see ourselves as that much of an impact, but in all our lives. There's ripple effects from everything we do and we have huge impacts those people around us. As a last question that we really didn't talk about someone out there listening that goes it, you know, I'm just not. I've never been very good at this. I've never been very good at making friends.

What's the starting point here trust say I was a bit being vulnerable to being okay with this may hurt but if no one steps out it's never going to get there taken the first is taken for step the others are proverb that says a friendly man you know is the one that's exactly the quote but the bottom line is if you are friendly you will get friends, and it has to do everything in my view, with grace that when you're around somebody if you treat them like they are your absolute favorite.

That's how Jesus would treat us and in doing so, there can want to feel like they treat you back like you're the favorite and in your favorite you're gonna be honest with them authentic with and you're going to desire that intimacy and that intimacy is where the where we get that feeling of heaven. That's where we were created for fellowship.

It's part of our DNA and the important thing is you gotta realize I was made for fellowship.

I've got to seek fellowship and for me.

I prayed about it and then I had that with the walls down.

You know, we get the society where it's all about how people view you and you worry about that you think about that Catholic, the walls come down or you don't care okay with the think about me I care about who I am guy thinks I if that's acceptable, great. We can we can go somewhere with that. If it's not acceptable within not the right person to develop a long-term friendship. Robby and I go back years and years, 25+ years. I before your Christian forms acting like a car so Sam and I met in church. Alan I met in the bathroom. The boot camp and started talking more on that later, but is not what it seems. It seems there's certainly places like we wish the same for you as well. Wish you friendships and many gifts this Christmas season.

For all of us here to masculine journey radio show a very Merry Christmas to you and your family. We love you join us again next week at this time will be back until then listener podcast masculine journey radio.org