Poco a Poco: Old Friends, New Friends

There's something about having a history with someone. Shared experiences create invisible, irrevocable ties, even though they may be unrecognized in the weaving. I think this is what allows friends to jump headfirst back into life, even though they live great distances apart.

Sarah and Donnie are our old friends. The four of us attended the same high school youth group and even went on trips to Mexico together. They began dating just before Ty and I. It was pleasure to attend their wedding in October - the first we attended as newlyweds. :)

Sarah taught in Korea after college graduation, and Donnie moved to Houston to pursue his rocket-science dreams. We haven't seen much of them in the last four years.

But you'd have never known that if you'd have hung around us in April. We had the great pleasure to stay with them in Houston while on our recent road trip, and it was a splendid time. They are our old friends because of our shared history, but they are our new friends, too, because we had a blast as newlyweds catching up on current life.

At Growth Group last Tuesday, we read through Philippians 1:1-11 and spent a great deal of time discussing true community like what Paul describes. His heart is deeply connected to the believers in Philipi. Not only do we have ties of friendship with our fellow believers, but we have a bond in the Spirit that is most tightly knit.

³I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in youwill bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.⁸For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.⁹And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comesthrough Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:3-11)

Sarah and Donnie treated us like distinguished guests from the Far East. We felt right at home and easily fell into life with them. They spoiled us silly. They were Grace to us. Dear friends are hard to find. Thankfully these dear ones are on the map. If only we didn't have to cross Louisiana swamp land to see them...

Old friends...