Perhaps my experience is different than yours, but nearly every time I have a life changing experience, it is not because of a great event, but the conversations that flow out of it. Youth retreats were great, the speakers were dynamic, but it was the friends that made it special. College was fun, classes were sometimes too, but it was the friends, and the subsequent conversations that affected who I was, and my perspectives on God.
I may be reading too much into my own experiences, but these conversations make a powerful statement in my own life. Change is not something that comes quickly; it takes time. It also takes that personal connection to really effect change in a person. These are personal, one on one conversations that speak to the soul, not to the mind. These build friendships.
These friendships build trust, and this trust leads to change. Only when trust is built do we have the right to speak into another persons life, and only friendships lead to true trust. Friendships take time, work, and conversations! So it is a progression that leads to change, and so we must be diligent in our pursuit of friendships. This is where ministry is done. It is in a sermon, and it is in a Sunday morning service, but it shines through extraordinarily in discipleship and friendship.
What are your thoughts?
2 comments:
Friendships and personal interactions is where the authentic'you' emerges. It is too easy to hide behind a sermon or a public image and pretend [knowingly or unknowingly] to be someone you are not. Real friendships leave no room for the phony. You are exposed --for the good or the bad--for the person you really are! True friendships can thus be intimidating for those who live superficially or inauthentically. They may shy away from such friendships because they do not want to let others in on their real self.
Absolutely!! That's the reason why, even if you're not allowed to preach or teach publically in Fiji your impact on those around you can be profound... and vice versa!!
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