Some people say you can never have too many friends; there are others that say that there is a limit to how many friends you can have. We believe that you can definitely have any number of friends. We predicate our statement on the aspect of learning how to be a great friend. We have heard stories of some people who are “very needy.” They are high maintenance and require constant attention to keep the relationship in good standing. We like to think of ourselves as very low maintenance. We can spend years apart from friends, yet in a moment, pick up where we left off. A good friendship is all about respecting one another. Hopefully the relationship we have with our heavenly Father keeps us grounded and not always in the position of needing ministry and constant encouragement from our friends. Understand, when we go through trials – friends are happy and ready to stand in the gap when we are unable to be strong on our own. Hopefully it is sporadic and not constant. We pray that Yahweh will help us all come to that place of maturity and completeness in Him – strong in His Spirit and always ready to be a source of strength to those around us.

We have no conditions in place in order to be our friends. We do, however, stay vigilant to always step back from friendships that would cause us to violate our own personal convictions. We have had to say no to some invitations. We are strong enough in who Yahweh is in us to be bold and confident. We believe we can be fun and adventurous without compromising the values we hold dear. We do not have to agree on everything to walk together – a great lesson we have learned.

As we have traveled around the country over the past 27 years, we have been given some of the best friends that one could ever ask for. Our friends come from all different backgrounds. Some are conservative, others are more liberal, some are funny, some are serious, but the one thing they all have in common is our love. As we think about how Yahweh takes our lives and shapes us into what He wants us to become, He often uses His Holy Spirit and people to accomplish this task. Thank you to all our friends – each one of you has marked our lives and we are better for it. We ask the Father for a special blessing upon each of you – you are a treasure to us and to Him.