Spiritual Friendship

If you are interested in hearing a different way of understanding Israel's wandering in the desert, click here and listen to "Longing for Egypt" . . .

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I am really interested in discussions about spiritual friendship. I appreciate the way in which Jesus says, in the Gospel of John, "No longer am I your superior, boss, or power-holder. For now on, I want you to call me friend."

I've spent a few hours in my life pondering what it means to be deeply spiritual friends with Jesus and those whom Jesus befriended in his ministry.

I am convinced that one of the greatest measuring devices for one's spiritual health is to honestly analyze the friendships that fill our lives. Are our friendships based on economic gain (that is, what can this person offer me)? Are our friendships based merely on security (that is, what person is just like me that I can safely walk with)?

For that reason, I was blown away the first time I read Same Kind of Different as Me. Specifically, this book is about the relationship between a sharecropper turned homeless man and a wealthy Dallas Metro-plex art dealer. Early on in their friendship, Denver says to Ron . . . “If you is fishin for a friend you just gon’ catch and release, then I ain’t got no desire to be your friend…But, if you is lookin for a real friend, then I’ll be one. Forever."