Tag Archives: friends

Bittersweet

 

Bittersweet

Thank You, Elicia Kirby – From Her Porch

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” from Ecclesiastes 3 KJV

Do you ever miss the ‘good old days’? Perhaps miss friends and family who have gone on before?

Today, I’m trying to gather my things for a few days away. No vacation – funeral of a dear friend. By now, I should be showered and packed. Instead, I’m sittin’ and sobbin’!

I miss my mommy, and daddy, and grandpa, and cousin Penny, and brother and … The list goes on and on and on. My heart is lonely today.

Last Saturday, June 27, the family gathered here to honor the 100th anniversary of my precious Russell’s birth. It was bittersweet as we shared memories, hugs, and tears.

When we moved to Buffalo in 2000, our realtor, Aaron Taylor, invited us to church where he and his young family were members. Loren Dryer was his pastor. We watched Aaron surrender to the ministry and become pastor of a local congregation. This week, Aaron preached at Brother Loren’s funeral. (Loren drew his last breath on Russell’s 100th bday! Heaven will never be the same!)

In 1978, recently widowed, my mother and I visited Harmony Heights Baptist in Joplin, where I met and married the widowed pastor (January 1979). I soon met Jim and Dorothy Davis, a couple Russell had encouraged in ministry through the years. Now, they were my encouragers, patiently guiding me in my new world.

I’m loading my car today and heading to Clinton for Jim Davis’ funeral. Bittersweet, as I will spend time reminiscing with his children and their families.

Allow my tearful heart to challenge each of us. As we reflect on the past, let’s not forget the future that awaits. I have dear ones who do not know the love of Jesus. Do you? Let’s focus on the other side of our last breath and do all we can to “bring in the sheaves”.

Dear friend reading this chatter, you will never know how precious you are to me. Thank you for loving me just as I am. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement.

Please let me know how I can pray for you!

Hugs and Praises,

Susie

Finding True Peace

Finding True Peace

Fellowship Meal at Promise Point Baptist Revival

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

From my journal, December 18, 2024 – “Regina came yesterday; leaves today … We talked non-stop for hours. My heart breaks for those who do not have close friends to do life with!”

My friend lives several hours from me, yet she finds (MAKES) time to come my way. We laugh, we cry, we pray, we share things only God will ever hear. Do you have a treasured friend like that? Are you one? God calls us “family” for a reason.

The attached photo was taken at a recent church dinner. The t-shirt says it all. Without a life of prayer, we can easily slip into the world’s mode: climb the proverbial ladder, work harder to get more stuff. Yet, it is ALL temporary.

“… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b

I love the photo of sweet Judy and the tiny baby. Do you know the Jesus we celebrate holds us like that? His love is so great. He desires that we come to Him as a little child.

Like many of you, I’ve had more than one challenge the past few weeks. Because of God’s family faithfully praying, I have felt His comfort and peace in the midst of my storms. Do you have that peace in your storm? Let me hear from you.

Are you struggling with health issues? Are your finances strapped to the limit? Do you have relationships that need healing? Are there things in your life that need fixing? There is one answer: Jesus! Click here for God’s words on peace.

As you celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, I want to personally challenge you to search your own heart. Have you made room for Jesus? Is He so real to you that you know (really know) He walks with you each day?

Dear friend, I do not have it all together! In the midst of reading hundreds of happy birthday posts and cards, I have felt lonely. Yet, God has been faithful. I read His word, recall His promises, and I find peace. As I close, I pray for that kind of peace for you. I want you to feel God’s spirit when you need an extra hug.

Hugs, love and PRAYERS!

Susie

Let me hear how God is at work in your life.

 

Thanks for Being My Friend

the value of a true friend

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he hath not another to help him up.”  Bible: Ecclesiastes

What makes a friend?

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you desire a friend, be one. It’s amazing what a smile will do. Do you realize we have contact with people who have no friends, no true friends who love them as they are? To be a good friend, be friendly.

Who is your best friend?

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.”  Elbert Hubbard

My husband was my best friend — a tried and true friend. Loving and trying to understand me when others would toss me out! We did not think alike on many issues, but respected each other’s differences. We challenged each other to be better, to do better, and to grow.

And this has value now: we encouraged each other to build relationships outside our home. I am so thankful for friends who pray for me as I learn to navigate life alone.

Do you have friends from childhood?

If so, treasure that friendship. The first year after graduation, I was in eighteen states. My father called me a gypsy. I lost contact with the most precious people in my life-girls and boys I had known from 1st grade to graduation. I recently found a few of them. We may be a few years older, but the memories we share are priceless!

Do you make friends at work or in town?

Some strong relationships are built as you work side-by-side with others. You laugh and cry and share personal stories, and you learn to trust one another. I challenge you to find someone at work or in the shops you frequent who is less likely to have a string of friends. Smile at them, remember names, and compliment a job well done.  I am amazed how this has opened doors in my community to be an encouragement to someone.

Find a friend in your neighborhood –

Yes, neighborhoods are different from what they used to be; work and more activities pull them away from home. A single fellow lives up the road from me. He is not overly friendly as he drives by. However, for years I have prayed for him and waved and smiled every time I see him pull in or out of his driveway. Who do you think he will contact if he ever needs a friend?

“And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends.”  Matthew 5:45 ERV

You are my friend.

I seriously value your friendship and your trust. I hope that as you read Encouragement from the Heart, you will pray for me. I like to hear from you, how you are doing, and what topics are helpful to you. Thank you for being my friend!

For more fascinating quotes and poems, click here.

The Bible has some interesting advice on being a friend. Spend some time pondering these verses.

Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else.  Romans 12:16
People want a friend they can trust. It is better to be poor than to be a liar. Proverbs 19:22
You cannot trust someone who would talk about things told in private. So don’t be friends with someone who talks too much. Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go,  Proverbs 20:19
Hugs,
Susie
And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. Matthew 5:47
Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud, but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else. Romans 12:16

A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way to have a friend is to be one.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Walter Winchell

“Two may talk together under the same roof for many years, yet never really meet, and two others at first speech are old friends.”  Mary Catherwood

A friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be anywhere else. Len Wein

Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus