Church...

I didn't grow up religious and I was not raised in the church but it's become an important part of my life in the past few years and I am thankful that I found a church home. The church that I attend is non-denominational and it's made up of a younger congregation and it welcomes and encourages you to just come as you are with no judgment or formalities. I think that is why I was initially drawn to return to the church after my first visit. The church I attend is called New Life Oakwood and the Pastor is John Hannah.

Every February, the Pastor does a series on Love in the spirit of the month. This Sunday he spoke on Friendship and it resonated with me on a deep level. Here are some of my notes from the sermon.

• Sometimes your friends will say and even do stupid things but they are still your friends. So, we need to stop operating from the spirit of offense and operate from the spirit of love and forgiveness. 
• You need friends that when you cannot get to Jesus, they will take you to Jesus. 
• You need people in your life that will believe God for you. 
• Everyone else cannot be on probation for the hurt that someone else caused. 
• When you're going somewhere, be careful of who you allow around you. As you move forward, use the gift of discernment. 
• Sometimes you have to slay your own personal Goliath before people will begin to notice you. 
• A real friend is someone who loves you like they love themselves. 
• If we are connected in spirit, when you get blessed, I get blessed and when I get blessed, you get blessed. 
• With real friends, you should be able to drop your guards because there should be no judgment or worry that the person will share your business, pass judgment or use the information against you. Therefore, we should be able to be transparent with one another. 
• Friendship is a spiritual connection and not a natural connection. 
• Friends hold each other up in the best light. They should not speak badly about each other and if someone else has something negative to say, they should defend your honor. A friend can kill a rumor and stop a lie.
• You need someone who will have your back at all times. Someone who will fight for you and not give up on you. Someone who will go into the spirit and pray for you and your situation. 
• A friend can and should check you when you're acting out of character and when you have strayed from  your path. 
• A real friend will be there for you even when you don't have anything. 
• A friend will celebrate you for who you shall become. 

This is the one that hit home for me at the end of the sermon. 

• Sometimes you need a separation from friends but that is just for a season, a period of time. You might have been hurt by them and disappointed and rightfully so, you needed a break from them and a separation. But, true friendship is a covenant in the spirit and that is for eternity. Sometimes you have to call that friend back into your life and extend an olive branch to them to get things back on the right track and now is the time to do that without delay.

Pastor Hannah is a good shepherd and he has never led me down the wrong path.