On Monday of this week Connie and I drove north to meet friends for lunch at a restaurant at exit 221. Connie and I have known Ty and Patti Blackburn since our first days as a married couple in our first year of seminary at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. We had a wonderful and long lunch with them. Ty serves as the Senior Pastor of Providence Church in Duluth, GA.
We left our time with them upbeat and energized. That’s what time with dear friends will do for you. It was a time to share life and life’s burdens. I am so grateful to for the time and for their friendship.
That’s the blessing of fellowship. It is life sustaining. The Apostle Paul writes in his closing words in Romans (that we will consider this Sunday, Lord willing) …by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company (Romans 15:32). Being refreshed in one another’s company is a great blessing of the body, the Church. Paul longed for that joy.
As you are aware, in praying that HLPC will be a healthy church I use the acrostic “CREW” drawn from Acts 2:42-47. This stands for caring, reaching, equipping, and worshipping. Those are four marks of church health that serve as prayer targets and goals for us. Part of being a caring church is sharing life together. Part of being a caring church is being refreshed in each other’s company. Part of being a caring church is seeking out ways to build life sustaining relationships.
In today’s busy culture this takes effort and intentionality. I hope you can take advantage of those opportunities in the year ahead. May God make of HLPC a place to be refreshed- a place to be encouraged and to share life’s joys and burdens.