Dear Fellow Children of
God,
On Tuesday of this week
I received a text from Pastor Bob Besalski.
He was my pastor when my family moved to Florida in 1965. But, since I’ve become a pastor, Bob is not
only my pastor, but my friend. In fact,
Bob and, his wife, Elaine, have been for Kathy and me both mentors and a safe
place to deal with and discuss the issues of ministry and of retirement. They are good friends. Over the years we have had the opportunity of
eating together, attending concerts, and even walking together major family
events. What a blessing to have a friend
who will listen, encourage, counsel, and pray for you!
In November and December
Kathy and I enjoyed a long-planned trip to Europe, where we spent time visiting
Christmas markets and Luther sites, and where we attended many concerts. But, on this trip we also experienced the
privilege of traveling with friends.
Dave and Marilee Nufer, and their daughter Kaycee, traveled with us,
along with Jim and Kathy Summers. In
fact our daughter, Mary, also one of one of my wife’s best friends, came with
us. And, new friend, Diane Michal, joined
us on the trip. Together we saw the
sights, enjoyed the food, and listened to the music. We read Scripture and prayed together over
where we traveled and what we had seen.
What a blessing to have friends who listen, encourage, counsel, and pray
for you!
When we left Palmer in
January, we first traveled to California.
Pastor Tony Schultz and Pastor Kalvin Waetzig preached and led my
retirement event in August of 2019. Tony
and I started college together in August of 1971. Kalvin and Tony and I have worked together on
Kaleidoscope youth camps, and other ministry activities since 1992. In California, together with our wives, we
celebrated Kalvin’s “30-30”, his 60th birthday. The three of us even shared God’s word
together with the people of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Tracey, CA, during
sermon time in worship on January 12.
While in California we golfed together, considered ministry issues,
shopped, and visited San Francisco. We
also sat around and reminisced, and we shared where our lives are now, and our
hopes for the future. We intentionally asked
prayers for personal issues we are facing as we walk through life as children
of God. What a blessing to have friends,
Christian friends!
Since Kathy and I have
been in Florida we have been visited by Pastor Tony, and his wife Ronelle. When they left California they traveled to
Florida for about a week to spend some more time with us. Together we toured, and fished, and
visited. While they were visiting, Tony also
ended up in the hospital with gall bladder issues, and Kathy and I tried to
help them navigate that challenge. About
two weeks later, good Palmer friends, Herman and Linda Griese, visited us while
touring the south. We spent a few days
together, watched the Super Bowl, fished, and ate together. We shared prayer requests and discussed
devotional practices. What a blessing to
have friends who share, encourage, counsel, and pray for you!
As I write this devotion, Kathy and I are in Clearwater, FL, with
Pastor Rick and Kristi Armstrong. Rick
and Kristi started school with Tony and me in 1971 at Concordia Lutheran
College in Austin, TX. In fact, Kristi
and Kathy attended nursing school together in St. Louis, MO, and Rick and
Kristi introduced Kathy and me, and participated in our wedding. Together we have continued our friendship
over the years. Now Rick and I, Kristi
and Kathy, are sharing retirement and ministry stories, nursing and family
stories. What a blessing to have friends
who listen, share, encourage, counsel, and pray for you!
Life is difficult. God’s
plan for life’s struggles are that we have family and friends to stand beside
us to help us. Thankfully, Kathy and I
are truly blessed with our families.
But, we are also richly blessed with many good Christian friends, even
more who are not mentioned above. Do you
know what God teaches us in Proverbs? Solomon
shares this wisdom from God, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) Good friends are a gift from God!
However, there is someone that we often forget is our very best friend. Listen to the words of Jesus in John 15. “13 Greater love has no one than
this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you
do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not
know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything
that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13-15) If friends who listen to us, who share and
encourage and counsel are blessings, consider the blessing which Jesus is to
those who believe in Him and follow Him!
The Son of God, God Himself, cares for us, and is interested in our
lives. In fact, Jesus is so interested
He DID lay down His life for us! Maybe
another friend would endure that sacrifice, but perhaps not. Jesus did die for us, and thankfully, He rose
again. And, Jesus is not only with us in
this life, He gives eternal life in heaven to all who follow Him by faith. Jesus is our best friend!
Who are your
friends? What blessings have you
received because of their friendship?
What blessings have they received through you? Are they Christian? Together, do you know your greatest friend?
A Child of God, Thankful
for the Amazing Blessing of Friends,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some recent pictures we took
with friends. https://photos.app.goo.gl/pkXAyTsQnQgVrZMq6
P.P.S. Here are some fishing
pictures from this past week. Surprise!
· With brother, Stephen, and nephew, Nathan, on February 1.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JG5AFBYLP2qCbc4h8
· With Herman and Jonathan on the Suwannee River, February 3. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TyPz4Rcm5TjbRf8G8
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I
am now retired as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK. This
devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
However, with life's changes I will now call it "Journeys Through Life as
a Child of God." I am only sending this message to those who have
asked o receive it. If you know someone else who desires to receive this
message, have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. You can also
view this message on my Facebook page.
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