Friends to the end

Friends are great things. Their the people that allow you to be yourself, they have the ability to make you laugh like no one else can and they are the people who you can offload your problems onto. I have some great friends made both through the church and outside the church. Taking the friends who don't go to church to church is always a difficult one. Mainly for me becuase i dont want them to feel like i'm imposing my values on them. Often i'll be chatting to someone and we'll talk about church and they'll be interested but i always feel there is a barrier in our conversation perhaps becuase people feel negative about the term church. A lot of my friends went to Sunday school and then stopped going to church when they became too old to attend.... why is it that there wasn't things in place that would hold people's attention. Obviously as people approach teenage life they begin to question the world around them and question whether this christianity thing they've been told about in Sunday school is really true. Exploring is a wonderful thing when your young.... i remember the first time i was allowed into town by myself, wow! The responsability made me feel so old. I also remember the first time i really i was asked whether i was a christian.

I was 12 and at Scripture Union camp... This leader approached me and a friend and asked if we wanted to accpept God into our lives. I hadn't really thought about it but felt it was a really big decision. I then remember the leader asking us if we wanted him to pray for us.. My friend said 'no' and I without wanting or knowing what was right said 'yes'. After he prayed he told me i was now a christian and i remember feeling awful.... that some massive responsability was now being placed on me... to be something i wasn't ready to be. That night we had an evening meeting and afterwards i approached the leaders to talk about how i felt. As soon as they took me into the office i burst into tears and explained that i didn't want to be a chrisitan.... i wasn't ready. They explained that it was okay and that i didn't have to be a christian if i didn't want to. They also explained to me that being a chrisitian wouldn't change me much...Anyway i left the meeting deciding i wasn't a chrisitian becuase it was a bit scary. I felt so pressured by that Scripture Union leader and i've never forgotten it. I suppose it's affected the way i apporach people when we're talking about God.

I've gone totally off track there, this wasn't what i intended to write when i started out... but i love that about writing freely (There's always the chance you'll offend but then again sometimes your words will inspire). My two closest friends G and T (they asked to be referred to as this because of my approach to people in earlier Blogs). No, i'm not referring to Gin and Tonic as in my alcohol addiction (don't worry mum and dad) but my friends G and T (all sounds a bit mad really, am i going mad.... voice in head says nobody reads this). Right, my two friends came down at the weekend and we had a great time laughing, partying, socialising and partying and laughing. First thing they did when they arrived as take me out for Tea... No questions asked, they did it without thinking... and reassured when i offered to pay that i need not worry about money when with them. They've always been like that to me. I know a lot of generous people but these two have since i first met them been the most servant like people. They support when i'm weak they care about my family and my other friends. And their outward actions towards others are amazing. They're nice people to be around.

Their not Chrisitans but support me completely in my faith (another great thing about them). They came to church with me on Sunday and in the past they've come to church back home. On Sunday we were asked during the service to write encouraging cards for one another, it was a great idea. I instantly knew who too write my encouragement cards too, G and T. Afterall they were sat right beside me. Perhaps at this point i was in a position to encourage them to take a step of faith (some people might have) but inside i felt only a need to encourage the people they were. For me they're actions are like that of Jesus and i feel no pressure that they should become chrisitians. I feel confident from what isee in them that the God i know works through them. I know what i'm writing is slightly contraversial but recently i've been thinking about the term chrisitian and whether it matches up to say christlike (follower of Jesus!)..... I know lot's of followers of Jesus who call themselves christians and i know lots of people similar to jesus who don't call themselves christian! These thoughts are only those of a young man on a journey to find God and Jesus in the world. I love what i read about Jesus and i follow him becuase he offers me direction in such a messy world, direction to help those who are suffering. Someone said to me the other day that if Jesus came back we'd kill him..... just like we did before becuase he'd be so contraversial and so unlike what we have made him. He's the coolest guy that ever walked the earth, where did we manage to lose sight of that......we need to let our young people see him for what he is!