Saturday, March 5, 2011

Revolutionary Friends.

I just want to say real quick, I have revolutionary friends.


I’ve known this for a couple years now. There was one day I was sitting back and reflecting on the beautiful gift of friendship the Lord has graced me with and it hit me. Not only are my friends wonderful people, they’re going to change things. They’re going to change this world for the better. In many ways they already have.


I looked up the definition of revolution. It reads: ‘a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.’ I love that. A dramatic and wide-reaching change. The internet has revolutionized the way people gather information, Facebook has revolutionized the way we communicate and Apple has revolutionized - in their own words - everything. Everything technology anyway.


But I think these people I keep mentioning are going to revolutionize the world in a different way. They’re going to change it in the name of Jesus. They’re going to change it through love. I used to like the mental image of the Lord bringing people at UGA together in Athens for a short period of time to learn from each other and love each other, then literally scattering across the nations to proclaim His name. It’s beginning to happen. They’re spread across Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, California, Washington, The Gambia, Switzerland, Bolivia. Then there are the friends I know from other walks of life in Fayetteville, Chicago, Virginia, Florida, Indiana, Honduras, Peru, Germany, some soon to be traveling to Columbia and Zambia. They’re taking mission trips to Watoto and Scotland and Israel this summer.


Forgive me if there are places/people I forgot to mention here. And I couldn’t count on my fingers and toes the number of people I still know in this city that are changing it as they die to themselves and live for the King of the Universe, including four beautiful women I share a home with.


Maybe I’m bragging - but I’m bragging on them. Their friendship is a gift to me, not something I’ve earned. And they’re going to shine light in the dark places on this earth in Jesus’ name. I think so highly of them. I’m so thankful for them. And I’m beyond pumped to watch their lives unfold.


Love changes things. Grace makes life beautiful. They’ll be bringing both from the original source to the ends of the earth.

2 comments:

Joye Swanson said...

Lovely!

Bryan said...

i complain about the body of Christ far too often. you are absolutely right. we are broken, but there is so much beauty as well.

gratitude is better! thanks for writing!