What Are Friends For?
by Tom Goodman
February 26, 2014
When George Bernard Shaw's invited Winston Churchill to the opening of his new play, he telegrammed: Am reserving two tickets for you for my premiere. Come and bring a friend -- if you have one.
Not to be outdone, here was Churchill's reply: Impossible to be present for the first performance. Will attend second -- if there is one.
I read about a very different kind of friendship between two men named Jim and Phillip, longtime friends who joined the Marines during World War II and even ended up fighting in the same unit.
During a fierce battle, the unit was given the command to retreat. After the men retreated to safe ground, Jim noticed that Phillip had not returned with the others. Jim begged his commanding officer to let him go after his friend, but
the officer refused to let him run back into the gunfire.
Jim disobeyed and went after Phillip, disappearing into the drifting smoke of the battlefield. A short time later, his platoon saw him hobbling across the field carrying a limp body in his arms.
Jim's commanding officer upbraided him, shouting that it was a foolish waste of time and an outrageous risk. "Your friend is dead," he added, "and there was nothing you could do."
"No sir, you're wrong," Jim replied. "I got there just in time. Before he died, his last words were 'I knew you would come.'"
If you have a friend like that, forward this newsletter to him or her with a word of thanks. And this Sunday, come and learn how to build the kind of deep friendships we were meant to have. We conclude our "Movie Messages" series with a
Bible study on theme of The King's Speech. The acclaimed film tells the story of the unlikely friendship between the British monarch and his speech therapist. We can learn how to build these kinds of friendships by looking to Jesus. John
15:13-16 draws back the curtain on the friendship Jesus built with his first disciples. It can become a model for the friendships we can have with others.
Update on Our "ABT" Campaign. Renovation has begun on our foyer and hallway around the auditorium. You've made this possible with your ongoing contributions to our "A Beautiful Thing" Campaign. To date, $756,989 has been given toward our
combined pledges of $840,000. The campaign ends in May, so help us reach this target!
--Tom
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