My wife, Karen, and I, have been Christians 17 years.  We have been “doing church” exclusively as house church for 4-5 years and are involved with two churches.  One group we regard as a peer group and the other is a group of believers whom we are helping to grow in a house church setting.

Our peer group has helped us tremendously as we have wrestled with life’s issues, like any couple does.  At times you come to an impasse where you need the advice and counsel of others without risk or loss of confidentiality. My heart swells with gratitude at the value and counsel and all of the other benefits that we have received in a house church. I was talking to God and thanking Him for our church and asking Him. “How can I thank my friends? How do I tell them what is in my heart? How can I express this to them?

I am not a natural poet by any means, yet as I sat and communed with God, He gave me a poem. 
God Bless and I trust it will give you that same pleasure and heartfelt thanks to your friends as it did for mine.
 
Friends, what are friends like?
Friends are the buoys of life.
The buoys that stand along the channels
of the river of life.
That mark and map the way.
That ding and flash when the shallows of life
Threaten to run you aground.

The buoys of life that weather all the storms
To see you safely through your channel of life,
The buoys that stand silently,
Never threatening,
But silently standing to see you through
Your channel of life.

They are life buoys that are fastened to the ship,
When the cry “man overboard” comes,
They are called to action to be the life buoy,
To rescue the man who’s all at sea,
The man who’s awash with waves
That threaten to overwhelm and drown.
That’s a life buoy.

A friend who comes amidst the storms of life,
Cast out from the ship to join you
In the midst of the storms of life,
Who joins you, yet is joined by a life line
To draw you back to the safety of the ship,
That’s a life buoy, that’s my friends.

Channel markers;
Guiding me safely through life,
Silently, yet encouragingly
Keeping me deep in the channel of life,
Supporting, encouraging, cheering silently
My safe passage.
That’s the buoys of my life,
That’s my friends.
Selah.
Inspired by the Spirit of God June 2007.

Posted by Bessie on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 2:28 pm.