Proverbs 27:17

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Boston, Massachusetts for my friend Ben's graduation from Gordon-Conwell seminary. Ben and I practically grew up together. I call his mom and dad, aunt and uncle, and he and his two sisters cousins. Over the years I have learned much about friendship from Ben. It was during my sophomore year of college that he introduced me to the concept of being accountability partners. His transparency with his own personal sin struggles allowed me really for the first time to be completely honest and vulnerable with a brother in the Lord about my struggles and my fears. In the spring of 2001 he cried with me as I shared my surrender to follow God's calling into urban ministry. Over the years there have been times where he has cried for me as he has prayed for things that I have gone through in my life. He has modeled what it means to "be" a true friend and brother in the Lord.

Over the course of the weekend I also got to observe he and two of his closest friends from college. These guys connected at Wheaton college and have invested in each other's lives over the last 9 years or so even as distance and family have made it challenging. These brothers love to laugh and have a good time together. They also intercede for one another, seek counsel from one another, and lovingly challenge one another when necessary. Spending the weekend with them reminded me of the importance of friendships and the importance of community.

In the book the Disciplines Of A Godly Man,the author Kent Hughes states that only 10% of men have true friendships with other men. That is a sad statistic, especially for the body of Christ. I am still learning what it means to "be" a godly friend. I still struggle with being transparent and vulnerable with my brothers, but by God's grace I am growing in this area. I am thankful for the solid brothers that God has placed in my life.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.