Hope For Today

Dear Friends, Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash When my son reached a certain age we allowed him to have a Facebook account. Once he'd set it up, he excitedly told us how many 'friends' he had.  But we know that there is a world of difference between our social media 'friends' and the face-to-face friendships we have with others. Social media has highlighted the need that we all have for connection. God has made us for connection, first and foremost with himself, and secondly with others. Facebook has provided me with the opportunity to develop friendships with others who I would have never otherwise known and it's great to connect with like-minded people. Whilst such a friendship can develop over time  to a certain level , I don't believe it can ever replace the depth and closeness that is gained through face-to-face friendships. I belong to a friendship triplet and I am blessed in so many ways by this group. We try to meet as regul...

Dear Friends, Some weeks back, my daughter, Jess, had an after school detention.  She was told to attend the Athletics Club and practice the long jump.  When she came home after the detention she told me how one of her friends had come along to the detention too.  It turned out that this friend had not been given the same detention, had not even been in the same P.E lesson where Jess had been given the detention, but had gone along with her just to support her.  When Jess told me this, I thought what a great lesson in friendship it was. We all need a good friend in our lives.  Not one who is just there to enjoy the good times with us, but one who stands by us when times are difficult.  In The Parable of The Lost Son ( Luke 15:11-32 )  the father gives his youngest son his inheritance and " Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living." v13 (NIV). Wh...