It takes a village to raise a bollman

Suffering is a place where clichés don't work and words often fail... It isn't very pretty and it isn't very fun, but when we join each other in the pain and confusion, God is there. Sometimes it means we sit in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. And it is in our suffering together that we find out we are not alone. We find out who really loves us. We find out that with these people around us, we can make it through anything. And that gives us something to celebrate.

Rob Bell
Velvet Elvis
p 170

Hard times suck! If we had a choice we would all choose an easy road to a long, hard, up-hill climb. But God often sends us down the difficult path. In fact, Jesus says that the road to heaven is narrow; it’s the steep one, not the interstate. It’s difficult. It’s challenging and its countercultural. It requires you to fight the flow. So as you go up this path, with everyone fighting against you, it would be easy to give up, to turn back and take that wide way, to follow the crowd, to conform.
But thank the Lord that we are not alone. Jesus promised to send a comforter, a companion, an advocate that will step in and nurse our wounds, to stop the bleeding, to give us a much-needed hug. Jesus gave us a priceless gift, The Holy Spirit.

My spiritual mentor is Mike Williams. I think of him as a Mr. Miyagi-type. He showed me that I could be a leader in the church. I thought church leaders couldn't be goofy and weren't allowed to have an out-of-tilt sense of humor. But when you in counter a Monty Python quoting head pastor who is also filled with Christ's love and preaching a Gospel of compassion and kindness, a new world of possibilities open up to you.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
John 14:15-18

Mike teaches an amazing idea. The Holy Spirit sometimes reaches down to us when we are lost and all alone. His warming touch can fill us with hope and we can know that we are not alone, that God is on our side. When stranded in the desert place, the Spirit can be our water. When trapped in prison, the Spirit can be our ray of light at the coming of the dawn. But the Spirit, as Mike once pointed out to me, can also work in a much more wonderful way. The Spirit can lead people to you. The Spirit can guide a loved one to your side. A whisper, a nudge, a boost, and the person you need most in the world is there, out of the blue, saying, "hey, friend. I just had a funny feeling that you needed a hug!"

God doesn't let us go it alone. As we face trials we are given champions in the faith that can prop us up. God sent Mike to me when I needed to be yanked out of the wilderness. God has surrounded me with great friends that have become my family during these times of trials and God will continue to bring good friends to my side.

It is said that it takes a village, and I don't know if that is true. But my Lutheran family has surrounded me with love. Chris, Cody, Joel, Amanda, Toodles, Lori, Travis, Calla, Brett, Todd, Sue, Megan, Mike, Amy and the many youth that have shown their support for me are my village and I praise God and the Spirit for bringing them to me every single day.

Thank you Lord for GOOD FRIENDS!