“My friends are my estate.” Emily Dickenson

“My friends are my estate.”
– Emily Dickinson

I feel like the most blessed person in the world!  If my friends are my estate….that also makes me the RICHEST person in the world.  Yesterday, we had our annual Community Memorial Day Cookout….and Birthday Bash.  I call it a Memorial Day Cookout and Louis always includes my birthday as well, which is today.  We opened our yard and our hearts to our community of neighbors and friends to celebrate.  Over 60 people were in attendance.  It was awesome for neighbors to meet neighbors…young and old alike…to make new friends.

Our Missional Community was there to help by lending a hand…setting up and tearing down the tables, meeting new people, building deeper relationships, and just chillin’ in the heat!  Many times, community gatherings around here lead to verbal fights, physical altercations, guns and shooting, and other negativity that just disturbs the community.  We had none of that!  We had….

• great food.  Thanks to Rush and Louis manning grill…chicken and hot dogs!!! and everyone bringing a covered dish.
• wonderful respectful, positive conversations.
• laughter, games and fun.
• connections and friendships being made.  Some of the youth were meeting for the first time…since they go to different high schools.
• a few people who heard about our Thursday night gatherings who are going to come and check us out.

Again…I am blessed to have called these folks my friends.  God intends for us to be in relationship with Him and with one another. We practiced that yesterday. The Bible has over 100 verses on friends, friendship, etc.  Here is one of my favorites…

John 15:12-15 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Enjoy some pics of our time together…meet my friends…