Friends 4 Life

Friends 4 Life is one of my favorite events of the week… its where I gather with my friends, most of whom I have known now for at least 10 years. I met most of them when they were in high school either through Young Life's Capernaum ministry for teenagers with disabilities, through Break the Barriers or through Joni and Friends Family Retreats many moons ago. This past Saturday night as my friends began to arrive, some might have thought we were an odd site to behold; a ramp had been set up at my front door for those who use wheelchairs and a steady stream of friends with what some would call "special needs" began arriving. Laughter, hugs, high fives and joy filled the house. As we began to serve the meal, I noticed how they ministered to one another, how one who was more able physically cut the food in smaller bites for another who wasn't able to chew. I smiled as I watched my friend Andrea Spees roll up in her chair next to some of my friends who have Down Syndrome and make sure their plate was close enough and they remembered to wipe their face.  Brianna, who has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair was getting a little help holding one of our old "leader's" baby and my heart melted. We belong. We are friends… for life. For the life of Jesus in us. For the growth of the body of Christ. For the sake of the gospel. For the blessing and growth we each bring to one another. 

Our gatherings on Friday nights are a small expression of who and what we are. What we really are is a community of friends… with very differing abilities, some recognizable special needs, others whose 'special needs' might not be seen, but we long to one another.  As we gawked over the beautiful baby that Promise and her husband have brought into our community, I asked how many of us were now aunts or uncles. Out of 14, all but 2 of us now have multiple nieces and nephews. We've grown up from being a group of kids, high schoolers, college students, to aunts and uncles! I look forward to growing old with this community of dear friends of mine… and to someday bringing my kids into this circle to meet their "friends 4 life" because that is what my husband and I intend to do… belong to them and them to us!

Friends 4 Life is intended to encourage our friends who are now adults to be in community, in fellowship, in prayer, in the Word, and in service. We want to see our friends have a church where they belong and to invite others to come with them. Personally, I want the body of Christ to experience what I described above. Its sacred. Its beautiful. Its what God intends for us. Of Church, you are missing out! These parts that we tend to call "weaker" are TRULY indispensable as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12:22.  If you want to be a more complete body, a more whole expression, you need to meet some friends like mine!!

A favorite moment of our Christmas party was when we went to carol. My friend Danny Lopez lost his father this past year…. Danny is 25, but his dad was his best friend, his Special Olympics coach, his companion through the challenges and victories like being Hoover High Homecoming King… Danny's loss and grief have caused him to struggle with anger, isolation, some depression, but he is growing through this and wanting to mature. As we approached my neighbor's house to carol, I asked Danny to come up to the front with me and shared with him that the neighbor had lost her husband only 4 months ago. I said "Danny, you know what she is going through better than I do, will you minister to her?" After we sang and I watched Judy holding back tears, I mentioned "This is my friend Danny. Danny lost his dad this year and this will be his first Christmas without him, I think you guys might understand one another." Danny opened the screen door, threw his arms around this elderly woman and gently patted her back saying "It will be OK, sweetie pie, we will all get through it, its going to be all right." I cried as I watched them and knew that my friend Danny had ministered deeply. What a privilege to be a part of this crew, to call them my friends 4 life!