HOW TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS

Need to know how to make new friends? Having trouble making new friends? Well these little bits of advice I got off a friendship card will certainly give you a few tips on making new friends. Keep these in mind as you go out and soon you will lots of new TRUE friends

1. Don't worry about knowing people, just make yourself worth knowing.

2. Be friendly with the folks you know. If it weren't for them you would be a total stranger.

3. Friends are those who speak to you after others don't.

4. The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail and not his tongue.

5. The way to have friends is to be willing to lose some arguments.

6. Deal with other's faults as gently as if they were your own.

7. A friend is a person who can step on your toes without messing your shine.

8. You will never have a friend if you must have one without faults.

9. You can make more friends by being interested in them than trying to have them be interested in you.

10. A real friend is a person who, when you've made a fool of yourself, lets you forget it.

11. A friend is a person who listens attentively while you say nothing.

12. A friend is someone who thinks you're a good egg even though you're slightly cracked.

. . . and most important, A FRIEND IS A TREASURE!

(Found at   http://www.yourlifehappiness.com )

PRAYING FOR FRIENDS

Among the many ways to invest in friendship, there is one we often neglect ­– prayer. When we can’t connect with friends personally, and that is the most rewarding part of a friendship, we can do our part in continuing caring, positive input into their lives by speaking to God about them. Friendship is a two-way deal, but by asking for favor, for protection, for guidance, for wisdom, for healing, for grace from their Creator for them, we maintain the one part of the relationship for which we are responsible. We probably know how life is with them and from what we know, we can appeal to God to change circumstances for them.
     Of course we now have the ease of sending e-mails, texting and Skyping to discover specific needs they may have. And you can  choose to leave with them items of concern in your life.

     Maybe some days you wish a friend would be in touch. You are ready to admit that you are lonely and really wish they would connect. Pray for them. You will experience satisfaction and also can be pleased that you are messaging good will toward them.

     Praying for each other, and even you only for a friend, strengthens the bond of friendship. Try it.

    

THE EMPATHETIC DOG

Maybe we could have empathy like this dog 

Lucky, a Golden Retriever, had the habit of storing all toys in the house and ones visitors might leave, in his downstairs dog bed. Whenever a visitor might call about an item left while at the house, Mary always knew where to look.

     It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease......in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her....what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked the husband, Jim, Lucky was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

     The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

     Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

     Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

     When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.

     Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.

FIVE WAYS TO BECOME AN ENCOURAGER

Encouragers are the oil of society

Name an encourager from the Bible. Was your first thought Barnabas? His real name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him “son of encouragement”. What a joy he must have been to his friends. Can you name some others who served as encouragers? How about Mordecai, Jonathan, Timothy, Martha and Mary, Jesus.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…if it is to encourage, then give encouragement — Romans 12:6,8

Encouragers inspire hope, foster confidence, lift burdens, stimulate courage. Some possess the gift of encouragement. Some are “accidental encouragers” who surprise themselves when they’re given just the right word to share. Some want to be more encouraging, but are not sure how to go about it. But no one in the body of believers is exempt from exercising encouragement, for we are reminded to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11)

Turning to Scripture we find help for becoming an encourager:

1. Cultivate a positive attitude. Paul says, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Put this into practice and “the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:8,9)

2. Use words of encouragement. Proverbs reminds us that our words can either kill or give life; we choose what we want to offer. (18:21) The book of Hebrews calls us to spur one another on. (10:25).

3. Be sincere. The book of James cautions us to back up our words with deeds (James 2:16). When we share stories of vulnerability and faith in times of hardship we can encourage others going through similar circumstances. (2 Cor 1:4)

4. Come alongside. When Moses became tired, “Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset… So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army” (Ex. 17:12-13) The New Testament names encouragers who worked alongside the apostles, such as Barnabas, Judas and Silas (Acts. 15:32) and Timothy (1 Thess. 3:2).

5. Be encouraged. Be humble and allow others to encourage you. Immerse yourself in Scripture’s words of encouragement. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you daily.

Karen Wilber serves as the Editor of the Jesus Boat Blog community.

HOW TO BE A BORING FRIEND

How to Be a Boring Friend

If you enjoy not being befriended, here are some sure ways to guarantee you won’t be disturbed often .

1.      Wait for your friends or potential friends to make the contact. If you get tempted to make a phone call or send an e-mail, sit yourself down and tell yourself how busy you are, or convince yourself they don’t want to hear from you anyway.

2.      If you lose the battle with inner persuasion and end up talking to your friend anyway, keep your voice level and your ideas extra slow. Do not show excitement about anything. That should discourage them from categorizing you as a flake.

3.      Tell them everything you know about everything you know and talk a long time without giving them a chance to speak. After all, isn’t having friends about being able to let people know about you?

4.      Refuse to ask about them about what is happening in their lives. They’ve managed quite well without you until this moment. Just grab the occasion to unload about the terrible state of politics, taxes, the trash on television, the horrible neighbors you have, and how you really put down a nosey colleague. You might hear a click on the other end, but at least you got a chance to vent.

5.      They are bound to find you even more boring if you do not remember their milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, achievements. 

6.      Do not pray for them. Praying usually results in becoming empathetic.

I’ll have more suggestions if these do not work for you. But I think this will get you well on your way to be one of the least interesting persons your friends know. Maybe you have some ideas to offer yourself. What do you find boring in people?

(And another thing: Besides being a late starter with cyber stuff, I am also a turtle learner with internet. Right now am stretched to snapping while learning about blogging.)

Priority of Friendship

I suppose the drive to have friends is at least partially selfish. But we can’t do without friends so we keep trying, praying, hoping we will meet those who will be willing to take a little time with us. There is a deep need in all of us to have people with whom we can share our daily experiences, tell our achievements, and reveal what weighs heavily on us. The old proverb is true that “a joy shared is doubled and a sorrow shared is halved.”

     I’m convinced almost all of us do not need to be persuaded that friendship is desirable. How to achieve friendship is the challenge. We’ll get into some of that in the next weeks.

     I make no excuses for launching into a topic that has been discussed many times because it bears repeating; we never become too skilled at relationships.

A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. Arnold H. Glasow

Friendship and Companionship

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend."
- Albert Camus

Let's stay in touch as we explore and share our pleasures of friendship and pleasures of being friends. I believe they are closely related. I welcome your thoughts. Let's get some discussion going on this topic.
Don, on a Saturday morning.