What an awesome day we had yesterday at The Summit Church. The message was so amazing and the Fall Festival for our 3 year anniversary was so much fun. Thank you everyone for all your hard work and help in making the 3 Year Celebration so amazing.

John 15:15 (NIV):

Friend: a person whom one knows, likes, and trusts

Acquaintance : knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.

Ladies, I know a lot of people from traveling all over the nations while we were evangelists, but I don't call them all, friends. You see, I would recognize the person who works at the gas station or at some of the local shops that I stop in at. I would recognize the grocery store clerk and the mail man. These people are acquaintances. I smile at them and maybe have a short conversation. I also have those people that I call friend; those people whom I know and really trust. It's not that I don't want to be friends with the other people that I meet, it's just that time has not allowed for that relationship to be cultivated.

You see, every friend that you and I have ever had actually started out as an acquaintance. There is nothing wrong with that. The first step in going from someone being an acquaintance to being considered a friend is by spending more time with her. The time spent isn't regulated, but rather regular.

Some of my closest friends may live on the other side of the world, so we have gotten good at emailing and being on Facebook. I have some friends from my youth group when I was a teenager that every 3 or 4 years we try to connect in person to catch up on everything but we keep in touch by emailing and such as well.

When Pastor and I met, we were just acquaintances, someone a mutual friend introduced me to. He kept coming around however, and soon we became friends, and then an even deeper relationship developed. I am so thankful it did.

You see, in order for any relationship to develop, There has to be time invested into it. The same is true of our relationship with God. How awesome is it that Jesus wants to be our friend and He wants to spend the time necessary with us to develop that friendship. So how do we do that?

Well, first of all, we pray; we have a real conversation that involves us talking and also listening. We worship Him and praise Him. We declare, on a daily basis, who He is. We declare that He is our God, our Protector, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Comforter, our Peace and our Provider. We read His word on a daily basis and proclaim and declare His promises because they are True.

Like any friendship, our time with Him isn't forced, but rather enjoyed. There is never any pressure or drudgery in it. It is something that we look forward to. We can just grab a cup of coffee or your favorite tea or soft drink; whatever you prefer and just settle in to enjoy some quality time with your God, who truly wants to by your friend. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He sticks with you thru thick or thin. He loves you so much and cares about every little thing in your life. So just pick a cozy and comfortable place and just make it your regular spot to meet with God, your very best friend.

Ladies, I love each of you very much and can't wait to see you again soon. Please come out for a powerful word from our Pastor this coming Sunday. You do not want to miss out on what God has in store for you.

God Bless You,
Pastor Karen Schatzline