Back in Texas

I am back home now, in Texas. I just came out of our staff meeting at the church I pastor, Wellspring. One of the major issues we’re dealing with is how to create more opportunities for people to develop deep friendships. I am absolutely convinced that “lone ranger Christianity” is defective Christianity. We all need deep friendships. It is very common in evangelical Christianity to hear men claim, “My wife is my best friend.” This sounds spiritual, but in reality a man’s wife is usually his only friend. All of us need one or two close friends of the same sex who know pretty much all our secrets. Remember, if you can not talk about it, it owns. Deep friendships are a primary source of joy and safety. They also help us stay out of addictions and break free of addictions. Deep friendships are essential for healing the shame that binds us.