I agree with you Kathey I have had lots and lots of acquaintences but only about 3 real riends in my life.  But one good friends is better than a lot. of friends.

--
Christ is either Lord of all or he is not Lord at all.
Karen Carter '74



> Phil,
> I can really relate to this.  Greg gets frustrated with me because I have
> such a high standard for friendship.  I refer to most people as
> acqcquaintences.  For me to consider another a friend, there has to be give
> and take and not just surfrace level stuff, but on a deep level. It is very
> important for me to be able to pray with a friend. I have lots of
> acquaintences.  I've had very few friends in my life time.
> Kathy
>
>
> At 11:17 PM 7/17/2005, you wrote:
> >In recent years, I have lost a number of people I considered close friends.
> >A man I considered to be my best friend has not had contact with me for at
> >least two years and perhaps longer.  Others were school friends who suddenly
> >passed away, or who slowly passed away, but I never heard about it until
> >they were gone.  My roommate in school growing up, for example, died an
> >alcoholic.  For years I called him on his birthday just to catch up on
> >things.  Once and awhile, I called him more often because he meant so much
> >to me.  I got to thinking one year, as his birthday approached, that he
> >never ever called me for anything.  I wondered, therefore, how much I meant
> >to him so I stopped calling.  Three or four years passed and then I heard of
> >his death.  The pastor I mentioned in my earlier post last talked with me in
> >August of 1992.  He was never a man for writing and he rarely called.  If I
> >told you some of the things I did for this pastor, you would probably find
> >them hard to believe.  For example, one day, many years ago, during the late
> >eighties, the Lord told me to call him and talk to him about his finances.
> >I did and discovered he was three months behind on his mortgage and about
> >ready to lose his home.  He had not told anyone.  I hung up that day and
> >called a man I knew in the church and explained the situation.  The man was
> >horrified that his own pastor was that bad off financially and never once
> >told anybody in the church.  They not only caught up his payments, but
> >filled his house with groceries and gave him a raise at the church.  Yet, as
> >I said, the only time I heard from him in five years or more was when he
> >drove to Denver to meet with several friends to try and get them to sign up
> >with his multi level business he was in part time.  Was that a friendship
> >which worked both ways?  For the passed two or three years at least, I have
> >begun evaluating what a friendship really is.  If it isn't both ways, that
> >is, mutual, I now questions the reality of such a friendship.
> >
> >Phil.