Awhile back I found this sermon by Chuck Colson but have yet to share it on my blog…
So, here is the link to the pdf of the sermon. It is a good read that will only take about twenty minutes of your time. The most interesting part of the sermon in my opinion was the “levels of friendship” that he discusses:
And lastly, Friendships come in varying degrees, some of whom play more
significant roles in our life than others;Acquaintances are people we have sporadic contact with. We’re
cordial and ask each other “How are ya?” but always answer “Just
fine!” Acquaintances are a first-layer surface kind of friendship.
Casual friends are those we have more contact with, or have
common interests, and can have more specific conversations with. We
may even ask a casual friend’s opinion on something once in a great
while. But we keep a safe distance between us!
Close friends share similar life goals and are those we discuss the
hard questions with. Close friends do projects together, socialize
together, and sometimes even vacation together.
Intimate friends are defined by regular contact and a deep
commitment! We’re open and vulnerable with one another! We
anxiously await each other’s opinions. We are free to confront because
we trust their love is genuine. Intimate friends know everything about us,
and yet love us anyway!
It is food for thought.
