Warm, Humorous People

I don’t want to mention any names. They might not appreciate it, and those who aren’t included might not like the fact that their not favourites. Or maybe no-one cares either way 😀. But when I look back at my life, especially the stressful times in college or work, I have fond memories of warm, humorous people. I mightn’t have been particularly close to them, but they brought so much joy into my life.

What about church people? Well, it’s made a big difference to me to be among people that love God and His Word. In fact, that’s one of the most crucial changes in my life. When I committed my life to Christ and started attending evangelical churches when I was 18, it helped enormously to have friends who were pleased to encourage me. And there was plenty of warmth and humour too in churches.

But I also appreciated my friends outside church. Not all churches are full of people that I want to be around. For example, any group of people with strong convictions can include people who are inclined to monitor you to ensure that you believe and live precisely as they do. And if you don’t, they look down on you. Or you might get churches that are all about “networking” and finding people who might be useful to you. So, when they see you, instead of simply being friendly, you wonder if they are trying to ascertain whether you’ll be useful to them.

I’ve sometimes heard Christians say that they feel more relaxed among their non-believing friends than in church. Well, perhaps, we can be more choosey about our friends and because we’re not trying to create something or build something, we don’t try to control each other.

I read a lot of biographies of rock groups, and in some ways, it’s like the sort of conflicts that you might get in churches. Someone has a vision and because the others don’t fall into line, relationships become strained. At the same time, it’s good that someone does have a vision. For example, towards the end of the Beatles, Paul McCartney took control. The others resented this. George Harrison said that he preferred playing with other musicians. So, when he came back into the Beatles recording studio, his heart sunk. Yet, where would we be without the Beatles? And where would we be without community life, which I find in church.

Another thing with churches, is that we try to be welcoming and friendly to all. And some people might not have great personalities, but we still want to include them. So, if I go on a church picnic or whatever, I mightn’t be delighting in everyone’s company. But I wouldn’t feel good if I secretly just phoned all the people I liked and ignored everyone else.

To be honest, I’m becoming more introverted as I get older, so I probably wouldn’t bother with social events much in any case. But when I look back on my life, I do cherish the relationships with “loser friends” as well as those I admired. And perhaps some of my friends saw me as a “loser friend” 😀.

And sometimes, I regret not making friends with some of the uncool people in school. When I reflect on all the people that I’ve spent time with in life, I disliked very few. Even if I disliked them at the time, I warmly remember them now. They’re all part of the fabric of my life.

So, to the songs. Can I think of any songs about friends? Here are a couple of my favourites.

The Madness song isn’t explicitly about friends, but it does remind me of my schooldays and my friends. I think that I would have liked to have been in Madness. They always felt like friends to me.

And here are a few Christian songs about fellowship:

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Colossians 3:13-14
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.