The Weekend!!! and Bumper Stickers

I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but it's the weekend!

The last few weeks have been hellacious. Between medical emergencies and procedures, multiple business travels, picky inspectors, extra-picky engineers, load-calculations, and aggravating phone calls it's been quite a ride. Throw in a more than a few renters complaining about their AC (it's 100 freaking degrees outside!!!!!) and this has been quite a week. Now, it's all but over. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I have next to nothing to do. It should be a nice day. Especially since it's going to be rainy.

On my way back from Huntsville I saw a bumper sticker that led me to this website http://www.freefromsin.com. I was curious, so I had to visit. It's interesting. You should visit the site. I'll sum it up, though: "If you sin, you're not saved." That site links to this one: http://www.churchofgodmorgancity.org/ten_reasons.htm which lists "10 reasons 'everyone' sins, [and] why they don't apply to people who possess salvation." Then there's this one http://www.churchofgodmorgancity.org/sin_scriptures.htm which lists scriptures they use to back up their doctrine.

I'm leading our Sunday School class this week. We're talking about the decline in deep friendships over the last couple of decades. This is either the perfect topic for me or the worst, I'm not sure which yet.

I definitely have fewer friends than I did 20 years ago. Over the last 6-7 years it's been even worse. I know I've written about this before, but here I go again. There are a few reasons I don't have a lot of close friends all related. Since 1997, we've moved between cities 4 times. Once was even out of state. We were never anywhere long enough for me to establish relationships. Aside from that, I was working at churches most of that time. Almost everyone I had contact with was either a teenager, a parent, a pastor (read boss), or a church member. It's very hard to get close to someone who in a round about way holds your job in their hands. Makes it a little hard to open up.

I did make friends, but that brings me to another reason... I'm not good at staying in touch. One of the closer friends I've made in the last few years lives in Atlanta now. I talk to him on AIM every couple of weeks or so. I've been to Atlanta about 10 times recently. I've seen him none of those times. The one person I would consider my best friend (outside of my family), I talk to online pretty often, on the phone, a 6-7 times a year, and in person maybe twice a year.

This is way longer than I planned, and it's time to go home. Maybe I'll have some new insights on friendship come Monday (it'll be alright).