I want to encourage EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE to find some people in life who will encourage, build you up, stand with you, give you a kick in the butt, push you towards your dreams, hold you accountable and most importantly love you.  If you don’t know where to find people like that, I would encourage you to get involved in a small group at church.  I know that for us at Coastal Community Church we will have the opportunity to sign up for small groups again this Sunday, January 31st after the service and all the groups will be starting next week.  Find some place to jump into relationships with others and see how God transforms your life to look more like the life you have always dreamed.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”

I believe that great friends motivate you to grow in your love for God and one another, while also helping you grow in serving others.  It is hard to leave friends like that.  As I was driving home to Ft. Lauderdale I kept thinking back to an old Boyz II Men song that says:

How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad.

I thought wed get to see forever
But forevers gone away
Its so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

I dont know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we’ve been
And what we’ve been through.

If we get to see tomorrow
I hope its worth all the wait
Its so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

And Ill take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
Its so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

It really is hard to say goodbye to all the good times, memories, successes, and tough times that I got to go through with my friends but at the same point all of those experiences that I got to have with them make me who I am today.  My parents always told me that who I would hang around with is who I would be like in 5 years.

I just want to thank all of you who have been my friends for what you have done for my life.  You have invested time, energy, resources, wisdom, laughs, and tears into making me the man I have become.  Words can never express my appreciation to you all you.  You are the most amazing friends a person could ask for.

So let me ask you, “Who are your friends?  Do they encourage you and motivate you to do great things in your life?”