They are pastors of local churches. I value them and I enjoy the time that we carve out of our schedules to meet. We've become more than professionals sharing a common calling. Different in so many ways, we've come to love each other. Now, because of the bonds that have been formed, we offer mutual encouragement, joy, accountability, and help.
Friends are a powerful part of our lives.
They exert remarkable amounts of influence over us - positive and negative. Both consciously and unconsciously we adopt the values and ideas of those we with whom we choose to spend our time. Recently I was reading about the development of values in children. In early life parents are the most important factor in shaping self-image and confidence, but at about age 16 the peer group assumes the dominate role. This is the power of friendship in those formative years.