Dinner With A Buddy

When was the last time you broke your routine and hung out with a friend you haven’t seen in awhile? Sometimes you just need to reach out, make plans, and just go.

Today, I took a road trip to see my mother. On the return drive home, I called an old hiking buddy and we met at the local brisket bar. A little beef, a little turkey and a some great sides later, we had talked and shared and caught up. Oh, we text, email and even call occasionally … But the face to face fellowship can’t be replaced.

We are losing that dynamic in today’s world. Meta, Zoom, virtual workplaces … the virtual world continues to grow. I understand that they are even beginning to sell real estate in the MetaVerse. Oh yeah, I don’t even have a house in the real world … why would I need a MetaMansion? And churches are beginning to hold Meta Services. This is headed down a pretty wide open dynamic – but I hope it never replaces the person-to-person interaction.

In Acts 2, at the very beginning of the church …. Thousands of new believers began to hang out. This had to be a bit awkward. Hellenists, orthodox Jews, males, females, all walks of life. So how was this interaction?

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts …

Look at this.

– All things in common … they shared, they cared, they held nothing back from each other

– Sold possessions/met needs … sacrificial lifestyle (now I feel bad I didn’t buy dinner for my friend when we had dinner)

– Worshipped together … the bond was primarily a spiritual one. And that goes deeper, lasts longer and praises higher.

– Breaking bread together … okay, many see this as taking communion, but I also see it as hanging out over a meal. There’s just something about hanging out and having Meal today.

This isn’t an exclusive list, but is a good place to start. Today, spend time with a friend.