Few things can better enrich a person's life than a good friend. Linda Grayson wrote, "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."
But I like best this definition of friendship from Elbert Hubbard: "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."
Gary Dennis is one person whose friendship I cherish.
Gary was the church custodian at Life in Christ. I'd walk through the door on Monday morning and hear Gary's greeting: "Morning, Reverend. The coffee's on and I've got a couple of chocolate long johns in the donut box for you. While you're getting them let me sneak in and clean your office."
There was nothing that Gary wouldn't do for the church. He was willing to do things that weren't part of his job description just because there was a need and he liked to help people. He did his work thoroughly. He wanted the church, fellowship hall, classrooms and offices looking perfect. Never did I worry about the appearance of our facilities. Gary made sure they looked their best.
As we got to know one another better, Gary began asking questions about the Christian faith. He had been raised in the church as a child but had fallen away a little bit. He had lots of questions about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the devil and prayer. We spent lots of time discussing all of these things and one day he came and said he wanted to join our church. And one Sunday morning Gary stood before our congregation and confessed Jesus as His only Savior. It was a happy day for our church.
I learned earlier this week that a woman that Gary was very close to had passed away. I've tried to reach him by phone but haven't had any success yet. I want to see how he is dealing with this loss and try to bring some hope and encouragement from God's Word. And I want to say to him what singer Andrew Gold wrote in one of his popular songs: Thank you for being my friend.
