A friend. A man that I went to school to school with back in the sixties in Minneapolis, his name is Ken. He calls me now and then and they meet once in a while. The distance between their homes is a lot and it isn’t easy to meet in person. They met again recently at a restaurant in Minnesota, one of the those bar-restaurants with good rail scotch and passable food. Ken got there first and pretended to be passed out at the reserved table. First sign of humor. Those things really appeal to me. Humor is mostly laughing at ourselves, with good reason.

It was with surprise that they met as each one of them had so much in common and yet, did not recognize one another. The voices and the eyes were seen by one another as to their identity. There was no question of how old they were and there was evidence easily seen of the decades they share.

Wise and wrinkled as badges of honor The two of them knew one another decades ago in a passing way and knew mutual classmates but did not have any memory of anything like friendship. This was nice and different, world wise they are now. A shared faith and now a bond of strength between them. The fellowship of the cross.

Many of us have this possibility laid before us. It takes the determination of one person to begin the sharing and it’s through faith, the very gift of God. Many of us can be blessed and bless in this way, but it takes courage and determination to do so. myself and Ken know this now, and and you, reader, can know this too.

He is a hidden writer in ways, and his written questions stunned me with his friends vision and ability to share it .These words are of great value and I wrote them down quickly, fumbling for a pad and pen while still on the phone. Hold on , I gotta write this down! Those 21 words are:

“What can I do? What should I do? What is God telling me to do? What am I willing to do?”

He told me of a motorcycle club he belongs to, ‘Bond slaves‘ and they have colors and go to the rally of bikers in Sturgis. They are respected there and with my old biker experiences, it seems right and good. I rode out to adventures in 69 on Royal Enfield with my ponytail streaming and a guitar, bunji corded to the sissy bar. I like to think of now riding a BMW R69 with a sidecar {with full leathers and a good helmet).

Ken said he rides an old Harley. A duo glide or a pan head. An older model. Older bikes are pretty swell. I rode a Harley flat head 74, chopped, in those shared high school years. It was loud of course.

This is how true friendships begin. Not so much with initial similarities or even histories but with good and surprising things and faith that neither of them knew of each another in the past. They didn’t know those things then either. A delightful surprise for us all it is-certain. You can tell if someone is a Christian by the words they choose and a confidence in them. I like to tell people that he sees they are Christian. It’s enjoyable

The other conversations with classmates at the restaurant were disappointing. As worldly, we are driven to show how our lives are now. With photos and children and exotic trips and possessions that bespeak of good taste and wealth. I didn’t have any photos and I had no concept of bringing any of the ones I do have. My photos are next to the staircase with memories of beauty to see the savior that created all of it.

Sometimes I feel like George Bailey in Bedford Falls. I was Mr. Potter for a while. But, ‘He made me alive when I was dead and raised me up and seated me with Christ. And It’s by His grace that I am saved, and it’s through Faith, the very gift of God.’A. That fellowship that goes back a few thousand years for us all. It’s history. Read all about it. We did, not looking back. Jesus is solid as a rock for us all. Just ask for that beauty, Jesus knows you and loves you right now. He made you and you are worthy to behold Him. It’s pretty good, Norm Peterson / Jack a . Justin Rizzo ‘The gift of God’