{"id":1974,"date":"2021-10-01T15:42:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T22:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/?p=1974"},"modified":"2021-10-01T15:42:24","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T22:42:24","slug":"befriending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/2021\/10\/01\/befriending\/","title":{"rendered":"Befriending"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following is a guest post from a 15-year mentor and fellow sojourner, Pastor Mark Dobrin of goodnewschapel.com<\/a>. This is a picture of us befriending others while playing music outside a local cafe. (We played blues with his harmonica too:)) This is Mark’s story and how our stories overlapped through the One who befriended us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Befriending:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recently attended a retirement gathering for an old friend of mine. In fact the gathering was something like a reunion of old friends, co-workers, and acquaintances of long ago.\u00a0 It felt a little like a funeral without a body lying around. But it got me thinking about the beauty and power of being befriended along the journey we\u2019re all traveling. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought about how long ago as a confused, long haired, twenty year old I was befriended by a community of hymn singing, suit wearing, bible teaching, \u201cfuddy-duddies\u201d.<\/strong> How with the gentle love of Christ they looked past my smugness and bell bottoms; reached beyond their social boundaries, and befriended a wretch like me. I wasn\u2019t yet ready for the gospel. I had a lot of doubts about the whole resurrection thing. But I have no doubt that being befriended paved the way and softened my heart for the day I was ready to fall into His arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which of course reminded me of Jesus (the master befriender) who always had an empty seat at the table,<\/strong> or an outstretched hand ready to touch the outcasts, the marginalized, the minorities, the not-so-with-it-folks who were startled at His invitation.<\/strong>\u00a0 Some weren\u2019t ready for such a waterfall of grace. Others inched forward on trembling steps of hesitant faith whispering under their breath \u201cLord I believe, but please dear God help my unbelief\u201d!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then I thought about the Church; not the Church as an abstract study in ecclesiology but the real hurting, fractured, pandemic Church of today in the good ole USA.\u00a0 And I wonder if all the undoing and shaking and questions we face may in fact be a way of awakening His beloved to the steady unpretentious, unspectacular unforced work of befriending a confused, beautiful, and hurting humanity; of welcoming sinners in the way of Christ.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many years ago I was befriended by an Asian American Jesus lover named Steve Hong.<\/strong> Our paths were woven together through other friendships and connections that had already spanned some years. Then nearly 15 years ago our story lines and friendship converged when I took the call to pastor a church in South San Francisco (the community where Steve and Cathy lived). We\u2019ve shared countless sandwiches and struggles, along with many tears and joys. We\u2019ve been stunned by injustice and made glad by gospel beauty, kindnesses, and grace.\u00a0 But most of all we\u2019ve enjoyed the simple honest conversations that happen between friends.\u00a0<\/strong> Sometimes I wonder if in the business of doing ministry, (building churches, launching programs; and all the other efforts we so strenuously give ourselves to), that in the end the thing that matters most will be the authentic, honest, vulnerable friendships we\u2019ve made and nurtured along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I must say that in all the turbulence we face as Jesus lovers in our world today, the ethos, vision, and heartbeat of Kingdom Rice gives me great hope!<\/strong> The world has changed in the decades since I was befriended all those year ago but the deeper needs of the human heart remain the same; to be listened to, respected, and known; to have the mess of my humanity shared with another broken human being who will hold my story in grace.\u00a0 While Kingdom Rice has a specific mission and vision, this is its heartbeat because it\u2019s who by God\u2019s grace Steve has become and is becoming; a companion of sinners along the way, one who will honestly open his messy story to others, and create the safety needed for them to do the same; and in so doing he is making ready the way of the Lord.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May blessings and grace be poured out over Kingdom Rice and all those who pray, support, and serve our befriending Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shalom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Dobrin <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a guest post from a 15-year mentor and fellow sojourner, Pastor Mark Dobrin of goodnewschapel.com. This is a picture of us befriending others while playing music outside a local cafe. (We played blues with his harmonica too:)) This is Mark’s story and how our stories overlapped through the One who befriended us.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingdomrice.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}