What's the difference between a Strong Friendship and Falling Down?

This week I have scratched my previously pristine glasses twice, once Monday evening and once Wednesday morning. Monday evening wasn't my fault, anyway: a friend was joshing around and knocked my glasses off. No big deal. But on Wednesday morning I was running late for breakfast, running to the cafeteria, and I didn't see an icy patch right on a turn. Ka-BLAM! My legs flew out from under me, comic book-style, and I hit the ground - on my side, since I was turning. I now sport a major-league bruise on my right hip (which took most of the impact), as well as on my left hand (where I tried to catch myself). My right shoulder is out of whack now and I've got a first-rate abrasion on my right knee, which hit the ground at an angle for maximum damage. Of course, my glasses hit the deck like nobody's business, hence the second scratch.

So here am I, the walking wounded. But I can walk fine and play the piano and drums without any trouble. I can't lift things with my right arm or sleep on that side, however.

This week has gone really well for me. School has been rather demanding, but I feel like I've met those demands better than usual. I had a percussion exam this week and did well; also I've inadvertently gotten ahead in my physics lab homework. That's the kind of accident that I wish would happen more often.

Last night I spent time with my group of friends at GCC. They consist of Hännah Schlaudt and some of her hallmates and friends, and Kyle Sartelle and some of his hallmates and friends. Last night the girls put on a homemade dinner for us guys in the Ketler kitchen. They prepared pizza, Caesar salad, fruit salad, and a delicious chocolate pudding pie for dessert. Also they read us a couple of pages that they'd written together, honoring us guys for being friends to them. It was very humbling to hear what they had to say, especially since these are men I really want to be like. I'm so blessed to be able to spend time with them. They're a lot like Brandon and Sean's crew back home in the way they honor God with their leadership, kindness, others-focus, and the gentlemanly way they treat the ladies.

It was also humbling for me to be the oldest person there. Generally you expect the people you look up to and want to learn from to be older, but these guys are all younger - yet I'd do well to be like them.

After the delicious dinner, we went to the chapel and sang hymns and worship songs for a couple hours.

Last weekend Tim and I attended Providence Church's Relationship Weekend. Many people from the Akron and Cleveland, OH churches attended as well as folks from Providence. I won't say a lot about this after all, but we received a lot of good teaching from Mike Pierson and Mark Altrogge about how to honor God in relationships. We also learned that [gasp] you don't have to call it a courtship! That was very freeing. What a concept - it's not about what you call it, it's about what you do!

I don't know that Ned and I are really getting our money's worth out of Netflix. We're too busy to watch movies - I only just remembered to send Transformers back. We should be getting Black Hawk Down soon. We'll probably be watching something like two movies every month and a half, instead of every month. It's a good thing this is only costing each of us a monthly $2.50.

Ned and Tim and I were having dinner the other day, and Ned said that he really wants us to be able to bring observations to each other and have a say in each other's lives. He pointed out our friendships with each other are obviously based on more than that we think the others are cool guys. In other words, we're not really afraid of losing each other's friendships. Given that, we should really be criticizing each other more, he said. Your goal for your best friends shouldn't be to be accepted by them (anyhow, you probably are already), but to help them improve as people, grow in God, et cetera. That's what I know I want my best friends to do: help me become more like Christ. It's not as easy for that to happen as one would think, and I appreciate Ned's pointing that out. Strong friendships don't happen by accident.