What are Good Friends? + Free Friends Rhyme - Coffee & Conversation

What are Friends?

What are GOOD Friends?

Are you blessed with Good Friends?

I know I am.

And I know that in the different places I have lived in the world God has always provided good friends.

One example from America was the person who invited my three kids and myself for a meal after our first Sunday in the church when we had only been in the country for 2 weeks & Fred was in Germany with work.  She had just met me and did this for us even though she already had another couple and another family of four coming for dinner.
Throughout our 3 years there this friend was always looking out for us and willing to have our kids stay over to let us go on a special weekend.

One example from Belgium was the person who called me up after her husband had met my husband Fred at church and arranged to take me for coffee and show me around the area, then they also took us to a homegroup and many more friendships grew from that.

Then there are the friends from our younger years who we may not see too often but they are still good friends and we can pick up on the friendship even after a long break between seeing them.

Some years ago I started to make Name Rhymes and sell them at craft fairs along with some other items so today I thought I would include one to help to describe what Good Friends are.

So again I ask

Are you blessed with Good Friends?

Are you thankful to them?

Are you thankful to God for providing good friends?

Some say that to have good friends, you yourself, need to be a good friend.

I believe that we shouldn't be a good friend to have a good friend in return but we should simply do as God would want us to do and

just be that good friend regardless of any benefits to ourselves.

Let's do it!
Come on we can do it!

Don't Forget to download your Free Printable HERE

A Clown called Dario - Xtra Special Day

We have various friends throughout the world mostly because we have lived in America and Belgium as well as the UK but also because we have been involved in different Christian Outreach Programs where people from various countries have come to stay with us while they do evangelistic work in association with whichever church we have been attending.

This week there was a solitary visitor to our church all the way from Italy to help with our outreach work during this month.  

He is called Dario and he is a professional clown.

He came to NI to work with children in Lurgan for a week.



Saturday Night we met him as Dario and not "Dario the Clown" while he explained how he came to be a clown and how God was working in his life.

Sunday Morning he came to our morning service at church and centred his actions and words on how God loves us, using imaginary flowers, a multi coloured piece of material, balloons, a suitcase and a young 9 year old boy he picked out of the congregation.

At the end of the service he made balloon animals, swords and hats for the children and they all got their photograph taken with him.

He even made a hat for me especially to match my cardigan.

Then to finish off Fred and I had our photo taken with him too.

Sunday Evening he was with another church who had joined with us to bring Dario over from Italy while we had a special Gospel message more for adults.

Monday Morning & Afternoon he was doing an an assembly and workshops in one of the primary schools followed by our After School Kids Club in another Primary School. 

This time he had an object like a feather duster.

He taught us how to greet a clown sitting down (because it involved lifting your right leg and various other precarious movements and he didn't want anyone to fall over), juggled with 3 balls and then explained how we should pray to God when we cannot do something because God has promised to help us and God had helped him to learn how to juggle with juggling clubs when he had found this very difficult and of course he enlisted the help of several willing volunteers.


Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday were also spent in Schools doing assemblies and workshops with the children

Thursday Evening was a special show in the Town Hall open to any of the children in the town of Lurgan, the hall was full of kids and parents and we had a fun-filled hour together with Dario instructing the children in many things such as how to greet a clown, how to spin plates, walk a tightrope and to know that with Jesus we can do all things.

Of course the balloons made an appearance so that Dario could make hearts for the the leaders of the churches who had hosted him.

Sunday Morning saw Dario at the other church again.



Sunday Evening we were delighted to have Dario with us again where he reminded us all that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, using balloons, a wig, a tutu and mime.

Thank you Dario for joining with us and teaching the children more about God.


Thank you God for your love for us, for helping us in all things, for creating us so uniquely and for making Dario such a caring clown.

Have you ever had a clown at your church?

Have you ever met a Christian Clown?

Are you thankful for God's love and for different ways to tell others of His love?

3 Kings & A Camel - A Dose of Encouragement

Tonight we had a puppet show at church.

We laughed so hard I nearly cried.

I wish I had taken a video clip because it will be so hard to explain the episode with the camel to someone who was not there.

The three wise men, dressed as kings, were riding along on one camel following the star.


The music had a certain beat to it that meant the puppeteers were jolting the camel & kings along forward for three beats and then flinging their heads backwards on the fourth beat.


A few times of this went okay and then one of the kings flung his head back so hard he lost his crown.


Next time one of the kings almost disappeared as the one in front head-butted him but then to "crown" it all off the next time the camel head-butted the first king which resulted in him head-butting the second king and of course he head-butted the third king making all of them look like they were falling off the camel.

We laughed so hard I nearly cried.

However the main problem lay in the fact that the camel had such a cute looking face that you had to forgive him & love him even if he may have almost killed the 3 kings.

Christmas Card I sent the Church Kids

Afterwards we came to the decision that the grown ups probably laughed louder than the kids.  We went through to have some refreshments and some of us were doing the camel dance (minus the head-butting of course) and saying how we loved the camel.

So what was the result of our Christmas Puppet Show? 

• Children & adults both had a great time.

• Laughter brought lots of smiles. 

• Easy time of chatting with guests in the relaxed atmosphere.

• Everyone saw & heard the nativity story in a way they won't forget.

• The teenage puppeteers worked together to tell others the Message of God's Love.

God is so good to us all of the time but often we don't see this and miss out on the great enjoyment we can have in our Christian walk, we forget to smile and enjoy being with others.


Of course just as the verse above says we need to have wisdom and choose good friends and companions.

Perhaps we need to see & hear God's word in a way that we don't want to forget it but rather spread it around so that everyone can hear & see God's Love because God wants us to do that for Him, 

Yes - US - the ones who know it all first-hand.

Here are some other  Doses of Encouragement

Here are some other  Christmas Posts