Five men and a friend

I received a call inviting me to join a group of guys to pray for one of their friends. These guys wanted to get together before their friend went in for a test to determine if his cancer had returned. It is not very often when I am invited just as one of the guys to go and pray. I went. Six of us gathered in the family room. Being a minister meant I was the only professional. But this time I was just one of the guys so I waited to see what would happen. Guys began to share what this friend meant to them and why they had come to pray. Then we bowed our heads and began to pray. We prayed for wisdom, for understanding, for courage, for healing. The prayers were sincere and they were filled with affection and concern. It was very moving. Men don't normally do much of that. I felt like I was privileged to be in the room and witness what I saw. I saw men really love each other. I saw the rare combination of humility and strength. There was something very precious in that sober moment when this friend's life hung in the balance as it were and there were 5 men who wanted to hang there with him. And they did. There are times in the life of a minister when one gets glimpses of grace and real life. Those glimpses are what a minister lives for. I am profoundly grateful for the invitation that night. Frederick Buechner said, "All the death in the world when set next to life would scarcely fill a cup". That is what I felt that night.