Category: Basic Training

My prior post, The Seasons of Friendships indicated there are seasons of fertility and growth with our friends but also seasons of decay and decline, quite often a season in which your relationship ends. In my personal experience, the hardest way to lose a friend is due to their death (as I wrote about in Missing My God Buddy, Chris). But there are also often other reasons that friendships end that are just as hard. Other Reasons Friendships End Keith R. Anderson, author of the book Friendships That Run Deep described the many seasons of friendships (outlined in the aforementioned post) but he also included 5 reasons for why friendships end: Unintentional Withdrawal – We simply drift apart and priorities change. We fade out of each other’s lives without really meaning to do so. Intentional Avoidance – We get hurt, mad, tired, bored, or too busy and simply avoid spending

In my last post, The Seasons of a Man’s Life, I suggested there are seasons of a man’s life when a God Buddy can help navigate the difficult transition periods and big decisions. There are also seasons for our friendships, which will also change just as the seasons come and go.  Recently, my original GB, Bill Johnson moved to another part of the country to be closer to family. We spoke over a beer before he left about how/if our relationship would change. We agreed that our relationship will, in fact, be different but we would just have to work a little bit harder at it and talk over the phone more frequently.  Friendships Also Change In his book Friendships That Run Deep, author Keith R. Anderson writes that there are seasons of fertility, growth & freshness for our friendships but also seasons of decay, decline, and stale monotony. There

As men get older, we tend to reflect more deeply on our life, especially with regard to navigating the various stages or seasons we enter. It is no different than what many people do at the turn of the calendar for a new year as they assess their past year and then make resolutions for the coming year. For God Buddies, reflection and life planning is an important practice for navigating the big decisions and many seasons of your life. The Seasons of a Man’s Life One of my favorite websites is The Art of Manliness (AoM) which is full of advice on a man’s character, career, relationships, fitness, style, skills, and much more. It has weekly podcasts and well-written articles from the philosophical and serious to the practical and fun aspects of being a man.  Authors Brett and Kate McKay recently posted a series of articles titled, The Seasons