Author: Rich Gorecki

As you read this series on the traits of a God Buddy relationship, I trust these posts are helping you deepen your friendship with another man who will help you become a better man. The second group of traits of GBs that includes Confrontation, Confession, and Accountability coupled with Patience and Kindness, is followed by the traits of Prayer and Encouragement. These and the upcoming traits help your God Buddy relationship thrive.  Encouragement Defined Ask for the definition of encouragement and you’ll get a cliché like “Encouragement is the act of giving individual support used for motivation”. But actually, the French word for encouragement means to give someone else your courage. Courage is like love—the more you give it away, the more you have.  Everyone Needs Encouragement  As we battle the ups and downs of life, everyone needs support and encouragement. Generally speaking, men need as much encouragement as possible

My series on the traits of a God Buddy relationship sets the foundation for your friendship with another man. As you move deeper with your GB though, you will need to apply the next trait: Patience and Kindness, especially after applying the difficult trait of Confrontation, Confession, and Accountability.  When everything is going fine with your God Buddy, patience and kindness are easy. The true test comes when your GB lets you down or there is difficulty in your friendship. Remember, one of the goals of a God Buddy relationship is to “sharpen” each other (see Proverbs 27:17, which I will write about in more depth soon). The sharpening that comes from the use of these traits helps you become more like Jesus.  Jesus: Our Role Model for Patience and Kindness When we examine the life of Jesus Christ, it’s obvious He was patient with those around Him. He continued

My early posts in this series on the traits of a God Buddy relationship provide you with the foundation for a deeper friendship with another man. The two most recent posts about Nonjudgmental Acceptance and Unconditional Love, and the more-difficult companion of Confrontation, Confession, and Accountability were additional traits to help “sharpen” you both into more godly men.  These next few traits will help your relationship flourish. It starts with Loyalty and Dependability which means being trustworthy and reliable. Today, many people say they are loyal or dependable but that’s not what they demonstrate in their life. Many people make wedding vows just to divorce within a few years. Some stop being BFFs (Best Friends Forever) just because the other person no longer has anything to offer them. Other friendships stop when it becomes too much of a one-way street. Those who claim to be really close friends, often ditch each