Phone a friend

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Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#1
Do you have a friend you can call when things get tough?

I think those of us who have a friend like that are blessed. Someone who listens and is not too busy to care and is happy to hear your voice, and wont cut you off. Maybe you are stuck someone where and all the people around you just dont understand...but this friend does. You could talk for hours and not have a dull moment cos its a mutual friendship.

God is like that and He is on call 24/7.

So say what you want about phones or mobiles and telecommunications...but for many people, its a lifeline, and those connections are important. Cos we all need help and each other to get through life.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
113
#2
I get by
With a little help
From my friends
Oh
I get by
With a little help
From my friends
 

Mel85

Daughter of the True King
Mar 28, 2018
10,910
6,894
113
#3
Do you have a friend you can call when things get tough?

I think those of us who have a friend like that are blessed. Someone who listens and is not too busy to care and is happy to hear your voice, and wont cut you off. Maybe you are stuck someone where and all the people around you just dont understand...but this friend does. You could talk for hours and not have a dull moment cos its a mutual friendship.

God is like that and He is on call 24/7.

So say what you want about phones or mobiles and telecommunications...but for many people, its a lifeline, and those connections are important. Cos we all need help and each other to get through life.
Aside from God, yes I do - I have a few close friends that I can talk to about anything.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#4
was thinking of my contacts in my phone today as I go through every so often and remove names that I dont need to call anymore. eg workmates I no longer work with.
Does anyone else do that?

Now with phones you can save contacts. I was thinking how Jesus saves US. But does He also delete anyone he saves if they no longer keep in contact with Him? Can someone just never talk to Him after theyve been saved or pray and does God then forget them or does He remind them that yes they are saved.
I just wonder about that.

supposedly God has an ever expanding Book of Life but surely he must blot out anyone who doesnt bother to keep in contact with Him anymore, or when they talk to Him only call to abuse Him or ask for huge favours.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#5
Just adding that I only have so much memory in my sim card and I dont keep msgs forever. I supoose some phones automatically save anyone who ever calls you but with mine I have to actively save names.

Otherwise I dont remember their phone numbers.
 

Mel85

Daughter of the True King
Mar 28, 2018
10,910
6,894
113
#6
was thinking of my contacts in my phone today as I go through every so often and remove names that I dont need to call anymore. eg workmates I no longer work with.
Does anyone else do that?

Now with phones you can save contacts. I was thinking how Jesus saves US. But does He also delete anyone he saves if they no longer keep in contact with Him? Can someone just never talk to Him after theyve been saved or pray and does God then forget them or does He remind them that yes they are saved.
I just wonder about that.

supposedly God has an ever expanding Book of Life but surely he must blot out anyone who doesnt bother to keep in contact with Him anymore, or when they talk to Him only call to abuse Him or ask for huge favours.
Yup I do this probably every 8 months.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#7
I wonder if God has a phone list like this and culls people if they dont stay in contact with Him for longer than 8 months. After one is saved wouldnt you want to be checking in with God daily, or at least weekly...? with prayer I mean. Maybe God doesnt consider those who only call on Him once in a bue moon as saved, maybe He answers but they dont actually respond to His invite.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
24,799
8,103
113
#8
I wonder if God has a phone list like this and culls people if they dont stay in contact with Him for longer than 8 months. After one is saved wouldnt you want to be checking in with God daily, or at least weekly...? with prayer I mean. Maybe God doesnt consider those who only call on Him once in a bue moon as saved, maybe He answers but they dont actually respond to His invite.
That depends a lot on what the person is talking to God about.

If a son vanished for three years, then suddenly called his father up out of the blue and said, "Dad I need a thousand bucks" the father is probably not going to slam the phone down. That's his son that he hasn't even got a letter from in three years. On the other hand they're probably going to have to talk about why the son needs the cash before any funds are disbursed.

Now a son that keeps in regular contact and good standing with his father is probably more likely to get the money automatically - partly because the father knows his son and trusts him, and partly because the son knows his father and knows when the situation is dire enough to make such a request appropriate.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#9
thinking on this we call people 'lost' if they arent saved.


Sometimes lost people do turn up though. Its like the library book that got returned. Hooray! I save them when I cover them with clear plastic and put spine labels on them. But they need to be in good condition, sadly some books are beyond repair.

Then there are those books that find their way to the library but they dont belong. I always try to find new homes for them anyway cos I dont have that much room. Or send them somewhere else.

I think I might do that with people too they call me and I think theyve got the wrong person they need to call someone else who can better understand. I make referrals to Jesus all the time.
 
Mar 14, 2020
65
47
18
North Carolina
#10
Do you have a friend you can call when things get tough?

I think those of us who have a friend like that are blessed. Someone who listens and is not too busy to care and is happy to hear your voice, and wont cut you off. Maybe you are stuck someone where and all the people around you just dont understand...but this friend does. You could talk for hours and not have a dull moment cos its a mutual friendship.

God is like that and He is on call 24/7.

So say what you want about phones or mobiles and telecommunications...but for many people, its a lifeline, and those connections are important. Cos we all need help and each other to get through life.
I don't currently have anyone I can talk to that isn't family but have had friends in the past. It would be nice just to have a friend to talk about Bible topics, etc. Even though I am blessed to have family I can talk to, its nice sometimes to have a neutral party for conversations. I used to have a friend in Oregon years ago and she would kid me about my Southern accent. Its amazing how much you notice words pronounced differently when you talk with someone from another region of the country or world for that matter.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#11
South african accents can be difficult for me to understand. I remember watching 'Faith like Potatoes' film and had to but the subtitles on cos I just couldnt understand what anyone was saying, yet they were supposedly speaking english!

I have a few South African friends but they are not phone friends. They probably have a hard time understanding the way nzers speak as well.

Several of my friends help out with english conversation classes for esl students. apparently nz accent and pronounciation is prized though. But we are not getting the numbers of international students anymore as we used to have.

A lot of call centres are based in India now. I think you have to be a certain type of person to work in a call centre but Ive sometimes wondered what it would be like to work on a prayer line where people ring you up for prayer. We have a thing called life line where people ring up if they are thinking of comitting suicide.

I have not had to call it though....but I suppose if I did not have my friends to call and needed to talk to someone that would be better than calling 111.
 
Mar 14, 2020
65
47
18
North Carolina
#12
South african accents can be difficult for me to understand. I remember watching 'Faith like Potatoes' film and had to but the subtitles on cos I just couldnt understand what anyone was saying, yet they were supposedly speaking english!

I have a few South African friends but they are not phone friends. They probably have a hard time understanding the way nzers speak as well.

Several of my friends help out with english conversation classes for esl students. apparently nz accent and pronounciation is prized though. But we are not getting the numbers of international students anymore as we used to have.

A lot of call centres are based in India now. I think you have to be a certain type of person to work in a call centre but Ive sometimes wondered what it would be like to work on a prayer line where people ring you up for prayer. We have a thing called life line where people ring up if they are thinking of comitting suicide.

I have not had to call it though....but I suppose if I did not have my friends to call and needed to talk to someone that would be better than calling 111.
I guess if people aren't talking too fast its not so hard. I am not sure what a New Zealand accent sounds like. There is a guy who preaches, can't think of his last name but first is Gabriel and he is from South Africa. I have got used to hearing him talk so not too hard for me. I have called some tech support numbers with people from India and had some trouble but when I ask them to repeat things it was fine. The only place I ever heard my Dad say he would like to visit that he had not been to was New Zealand. He passed many years ago. I wish I would have ask him why. I know its a beautiful country from things I have seen on tv and youtube.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#13
aw well in some parts of it is it sublime. I also have seen the ugly side of NZ too.

Its not so pretty round the rubbish dumps!
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#14
There are friends who phone to chat with and check in with you and then there are friends who phone only when asking for favours...dont be that kind of friend to God.
 
Mar 14, 2020
65
47
18
North Carolina
#16
There are friends who phone to chat with and check in with you and then there are friends who phone only when asking for favours...dont be that kind of friend to God.
I don't want anything from anybody but it would be nice to have a friend to phone to chat, maybe some Bible trivia, etc.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#17
well you come to the right place, get your chat set up and you are away. I prefer the forums though.
 
Mar 14, 2020
65
47
18
North Carolina
#18
well you come to the right place, get your chat set up and you are away. I prefer the forums though.
Would be nice to be able to chat on here but have tried every way I know how and the chat app won't work. I remember the good ole days where people would actually talk to one another on the phone. lol More ways to communicate these days and less actual talking. lol
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#19
aw. How about setting up whats ap or if you are on facebook you can talk to people.

if you have facetime or skype you can do that too although I only do that with my sister who lives halfway around the world. If you dont want to show yourself on the video just do the voice function. Its free if youve got broadband already set up.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#20
theres also i-talki if you want to learn another language (or a new accent!) I havent tried it yet though.