True friends are the ones who carry you to the healing and saving power of Jesus. I had the opportunity to see this truth played out with a handful of students from Neighborhood Life House.
On June 1, 2025, we gathered and stood on the rocky bank of a creek, waiting to celebrate the baptism of one of our high school students. His heart was strengthened by the Lord to step into this life-changing decision, but his body was extremely weak. He didn’t have the strength to physically step into the water, but friends carried him each and every step. They carried and lowered him into the waters after he boldly called out his profession of faith. When they lifted him out of the water, he physically appeared completely new and fully alive. His dead and dry bones had fresh life breathed into them. A group of friends carried him not only to the creek water to be baptized, but they ultimately carried their friend to Jesus—the Living Water.
True friends are the ones who carry you to the healing and saving power of Jesus. A couple of gospel writers highlight an instance where a group of friends bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus to be healed. Seeing this group lower their friend into the waters of baptism, I could not help but be reminded of this miracle we read about in Mark 2 and Luke 5. The paralyzed man on the mat walked out of that mud-thatched house that day and his life was completely changed. And my high school student, with help from his friends, walked out of the mud-caked rock creek bank forever changed by Jesus.
When I stood there on the creek bank to celebrate with my student last summer, I had no idea all the ways in which the Lord would work in his life and his family’s lives. Just like the paralyzed man who was no longer defined by his mat, my student was no longer defined by his past. The choices that he had previously made that had stripped him of his physical strength were now a part of his testimony, pointing to the goodness and strength of Jesus.
Almost exactly a year later, on June 2, 2026, a group of our high school students were gathered in a circle together to pray over one another at a youth conference. They each were given the chance to share part of their testimony and declare their commitment to continue following Jesus. Standing in the circle was this same student who was carried to be baptized the summer before. But this time, he was able to physically stand on his own and was wrapping his arms around the shoulders of some of his closest friends praying over them. He was lifting up his friends while also being lifted up. This is a physical picture of what Christ-centered community looks like: leaning on one another, carrying each other, while also being carried and lifted up in prayer to the One who is before all things and who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17).
Paul writes, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). May we be a community that surrounds one another, lifting each other up, and bringing each other to the healing and saving presence of Jesus.
Neighborhood Life House
Neighborhood Life House serves the Northwest Joplin area, a neighborhood rich in story and history. They work with members of the neighborhood to empower people to see who they can be with the help of God through mentoring, education, and physical and spiritual partnership.
