A Fifty-Year Friend
A Fifty-Year Friend
Cam Huxford and Alan Ahlgrim - A 50-year friendship
It’s been said that Glory goes to God, but honor goes to people. This past weekend it was my privilege to gather with nearly 10,000 others in Savannah to honor Cam and Sarah Huxford, a couple who have made us all proud to partner with them!
I believe in Divine Appointments … it’s just that I rarely recognize them in the moment. It usually takes some time to discern that, often a lot of time. That’s certainly the case in my relationship with Cam. We first met at a church camp when he was 15 and I was 25.
As with David and Jonathan, God knit our hearts together over a period of time. Strong friendships don’t develop over night, but over time. As the esteemed sociologist Kenny Rogers once said, “You can’t just go out and make old friends, you either have them or you don’t.”
Suffice it say there’s no leader I’ve invested in more over the last 50 years than Cam … and there’s no leader I know better or respect more. Most people come into our lives and quickly go, others linger longer and leave footprints on our soul, and we’re never ever the same.
The mentoring is mutual…. Iron sharpens iron. On countless occasions his words have sharpened, strengthened and challenged me. It’s been a mutually beneficial partnership to say the least; in fact, Cam always groans when I say it, but I’ve loved him longer than his wife Sarah has.
It’s been said that one of the benefits of a long-term marriage is having one special person to annoy for the rest of your life! Well, in some ways the same is true for a strong friendship, which can on occasion be a little frustrating. Frankly, for me those occasions have been few and far between.
We have taken turns sanding each other’s rough edges. We’ve taken turns stretching and challenging each other for decades, but even more we have taken turns sharpening, encouraging and blessing one another… and Cam sets the standard for that.
Several years ago, my fifty-year friend in ministry was introducing me at The Next Level Conference in Savannah. Just that morning I was gripped again with Psalm 138:3, “In the day when I cried out, you answered me; and made me bold with strength in my soul.” When I went to the stage I shared that verse and asked, “How does God do that?” He does it through the only two things that are eternal: His Word and His People.
Your closest friends have the most influence on you, for either good or ill. Friendship can be a life-giving gift. Sadly, too many leaders have precious few life-giving friends. Some have none. Your best friends are the ones who make you better … these are the ones who are FOR you … speaking the truth to you, even the hard truth. These are the ones who have been granted inner access to your heart and who are allowed to be intentionally intrusive.
Long-term, life giving, in-depth friendships are vital to the strength of your soul. As I like to say, your life and mine will never be any richer than our relationships! The Christian life is never a solo affair. Our enemy wants to isolate us so that he can destroy us. God wants to connect us; so that He can enrich us! This I know: Soul strength is contagious; we catch it from those we choose to be in deep community with us.
Some time back I was minding my own business reading the Bible when I bumped into a surprising line in Psalm 16:3 (NLT). “The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!” I immediately paused to write a list of people who were on that list for me, which of course included Cam & Sarah. Then as I reflected on the qualities of these true heroes of four things came to mind.
• Long Obedience
• Strong Generosity
• Deep Joy
• Proven Loyalty
Cam & Sarah are a remarkably gifted pair, everyone who knows them, or has heard anything about them, knows that. What not everyone properly appreciates is the depth of their true devotion … to Christ, to each other, to their family, to their friends and to their church. The Scripture says that, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity … Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 17:17; 20:6) Well, by God’s grace I have found a true friend in Cam, and as Paul said of Timothy: “I have no one else quite like him.”
Few will ever know Cam at the depth that I do. However, everyone who has ever served alongside of him, knows he has put on a clinic in how to finish well. Finishing well means to love Jesus more at the end than at the beginning … and to love the people Jesus has assigned to you more at the end than at the beginning.
Once again, Glory goes to God, but honor goes to people.
Grace and Peace,
Alan
