Have you ever thought what friendship really means and how you are to love your neighbor? Shawn Smucker shares the story of another man's journey, but what he discovered along the way will surprise you. https://shawnsmucker.com is a husband of 19 years to Maile and father to their six children. He is the author of Christianity Today's 2018 Fiction Book of the Year, https://www.amazon.com/Day-Angels-Fell-Shawn-Smucker/dp/0800728491/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544682376&sr=8-1&keywords=the+day+the+angels+fell+by+shawn+smucker, and the book, https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Over-There-Shawn-Smucker/dp/0800728505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544682409&sr=8-1&keywords=the+edge+of+over+there which is the sequel that just released July of 2018. However, his latest book might be his most compelling book of two fathers on opposite ends of a cultural divide; https://www.amazon.com/Once-We-Were-Strangers-Friendship/dp/0800734769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544681842&sr=8-1&keywords=once+we+were+strangers.   "I realized that I'm a very selfish person basically.” ~ Shawn Smucker   https://shawnsmucker.com https://www.amazon.com/Once-We-Were-Strangers-Friendship/dp/0800734769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544681842&sr=8-1&keywords=once+we+were+strangers Enjoy the multitude of topics discussed including communication, community and coffee.
- Thanksgiving
- Nights together
- Reading
- Daily journal practice
- Prayer
- The Longview
- Starting Over
- Ghost writing
- Internal struggles
- Selfishness
- True friendship
- Communication
- Evolution of friendship
- https://cwsglobal.org/
- The Basics
- Community
- The Introduction
- "Because we're friends now."
- Repayment
- The Move
- Stereotypes
- Racism
- New neighbors
- Security
- The Good Samaritan
- Who is my neighbor?
- The Bigger story
- The difference
- The importance of people
- Coffee
- Make time
- New friendships
- "Be"
- Am I willing?
  https://shawnsmucker.com https://www.amazon.com/Once-We-Were-Strangers-Friendship/dp/0800734769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544681842&sr=8-1&keywords=once+we+were+strangers   "And the reason I tell this part of the story is because he had such an impact on me right away." ~ Shawn Smucker    Quotes and statements within the interview: "I love nights when we're all just home together." "I always wanted to write a novel, that was kind of my long dream after a Sunday School teacher read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to us when I was a kid." "It was probably the hardest time of our life as far as the circumstances go, but it's pretty cool to see how that led into a really cool thing." "I wouldn't change anything now." "So I really expected Once We Were Strangers to basically be Mohammed's story." "I learned so much about myself through this journey with Mohammed." "As I became friends with Mohammed, I started to realize what a true friendship looks like and what a true friendship requires of us." "What's not available is a replacement for the community that most of them have left." "When they arrive here, they want to work; they want to get jobs." "Just the past Spring, he and his family moved to Michigan." "Everywhere I go, even in to some of the scariest parts of the world as far as we would be concerned, all I've ever met are Muslin people who are welcoming and kind and friendly, and excited to meet people from other parts of the world." "We're called to make these difficult decisions and move into places we're afraid of." "I think so often, we place ourselves in the positions of certain characters." "I'm no necessarily the strong one in this relationship." "This just can't be a project for me. Mohammed deserves more than that." "There's something about our friendship that is different than any other friendship that I have." "When you show up at someone's house, you don't just show up and leave." "We have more time than we think we do." "It was really just about me being willing to make space for someone else."   What would you tell the person who is struggling with refugees?
- Pray for opportunities to cross paths.
"God I can't see my weaknesses, a lot of the time, but help me to meet people who will help me work through these things." What has your story gifted you?
- With new questions
- With new fields of myself to explore
"Through this whole thing, I became very much a champion of refugees." "I need to remain open to listening, even and especially to people I disagree with."   Resources mentioned in the episode:
- https://shawnsmucker.com
- https://www.amazon.com/Once-We-Were-Strangers-Friendship/dp/0800734769/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544681842&sr=8-1&keywords=once+we+were+strangers
- https://www.instagram.com/shawnsmucker/
- https://twitter.com/shawnsmucker
- https://www.facebook.com/Shawn-Smucker-Writer-248786208498879/

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