My coworkers and friends Deryck and Serena Livingston illustrate an important principle for me: We should work with people whom we enjoy and can rely on. We spend so much of our lives in the company of people who may or
may not fit well with us. Too many people seem willfully ignorant or
even careless in the way that they make the decision about who they'll
walk through life with. We need to take more care in making those decisions.

I originally met Deryck on a vision trip in West Virginia. He was a youth leader in New England. Deryck worked in a number of different capacities helping youth leaders take their students on mission trips, leading trips, and raising funds. He has an amazing love for people of all stripes and sizes, he loves God, and he loves to help draw people closer to God.

After their two girls got old enough, Serena came to work with me about six years ago. She and I worked to establish the World Race beginning in 2005. Serena has a knack for providing the organizational skills that such startups like that require. Later I asked her to help launch our development dept. and she stepped into the breach there.

Deryck and Serena and their girls became close family friends - we did a home group for a number of years together. They will be moving up to Philadelphia so that they can be near Deryck's parents. Serena will be working at Eastern University.

It's always hard when people who have been an important part of your life move away.  As I reflected on what the Livingston family has meant to me, I see all their gifts and the life that we've shared. I'm thankful for the way that we've not only worked together, but done life together. They've enriched my life in many ways and set a standard for those who I'll work with in the future.

Do you like the people you work with? Do they enrich your life? As you consider the people you share your life with both in the work place and elsewhere, my prayer is that they encourage you and cause you to live a richer life.