Building Healthy Friendships Among Men

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Building Healthy Friendships Among Men,” we’re talking with popular comedic group, The Skit Guys, Eddie James and Tommy Woodward.

They’re sharing how God has worked through their friendship across 30 years to grow them as husbands, fathers, and men.

Their friendship wasn’t natural or likely. In the 9^th grade, Eddie’s girlfriend, Jill, told him that she liked someone else. That someone else was Tommy Woodward. Eventually Eddie and Tommy became friends, and Eddie became a Christian through Tommy’s church. They’ve been friends ever since.

They say it takes a lot more work to smoke something than it does to grill it, but the results are superior. It’s the same with friendship. Men can spend their whole lives keeping their friendships superficial, but if they’ll take a risk, they’ll discover something much greater.

Eddie and Tommy describe the four circles of friendship available to men:

This type of friend is someone you see on a routine basis – like a coworker or an acquaintance at church – but they probably won’t show up for you in a crisis.
A person with whom you feel comfortable enough to go out for lunch or coffee.
This type of friendship takes men deeper where they share each other’s highs and lows and encourage and confront each other.
Named after three important friends with Jesus in the garden before His crucifixion: Peter, James, and John. These friends stick together through thick and thin.

With lots of laughs, they describe how men can navigate friendships through transparency, vulnerability, and working through conflict. It’s a fun discussion you won’t want to miss. Tune in on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.

If Focus on the Family has impacted your life, I invite you to become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. When you do, I’ll send you a copy of Eddie James and Tommy Woodward’s book Smells like Bacon: The Skit Guys’ Guide to Lifelong Friendships as a way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. You’ll also receive member-exclusive benefits. To make your pledge, or for more information, visit our website or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).