A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Building Fortress Friendships for Perilous Times—Earl Glisson on Covenant Loyalty
About this episode
Pastor Earl Glisson of Anchor Faith Church in St. Augustine, Florida joins Philip Cameron to unpack the life-changing message behind his new book, Fortress Friend — a deep dive into what it truly means to build covenant-level relationships in an age of social-media superficiality. Glisson argues that most people today have acquaintances masquerading as friends: "Their relationships with others is pretty surface," he observes, noting that even church community has thinned as digital convenience replaces personal presence. Drawing on the David and Jonathan narrative and Proverbs 18:24 — "there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother" — Glisson traces how genuine fortress friendships are defined not by good times but by sacrificial loyalty. He highlights how David's covenant with Jonathan extended beyond Jonathan's death, protecting Jonathan's son Mephibosheth even when political pressure demanded otherwise. That multigenerational faithfulness, Glisson contends, is the true test of a fortress friend. The conversation turns practical for pastors and ministry leaders navigating succession, with Glisson drawing on his own experience at Rhema Bible Training College and the Hagin family's four-generation legacy. Fortress Friend is available now at anchorfaith.com. If you long for relationships that hold when storms hit, this episode is essential listening.
Part of our Anchor collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“And in the middle of all this, there was a wee face looking at me, on his tiptoes, holding on the bar and looking up towards me, his cheeks sucked in, watching me. And the Holy Ghost spoke to me like I'm talking to you. He says, that's your son.”
“There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. And that took me on a journey to see that we need to develop what we consider a fortress friend.”
“I come from a fishing town in Scotland, and it's amazing how fast a rogue wave can clear a dock, and only the things that are committed and tied down remain. And that's what fortress friends are meant to be.”
What's Discussed
Pastor Earl Glisson of Anchor Faith Church, St. Augustine, Florida discusses his book Fortress Friend, making the case that social media has reduced most modern relationships to surface-level acquaintances. Anchoring his argument in Proverbs 18:24 and the covenant between David and Jonathan, Glisson defines a fortress friend as someone who shares resources sacrificially, speaks truth in love, forgives quickly, and remains loyal across generations. He illustrates this with David's protection of Mephibosheth and applies the principle to ministry succession, referencing Rhema Bible Training College's four-generation continuity under the Hagin family. Fortress Friend is available at anchorfaith.com.
- Why Social Media Erodes Real Friendship
- The Aha Moment Behind Fortress Friend
- Jesus Redefines Family and Relationship
- David and Jonathan: The Covenant Model
- Loyalty Extended to the Next Generation
- Ministry Succession and Fortress Friendship
- How to Get the Book Fortress Friend
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hey, welcome to Daily Faith Today. My name is Philip Cameron and I am delighted to have you with us today. We've got a great friend of the program and he's written a book called Fortress Friend. And I want you to pay attention today. If you — one of the great things you need in your life is a friendship, a real concrete, unshakeable, unmovable friendship. And in fact, I was just telling the friends I have — I don't know a ton of friends, but the friends I have have been friends of mine all my life.
Philip:You can't pretend to be something you're not when you know someone all your life and they know you when you're in school. And we're gonna be talking about Fortress Friend today, and I'm so excited I have Earl with us. I love news. My dad was an absolute — I've never seen anyone like him. My dad read — this is before CNN and stuff — but my dad used to read eight newspapers every day. And he would lay them out. I can see him as I'm telling you, on his dining room table from the left to the right in political belief, and even go through every one of them. He was one of the most well-read and learned men.
Philip:And I've got this bug from him that I want to know what's going on in the world. Have you seen these earthquakes that just took place in Russia and these tsunami warnings? Thank God it didn't materialize. We are living in the most crazy time. I was watching this morning early when the earthquake shook. There was a whole colony of sea lions on the rocks, and you should have seen these sea lions freak out when the earthquake happened. The Bible says there'll be earthquakes in diverse places. We are living in the most consequential days in the history of mankind.
Philip:And I pray that you are in tune. In this room, in the studio where I'm right now, there are radio police signals and fire signals and airplanes and God knows how many phone signals all in this room here right now. I can't see them. I can't taste them. I can't touch them. But they are here and they are real. But the moment one comes that I have the number to, that I have the receptor to, I can then catch it. I can listen. I can talk to my wife. I can talk to my mom in Scotland. I can FaceTime them invisibly by these waves, these radio frequencies.
Philip:And I may tell you something — you better get yourself in tune. We need to get in tune with the voice and the whispers of heaven, because we are living in the most unbelievable days. If Jesus doesn't go back — and I can't see how he can't be coming back with all this going on — but folk will look back on these days and the stir in the whole world. Our President Trump is absolutely stirring and messing things up all over. He is, as they call him, a disruptor. And I've been watching him disrupting a ton of things. And I really believe that God is positioning us for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
Philip:I believe that God wants to stir the church, he wants to stir you, and he wants to stir me. And we need to get our foundations in order. And this book today by Earl, I believe, is going to really challenge you to appreciate what you have and begin to bore down and drill down and get friendships in your life that will stand with you. We are just delighted. My son Andrew is not here with me. I'm in this studio all by myself. And there's no one to tell me what to do. There's no time clocks. I dunno how I'm gonna make it. So if I make an absolute fool of myself, I'm glad Earl Glisson is with me today, because then he just says, well, that's just Philip, and he understands.
Philip:But we are delighted to have you with us. Hit the share button, hit the like button, go on YouTube.com slash Daily Faith. If you go to DailyFaith.tv, that's our home base for all the stuff we do. All of our programs are catalogued there. I do a daily reel every day — a word from the Lord for you. So there's a whole bunch of stuff you can check out on these platforms. And we are just delighted to have you with us today because God has a reward for you. I believe that today can change your life if you'll open up towards heaven all the antennas of your soul and get reception going from heaven to you. We are delighted to have you with us. Welcome to Daily Faith.
Philip:Hey, welcome to Daily Faith. My name is Philip Cameron and I am all alone in this studio. I usually have people who tell me what I'm doing and what I'm doing it and what camera I'm looking at. And today I am on my own. So I'm gonna be chasing cameras all day. I just get that feeling. But anyway, I'm delighted you're with us. We have got an incredible guest today. He pastors a church called Anchor Faith Church in St. Augustine, Florida. And I was down that way a few months ago and I happened to drive past — this man bought a mall, and his church is right in the middle of this mall. And we'll have him tell you about it in a few minutes.
Philip:But we are just so excited about what's going on right now. Our mission work in Moldova — for those that don't know, maybe this is the first time you're watching the program — 35 years ago my dad forced me to go to Romania. It was during the revolution there. And we ended up going to a place called Timișoara, where the revolution started. And he'd been looking on the BBC and reading in the newspapers about this horrible thing that was taking place by this dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. And the reports were of tens of thousands of orphans. And he called me one day and he says, those babies are dying. And I says, leave it, Dad, this ain't got nothing to do with me. Well, he made me go. Forced me.
Philip:Literally, I flew home to Scotland. We ended up having a convoy of trucks, and I got into this place, this orphanage. And it was — I just hated every second of it. I wanted to leave. And we walked around the downstairs area and he says, let's go upstairs. I says, Dad, upstairs, downstairs, it's all the same mess. And he started going up the stairs. I'm saying, Dad, please, let's go. I've got 2,500 miles to drive back to Scotland. Let's just go. And he totally ignored me.
Philip:Kept going up the stairs, went into salon number five — up the stairs on the left hand side — went in there, opened the door, and walked in. And I walked in behind him, and then he stopped. So I walked behind him and I looked, and here was about 35 kids in this filthy place, just unbearable. The smell — as I'm telling you, I can still smell it in my mind. And right in the middle of all these faces, they're all rocking in their cribs because they never had a mom that cuddled them. And they rock back and forth to comfort themselves. Unbelievable.
Philip:And in the middle of all this, there was a wee face looking at me, on his tiptoes, holding on the bar and looking up towards me, his cheeks sucked in, watching me. And the Holy Ghost spoke to me like I'm talking to you. He says, that's your son. I had no idea. Now listen to me — if I had not gone up those stairs, if my dad hadn't ignored me, if he had chosen salon six or seven or eight or ten, but instead he went to salon five, and if I hadn't walked in behind him — I just stayed downstairs and sulked like I felt like doing. I went up the stairs into this room and found my son. I went in, I picked him up. I says, I don't know who you are, but I promise you I'll never quit. I'll get you my family. That's 35 years ago.
Philip:And that moment — I'm writing a book just now, it's in my brain, it's called Moments — moments of your life, moments of incredible importance that you don't grasp. If David hadn't gone down with cheese and flour to his brothers and hadn't picked up five stones — man, all of the moments that brought that together changed the whole history of the world. That wee boy had no idea that as he went towards Goliath, he was walking himself into the lineage of Jesus. It's crazy. And there are moments that God sets in your life that are so important. And I believe that today is one of those moments. Earl Glisson is gonna be sharing with us his brand new book.
Philip:And it's called Fortress Friend. And I want you to listen to what he is gonna say today. In our work in Moldova — what I picked up Andrew, and that started me going back and forth — I've been over there over 220 times. And we have an amazing place called Vatra Village in a country called Moldova. In that country, the kids end up on the street. We get them instead of going to a trafficker. Each girl that you will watch in this upcoming video — if the trafficker gets her, she's worth $300,000 a year. Every girl you see. And we bring them to this amazing place called Vatra Village. We put them back in school, share the gospel with them, and these kids are now missionaries.
Philip:Each of the homes of Vatra Village adopts a home in the country — a forgotten place, terrible conditions. And these kids evangelize and know every widow in the village where they go, and every broken family, and all the kids and the names of the kids. And they go and they help the pastor, and anyone that Jesus brings to them, they bring to the pastor. Well, all of the summertime, our kids go and have youth camps out in these villages. My two granddaughters, Ali and Kara, just spent the summer with them — changed their life, lived with the kids, lived as one of the kids in Vatra Village.
Philip:And it completely blew their minds and changed them. They had no idea, didn't understand what the granddad had been doing all of their lives. And they just sent me this video the other day — yesterday, I believe — of them doing the camps. And you've got to watch. Every young person you see, they run these camps. They prepare the meals. Oh, you see, Andrew, where are you? I'm getting ready to tell you about the camps. Yesterday a container also arrived from America that they use. They use the stuff that we sent to them to give out to these poor families. Anyway, here's the kids opening a container that we sent yesterday. Watch.
This is hello from Moldova. The container just arrived. And we wanna say thank you for your kindness and your generosity. Every item packed in that container is a reminder that we are not alone. We are deeply grateful for standing with us and being a part of this miracle. Thank you.
Philip:I love it. That's our kids unloading the container. We have a warehouse right here in our ministry, and we are constantly — as I'm speaking to you right now, there are people about 50 feet from me putting together boxes. 22 pallets makes a container. Whenever we get 22 pallets, it's on the container and it's headed over there. And what you're looking at — all those boxes have clothes and all the vital supplies of life. And our kids use that as they go out in their evangelistic outreaches. They bring school backpacks and pencils and jotters for school. And God uses these orphan kids.
Philip:We are growing and expanding. And in a few days we are gonna take in 20 to 25 new young girls into Vatra Village. We are also opening a whole new ministry called Promised House, which is gonna be for younger kids between the age of four and 16. And those kids will stay in this place. Those two houses will house 50 kids. And the only thing we lack at this moment is support. Every house that we have costs — it takes 300 people giving $1 a day. And I'm praying that God will speak to you today to help us by giving a dollar a day. It won't change your world financially, but it certainly changes these kids.
Philip:If I could take you there — in fact, one of our camps that my granddaughters were in was held at our brand new place. And they slept on the floor of that unfinished bathroom on a cot, and our kids did too. So we need — we are looking for people that will join with us to give a dollar a day. You can change a life for a dollar a day. And when we get to 300, we can open another house. It's as simple as that. And if I could take you there and let you meet these kids that have been rescued already and are rescuing others, I know without any shadow of doubt in my mind that you would say, Philip, I want to be a part of this. The address is real simple. It's PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716.
Philip:We are delighted to have with us Earl Glisson. He is a great man of God pastoring an amazing church in St. Augustine, Florida. If you are ever in the area, you've got to go to this church. It'll bless your life. Earl, I'm so glad you're with me today. Please come and rescue me from myself. Andrew is gone. He is in Alabama, and I am absolutely at a loss. And you drew the short straw this week. But we see why he's necessary. Listen, I am excited about this new book, Fortress Friend, because it resonates with me, because most people in this country do not have a fortress friend.
Why Social Media Erodes Real Friendship
Earl Glisson:Yeah, that's a true statement. You know, we obviously live in the day of social media. And as a result of that, most people's relationships with others is pretty surface. You know, even in the church body, because we can get so many things online, people coming and personally participating in churches can become more scarce. And so the relationships that we have — we're telling ourselves, you know, they're a friend of mine, but the reality is they're becoming more like an acquaintance. My wife and I, we have this kind of joke that on my social media, she'll see someone from my high school say they liked it. She goes, oh, your friend liked it. And I'll say, look, they're not my friend. They haven't called me. They haven't reached out to me. I mean, if they're seeing that I'm doing all this and that we oversee a church, they could get to me. They could come, try to do lunch and all these things. But really at the end of the day, they've become an acquaintance of my life.
Earl Glisson:And so Fortress Friend goes a little bit deeper than that kind of relationship. And honestly, in these last days, as you were saying, we need to develop some, because they're gonna be probably necessary as we see the day approaching of the return of Jesus.
Philip:Well, the Bible talks about perilous times. And unless you have anchor points in your life, unless you have places you can go to, people you can depend on, you are gonna be out there like a feather in the wind. I see like two sides of a coin. I believe that the glory of the Lord is gonna fill the earth as the promise is. But also there'll be perilous times. Men's hearts shall fail for fear. And unless we understand the value of friendship — what was the aha moment that made you think, I need to put this down on paper, because this needs to be recorded?
The Aha Moment Behind Fortress Friend
Earl Glisson:Yeah, this is a good point. You know, it started in the New Testament actually. Jesus said, don't think that I've come to bring peace, but I've come to divide. Now, obviously we know he's a Prince of Peace, but when you choose to accept him as your Lord and Savior, it can create division even in your own household. And he says, I've come to divide father from son, mother from daughter. Now that's family relationship. This is what we call blood relationship, and what we typically would call the strongest relationships that we have in the earth. However, at another point in the New Testament, they came to Jesus when he was ministering and they said, hey Jesus, your mom and your brothers and sisters are here. They want to talk to you. And Jesus makes an astounding statement. He looks at the crowds and he says, who is my mother? And my brothers and sisters are those who do the will of my Father.
Earl Glisson:And it started to make me ask the question, are there relationships that are closer in the word of God than those that are of your immediate family, or what we would call blood relationship? And so I began to see from the relationship between David and Jonathan, and from Proverbs chapter 18, the latter part of verse 24, which said, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. And that took me on a journey to see that we need to develop what we consider a fortress friend.
Jesus Redefines Family and Relationship
Philip:What a thought. Because unless you have those fortress friends in your life — I mean, there's a song we used to sing back in Scotland in church. Anyone can sing when the sun's shining bright. But a song in your heart at night — fair-weather friends are great to clap and smile and, you know, when things are doing well. But a real friend is born in trouble and adversity. A number of years ago I went through a terrible battle, and boy, you sure found out in five minutes flat who your friends were. And it caused me to completely rearrange my life, because the trouble exposed those that were there for a moment and those that were there as a fortress.
Philip:And we literally moved physical location. My pastor here in Tennessee where I live proved himself to be a fortress friend. He put himself on the line for me. And that's the kind of stuff you're talking about — to find people that know the ugly about you as well as anything else, but are still your friend.
Earl Glisson:That's true. I mean, when you think about relationships that we have, I want people in my life that number one are going to give me the word. And if there's some challenge that they think I'm having, they love me enough to have a conversation. However, they also are quick to forgive. They put themselves in a position where they're not constantly judging you, or if things aren't going just right, they're out the door. But when we dive into a fortress friend, it becomes this covenant relationship where there is this tangible sharing of resources, where all of a sudden my relationship with you and your relationship with me is — your interests are more important than my interests. And we see this with David and Jonathan.
David and Jonathan: The Covenant Model
Philip:David and Jonathan — as you were saying, I'm thinking, wow, that's a David and Jonathan example right there.
Earl Glisson:It is. And the whole book is centered around that relationship. Because David obviously was picked by God to be king. However, his best friend Jonathan — his father is the king. Jonathan was anointed king. Obviously God pulled that anointing. And in the natural bloodline, Jonathan definitely has a right to the throne. And even Saul says to him, you know, this is your throne, you're giving it away. But Jonathan saw the anointing on David. He understood why that relationship was so important. And that relationship became so important that they cut covenant. And what's so amazing about that relationship is it didn't stop at the end of Jonathan's life. Because one of the most powerful points of being a fortress friend is that David raises up and he says, is there anyone of the house of Saul? And he's thinking of Jonathan, he's thinking of the house in general. And they said, well, there is a boy, and it's Jonathan's son. And he said, bring him to me. And so his relationship went beyond that covenant relationship with Jonathan. It took him into his children.
Loyalty Extended to the Next Generation
Earl Glisson:And you really have a fortress friend when they take care of your kids. You know, being in ministry, a lot of times you can have acquaintances — I call them Joabs — they love to be loyal to you as long as you're the one who's in authority. But the minute you start delegating authority to someone else, they don't have any loyalty to those individuals. They dissipate. And so you're wondering, okay, so why were you so loyal to me in the first place? But you see with David, he took this to the next generation. And so many times ministries struggle to go from one generation to the next, not because there's not an anointing, but because people abandoned the pioneer of that ministry and then in turn looked for someone else.
Earl Glisson:Now I can give you a great case in point. I graduated from RHEMA Bible Training College. Kenneth Hagin, you know, was the founder of faith in our modern day. And in '73 he said, we're gonna start a Bible school. Well, it was his son, Pastor Hagin, who actually wrote all the curriculum and got that school started. Well, Brother Hagin went on to be with the Lord in 2003. And when that occurred, there were quite a group that did not continue on. And RHEMA is still here today. So in essence, it started to define who was actually following the vision called RHEMA, or just an individual as long as they were there.
Ministry Succession and Fortress Friendship
Earl Glisson:Well, they have another generation. He has a son, Pastor Craig. And then there's another generation already raising up beyond him as well. So we're talking four generations of this ministry moving forward. And when you're a fortress friend to a particular vision or a household, so to speak, then you're gonna find yourself investing down in each generation. And I do think that's really important for us to reexamine relationships, because we're in the body of Christ. And if I'm connected to you, then the next thing is, well, what if you left? What are we gonna do with Andrew? What are we gonna do with the next one? Because the ministry would continue on, and we should continue to be supportive just because you are not in the earth anymore.
Philip:Well, that is describing the process that we have begun at this moment in this ministry. I'm 70 and I love what I do. My health is great. I've got a lot of runway in front of me yet. But at the same time, I've got two sons and a daughter that are active in the ministry, and we are now figuring out how to go forward. And I'm letting them take over those decisions deliberately, because they can either make the decision and then realize the consequence of the decision, rather than me making all the decisions. And it's amazing to find pastors who are identifying with my kids as well, and are happy to talk to Andrew rather than speak to me, because they see that coming in the future.
Philip:And that is exactly what happened with Jonathan. It cost Jonathan his kingdom to recognize his friendship with David, to allow David to become the king. And that is truly the kind of friendship that you're looking for in the days we're living in.
Earl Glisson:And it showed the selflessness of David, because again, historically in the Bible, when a king came in, they typically killed off the descendants. Everyone of the other line. Yes, sir. They didn't want anyone to come back and say they have a right to the throne. Again, as you continue to follow that particular context in the word of God, there came an issue that God was having with Israel based upon something Saul did. Remember, when Israel went into the Promised Land, they created a covenant with a group of people who deceived them — that they were not of the land. And Joshua made a covenant with them. Well, Saul went in and destroyed them, and as a result of that, it came back on Israel.
Earl Glisson:So David's like, Lord, what do I do? And he said, well, you're gonna have to ask them what they want. They wanted descendants from the house of Saul to be killed. David did not let the son of Jonathan be in that number. He protected him. But from another concubine or wife of Saul, those sons were given over and were killed to settle that issue. But not Jonathan's son — his fortress friend's son.
Philip:What a great thought. Oh my goodness. So the fortress friend was transferred on. What a great thought. Oh my goodness. I'm gonna preach that.
Earl Glisson:So when you're talking about transitions in ministry, because we're dealing with ministers here that are looking at succession plans, you'd hate to see a ministry only stay in one generation. And a lot of times that's only the case because the relationships around them are not deeper. They aren't considered in covenant. And in the kingdom of God, our family members — we're actually more obligated to every kingdom citizen than we are to our own blood relation. Because again, who is my family? It's those who do the will of the Father. And I cannot support through our ministry everything out there in the world, but the divine connections that God has placed in my life, like you and what you are doing with the orphans — us having this relationship, I'm there, I'm committed.
Earl Glisson:And even during the COVID times when things were shutting down around the world, we made sure we kept support to everyone that we had committed to. Why? Because it's covenant. That's the fortress friend. And so same thing — should the Lord tarry and you go on to be with the Lord and the ministry is still functioning, you can count on us. And if I go on, then whoever's carrying this, they should maintain these fortress friend relationships so these parts of ministries can continue on for generations beyond us.
Philip:If you are watching just now and you're a pastor, you need to get this book and make it a Wednesday night Bible study. Get it disseminated amongst your church, because friendship — godly friendships — is what will see us through storms when everything else comes loose. I come from a fishing town in Scotland, and it's amazing how fast a rogue wave can clear a dock, and only the things that are committed and tied down remain. And that's what fortress friends are meant to be. But let's put up the book. I want you to get this book. Tell us how we can get a copy.
How to Get the Book Fortress Friend
Earl Glisson:By going to anchorfaith.com. Yeah, anchorfaith.com. They can go on there and they can order it online, and then we'll send it to them. And we have obviously more library there, but this is one of our newest ones.
Philip:And you've always been a blessing to us to highlight some books that are coming out. Oh yes, Anchor Faith. And we appreciate it. We love what you do. Tell us — just for a second, we're running out of time — tell them the crazy thing you've done in St. Augustine. What are you doing? What, taking over the land?
Earl Glisson:Well, we bought a mall. It's 25 acres. We bought a mall, we revitalized the inside. We're starting to paint the outside now, and then we're moving our church out of the six-screen theaters into one of the anchor stores. So we're doing a lot of remodeling here. A lot of moving parts. We just say it's an elephant — it's one bite at a time and we'll accomplish it. But the Lord's faithful. As we've been faithful with little, we'll be faithful with much. And it's truly been a place where people can come and gather, and we can touch our community and also develop an additional resource to advance the kingdom of God.
Philip:Well, I admire you so much. I love what you do. We drove past that and I'm thinking, that's my place right there, because I've got an anchor friend. Thank you so much for being with us today on Daily Faith. Thank you for watching us. Excuse me for all my mistakes because Andrew wasn't here. We'll see you again real soon. God bless you. Bye-bye.
For over 25 years, the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons. They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus.
God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness, now no longer orphans. They wanna return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ. The Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 833-Daily Faith. You can also give by going online to www.DailyFaith.tv, or by writing to PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
What exactly is a 'fortress friend' and how is it different from a regular friendship?
Earl explains that most modern relationships — especially those built on social media — are really just acquaintances, not true friends. A fortress friend is a covenant relationship where each person genuinely prioritizes the other's interests over their own, is willing to speak hard truths in love, is quick to forgive, and stays committed even when things go wrong. It goes far deeper than surface-level connection.
Why does Earl use David and Jonathan as the model for a fortress friendship?
Earl says the whole book centers on that relationship because it illustrates selfless, covenant loyalty at the highest cost. Jonathan, who had a natural right to the throne, recognized God's anointing on David and gave it up — and David's loyalty didn't stop at Jonathan's death. He later sought out Jonathan's son Mephibosheth and protected and provided for him, showing that a true fortress friendship extends to the next generation.
Why does Earl think fortress friendships are especially important right now, in these times?
Earl points to the increasing shallowness of relationships in the social-media age and the approaching 'perilous times' the Bible describes. He believes that as the return of Jesus draws closer, deep covenant friendships won't just be a blessing — they'll be a necessity for surviving what's ahead.
What does Earl say about fortress friendships and ministry succession?
Earl argues that many ministries fail to pass from one generation to the next not because the anointing is gone, but because the people around the ministry were loyal to the individual leader rather than to the vision itself. A true fortress friend stays committed to the ministry and its next generation of leaders — he uses RHEMA Bible Training College as an example of a ministry that has successfully carried the vision through four generations.
Where can I get a copy of Earl Glisson's book 'Fortress Friend'?
Earl says you can order it directly through his church's website at anchorfaith.com, and they will ship it to you from there.
Topics
earl glissonfortress friendcovenant relationshipsdavid and jonathanministry successionanchor faith churchchristian friendship