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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

Confident Heart Friendship Gift Pak

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…”
Hebrews 10:25a

I sometimes wonder if I am one of the “some” that are mentioned in this verse. Oh I go to church. I worship, take notes and hang out in the lobby chit-chatting. But somewhere along the way I got “in the habit of not meeting together” with friends as much as I think God wants me to.

I didn’t mean for it to happen. Each day just seemed to fade into another. I couldn’t keep up with everything as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, neighbor, and working/ministering woman.

Time with friends was the one thing I could afford to miss. Or so I thought.

But then I found myself with an craving for connection that I was trying to fulfill with a white screen and black alphabet keys. Yet no matter how many times I checked email or Facebook, it was never enough to satisfy my craving.

Maybe you can relate. If so, be sure to read my “Craving Connection” devotion over at Encouragement for Today.

As I think about my craving for connection, and God’s emphasis on the importance of us “meeting together,” I can’t help but believe it’s because He created us to need it. We were created in His image after all, and God is always in community – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Always has been.

But it won’t just happen because we need it. So, today I wanted to share a few ways we can get creative and intentional about spending time with friends:

  • Plan a monthly girl’s night out
  • Invite a friend over for lunch or coffee
  • Find a hobby you both enjoy
  • Get away together for a day or weekend
  • Carpool together
  • Run errands together
  • Clean your houses or do laundry together
  • Prepare dinner together
  • Serve someone in need together
  • Reach out to a neighbor together
  • Start a Bible study or book club together

One of the things that encourages me is to have spiritual purpose to my friendships. I love doing a book study with a friend and meeting to talk about the questions at the end of each chapter.

I wrote A Confident Heart with that in mind, hoping friends will read it and encourage each other with the truths God put in it. We need that spiritual encouragement and transparency in our friendships, don’t we? So, this week I’m giving A Confident Heart Friendship gift pak away to one of you. Here is what it includes:

Confident Heart Friendship Gift Pak

One advanced copy of my new book A Confident Heart
to read and share with a friend.

$10 Starbuck’s Gift Card to share with a friend while you connect face-to-face and heart-to-heart over coffee, tea or dessert.

To enter to win — share this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, your blog and email. Let me know you did and then tell me one friend you will encourage with a call today or an email letting them know you’d love to get together. I’ll announce the winner next Monday.

Lord, You created us with a need for friends. Yet, we find ourselves rushing through our days with little time for face-to-face and heart-to-heart connections. Help us to seek You first as our ultimate Friend, and then reach out to others so we can have and be a close friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


This post is part of my Encouraging Words Wednesday.

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Comments

  1. You have spoken my truth right here. I so deeply want to connect with my friends face to face. I've re-posted to Facebook and I'll be emailing my friend today to set up a coffee date!

  2. Hello Renee: thank you so much for this devotional. This was also me that you were talking about. To the point that I decided to take a break from Facebook because I saw how it replacing my face to face interactions with my friends. God has given me a wonderful friend named Nerd. We are growing our friendship at this time with monthly breakfast meetings but I have to tell you that I am so refreshed spiritually, emotionally and even physically when I get together with her. Thank you for this post and perhaps I will get a chance at winning your gift pak. If not I am sure that a very deserving lady will get it. Love,Silvia Arvelo

  3. I am so glad that I found your blog. I have been reading about friendships and feel that God is talking to me. I know that I crave that interaction in my life. I tend to go onine to connect but I think that's because I don't feel connected in person. I would like to improved that. Yesterday I called a friend and even though we can't see each other face-to-face, it was a lot better than online 🙂 Today I made lunch plans next week with an "old" group of friends. Thank you for encouraging me!

  6. Laura Fenton Karn I shared your giveaway on my facebook page!! Thanks for your devotional. It smacked me in the face as I am a big time email and facebook watcher. I hope to get to talk face to face to at least one friend tonight! Most of the time, my face to face conversations are only one or two days a week if I get to see someone at church. I really need to change that.

  8. I would love to win this! I put it out on Facebook this morning.

    I have a friend that is in recovery, and has been doing well, but has recently stopped attending church, is struggling financially and in her marriage. I know she could use more face to face time with friends that will life her up.

  9. I shared this with all of my facebook friends and I would love to read this book. I can identify with checking e-mail and facebook several times a day and not taking enough time to get together face to face with those who matter the most to me. I sent an email to my friend and told her we need to get together really soon. Thank you for being such an inspiration.

  10. Funny…just this morning I was thinking about how much I want to get together with a friend….any friend….and have some face-to-face, heart-to-heart talk! I am so overwhelmed at my job and working extra hours and it seems there are so many people pulling at me all day and then feeling like I have no time for myself. I'm going to do my best to make time for a friend…sadly, it probably won't be until next week! (See there…just an example of how my weeks go!) 🙂

  11. You really hit the nail on the head for me today. I do find myself checking email and FB more often than I should some days… and I definitely feel that craving for connection… but I didn't put it together that they are so directly related until you said it. I shared your blog on FB and I do have a friend that I chit-chat with briefly at church and we keep saying we should get together- I am going to call her today and set a date! Thanks! God Bless!

  12. Thank you for this devotional.. I can't tell you the last time I took time to spend some face to dace time with a friend! WIth 6 kids, I always tell myself there is too much to do! No more! I shared this post on my FB fan page, and will be calling another homeschool mom that is just as busy as I, to spend some time over coffee!

  13. I have posted on my blog and on FB. The interesting thing that I got from this devotional is that it's my husband that suffers the most from my time fraternizing with my online friends. I have some amazing online friends, and they deserve time too. But no one in my life deserves more attention and friendship than my hubby of 27 years. I vow to turn the computer off while he is at home and give that time to him.

    Sam

  14. Almighty God I Am Trying So Hard.
    God Do YOU Still Love Me?
    I Feel So Lost.
    I Do Good And Try So Hard.
    Almighty God I Need YOUR Love.
    Thanks. Laurie
    Laurie Ann

  15. Thank you for this timely message and such a wonderful giveaway! 🙂 I shared the giveaway on fb and I accept your challenge to reconnect with my best friend Rachele back home, I miss the times we used to share together since I've moved away 🙁

    [email protected]

  16. Wow thank you so much for this blog..It is easy to cut out face-to face relationships because of technology advances. I find myself checking emails often as well. Thank you for the challenge to get together with a friend 🙂

  17. I'm sending this to another homeschooling mom I know…you were right on! I check my email all the time~and it's because I MISS face to face time with friends. Thank You! ~Lyn

  18. Hi, I just posted this on FB. I called my friend Rachel to see if she'd like to go yard saling with me on Friday, and it looks like it may just work out! Yay! Saling is so much better with a good friend! 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement!

  20. Sent this via email to my best friend who is coming into town this weekend for my birthday. It is always good for us to unplug from our daily responsibilities and reconnect, share our heart's concerns and lean on eachother's friendship. She is such a blessing to me and I was immediately prompted to share this devotional message with her.
    Thank you!
    Lori