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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. I shared this on my email and facebook. I find myself constantly checking facebook to make sure I haven't missed anything important!! I definitely plan on cutting my fb time and try to spend more face-to-face time with friends!!

  2. Thank you for reminding me that our friends are a very important part of our life.I have a friend that we would get togeter once a week and spend time together for the day just talking. We have not done that in a while. Life just got to busy. I miss this day and I am going to call her today and make plans to get together. I also need to vist an elderly friend and help her with some crafts she loves company and I am so happy that she is my friend because her wisdom and Godly wasys are so good for me.

  3. I posted this on my facebook page; also want to let you know it spoke to my heart also; am planning a gathering of a few of my sisters in Chirst for a brunch on Saturday.

    Alease

  4. Renee,
    I emailed my friends and told them about this post. Thank you so much for the great devotional.

  5. I shared this post on Facebook!!!!! I have emailed with several friends today about getting together soon!

  6. Guilty – that is me, but good to know we are not alone and connection with others is something God has for us. As I've thought about this through the day, a quote from your book comes to mind – "worry robs us of peace in our relationships." That thought has been on my mind lately but God really brought it all together after reading this devo and reflecting on my friendships. I know God uses the face to face time I share with friends to bless me, help me grow and keep me accountable, but when life takes over and distance between those connections increase worry sets in – I find myself thinking (worrying) what I did wrong, why doesn't she want to spend time with me and on and on. All that does is push me further away and like you said robs me of peace!!! It's so obvious satan doesn't want us spending time with Godly friends, but all too often he doesn't get the blame.

    Immediately following reading your devo God brought a friend to mind, one who I'd began "doubting" wanted to be my friend. But before I could dial her number, she had already dialed mine. I've shared about the book and would highly recommend reading it with a friend – not only will it connect friends with friends but also with God!!!

    Thanks for sharing your encouraging words with us Renee!!!
    Jill

  7. I love this post. I'm a new follower. I shared it on twitter. Thank you for the reminder of the importance of friends. I would love to share this book and a coffee with my friend Ashley.

  8. Renee,

    I loved this devotional as it really applies to my life right now. I shared your post and I plan to call my good friend, Sheri, today. Thanks for sharing!

  9. I forgot to add, I was a table leader for Overcoming Depression by Neil Anderson. When the group ended, the ladies wanted more, so I plan to meet them in two weeks for a cup of coffee and follow up on what we had decided to do to help with depression. I am going to see if God will open the door to meet and encourage them monthly. Once again my tendency is to isolate but I made the committment and I will follow through because of the blessings that God gives me when I am with friends. Blessings Diana

  10. Renee, I often wonder why I can tell people on the internet at my group support things that I do not share. I shared with my closest friend and I accept your challenge.I am meeting with a friend tonight for dinner when everything in my being wants to cancel so I can go straight home after work. I know in my depression, I isolate, so sometimes I am more social than other. What is the girl scout song, "Keep Old friends but make new ones, one is silver and the other gold." Blessings. Diana

  14. This is just what I needed today. I don't really know what to say. I don't go crazy with my e-mail or any other web site, or even texting. I think somehow I just shut off…or got shut off. My attempts to reach out have not been good lately, and I need it so bad. I have my husband, and he is wonderful, but it's not the same as sharing your inmost stuff with a sister. Everyone is so busy. Thank you again so much…

  15. Renee,

    This was a great post. I have a friend who lives in the midwest, so it is hard to have face to face time, however we try to get phone time for catching up and praying. We just did that this morning. It is so awesome for both of us as we get to share what our needs/concerns are as well as the praise reports on how God has answered. Thanks for the encouragement.

  17. I love this post. My three best friends keep telling me that they're praying I find a face-to-face friend near where I live. They live over three hours away from me so I may only see them once or twice a year. I long for a friend near me. I do have friends at church but they never have time for me and we don't talk outside of church.

    I love the suggestions you gave and most of them my spiritual mom has suggested to me or are things that I've been wanting to do with her and our two best friends. One is get away for a weekend. My spiritual mom and our two best friends get together once a week to do a Bible study and pray and she wants me to be able to do that with a friend.

    I have shared your post with my spiritual mom and others through email. I do thank God because I may not have a face-to-face friend right now but I have good email friends.

  18. Thanks so much! I just sent this link to my new friend Laura. God brought her into my life when I really needed her. And you are SO right about checking emails…I am guilty of that too but am going to do better.

  19. Renee, this is a wonderful sounding book. Would love to receive it and be able to share it with my daughter.

  20. Renee, I'm sharing about the book via Facebook and Twitter. I'm also looking forward to a "get together" with a friend in Europe via Skype tonight! 🙂 I've been looking forward to your book's released, and I can't wait to read it and share it with friends in my women's ministry!