Wednesday Moody radio starts airing a ten week Bible Study on The Friendships of Women. Click here starting tomorrow (June 17th) or any following Wednesday to listen live at noon central time. Or click here to listen to past talks online, beginning the day after the show.
I want to hear your stories – how did God lead you to a friend, Strengthen you through a friend, heal a friendship?… I’ll be telling you my stories in the next ten weeks – and trying to answer your questions. Right here!
And before you go, you simply must watch this and see one of the funniest videos I’ve seen showing a woman’s gift for gab – from girlhood on!
17 comments
That is the funniest video I have seen!! My baby girl is just like that! She talks from wake up til bed down! Interesting for an introverted mama! :)God teaches us so much through our children!
First I am lifting your talks up in prayer. That is great! I love listening to moody. I started praying for godly friendships when we first moved to Tennessee. God answered that prayer through some really great women that I know I would not be able to do life as easily without. I see them as a rare gift from Him. Yet, Dee there are times that I feel so lonely and like I don’t have any friends. Where in the world does that come from? I suppose it is lies from the enemy. Strangest thing!
I have many stories I could share of great friendship encouragement but I chose this one for today. I was very sick when My children were 2 and 4. So sick I could not clean the house. I barely could care for them. I was really struggling. I had friends organize childcare and dinners and the like to help me out. One day this one special friend came in and looked around and grabbed a broom without a word and just started sweeping. As I watched her tears started streaming down my face. I then had to surrender to the fact that I really needed to depend on others. I could not longer be that dependent woman that I prided myself in. This friend was so gentle and taught me so much about servant hood. She prays with me and crys with me and loves my children as they are her own. I learn so much from her and praise God everytime I think about allowing her to be placed in my life.
Sorry this was so long!! But praying God gives you great words of wisdom as you speak. Praying women will be drawn closer to Him in this and freed from any bondage. Praying for the quickening of the Holy Spirit in you. May He lead and guide and bless you indeed.
Much love,
Angela
Wonderful heartwarming story — the kind that encourages us to be His love to others! Thanks, Angela.
Your question immediately brought to mind my special friend Marilyn. We often talk about how good the Lord was to bring us together. Marilyn grew up in the same church as my late husband Ed. They hadn’t seen each other in many years, but when she heard Ed was sick, she called the hospital from out of state to encourage him. He was too weak for much conversation, so Marilyn & I got to know each other over the phone. I lived at the hospital during that time. Each day brought new challenges for us, but the Lord was always there bringing His blessings & revealing His truth. I would call Marilyn when Ed was sleeping & tell her all the Lord was doing. We talked long & often as I walked through the shadow of death with my husband. Having a spiritually mature friend to share my prayers, thoughts & feelings with was a gift from the Lord. I’ve been a widow for three years now. My friendship with Marilyn continues to grow. Even though she lives in Arkansas & I in Florida, we share our lives & love for Christ with each other. We phone each other regularly & she comes to Florida occasionally. We are sisters in the Lord. God is so good!
Sharri’s friend, instead of asking, “What can I do?” found something to do and blessed Sharri. A cemented friendship. Loved it.
I loved the video. It reminded me of one of my granddaughters who could really string the gibberish! My friend, Brenda, was paramount in my healing from divorce. She took the risk in speaking truth, in love, to me. Although the words were hard to hear, God ingrained them in my heart. We are still best friends all these years later, and we have shared the depths of sorrow and the heights of joy together. Our new venture of late is early morning exercise together. We are enjoying pilates and prayer before we each have to go to work. My other best friend and I enjoy our therapeutic walking together. We have been walking 3 times a week together for a number of years. Boy, have we solved a lot of serious problems while walking. Something about it seems to loosen our tongues! Praise God for good friends. I enjoy your teaching.
With love,
Deidra
3 great stories:
Speaking truth (and you must be applauded for receiving it)
Prayer and Pilates 🙂
Walking and problem solving (the loosened tongues reminds me of this video!)
Yep – she’s destined for a career in radio!
You must have been a fun baby, Melinda. You certainly are a great radio host!And an extrovert we all love.
God has really orchestrated my friendships. When I lost my husband John, I had a friend, Sally. We were not especially close, just friends. But she and her husband stepped in, and supported me when I could not even function. Her husband is a liver transplant, and has walked a long hard road, even losing his ministry (pastor and missionary) due to his health. Sally knew the road I had walked, and she and I became very close. Her husband has been in and out of the hospital, and I am walking with her for I know the road she is going to walk eventually. We support each other. God is so good, He knows what we need, and supplies it. Praise his name.
Tender story. Thanks for sharing it.
I have to thank God for my best friend Brandy Doss. There was a time in my life I fell greatly before the Lord. Most of the people who were my “friends” either left me or talked about me behind my back. Me and Brandy had grown up in the same church for years and were two (young..we still are young, by the way, (-: )single mothers who used to fast and pray together. When I fell morally, her family members told her to cut me off and have nothing to do with me because I might affect her and her household. But Brandy stood up for me against her family, whom I know she’s very close to, and stood by my side the whole time, speaking into my life and continuing to uphold me in prayer and accountability, when I needed a friend the most. And I appreciate God for her very much, we’re still best friends (needless to say) to this day and through her friendship I am re-establishing my relationship with Jesus.
Jan — such a good story. Thanks for sharing it.
Jan — I just shared part of your story on Midday connection — you can listen online to today’s program in 24 hours — it’s in the beginning of the program! I stayed vague enough to protect your anonymity — but I pray it will help many!
Oh, that’s awesome..thanks! I pray that it is helpful to others as well.
Hi Dee.
I listened to midday connection when I am off from work. Two weeks ago I heard the program and I bought the book so I could follow on with the discussion.I have realy enjoyed it because it took me back a long way and I did not realize that God had always put godly women in my life begining with my mother. I am very out going but always have very few close friends. I now realize that I am an encourager and like Anita the ones I dont like I fumble with, Now I have to pray for those shortcomings.
My thoughts on Noami is that of a godly woman who had the rug pulled from under her and her 2 daughter in in laws. All 3 men died and they have no one to provide for them. So she blesses them and releases them from their ties or responsibility to her, thinking that they may find husbands in their own country.
Ruth on the other hand is someone all of us would like to be, obedient and trusting with a childlike faith in God and in Noami.
Thank you all for your transparency I will be listening next time.
Marjorie
Marjorie — I can see what you have the gift of encouragement. You empathize! Thanks so for writing.
My story is different from all the others. I would like to share about a relationship that was the most special of any I’d ever had. I enjoyed it extremely but sin entered in and it became unhealthy to the point of my becoming emotionally dependent. This is a very hard and unhappy place to be. I was there for a few years until she completely pulled out of the friendship and I had to agree to it, as well.
The beautiful part of this story is how God used this friend, even through the ugly, to bring me to a deeper place in Him and bring healing to my wounded emotions. Those emotions were damaged long before I’d ever known this woman, but it took my going to places I’d never thought I’d be and then losing her friendship in order to begin to receive the much needed healing in my soul.
The journey of separation has been hard and painful at times, but it is so worth it! I’m free now, no longer in bondage to another person, and I FEEL GOOD.
Dee’s book, THE FRIENDSHIPS OF WOMEN, played a huge part in opening my eyes. It gave me hope, as well. And I was so happy to hear a Christian author addressing a problem that I didn’t have any resources for at the time.(Chapter 3, The Darker Side of Being Crazy-glued)
Hope what I’ve shared ministers to someone.
Anyway, through loss, my friend gave me her final, yet the utmost, help I could have ever asked for. Praise God. He is ever present and wanting to do great things in and through our relationships. Our part is to trust and let him.