Stine - Craving Connection (in)courage

Copyright 2017 by DaySpring Cards, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-4567-9

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Author represented by the literary agency of Alive Literary Agency, 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80920, Alive Literacy Agency.

Dewey Decimal Classification: 302

Subject Heading: WOMEN \ INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS \ FRIENDSHIP

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Also used: New Living Translation, ( nlt ), copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. English Standard Version ( esv ), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The Voice Bible ( voice ), copyright 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice translation 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. The Message ( msg ), copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. King James Version ( kjv ) which is public domain.

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Introduction

The first thing you need to know about (in)courage is that you are welcome just the way you are.

Its true. At (in)courage were celebrating seven years of sharing real life faith stories online. Well over four thousand blog posts, thousands of social media posts, dozens of book clubs, and even more small groups. Three years of coming together to share friendship stories and encouraging women to gather in homes, coffee shops, and churches for our (in)RL (in real life) conference. Countless times hugging the necks of online friends turned real-life sisters at conferences around the country.

To say we love community might be an understatement. At (in)courage, our hearts beat for strong, healthy, God-honoring friendship. Nothing brings us more joy than watching like-hearted women connect across state lines, time zones, and languages over shared stories. Because thats ultimately who we arestorytellers who want to invite you into our living room for a cup of coffee to share what God is doing (in) our lives. There will be dishes in the sink and piles of laundry on the floor and maybe a floating dust bunny or two for you to look past. But well always have a seat saved for you.

And in case you were wondering if we just didnt know how to spell encourage, we want you to know that its only by remaining (in) Christ that we find the courage to do what the book of James calls the hard work of getting along (3:18 msg ). Its where we find ourselves as cheerleaders, not competitors. Its how we can encourage instead of becoming envious. And its only through the Holy Spirit living (in) each of us that we are able to invite you into our storiesthe real, the messy, the un-fine, the unfinishedbut always full of hope.

Now were bringing the online into real life with this book. Our prayer is that you would see yourself in these thirty stories, written by some of our favorite women God has brought into our lives through the Internet.

How to Use This Book

As we journey together through this devotional youll find:

1. A short snapshotthe key Scripture, takeaway, and challenge for each chapter reading
2. A beautiful devotional to encourage and inspire
3. A list of connection questions for personal reflection
4. A connection challenge to help you move from reflection to action

Well begin together, discovering how to connect with God more deeply because He is the ultimate example of community and friendship. As we begin to understand His promises and His love for us, well be better equipped to be the kind of friend He wants us to be. God loves you, friend. He wants more for you than a life of lonelinessand no matter what season youre in, whether your friendships are flourishing or He is your sole companion, you are not alone. God will not leave you, and He will not give up on you. We know it might feel like we are starting a little heavy, but its so important to us to ground the rest of the journey hereand we hope that youll be able to come back to this section in different seasons of your life to be encouraged.

Then well share stories that help us to connect with friends more purposefullybecause friendship, like any relationship, takes work. And its often the hard work of getting along that keeps us from creating deeper friendships with those God has brought into our livesor connecting with new friends. We know it can be scary, so well share our failures, encouragement, and practical ideas so we can be braver, together.

Finally, well talk about what it might look like to connect with our communities more intentionally. Its our hope that God would give us the opportunity to love our neighborswhether they live beside us, work in our office, care for our children, serve internationally, or deliver our mail. Well prayerfully explore what it means to be the kind of neighbor God is calling us to bewherever we live and whatever we do.

To relieve you of any pressure, there arent bonus points for completing every challenge perfectly. We wont unfriend you from the community if you arent able to complete a specific challenge in the time frame and format suggested. Our goal is that this would become a resource for you to use and be inspired by for the long term, so that when opportunities to serve or love others are discovered, youll feel more confident to go and do what God is calling you to do.

You wont find experts on these pages, or counselors, or a self-help guru to take you on a one-size-fits-all journey to success. Youll find real women sharing real stories of what God has done, is doing, and what we hope Hell continue to do in and through our lives.

Dont worryyoull have fun here, too! There is joy and freedom to be found on these pages and in the (in)courage community. Connecting with others lightens the load and adds space for more laughterand healingbecause we know we arent alone. At (in)courage, youll always find yourself among friends. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea or soda), a pair of fuzzy socks, maybe a few friends, and join us. Youre welcome here, just as you are.

What comes to our minds when we think of God is the most important thing about us.

A. W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

CONNECTING

WITH

( GOD )

MORE

DEEPLY

Starting a New Thing

Consider

Gods desire for relationship with us requires us to believe in a promise that brings change.