Sally Clarkson - Girls Club: Cultivating Lasting Friendship in a Lonely World

Praise for Girls Club

Sally and I have committed ourselves to lifelong friendship, and she has given me the richness of her life. Weve shared so many memories and are indeed kindred spirits. Together we have prayed, visited each other in the hospital, traveled to Italy and England, and shared many cups of our favorite tea. We will always share memories, nostalgia, and so much fun as we both are committed to our friendship. I pray that through this book you will be encouraged to seek out or embrace friendships where you give and receive.

PHYLLIS STANLEY

Sallys, Sarahs, and Joys mentor and dear friend

Forty years ago, God gave Sally and me a friendship that was to be for life. It was a gift that became a lifeline as we ministered behind the Iron Curtain and has since seen us through many seasons of life. Sallys family also became a gift to me, and my special friendship with Sarah and Joy has delighted my heart. God has enriched my life through these three Clarkson girls.

GWEN TODD

Committed friend of Sallys for forty years

Friends are not easy to find. Moving to a new city as an adult brought deep loneliness and isolation. Amid a family medical crisis, I forced myself to do what I had seen Sally do so ofteninitiate and invite new women into my life. Years later, I now count those women among my own girls club as we travel through life together, taking intentional time to grow our friendships. Girls Club offers both hope and inspiration for finding and tending deep, meaningful friendships. I cannot wait to read this with the girls.

JENNIE NELSON

Mother of three and friend of Sallys

In a world of constant, instant, worldwide connection, women still find themselves feeling lonely. We are told this is just the way it isthat all women are competitive and lean toward comparison and judgment, and that friendship is a thing of the past. But is that true? The Clarkson women are here to issue a challenge and a vision: mothers and daughters, sisters and friends, coworkers and neighbors gathering together around a common purpose to share hearts and dreams and life. As a member of Sallys team, I am a grateful recipient of their encouraging example, have experienced it myself, and am so glad theyve written down their hearts to inspire a new generation of women who might just want to initiate their own girls clubs all over the world.

MISTY KRASAWSKI

Sallys friend of many years

Sally, Sarah, and Joy capture the essence of cultivating friendship. In a culture where women are busy and distracted, it can seem difficult to have meaningful, lasting connection. But the Clarkson women light a candle in the darkness with Girls Club and inspire us through sharing their wisdom and stories of intentional moments curated over years. Sally has faithfully lived out this message in our friendship through the many ways she nurtures, mentors, and inspires me to cultivate friendships that will last a lifetime.

GRETCHEN ROBERTS, MD

Pediatrician and mother of five

In a world of social media, its easy to forget how to cultivate real friendships. You can invite anyone to like you... but do you really know them? This book will challenge you to grow godly, loving, authentic friendships that will enrich your life.

SANDRA MADDOX

Ministry leader and Sallys close friend

Friendships with other strong women are what have kept me on track during so many hard, questioning times in my life. Its so important to spend time investing in those relationships, because these friends are the ones who will be there to give you a pep talk, let you cry, or tell you when youre off track!

REBECCA MOON

Business owner and Joys lifelong friend

Making close, lasting friendships with other women is incredibly important, but the way to those friendships can sometimes seem a bit mysterious! Which is why Im so excited about Girls Club, an affirming, encouraging look at the beauties (and the practicalities) of developing and maintaining intentional friendships that empower and strengthen us as women. And, as someone whos been blessed with Joys friendship, I can heartily attest to her expertise on the subject.

ELENA TRUEBA

Writer and graduate student at Harvard Divinity School; Joys college roommate

Friendships are so important in walking a strong spiritual life. The first time I heard Sally speak, I knew she was a kindred spirit. Now I look back on the years of our faithful friendship, and I thank God for a friend who encouraged me and shared much along the way. Girls Club will encourage you to make committed friendships a priority.

LYNN CUSTER

Sallys friend and companion in life and ministry

To anyone who has ever felt the loneliness of the connected digital age, Girls Club is a veritable roadmap to building lasting, faithful friendshipsa must-read.

KATHERINE HARLEY

Dear friend and social media specialist to Sarah

One sunny morning in Oxford, fresh off a plane and deposited by a bus onto a cobbled street, my daughter and I (in desperate search of strong tea!) unintentionally wheeled our suitcases smack dab into a meeting of the Girls Club. Right away, I ascertained that this was a sacred circle, a convivial assembly of mutual affection and affirmation. And with this gem of a book, the Clarkson women are pulling up a chair and inviting you, through stories of their own friendships, to widen the lens of possibility for the relationships in your life as they share their hearts, with warmth and wit, about how to combat the isolation of this modern, restless world and embrace Gods design to forge and fortify the bonds of friendship with other women. Maybe you think you dont have the time or emotional energy to cultivate deep and lasting friendships? Dont waste another moment in loneliness and fear of rejection! Glean from Girls Club how to initiate the spark that kindles a steady blaze of brave, purposeful, enriching kinship with others who can challenge you to meet fear with courage, dispel spite with kindness and grace, and heal woundedness with generosity of soul.

STEPHANIE WILBUR

Old friend and kindred spirit of Sarahs

Few friendships have shaped my own life the way Sally Clarksons has. Spending countless hours in her home throughout the last decade, exploring cities together, feasting, talking over tea, and working alongside one another are memories I cherish, but they are also moments that have awakened my heart to the intimate friendship of God, His love for me, and His desire for all of us to have rich relationships that nourish and transform our souls. Now Sally and her incredible daughters have pulled back the curtain on how they have forged friendships in their family and in all the places they inhabit. We are all invited to join the Girls Club as the Clarksons welcome us not only into fresh hope and practical help for building beautiful ties with other women but with God as well.

KRISTEN KILL

Mother of five and author of Finding Selah

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Girls Club: Cultivating Lasting Friendship in a Lonely World