Friendship

Last night I went out and painted pottery with a group of ladies from my Monday night bible study. I call them the MNL (Monday Night Ladies). It was so much fun especially because I am not the most artsy person around. I will post a picture of it when I get it back, it is being fired right now :-)
Anywho.....I have been doing different bible studies with these ladies for about 8-9 months. Our group has grown and shrunk according to different people's schedules but for the most part it is alot of the same ladies. In the beginning I said to Steven,"If I start this bible study, don't let me become a bible study junkie. Going from one bible study to the next and never stopping to live out what I learn." I was afraid that if I started attending a bible study I would get sucked into the vortex and never come out. Working at Lifeway I have seen so many ladies that live for "the next Bible study". They come in month after month buying studies, and I always wonder....."When do they live what they learn?"
But I have found that I don't always attend Bible study for the bible study :-) The friendships that have formed cannot be matched anywhere else. Now don't hear me wrong. I love studying God's word. I love the schedule that the bible study forces me to keep. I love the accountability that the group holds me to. But the fellowship.......is just so sweet. The past couple of weeks we have been between studies so we have done some "out" time. Last week we went to Panera Bread and then to Lifeway to find a new study and then this week we painted pottery. Our group has women from all walks of life. Some are single, some are married, some are moms, some are single moms, & some are grandmothers. The cool thing is that the past couple of weeks have shown us all that we have more than a bible study....we have friendship. There is something pretty special about friendships that are formed around the common bond of loving Jesus and being a woman.
When we first moved here I began to pray that God would give me true friendship. It is something I have struggled with in ever city we have lived in. God has given me some really special friends along our journey and I am so thankful. My prayer was to have some women that would love me and pour into me. Ministry can be so lonely sometimes and authentic friendship is hard to find. My prayer was also that I would have women to pour into. You have to laugh at my current scenario....I am in 3 small groups. One that is all mine. Where the kids stay home with daddy, no one goes with me, I am not responsible for anything but myself and getting me there. Another that is full of moms that have younger children. This one, the older girls babysit, my littles go with and play with the other littles, and I am one of 3 staff wives in the group. It is a new group and I am still learning my place there. And third is my small group with Steven. He and I lead a group of 5 couples. It meets at my house, kids are in my basement, and we are responsible for almost everything. So you can see that all 3 groups hit different places in my heart. Different levels of responsibility, accountability, and friendship. It is amazing to see how God has far and away answered my prayers.

I just received the book Friendship for Grown-Ups ~Lisa Whelchel. I am anxious to read it because this is something I have struggled with all of my adult life. Once I finish reading it I will review and then I am going to do a giveaway! I am reading 4 books right now so please be patient with me....I will try to finish it a couple of weeks.

Toodles

~LL