• Devotionals,  Faith

    Not Nice or Knot Nice

    Why encourage a relationship with others who are “not” my faith, my family, my friends? They are not my style, not the kind of necklace I want to hang around my neck. Why should I care? But those “nots” are like the many knots on a fragile chain that links people together.

  • categories of friends
    Devotionals,  Relationships

    Categories of Friends

    [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ayodele Oluwafunsho — the third installment in her friendship series. You can check out her last post, Why Do You Need Friends? and the first post, We Are Meant to Relate by following the links!] Categories of Friends In making friends, you will come across this set of people; 1) Those that came to use you: These people are not sincere, they don’t tell you the truth about who you are and they don’t say the truth about who they are. They will praise you in the morning, afternoon and at night, so that the praise can cover up their agenda. They will…

  • why do you need friends
    Devotionals,  Relationships

    Why Do You Need Friends

    [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ayodele Oluwafunsho. “Why Do You Need Friends” is a follow-up post to her last guest blog on Devotional Diva on the topic of friendship: “We Are Meant to Relate.” Look out for even more friendship posts from Oluwafunsho!] WHY DO YOU NEED FRIENDS? My last post was about what Friendship is and what it entails. Today, I would like to discuss two other important aspects of Friendship. Why do you need friends?  You are a product of people’s inputs; whoever you have in your life is either adding to you or subtracting from you. This either brings a positive or a negative input into…

  • we are meant to relate
    Devotionals,  Faith

    We Are Meant to Relate

    [editor’s note: This is a guest post by Ayodele Oluwafunsho. I love her post today on friendship and how we relate to one another! This weekend, I’m reading Bible verses in one of my best friend from childhood’s wedding (remember the one from last year that got married? that’s the third pea in our pod!). Friendship is such a blessing!] Friendship is one of the greatest assets you can possess in life. It’s so funny we know how to treat lesser assets than the greater ones. Friendship is one of the most strategic things in life; it’s something you don’t have to take for granted. If the Bible said “Two…

  • Devotionals,  Relationships

    Companion on the Journey

    [Guest post by Samantha Hanni: Trying to conceive, infertility, miscarriages and pregnancy are difficult times and Samantha is right — it’s so important to have a female companion on the journey! God certainly placed someone like this in my life, and what an encouragement she was!] Luke 1:5-36; 39-45; 56 Elizabeth and Mary. Two pregnancies against all odds. A virgin birth? A pregnancy after menopause? Medically impossible. Highly unlikely. Imagine the looks the teenager and grandma-aged lady must have gotten from neighbors, even friends. The suspected immorality. The arched eyebrows and whispered comments behind palms. How trying and humiliating…to be pregnant is to be already vulnerable, but to be labeled as…

  • Relationships

    Be Transparent & Get Naked

    [Guest post by Alicia Gill: I’m usually one to be pretty direct and honest; I have trouble holding in sour emotions. In this post, Alicia’s Sunday school student gives a great example of being transparent, letting it out, and “getting naked.”] “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?” Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 (NIV) A few years ago, I taught a very sweet high…

  • Devotionals

    The Power of a Godly Friend

    [Guest post by Ozella Morris: Ozella’s story of the power of a godly friend is inspiring. I hope all of you surround yourself with encouraging friends like this!] Malachi 3:16 -Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name. We will come in contact with so many different individuals throughout our lives. It’s very easy to make fast friends or to overlook opportunities of true relationships. The Bible lets us know there is true…

  • Devotionals

    Gossip is Not a Harmless Sin

    [Guest Post by Jenee Day: I honestly used to think gossiping was okay, even though I was a Christian. As I got older, I realized, like Jenee, gossip is not a harmless sin. Here’s why.] Today I contributed to the destruction of a relationship. Contributed is probably the wrong word.  Comparing the relationship to a skyscraper being demolished, I would be the person who provided the explosives.  Not directly, not intentionally, but with a little bit of ‘harmless’ sin. I was having a difficult day, and I called my friend to talk about it. Disclosure:  Gossip is a sin I struggle with.  It’s easy for me to rationalize and honestly,…

  • Relationships

    The 3 People You Need to Meet

    [Maggie is on vacation so I thought I’d jump on and encourage you all with the three people you need to meet to achieve your dreams. My newest book, Dream Devotional, just released this month. Pick up a copy on Amazon for only $2.99!] Dreaming together is important because we are designed, commanded, and encouraged into a loving relationship with God and each other. I’ll never forget the day I was sitting at the front desk as the office receptionist when a woman walked in for an interview. She thought I was pregnant–say what??–and asked me when I was due. I was completely shocked and mortified. She felt really bad too…

  • Relationships

    Why is it that Christians Hurt Me the Most?

    [Guest Post by Mary DeMuth – If you or anyone you know has been hurt by Christians, the church, or anyone who claims to love God–please forward this to them! Be encouraged.] I wish it weren’t true. But I can honestly say being hurt by other Christians, particularly Christian leaders, has devastated me. I don’t have a category for the grief because of all the shoulds. (Those leaders should know better than to act that way. They should not have said those hateful words.) In the aftermath of the pain, I’ve not always processed it well. I’ve been angry. I’ve wanted vengeance. The writer in me wanted to craft a…