Oh, How He Loves

by Mary Southerland | | 3 comments

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Grandchildren often remind me how to find joy in the simple things of life. When our twin grandchildren were about two years old, I took them on a little shopping trip. When Mimi comes for a visit, there is always a shopping trip on the agenda. Lelia and Jaydan piled into the car, and we headed to the store. I think I was more excited than they were. That’s how grandmothers are.

Once inside the store, we grabbed a shopping cart, and off we went in search of treasures. In other words, we needed toys!

As we headed to the toy section of the store, we passed the pharmacy – which reminded me that I needed to pick up some vitamins.

You Are Reflection of God’s Glory?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 2 comments

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My friends Gwen, Lisa, and Bill joined Steve and I for a shrimp boil at my home. We spread out the steamed shrimp and then made a glorious mess as we shucked and ate one tasty morsel after another.

After dinner, Gwen and I challenged Bill and Lisa to a paddleboat race across the lake. “Oh, we’ll cream you guys,” Bill boasted as he and his paddling partner accepted the challenge. He puffed up, knowing that victory was eminent. He was pumped.

I pointed Bill to one of our two vessels. “Here, you take this one.”

“Fine with me,” he said, self-assured.

My husband, with a knowing smile, signaled for the race to begin. Off we went. Bill and Lisa paddled

The Mustard Seed of Faith

by Mary Southerland | | no comments

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I am not a quitter! What some might call stubbornness, I prefer to call perseverance – especially when it comes to growing flowers and plants.

We recently downsized and moved to a house with a small wooden deck in the back yard. I took one look at that deck and could almost hear it crying out for beautiful plants spilling over the edges of brightly colored ceramic planters. My stubbornness … uh, perseverance … kicked in, and I thought, “I can do this!”

I headed to the local nursery where they know me. And by “know me” I mean they understand that I can kill just about any living plant known to mankind.

Linda greeted me with a smile. Linda and

Is Your Faith One of Duty or Desire?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 1 comment

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My ministry is primarily with women, and often the subject of marriage comes up. And for those brave souls who dare ask the hard questions, sex surfaces as one of the top three areas of marital tension. Questions brim from frustration and sometimes my answers are not what they want to hear. Frequency? What is acceptable and unacceptable? What is required?

Required? Do women really ask that? Yep. Required. That’s the word they use. Far too many women, Christians included, approach the marriage bed with a sense of duty rather than desire. And you know what? A husband always knows the difference. He can tell the difference. It is not the melody his heart longs for—a song in which

Let Go and Trust God

by Mary Southerland | | 6 comments

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Babies fascinate me. They are so fresh from God. And have so much to learn! Think about it. Babies come into this world knowing nothing. For starters, they have to learn how to roll over, how to sit up, and eventually the biggie – learning to walk.

I had forgotten just how amazing the process of learning to walk really is until our grandson Justus reminded me. Justus was a speed crawler who could scoot along the floor almost as fast as I could walk. For the first 12 months of his life, Justus seemed content to explore the bottoms of tables and chairs, play with doorstops or inspect food crumbs on the floor.

But the day came when he

One Thing You Can’t Do

by Gwen Smith | | 1 comment

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I pretty much consider myself to have a black thumb. Charcoal, even. I like plants and genuinely try to keep them healthy and thriving, but fail at it a lot more than I succeed. So a few years ago when my BFF brought me a baby aloe plant, my heart was torn between girlfriend-gratitude and feelings of sorrow for the innocent little aloe.

A few weeks after she gave me the plant gift, my friend told me a story. She confessed that she struggles to share things and said that she had two aloe plants for a long time. One day she felt a heart-nudge to give one of them to me and she decided that she would give me the

You Are Somebody

by Sharon Jaynes | | no comments

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I want to know God’s will for my life. Don’t you? However I have learned that identity comes before activity. In other words, I must have a proper perspective of who I am before I can grasp what God wants me to do. This was true of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”(Jeremiah 1:5). He didn’t choose Jeremiah after he proved himself worthy of the task, but before he was even born. That was true for Joshua (Joshua 1:6-9), Gideon (Judges 6:12), and Mary (Luke 1:28)—and that is true for you.

God didn’t throw up His hand

Unfolding Curiosity

by Friday Friend | | 1 comment

We hope you are enjoying the Girlfriends in God daily devotions. We (Mary, Sharon, and Gwen) would like to introduce you to some of our special friends. From time-to-time, the Friday devotions will be written by one of our friends in ministry. We call them our Friday Friends. So grab your Bible and a fresh cup of coffee and drink in the words from our Friday Friend, Logan Wolfram.

Friend to Friend 

Curiosity to understand the world around us has driven innovation for centuries. From the Romans to Einstein to modern technology and advances, our curiosity for what we don’t understand pushes us forward. And whether or not we take hold of the things we pursue, we still press on to chase after increased understanding and attain

Hard to Help

by Mary Southerland | | 7 comments

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I was behind … tired … and stressed out. I had too many irons in the fire and too many writing deadlines staring me in the face. So when my husband Dan asked if he could do anything to help, I said, “Sure! You can write one of the Girlfriends in God devotions I need to turn in tomorrow.” I didn’t really think he would do it. But he did. And God used it to smack me right between the eyes. I just had to share it with you!

There are so things I absolutely adore about my wife of forty years. She is my best friend, the best mom I have ever known, and the walking definition of

What If Your Worst “What If” Does Happen?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 11 comments

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Some people just seem happy and positive all the time. They appear to never worry and fret. These people act like they eat rainbows for breakfast and ride a unicorn to work. But life isn’t all lucky charms. Sometimes it is just plain hard. We anticipate trials. Jesus promised trouble. “In this world you will have trouble,” He warned (John 16:33).

So what if the worst thing you can imagine does happen? What then?

What if my child gets sick?

What if my husband does leave?

What if I lose my job?

What if I get on a plane to go to a speaking engagement and the plane crashes?

I decided a long time ago, when I get on a plane, I’m either