In this episode Chris and Diane share their insights on making new friends and keeping those friendships growing.

Show Notes & Links:

Making new friends:

-Get out of the house!

-Start in your neighborhood. Knock on some doors!

-Tip for introverts: find gatherings where the purpose is something you enjoy (hobbies, activities).

-Use the places and hobbies you already know--gives you confidence.

-Look around at church for opportunities. Does your church have gatherings for women that highlight socializing?

-Pray for God to bring like-minded women into your life.

-Look for that "click."

How to keep those friendships growing:

-Be a good listener. Sharing is a two-way street.

-Put your friends on your prayer list!

-Use activities you may normally do alone to get together: shopping, going to the movies, sharing a cup of coffee, attending a concert or play.

-How watching Quantum Leap can grow your friendship (Diane's story)

-Try a Girls Night Out! Do something adventurous. There is courage in numbers!

Next Week: Melanie Davis Porter returns to talk about helping your friends through grief.

Links:

Connect on our Facebook page and let us know your tips for making new friends:

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Share a link to today's podcast with a friend (thanks!):

https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode18/

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In this episode Chris and Diane start a short series on One-Anothering friendships. What is the Biblical model for friendships?

Show Notes & Links:

-The five elements of a true friendship:

1. Friendships with Christians are fierce, undying, and unique.

Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

2. True friends sharpen each other.

Prov. 27:17: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

-A friendship illustration from knife sharpening:

• Make sure your blade is aligned with the truth.
• Set your sharpening at the right angle. Pray for wisdom.
• The sharpening stone needs liquid. Be the stream of grace that carries away your friends' cares.
• Sharpen with gentleness. Use just enough pressure to smooth the edges.

3. Friendships take work. Reach out to women on the outside of the circle (Heb. 10:24-25).

4. Pursue close friendships with like-minded women (Psalm 1). Are our friendships leading us astray or closer to God?

5. Balanced friendship circles are multigenerational. Do you have active friendships with younger women?

Links:

-Would you be willing to share today's podcast with a friend or post on your Facebook page? Here's the link: https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode18

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You can help other women find us by leaving a review on your podcast app!

In this episode Chris and Diane talk about how to tell a good story, and how to use prompts to build a storehouse of memories you can share any time, any place.

Show Notes & Links:

-Chris talks about her temporary "big rig" job.

-Are you a landmark person or a directions (north-south-east-west) person?

-How Diane uses her Mickey Mouse purse to connect with people.

-Chris and Diane demonstrate the different between just answering a question and telling a story that answers a question.

-Storytelling tips:

• Be careful or preaching and teaching. There's a time and a place.
• Be careful of too much information, personal opinions, and too many details. Tell just the "logical" details that move the story forward. No rabbit trails.
• Never sound judgmental or make fun of other people.
• Humor can disarm an anxious situation.

-How to use mementos to prompt stories.

Links:

Answer the question of the week: Who do you know that's a good story teller? What is it about the way they share that makes you want to listen?

Join the conversation on our Facebook page or website:

Podcast website:https://womenfinishingwell.com/podcast/

Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/womenfinishingwell/

Help Us Spread the Word:

-If you know somebody who might like our podcast, here's a link you can share in an email or on your Facebook page:

https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode16

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In this week's episode, Chris and Diane share some ideas on special ways to capture memories that will live beyond our1 own lives.

Show Notes & Links:

-How keeping an inventory of what God has done in our lives helps us remember God's faithfulness.

- What kinds of memories should we be keeping track of?

-How to use gatherings to tell stories of remembrance.

-Why God had the Israelites stop and build monuments in the wilderness.

-How pictures can spark stories and memories.

Question of the week:

What kinds of activities do you use to create memories for your friends and family? Please share your thoughts on our Facebook page or in the comments here:

https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode15

https://www.facebook.com/womenfinishingwell/

Links to sample picture books you can make online:

Mixbook: https://www.mixbook.com/online-scrapbooking

Shutterfly: https://www.shutterfly.com/

Walmart: https://photos3.walmart.com/about/photo-books

Would you help us spread the word?

Please consider leaving us a review on your podcast app. We read them all for encouragement, and they help other women find us.

Here's a link to this week's episode you can share on your Facebook page or other social media:

https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode15/

- We are blessed to live in a time when tools for creating memories are right at our fingertips.

-A look at what happened when Israel forgot what God had done for them after leaving Egypt. (Psalm 106:7-14)

-The slippery slope from forgetting to indifference to rebellion and how easy it is to forget what God has done.

-How we can get distracted by disappointment or anger and temporarily block out what God has done for us.

-God's prompt to remember from Numbers 15: a set of sewing instructions. Why tangible reminders are important.

-Remembering an event is only part of the remembering equation. We want to remember how God showed up in that event.

-Why God wants us to remember what He has done (Ps. 103).

-Diane shares a story from her Wall of Fame.

How do you create memories for your family and friends? We're looking for your ideas. You can answer the question in the comments on the podcast website (https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode14) or on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/womenfinishingwell/

Click here for a link to the journals we talked about in the episode that are great prompts for preparing life stories.

Would you be willing to help other women find us? There are a couple of ways to do that:

1. Leave us a review on your podcast app. We read those and they really encourage us and help other women find the podcast.

2. Share a link to this episode on your Facebook page: https://womenfinishingwell.com/episode14

Thanks so much for helping us get the word out!

A sneak peek at this week's Women Finishing Well podcast on why remembering is the key to leaving a legacy of faith.

In this episode Chris interviews blogger Melanie Davis Porter about her journey through grief after losing family members in a tragedy.

Show Notes & Links:

-Grief is a season and God wants to bring balance to our lives.

-How the enemy of your heart can complicate your grief.

-Defining your season of mourning and its purpose for the healing journey.

-How to share your grief with others.

-How looking back at God's faithfulness helps us deal with our present hurt.

-Why you should keep an inventory (journal) on how God shows up in your grief.

-Andrew Murray quote for troubled times:

"In time of trouble, say, First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child. Then say, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow. And last, say, In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows. Therefore, say, I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time."

Links:

Where you can find Melanie:

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDavisPorter/

-Twitter & Instagram: @melaniedavisporter

-Blog & website: https://melaniedavisporter.com/

Connect with us:

Sign up for our newsletter to be eligible for free monthly books (and our free First Things First tool). Don't forget you'll have to confirm your subscription in a follow-up email that comes to your inbox:

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Join the conversation on our Facebook page:

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Help us share the show:

-Would you consider leaving us a review on your podcast app? We read those reviews and are encouraged to know that you're listening.

-Consider sharing the link to this week's show with a friend:

In this episode, Chris interviews Cathy Lamb about following the call of God to full-time ministry after raising her family.

Show Notes:

-Diane's excellent road trip adventure.

-Meet Cathy Lamb and find out what happened when she was called into full-time ministry at age 50.

-The challenges of being a woman in church leadership.

-How to recalibrate when God closes a door.

-Listening to God when you're navigating hurt.

-God's faithfulness and our call to be the best we can be.

-Cling to the One who calls and let go of the calling.

(Correction: Cathy Lamb has a master's degree in Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary.)

Where you can find us:

-We have a Facebook page where we'd love to connect with you there: https://www.facebook.com/womenfinishingwell/

-Sign up for our monthly newsletter to be eligible for our free monthly books and get our free First Things First tool! You will be asked to confirm your subscription in a follow-up email and then you're in! Sign up here.

Help us get the word out:

Would you be willing to share our podcast on your Facebook page or give us a review on iTunes? We'd appreciate it! Here's a link to our podcast you can share:

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In this episode, Chris and Diane share their favorite summer reads, talk about what book they really want to read next, and ask listeners to share their recent favorite books in the discussion.

Links & Show Notes:

-Diane's camping adventure with 17 people, including nine grandchildren.

-Favorite places we like to read books.

-The best book we've read so far this summer: Lewis & Clark learn a leadership lesson and how to get over your hospitality phobia.

-Two books on how to de-clutter your life.

-What we're reading next.

-What are you reading? Please share.

Join the discussion and tell us what books you recommend:

-Women Finishing Well Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/womenfinishingwell/

Help Us Get the Word Out!

-Link to the post on how to leave a review on iTunes:

https://womenfinishingwell.com/we-need-your-help/

Click here to sign up for our email list to be eligible for monthly free books.

Links (click 'em, they're live):

-Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Unchartered Territory by Tod Bolsinger

-Just Open the Door by Jenn Schmidt

-The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

-Clutter-Free by Kathi Lipp

-Organic Mentoring: A guide to mentoring next generation women by Sue Edwards and Barbara Neumann

-His Last Words by Kim Erickson

Wanna sell some of your stuff locally? Take a look at Offer Up.

In this episode Chris interviews podcaster Michelle Nezat about personal worship and how to incorporate it into your day.

Links & Show Notes:

-Michelle's story about how she started a podcast on connecting with God through worship music.

-Why meditation is an important part of worship.

-Why we need to expand our definition of worship beyond church services.

-How our everyday tasks can be acts of worship.

-How to connect what you're singing with God's Word.

"When you sing, you rehearse the attributes of God." - Michelle Nezat

Links (click 'em, they're live)

Michelle's podcast, More Than A Song

The "First Things First" past podcasts

Help Us Spread the Word

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