Girls’ Club: Cultivating Lasting Friendship in a Lonely World

Told in three alternating voices—those of missionary Sally Clarkson (Own Your Life) and her daughters, Sarah (Read for the Heart) and Joy—this book of welcoming advice extols the power of female friendships and the grace of God’s love and mercy. “We are bonded together by God’s love—that wonderful power that made and loves us all,” Joy writes. Lessons are mostly grounded in scriptural passages but are not overly preachy. “You are never alone in this great work of friendship; God is always first, loving you and filling you in such a way that you can reach out to others,” Sarah counsels. Sally asks: What does community looks like? And how does one learn to create it? “I’ve been learning that community can be boiled down to three powerful words, the same ones Paul chose to end his famous description of enacted love in 1 Corinthians 13: faith, hope, and love,” she notes. But creating these communities doesn’t start by accident, she writes. Deep, long-term, soul-satisfying friendship takes hard work, the authors argue, and they offer practical advice on how to become a reliable friend (stay in contact), meet a friend’s needs (stick to commitments), and champion faith, truth, and integrity. This wise book provides Christian women with a sensible road to creating a loving, faith-filled community. (Feb.)