What is Friendships of Love?

FRIENDSHIPS of LOVE
the group is about Authentic relationships grown in Christ

Know * Share * Serve

A three fold cord is not easily broken

Eccl 4:12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Friendships of Love has been a dream hidden in the hearts of two friends Tina and Starla Smtih who have had to endure heartache, give forgiveness, find reconciliation in Christ and eachother. Through the trials of how to love, be a friend, speak in love, and lay down our lives. Christ has built a love for Him and a desire to see other women develope the gifts of friendship, companionship, and accountability partnership through encouragement and honest communication between eachother.

Friendships of Love is a group for friends. It is a place where we can joy in the knowing of our closest friends and where we can create deep and meaningful relationships. Friendships of Love is about finding a comrade, a companion to walk with you on your journey in life. To have a person in your life that will help cheer you, encourage you, and pray for you, and yes hold you accountable. Friendships of Love will also help you discover who you are, what your purpose is, and how to live transparently with other people in this life. It will help you see the benefits of living truthfully among people, to understand the way we work in our minds and emotions and thwart God's purposes in our lives. We often hide who we are in one way or another from others. We fear that to open our hearts and minds truly to others will cause us great pain and while the opening of ourselves does let that be possible, Friendships of Love is about allowing ourselves to be who we are and releasing those fears by finding friendship with Christ within and finding long lasting and faith filled friendships that touch our core needs through God’s design of love, trust and freedom. Releasing ourselves from our deepest fears through a greater relationship and walk with God and others. In F of L relationships, we also have with us another who is a third party to each pairing of friendship and that person is Christ. With His help relationships become more than just talking about our daily lives and problems. They become a spiritual journey of love, hope, trust, forgiveness and real authentic relationships based upon the example of relationship between the Father with the Son, Jonathan and David, Orpah and Ruth. F of L has a foursquare mission meaning it is all about being straightforward, uncompromising and balanced. Straightforward when dealing with the creeping darkness that lies within. We need to hit this problem face first. We can no longer be open doorways and letting our feet be shackled by the ways of the enemy. Christ has set us free, now we have to walk in it. Uncompromising in our faith that Christ has set us free. He has given us the keys of the kingdom, but we have to unlock the door in word, faith, and deed. Balanced in all areas of life, no longer reliant on blame, shame, guilt, blindness, and fear of self or others to hold us back from living the Christ-ed life. We either live faith or fear. There is nothing else. F of L wants to help you see those roots by helping you to create foundational relationships of trust where the body of Christ can help each other.

Quote from Speaking from the Heart by Ken Durham : Just as the human body relies on the honesty of its internal communication network, so the members of the body of Christ must practice absolute integrity with one another. "Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor" instructs Paul, " for we are all members of one body." (Eph 4:25)

Our hope is that you will start your own group of F and L'er where ever you are....and share you experiences with us here on the F of L blog or on the Facebook group. Follow along and join in on Monday Motto's, and other things as we begin to add them.

 Here's to extending F of L - growing our friendships in Christ!!

Tina & Starla Smith ( Sisters-in-Law and BFF's)