For this month’s Delight in the Word Challenge, we are going to FOCUS ON FRIENDSHIPS!

This is actually an extension of last month’s challenge, which was on Self-Care – because God brought to my attention how important friendships are to our well-being. Plus, with all that has been going on in the world lately, it has made me realize just how innerconnected we all are and how dependent we are upon one another… for everything from food to healthcare to education and more.

*If you are new to the Delight in the Word Challenges, learn all about them HERE. Also, please note that this blog post may contain affiliate links.

For instance, without truck drivers to haul food from the farms and processing plants to the grocery store, and without workers to stock the shelves, and checkers to check us out, we quickly run out of food… or toilet paper.

And I know I’m not the only one who is so grateful for nurses, doctors and healthcare workers when a loved one is sick or injured – or for the amazing teachers who put their heart and soul into educating our children.

In fact, God made us to need each other.

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ How strange a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. ²¹ The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” – 1 Corinthians 12:18-21

Your hand can function better if your eyes are healthy and functioning properly. Therefore, it is a good idea for the hands to do whatever they can to help the eyes be the best they can be. In the same way… it is a good idea for us to do whatever we can to help our fellow members of the body of Christ to be the best they can be.

But it is not only other Christians we are called to love. Jesus says in Mark 12:31 that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. Last month in our study on Self-Care, we learned that we do indeed need to love ourselves first, in order to be able to love our neighbor. However, let’s not get stalled out on loving ourselves and never actually get around to loving our neighbors.

With all the hate going on in the world today, let us remember these wise words by Martin Luther King Jr.:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Therefore, this month I am going to be sharing with you lots of different ways that we can nurture our friendships and love our neighbors. I’ll also be sharing some awesome content from some of my amazing friends as well. So be sure to visit my blog again in a few days, or better yet, subscribe to my emails by filling out the form below, to get all the goodness delivered straight to your inbox.

One of my favorite ways to nurture friendships and to love my neighbor is to send them a hand written card. There is something about the permanence of the written word that can really touch and encourage hearts.

That’s why this month’s Delight in the Word Challenge is to send at least 1 card per week to a friend or neighbor.

In fact, I myself, am committing to sending/sharing at least 2 cards per week this month.

Will you join me in delighting in the Word of God this month by being a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer (or reader)?

If you are up for the challenge, here is a fun card that I created just for that purpose. Who would not love getting a card like this in the mail?

Click HERE or the image above to get it for free TODAY!

Just download it, and print it out on cardstock. Then you can either color it yourself in the favorite colors of the person you are going to send it to, or you can just write a note inside and let the recipient color it if you think that is something they would enjoy.

If you would like a wider variety of cards to send, you might like this set of 10 encouragement cards.

Get the printable set HERE.

If you prefer cards that are already printed for you, you can BUY THE PRINTED SET HERE.

For the Bible Study/Reading Plan portion of the Delight in the Word Challenge this month…

I would like to intoduce you to a few of my amazing friends and sisters in Christ who create some really awesome content themselves. Just look over the list and choose whichever one sparks an interest… or check them all out if you have time. (They are all FREE!)

• Forgiveness Bible Reading Plan – by Alisa Nicaud, founder of FlourishingToday.com
• She Loves Truth Summer Bible Study – by Patsy Burnette of InstaEncouragements.com
• 30 Days of Praising God in the Storms of Life Bible Reading Plan – by Sara Borgstede, of TheHolyMess.com
• Praying the Promises of Cross Challenge – by Arabah Joy of ArabahJoy.com
• Jaime Wiebel has several Bible reading plans, including 30 Days of Trust, and 31 Days of Hope. Check them all out at Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.
• Check out Starla Hill’s Bible Reading Plan on Stress Relief

Also, I LOVE and use the Bible App by YouVersion every day. They have a great selection of Bible reading plans on Friendship.

If you are interested in Bible journaling or adding a bit of creativity to your Bible reading, be sure to check out the additional free resources below by these awesome friends:

• Bible Journaling Course for Beginners – by Tracie Rollins, founder of Bible Journaling Ministries  (If you attended their Bible Journaling Conference last year, you know how amazing Tracie is! I can’t believe she offers this course for FREE! It is worth $97+
• In His Presence Bible Reading Challenge – by Rachel Wojo
• WWJD on Social Media Bible Journal Class – by Robin Sampson