Heart Sisters by Natalie Snapp {Book Review}

Yesterday my friend Alycia and I talked for about an hour. She’s starting a new therapy practice and needed some counsel about her website. I gave her some information and ideas … but most of our conversation was about life. Alycia and I have been friends for over 30 years. We met in eighth grade when my dad joined the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church, Fairview, Oklahoma. Almost every memory I have of high school involves Alycia. We had our fair share of misunderstandings and  there were times we didn’t get along. {We were very normal teenage girls!} But we’ve stayed friends even though we have not lived in the same state as each other since we graduated from high school.  In fact, since we graduated from FHS in 1989, it is not unusual for five or six years to pass between times when we are physically together. And yet, our friendship remains.

Pattie was my RA {resident advisor} when I started college at Southwest Baptist University in the fall of 1989. The first person I met at SBU, Pattie was a friendly face and encouraging friend to a 17-year-0ld girl who was terrified!  Pattie and I lost touch after college but through the wonderful world wide web, we reconnected several years ago and have remained close since.

For the eleven years we lived in Georgia, I was surrounded by the most amazing women who loved the Lord and were passionate about growing in Him.  Donna, Valerie, Cyndie, and Karen were faithful friends who taught me what it means to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” We did life together in every way and I am who I am today in large part because of their place in my life.

I could write a book about the ways Cyndie, Natalie, and Holly have encouraged and inspired me.  And I can’t begin to explain how the girls from our youth groups who are now wives and mommas and incredible women of God have impacted my life {and my daughter’s life!}. I’m so thankful for Ana and Ali, Judy and Caitlin and the way they are shining bright for Jesus as young married women.

Friendships matter. Digging in deep with others is important. Becoming a friend who sticks closer than a brother {or sister!} can be one of the most valuable lessons we learn.

That’s why I LOVE my friend Natalie Snapp‘s new book—Heart Sisters: Be the Friend You Want to Have. With honesty and grace, Natalie invites us all to invest in the hearts and lives of the women around us.  Natalie doesn’t pretend this will be easy but she does promise God will honor our desire to love others. Digging into all those things that can keep us isolated, Natalie uses the truth of God’s Word to encourage us to let go of the pride and insecurity and unforgiveness that can build walls between us.

If I could give this book to every woman I know, I would. The world tells us women can’t be good friends, pushes us away from authenticity, and uses words like “mean girls” and “frenemies” to create a lack of trust.  But women can be true friends. We can love one other well and work through the conflicts and become examples of the ministry of reconciliation and of walking alongside each other.

So who should read this book?

• the woman who longs for a friend she can trust with her heart
• the woman who wonders if investing in friendships is worth the effort
• the woman who desires to be a true friend to those in her life

Heart Sisters is answer you’ve been seeking! Rich in encouragement, steeped in the Word of God, and full of wisdom and grace, Heart Sisters will open your heart to the beauty of having true heart sisters.

Do you have any heart sisters? I’d love for you to leave a comment sharing about the way your friends have encouraged and strengthened you!

xo,

Teri Lynne

{This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you purchase through them.  I received a digital copy of this book for the purpose of promotion and review but all opinions are mine.}