Dear Friends,
Have you ever wondered whether the small ways you show up for others really matter?
Whether it is a conversation over coffee, a prayer offered before bed, a thoughtful question, or an encouraging word spoken at just the right time, these ordinary acts of care can become something far greater when God uses them in another woman’s life.
This week’s issue is about ministering to the women God has placed in our lives. Sometimes that ministry looks like gathering a few women around a table and opening God’s Word. Sometimes it means intentionally investing in someone who is younger in her faith. And sometimes it is as simple—and as meaningful—as coming alongside a sister who needs prayer, support, encouragement, or practical help.
You do not need a platform, a formal title, or all the right answers to make a difference. God can use your faithful presence, your willingness to listen, and your desire to point another woman toward Jesus. As you pour into others, you may also discover that God uses those relationships to strengthen, encourage, and shape you.
In the articles ahead, you will find practical ideas for building community, discipling the next generation, and becoming the kind of sister who helps another woman stand strong. Our prayer is that these stories remind you of Jill Briscoe’s words: ministry happens between your own two feet. It begins right where God has placed you, with the women already within reach.
Encouraging you in God’s truth,
S.I.S.T.E.R. | Jo Buck
Construction workers use the term “sistering” to reinforce a weak beam by securing a stronger one directly alongside it. What would it look like to do that for each other? Jo Buck offers a practical, Scripture-rooted framework for showing up as the sisters God calls us to be, from earnest prayer to reflecting Christ’s love in tangible ways.
Help Wanted: Disciple the Next Generation of Women | Shannon Morton
Discipleship can feel intimidating, especially when we wonder whether we know enough or have what it takes to guide someone else. But what if the most important qualification is not expertise, but a faithful willingness to invest in the women God has already placed around us?
Coffee, Community, and a Cord of Three Strands | Kathy Dye
What can God do with a newspaper ad, a borrowed television, and a few women gathered around a coffee shop table? Kathy Dye shares how one simple step of obedience grew into a community where women studied Scripture, carried one another through hardship, and discovered the strength of lasting friendship. Her story reminds us that ministry often begins before we feel fully prepared—and sometimes reaches the woman listening quietly from the other side of the room.
Also:
Encounter the living Jesus throughout all of Scripture. Brought to you by the Passion movement, The Jesus Bible spotlights Jesus Christ as the central pillar throughout the entire Old and New Testament and shows you how to faithfully follow him as you participate in his grand story. Hundreds of articles identify references to Jesus throughout Scripture, helping you see how the full biblical narrative points back to him.
S.I.S.T.E.R.
Five Ways to Be the Sister Another Woman Needs
By Jo Buck
I love watching home renovation shows. One of the construction terms that I find most fascinating is the word “sistering.” In construction, it refers to the process of reinforcing weakened or damaged lumber (like a floor joist or roof rafter) by securing a new, stronger piece directly alongside it.
I don’t know who came up with the term “sistering,” but I can see why they did. That “coming alongside to reinforce” idea is exactly how woman support each other as sisters. Or, at least, how we should. I must admit there have been many times in my own life that I should have been this support to others but was not. First Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to “build each other up”—to attach ourselves to those around us who are weakened to make them stronger. So, what might it look like for us to “sister” each other?
S — Support in prayer.
The first (and perhaps the greatest) way we can come alongside another woman is to earnestly and specifically pray for her. Verses like James 5:16—“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”—speak to the power that is available when we lift each other up in prayer. And Paul in Col. 1:9 knows the importance of prayer for each other: “since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.”
We have both the joy and the responsibility of bringing other women before the Lord. Knowing someone is praying can make all the difference when we feel like we are journeying through life’s struggles alone. What a privilege it is to go to battle in prayer for our sister. When was the last time you asked a sister, “How can I pray for you?”
I — Imitate Jesus.
In 1 Cor. 11:1, Paul says to the church, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Earlier, in Chapter 10, Paul had reminded the believers to think about how they live: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble” (1 Cor. 10:31–32). Are we living our own lives in such a way as to point other women to Jesus?
This, of course, means that we have to do life side by side; women can’t follow us from a distance. Titus 2 encourages us, especially older women, to be examples for the younger women so they know how to live a life that is pleasing to God. What an opportunity we have as women to walk alongside other women and encourage them in their own faith journey by learning from ours.
