God’s Very Good Gift Since the beginning of Scripture, we see the evidence that community and loving one another is a very good gift given by God. Yet the friendships we want are often difficult. There’s drama, frustrations, fake friends, needy friends, and just plain bad friends. So what’s the point of it all? Through four biblical foundations, we will discover intentional ways to love our neighbor in response to the way God first loved us. Because after all, that is friendship.  Features: 4 small-group sessions 4 interactive podcast videos featuring authors Corinne Allen and Amanda Mejias; approximately 8-10 minutes for each session Leader Guide in the back of the Bible study book to guide questions and discussion with small groups Biblically rooted and gospel-centered Personal study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growth Free leader resources, including promotional video and social media assets, available for download at lifeway.com/thisisfriendship Benefits: This book will… Show girls how friendship with Jesus makes a way for us to have meaningful friendships with others. Teach girls that friendship is about loving and serving others well because God first loved us. Lead girls to understand how a God-honoring friendship is marked by the willingness to share truth in love and to respond appropriately. Encourage girls to be good friends by pointing each other to the hope found in Jesus, which calls for times of both celebrating and comforting. Video Sessions: Session One: Friendship Is a Response (13:34)—In Session 1, Corinne Allen and Amanda Mejias begin by looking back at their own teen friendships. They continue discussing what friendships should look like, how they’ve grown over time to become better friends, and a challenge to reflect on your own friendships. Session Two: Friendship Requires Sacrifice (17:49)—In Session Two, Corinne Allen and Amanda Mejias discuss two types of healthy relationships, including ways we express that love and the community we find in friendship. They also address the different needs, and sacrifices, and potential difficulties we encounter in friendship. Session Three: Friendship Needs Honesty (19:30)—In Session Three, Corinne Allen and Amanda Mejias go all-in on the need for honesty in our friendships, including the balance of both good and bad. We’ll all make mistakes in our friendships and learning how to give and ask for forgiveness is so important in building healthy relationships. Speaking truth and receiving truth are strengths we have to develop over time through honesty and trust. Session Four: Friendship Brings Joy (17:45)—In Session Four, Corinne Allen and Amanda Mejias discuss walking hand in hand with joy and grief in our friendships. Learning to let our friends share in the highs and lows takes practice and a willingness to be vulnerable, but the reward of sharing with our friends the honor of sitting with us through our joy and tears is God’s very good gift of community. Amanda Mejias serves as the Lifeway Girls Brand Specialist, which is just a super fun way of saying that she serves the parents and leaders of teen girls. After serving on church staff for many years, she is passionate about building relationships and creating resources that equip the local church. She is the author of This Is Girls Ministry: Your Relational Strategy to Reach Teen Girls (Lifeway 2023). Amanda is wife to her wonderful husband, Brandon, and lives out her dream of being a working mom. If you ever want to find a way to her heart, ask to meet for coffee or send her a TikTok of a golden retriever. Corinne Allen is a follower of Jesus, wife to Grant, mom to Merritt, sister, daughter, and friend who is wildly in love with Jesus and passionate about sharing the beautiful story of the whole gospel. She loves bright colors, sunshine, words, flowers, deep chats with old and new friends, volleyball, and iced coffee. Corinne and her husband have the joy of serving in full-time student ministry at Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.