Amy – I missed you, but there is always next week!

Debbie – I love what you said – that finding our authentic person seems scary, but it’s freeing! After all, as my mother so eloquently says, God doesn’t make no junk. (Seriously, she says those exact words.) :-)

Brenda – I think you have legitimate concerns. I don’t know all the details of your relationship with your sister, but I know that would not work in my life. In my family, there are just too many dynamics and too much knowledge and baggage for my siblings and me to be that honest AND constructive with each other. Plus, sometimes it seems so much harder to take criticism (even when offered kindly) from family. I bet you’ll find that your friend Carol’s life isn’t perfect if you spend more time getting to know her. And remember, the goal of accountability partners is MUTUAL accountability. You need to partner with someone who also needs help in some area. (I think. I’m certainly NOT an expert in this area – but that’s always been my understanding! If I’m wrong, anyone, please set me straight!!)

Chelley – I definitely agree that partnering with someone who has the same exact issue you do is less likely to work, because you might be too easy on each other. I’ve had that situation happen more than once! And like I said to Brenda, I think you’ll feel more comfortable being held accountable if it’s a mutual arrangement, so you ask your partner the same types of questions about the issues that she’s struggling with. Because, nobody is perfect!

And Brenda, I know what you mean. It's one thing to tell God everything and let Him tell give you constructive criticism, but a sinful person?? I wondered if it would help to start out by choosing one thing to focus on? I think that's what I might do — have a friend just ask me daily (or frequently anyway) whether I'm praying and reading my Bible daily. I just think that might be a good place for me to start, since it's actively doing something (instead of telling me what not to do/what I already did wrong), and it will likely affect other areas too. And (obviously) because I'm not currently doing it. :( But yeah, it's still uncomfortable to have someone ask me and having to say no when I'm thinking she does do them regularly. But I also think that if I pick someone who is too much in the same boat as me, we might be too easy on each other, which isn't the point either. Sigh… why isn't this easier?? ;)

This is SUCH good stuff! Really amazing.