Over the past month, I have had the joy of visiting with so many friends. We have laughed. We shared our tears and our hearts. Many of these friendships date back decades while some are just a few years young. I am sure that you join me when I say: Where would we be without our posse?

In Abide, we meet a lot of very different women. Interestingly, reading Scripture forces us to read between the lines and infer details based upon what we know about women in real life.

Someone recently asked me who my favorite woman in the New Testament might be. For many of us, the answer comes without any hesitation. Off the top of my head, and before I wrote Abide, I would have immediately said Mary, Jesus’ mother. But, after pondering the many other women who knew Jesus, I gave an answer that surprised her.