Spend 31 days learning how to build better relationships and connect with others following Jesus’s example in The Friendship Initiative, a devotional by Amberly Neese. We long for connection. Despite faster internet connections, better WiFi hotspots, and more ways to stay connected than ever before, our lives still feel less and less connected. We desire healthy friendships but feel less equipped to make and foster them. In The Friendship Initiative by Amberly Neese, we dive into the friendships and connections Jesus made in the Bible and discover 31 keys for building relationships. Each devotion includes Scripture, a devotional reflection, practical application ideas, and suggestions for reflection and prayer. Keys for relationship building include: - exercising grace - asking/answering questions - having compassion - exercising humility - being present - reaching out to those who are different - and more Readers will... - Find encouragement and practical help for connecting with others in their everyday lives - Focus on loving others as Jesus did - Discover 31 Keys for building relationships

This essential go-to guide reveals how women can enhance their lives by creating valuable friendships in today’s busy, mobile world, from nationally recognized friendship expert and CEO of GirlFriendCircles.com. Every woman is searching for a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life. Many realize the significant role that an intimate, tightly knit circle of friends plays in creating a more fulfilling life, but with hectic schedules, frequent moves, and life changes, it’s more important than ever for women to establish natural, meaningful friendships that will contribute to their overall wellbeing. In Friendships Don’t Just Happen!, Shasta Nelson, friendship expert and CEO of GirlFriendCircles.com, reveals the most important proven steps, processes, and secrets vital to establishing the five different levels of friendships, or Circles of Connectedness, that women—no matter their age or relationship status—are longing for in today’s stressful and mobile culture. This revolutionary, engaging guide will also benefit women who already feel rooted to fabulous friends, with insightful principles that will help them maintain and enhance their current friendships. Full of practical how-to tips, fun activities, guiding questions, and step-by-step instructions, Friendships Don’t Just Happen! highlights several areas of developing lasting friendships, teaching women how to: Evaluate their current circle of friends Recognize what types of friends they are seeking based on career, interests, location, and relationship status Create a prioritized friendship action plan Find extraordinary friends—where to look and how to approach them Take initiative to jumpstart friendships and face fears of rejection Establish “frientimacy,” trust, and happiness through conversation and activities Maintain meaningful friendships and determine which ones are worthwhile Excerpt from Friendships Don't Just Happen: There is a lie out there that real friendship just happens. When I was new to San Francisco eight years ago, I remember standing at a café window on Polk Street watching a group of women inside, huddled around a table laughing. Like the puppy dog at the pound, I looked through the glass, wishing someone would pick me to be theirs. I had a phone full of far-flung friends’ phone numbers, but I didn’t yet know anyone I could just sit and laugh with in a café. It hit me how very hard the friendship process is. I’m an outgoing, socially comfortable woman with a long line of good friendships behind me. And yet I stood there feeling very lonely. And insecure. And exhausted at just the idea of how far I was from that reality. I knew I couldn’t just walk in there and introduce myself to them. “Hi! You look like fun women, can I join you?” I would have been met with stares of pity. No one wants to seem desperate, even if we are. We don’t have platonic pick-up lines memorized. Flirting for friends seems creepy. Asking for her phone number like we’re going to call her up for a Saturday night date is just plain weird. All the batting of my eyelashes wasn’t going to send the right signals. And so I turned away from the scene of laughter and walked away. No, unfortunately, friendships don’t just happen. We Value Belonging Friendships may not happen automatically, but what we crave about them sure seems to! We all want to belong—that need to be connected to others is an inherent desire. We live our entire lives trying to fit in, be known, attract acceptance, and experience intimacy. We desperately want to have others care about us. This book is about that hunger. And more pointedly, it is about listening to it and learning how to fulfill it.

Learn to live at peace with others even when you disagree by studying biblical stories of rivalries in Common Ground by Amberly Neese. Whether it is in politics, the professional world, a party, or a pew, we face conflict every day. As discussions get more heated and social media is deluged with opinion-spewing, hurt feelings, and broken relationships, we need hope and practical tools to navigate the tumultuous waters and live at peace with everyone. Fortunately, the Scriptures hold the key to living at peace despite our differences. In Common Ground, a four-week Bible study, Amberly Neese combines stories of sibling rivalries from the Bible with personal experience, humor, hope, and her love of God’s Word. Stories examined from the Old and New Testaments include: - Joseph and His Brothers: How to Combat Jealousy - Moses, Miriam, and Aaron: How to Work Together Despite Differences - Mary, Martha, and Lazarus: How to Appreciate the Contributions of Others - Rachel and Leah: Having Compassion for the Plight of Others These stories point us to peace and reconciliation in all our relationships, reassuring us that it is possible to find common ground with everyone—despite our differences. Women will find biblical and practical help for: - Facing conflict - Navigating broken relationships - Handling heated discussions (in person and on social media) - Living at peace despite differences Components for this four-week Bible study, each available separately, include a Study Guide with Leader Helps, and video sessions with four 20 to 25-minute segments (with closed captioning).

Discover true community. Has the pursuit of the “perfect life” left you feeling depleted, disappointed, dissatisfied, and disconnected? Are you tired of being lonely and left out at work, home, church, and online? Are you hungry for true community, deeper connection with God, and friendships that are greater than just “likes” on social media? Are you ready for real connections with those around you? In this four-week Bible study, Amberly Neese provides biblical and practical help for cultivating meaningful relationships that glorify God through an exploration of four “one another” sayings in the New Testament: Love one another Serve one another Build up and strengthen one another Forgive one another In her trademark style, Amberly combines Bible study with delightful humor to create a refreshing and engaging experience that will encourage and equip women to pursue deeper relationships and true belonging. Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a DVD. Bible Study Features: A shorter, four-week study is ideal for in-between or busy times. Accessible and friendly format. DVD features the amazing Amberly Neese, who masterfully combines solid Bible teaching and delightfully funny humor (in four 20-minute segments). Inspires and encourages women to pursue deeper relationships and true belonging for a more fulfilled, purposeful life. Helps women grow in their capacity to love, serve, and forgive. Study guide with leader helps includes group session guides, discussion questions, prayers, video viewer guides, and more.

2019年4月，中国社会科学院积极响应国家主席习近平在2018年中非合作论坛北京峰会开幕式讲话精神，成立中国非洲研究院，旨在同非洲各国深化文明互鉴，加强治国理政和发展经验交流，为中非共同推进“一带一路”合作，共同建设面向未来的中非全面战略合作伙伴关系，共同构筑更加紧密的中非命运共同体提供智力支持和人才支撑。习近平主席在致中国非洲研究院成立贺信中指出，希望中国非洲研究院汇聚中非学术智库资源，增进中非人民相互了解和友谊，为中非和中非同其他各方的合作集思广益、建言献策，为促进中非关系发展、构建人类命运共同体贡献力量。