Treasures of Encouragement: Women Helping Women

“People often ask me how to walk alongside friends who are hurting. Practical, honest, and steeped in Scripture, this book provides better answers than anything else I have read. I have turned to it again and again, both for comfort in my own suffering as well as for ideas for ministering to others. I read the original twenty-three years ago, shortly after my son died, and it was truly a treasure of encouragement to me. Sharon’s words shaped my thinking and helped me to press into the Lord as I wrestled with questions, doubts, and fear. I am indebted to her for this work, and after you read Treasures of Encouragement, you will be too. I highly recommend it!”

“While reading Sharon Betters’s passionate appeal to practice the privilege of God-glorifying, Spirit-empowered, biblical encouragement, my heart was arrested. I closed the book to contact a hurting friend. Treasures of Encouragement has the potential to transform churches into powerhouses of Christ’s compassion and love. May it be so!”

“Treasures of Encouragement is a timely reminder of the power of God’s Word to change a life and to make the impossible doable. I appreciated the encouragement to look around and see that I have a part in helping the Lord to comfort the wounded and restore the hurting. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience more of the grace of God.”

“Out of personal and profound grief, Sharon Betters has written a classic that is a must-have for every Christian’s library. In it, she lays out the essential aspects of a church whose culture is fueled by biblical encouragement and shows what it means to be part of a congregation that is a safe place of grace—that allows Christians to make mistakes, fall down, get up, and continue to grow together in Christ.”

“Biblical encouragers helped me to climb out of a dark depression, so I love how this book reminds readers that all God’s children are called to be encouragers. In a self-centered and broken world, the combination of real-life personal stories and biblical focus reminds us that coming alongside one another is a privilege. I am grateful for the emphasis Sharon places on the power of Scripture to comfort others when we don’t know what to say. I hope that many read this book and know that they too are equipped and called to be God’s promise keepers through the practice of biblical encouragement.”

“Encouragement is a gift, a treasure both to give and to receive from the body of Christ. Sharon Betters unpacks what this biblical encouragement looks like in the life of a believer. Using personal stories of those who entered into her own sorrow or who received this treasure from the godly, as well as Christ-centered teaching from Scripture, Betters equips readers to walk beside the hurting. May we show the world who Christ is as we encourage one another with the mutual hope we have in Christ.”

“With practical wisdom that nourishes the parched and brittle soul, Sharon introduces us to real women with real struggles. Through their stories she challenges us to think biblically about our own struggles while infusing the hope needed to navigate them.”

“To encourage is to inspire courage, hope, or confidence. Twenty-five years ago, I picked up Treasures of Encouragement as a young pastor’s wife who was desperately looking for these comforts. The truths contained within these covers have stood the test of time and personally sustained me. I am delighted to endorse this new edition of Treasures of Encouragement.”

“Sharon’s theological integrity and her personal pilgrimage through pain harmonize into a glorious doxology.”

“Deeply moving, compelling, and extremely practical.”

“Sharon Betters taught me about lament. This book is a discipleship treasure for practical encouragement in hard seasons. It equipped junior-high girls to boldly serve one another and me when my sister passed away. Treasures of Encouragement still gives me courage. I am a debtor to the way God faithfully uses Sharon’s suffering by His mercy for the ministry of encouragement in my life.”