Stories Around the Web - May 24

Originally published Friday, 24 May 2013.

Here are some of the great stories we read around the web this week-- what were your favorites? Let us know in the comments section! 

When You're Drowning in the Shallow End of Friendship - Sharon Hodde Miller
Friendship can be hard for women- here's Sharon's vulnerable story on making friends in a new place.

Suddenly, the full weight of the last 3 years descended upon my shoulders. I felt envious of the women around me, and I missed that closeness acutely. I bit my lip and tried to hold back the tears. I felt so alone.

What i want you to know: a teen's perspective on a mom with two jobs - Sohpie on Rage Against the Minivan 
One young woman's experience with having a mom who works two jobs. 

There are weeks where we’ll go five days without sitting down for a meal together. And then on that night where our schedules don’t clash, it’s oh so sweet. I now realize how sacred our time together is and how lucky I am to have such a hard-working, strong-willed woman to call “mom,” even if I don’t see her as much as I’d like.

Addressing the Widow Epidemic: Eight Great Principles from the Book of Ruth - Dawn Walker via Crosswalk.com
Today's widow isn't just the elderly woman next door. Dawn talks about the need for churches to step up their single mother's ministries.

For the Church to be relevant to our culture, we can’t continue to overlook this widow epidemic. Tragically, the American church fails to see single moms as widows for several reasons.

5 Ways to Get Involved in Disaster Relief - Ed Stetzer via Relevant
If you're looking for ways to help the tornado victims in Oklahoma, here are some good guidelines for what's helpful and what may be a scam.

Giving directly can be helpful if you have friends and relationships in an impacted area, but it is almost always better stewardship to give through a disaster relief organization. During times of extreme devastation like the Japanese and Christmas Eve tsunamis, the Haitian earthquake or Katrina, relief opportunities pop up all over the place. It sometimes reminds me of "Whack-A-Mole." The problem is that some of them are bogus, set up on the fly by hucksters using a coffee shop wifi and their black-ops PayPal account.

What did we miss? Add your favorite stories in the comments section below!

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