Friend-ish
Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
For so many of us, our friends are like family members--we lean on them through our highest highs and our lowest lows--but sometimes those friendships don't turn out quite as we hoped. Bible teacher Kelly Needham debunks our world's constricted, narrow view of friendship and casts a richer, more life-giving, biblical vision for friendship.
In Friend-ish, Kelly Needham reminds us that we were called to more than halfhearted friendships and lukewarm connections. We need something more stable, secure, and sacred. We were designed for real friendship--but the difficult truth is that too many of us are settling for less.
Kelly deconstructs what Scripture says about the gift of friendship and takes a closer look at the distorted view that most of us have instead. As she shares the lessons she's learned from experience, Kelly paints her own glorious vision of what Christian friendship could look like.
With hard-fought wisdom, a clear view of Scripture, and a been-there perspective, Friend-ish teaches us how to:
Recognize symptoms of idolatry and toxic dependencyBoldly ask for what we need from our community of friendsUnderstand and address the problems that arise in friendship--from neediness to discordRecognize when it's time to end an unhealthy friendshipReorient toward the purposeful, loving relationships we all crave that ultimately bring us closer to GodFind the friends you need and start to become that friend for others
Join Kelly as she challenges you to view your chosen family in a new light, gain a vision of friendship according to Jesus, and finally enjoy friendships as God intended.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her instructive debut, Needham examines how the Scriptures define friendship. "The heartbeat behind Christian friendship," she writes, "is companionship forged in the fire of conviction that Jesus alone can satisfy our souls." To make lessons from the Bible applicable to daily life, Needham identifies "counterfeit" friends, and idolatrous, selfish, or "marriage mimicking" friendships and the signs to recognize them. For instance, marriage mimicking friendships exhibit jealousy and romantic language, and selfish friendships are usually marked by demands, divisiveness, and dependency. Needham sets up charts to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy friendships, describing distorted views of friendship as weeds of sin that must be rethought to allow true friendships to flourish. She shares personal stories and challenges readers to redefine friendship by taking a closer look at how their needs and mission are addressed by each of their friends. Needham also offers insight regarding the warning signs of sexual temptation and clarifies when it is necessary to end a friendship that one no longer feels comfortable in. In the book's standout chapter, she draws from the relationship of Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel 18:1 to illustrate the type of friendship that prioritizes God first. Needham's genuine tone and helpful advice will make this perfect for small Bible-study groups.
