Growing relationships

Never Mind the Joneses: Building Core Values in a Way that Fits Your Family Tim Stafford. InterVarsity Press, 2004. 208 pages.

Wounds that Heal: Bringing our Hurts to the Cross Stephen Seamands. InterVarsity Press, 2003. 184 pages.

The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends Richard Lamb. InterVarsity Press, 2003. 240 pages.

These three well-written, interesting books in the Christian Living genre offer thoughtful insights into Christian relationships. Each author writes to equip and empower the reader, not discourage or depress; each offers realistic suggestions.

Never Mind the Joneses by Tim Stafford was the easiest to read. Philip Yancey endorses it as “the most practical book on parent and family issues that I’ve ever read.” Stafford gives families 14 core values he has established as essential to the Christian family based on personal biblical study. Every family has its own culture, he says, and needs to instill core values into the traditions, routines and personalities of the family culture. The values include God first, concern for others, hard work, family unity and love, grace, and nine others. Stafford’s comments are perceptive and the reader is empowered with options for immediate positive growth in any family situation.

Wounds that Heal is deeply compassionate writing on healing emotional hurts. Seamands, a respected theologian, wrote this book as a result of personal experience and his involvement in the ministry of healing prayer to persons with emotional and spiritual needs. He focuses on biblical texts like “By his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3), and brings the reader to a deeper understanding of Christ’s involvement in our personal experiences. The book first looks at the cross and the damaging effects of human hurts, then points to the cross as the path to healing. Seamands’ expertise as a theologian is evident yet this is not a textbook read. He simply and carefully explains that “Jesus can truly identify with us when we suffer because he has personally experienced the breadth and the depth of human suffering.” This is an important resource for any library.

Richard Lamb wrote The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends after “a year-long personal study of the Gospels” where he began to see that Jesus focused His time on discipling His disciples as a group. He writes, “Jesus called people to be with him, but also to be with one another. He called them to be sent out together, to go on trips together, to be involved with each other’s lives.” Lamb delves into the depths of friendship vital for ministry and life. Charts, reflection questions, and further reading suggestions make this a wise option for a small group interested in more meaningful friendships.

Cathie Kearsley attends Sardis Community Church, Chilliwack, B.C.