Friend-ish
Reclaiming Real Friendship in a Culture of Confusion
- Marriage, Family & Relationships
- Christian Living
- Publisher: Nelson Books (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2019
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Publisher's 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 dependency Boldly ask for what we need from our community of friends Understand and address the problems that arise in friendship--from neediness to discord Recognize when it's time to end an unhealthy friendship Reorient toward the purposeful, loving relationships we all crave that ultimately bring us closer to God Find 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.
Endorsements (13)
“We have social media friendships, idolizing friendships, self-seeking friendships and other friend-ish relationships. Kelly Needham skillfully points us toward true biblical friendships. She shows us the beauty and necessity of biblical friendships and the ways friendships can assume the wrong place. With good-hearted and wise counsel, Kelly helps us see friendship as God intends it to be.”
“How blessed I am to call Kelly Needham ‘friend.’ And how grateful I am that she has written this important and timely book. Kelly helps us identify ways we may be missing out on the gift of true friendship by settling for counterfeits. And she points us to Christ, the sweetest Friend of all, who alone can fill the deepest longings of our hearts and whose presence enriches and enlivens our human friendships.”
“Calling everyone who has or longs for a BFF—are the relationships growing in your friendship-garden weeds or flowers? Friend-ish can help you tell the difference. This insightful and engaging book will challenge you to develop deep, authentic, kingdom-building friendships. The kind that will only flourish as you learn to first be best friends with God.”
“It’s rare for a book to model its subject, but Friend-ish actually demonstrates real friendship. It is relational and honest and enjoyable. It is willing to diagnose and press on the difficult aspects of life, relationships, and sin. It convicts and encourages, and not in a trite or fluffy way. Most importantly, it draws on Scripture and points to Jesus uncompromisingly and clearly throughout. Kelly also offers keen, incisive observations about cultural trends and personal experiences in friendship. Friend-ish is smart, discerning, and godly—a profoundly helpful book for men and women seeking better friendships and to be better friends.”
“Friendship is a gift of grace from God, yet inexplicably we as Christians often take our cues regarding friendship from the culture. We simply don’t know what it means to enjoy friendship in the way God intended. Thankfully, in Friend-ish, Kelly Needham gives us a thoroughly biblical and deeply practical resource, calling us to resist unhealthy friendships and find the better joy in those that stir our affections for Christ.”
“Every culture in the world has its own counterfeit version of friendship. All of us need the real thing—friendship the way God intended it—but how do we know if what we’ve got is the real thing? In Friend-ish, Needham helps us examine a high definition picture of friendships in American culture, and the floodlight of Scripture shines on every page. This book will help you see things about friendship that you’ve not seen before through the lens of a Scripture-saturated perspective.”
“I can’t think of a better person to speak to the value of healthy friendships than Kelly Needham! Kelly and Jimmy Needham have been dear friends to Donna and I for decades. Kelly has a deep reverence for the word of God and a genuine concern for people. I have watched them leave a wake of blessing behind them as they have loved young men and women well. I am excited to see how this resource helps friendships flourish!”
“Kelly Needham encourages us to have a view of friendship that is gospel-centered and rooted in our friendship with God. She urges and equips us to embrace friendships that are joyful and meaningful, while reminding us to find our identity and worth in Christ alone.”
“Grace-driven and refreshingly honest, Kelly Needham has contributed a thoughtful and practical vision for healthy friendships. She graciously challenges our idolatrous tendencies in this arena and opens us up to the joy, freedom, and kingdom potential of Christ-centered relationships.”
“Friendships are so weird and beautiful and awkward and glorious all at the same time. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve understood the utter necessity of them but sin, as it always does, can make our friendships more dysfunctional than fruitful. God is calling us into the kind of friendship that will make us better (or should I say holier) leading us to glorify God as best we can. I’m thankful that Kelly Needham’s book Friend-ish can assist us in that pursuit. I wish I had this book ages ago. Maybe I would’ve been a better friend and had healthier friendships but then again, I’m still learning both and I always will be. For that reason, I think it would be safe to say that Kelly has been a good friend to us all by writing a book that will help us learn how to do the same.”
“This book is solid and bold. It was difficult to put down because it scratched an itch in my heart to better understand authentic friendship so we can experience it. It made me want to be a comrade-friend with Kelly.”
“Friend-ish equips the saints to foster friendships as an act of true worship. Kelly Needham’s book will help God’s people foster God-centered friendships.”
“The friends we make and keep will define our lives in ways none of us fully appreciate now. I can summarize the story of my life, chapter by chapter, with my friendships. I am the man I am because of the friends God has given me. So, I love the big, God-soaked vision of friendship Kelly Needham paints in Friend-ish. The joy of good friendship is a shared joy in God, and our only guide to good friendship is the only book we have from God. Kelly overflows with that joy, and anchors herself in that Book. Friendship is precious and indispensable, yet can be dangerous. This book will help you find the friends you need and be that friend for others.”
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