God's Grace for Every Family
Biblical Encouragement for Single-Parent Families and the Churches That Seek to Love Them Well
- Marriage, Family & Relationships
- Publisher: Zondervan Reflective (Zondervan)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
Winner of the 2024 Christianity Today Book Award for Marriage, Family, and Singleness Weaving her own story together with nine attributes of God's character revealed from Scripture, Anna Meade Harris speaks to vulnerable single parents and to churches who want to love them well. After the death of her husband, Anna Meade Harris discovered that single-parent families don't seem to have a place in the local church. Because she and her kids no longer fit into the Christian family mold, the body of Christ felt alien and strange when Anna's family needed it the most. Belonging, even in the most loving church, was a challenge. God's Grace for Every Family was born out of Anna's desire to help other families avoid feeling the loneliness that hers felt. This gospel-centered work addresses the single parent who needs to know that God sees, loves, and cares for their family. The book also addresses the church at large, in the hopes that Christians will come to understand the unique needs of single-parent families and do a better job of welcoming, valuing, and loving them. The book begins with Anna's story and then presents information about single-parent families in America, providing an understanding of their unique needs and complex dynamics. The chapters that follow each focus on a particular area of need and contain: Exegesis of Scripture demonstrating the character of God in relationship with his people Short narratives collected through interviews with single parents from a variety of backgrounds Suggestions for how the church can serve God and families This book is written for all Christians, married or single, parent or childless. It's written for widows, divorcees, and those who never married. And it's written for the congregants, pastors, leaders, and church family who wants to embrace every family and learn how to serve them well. By addressing families and the church together, God's Grace for Every Family opens the door for gracious conversations and greater unity in the family of God.
Endorsements (7)
“God’s Grace for Every Family is the gospel-centered, grace-filled book needed for every single parent longing to lead their family well and each church body coming alongside. As a single mom, I felt understood in a way no other book on this topic has addressed, while also finding practical, biblical help for the struggles and burdens of single parenting. Weaving together story, Scripture, and research, Anna Meade Harris answers the question every church and lay leader should ask: How can we embrace and love single parents in our community? God’s Grace for Every Family will be a powerful resource for many!”
“No two single parents share the same circumstances. But they share many of the same needs from their brothers and sisters in Christ in the church. Anna Meade Harris offers gospel-centered perspective that will not only encourage her fellow single parents but also equip the rest of us to love them well. This book is full of godly counsel and hard-earned, practical wisdom.”
“I don’t know of a church without single-parent families, and yet I know of very few resources on how churches can minister to those families. In this book, Anna Meade Harris doesn’t treat single-parent families as a math problem—a mere subtraction of one parent. With biblical knowledge and personal experience, she shows us the unique ministry needs single-parent families have. And she gives us solutions and ideas. This is a welcome book for Christians who want to welcome the single-parent families they love.”
“This book takes me back . . . back to my parents’ divorce when I was fifteen, and then the subsequent years of living with my now-single mom. The Scriptures and stories are honest and unfiltered. Without superficiality or pat answers, Anna continually points us to the hope, strength, and healing that only God can provide.”
Dr. Rob Rienow
“Many tears welled up reading this unique, important book on an under-served theme. Tears of pain for the journey single families walk. Tears of lament for the way leaders like me have been complicit in the loneliness and isolation. Tears of hope because of the stories of light beyond the loss. Tears of thankfulness because, as Anna testifies, the enough-ness of Jesus really is enough. This book is equal parts storytelling and Bible study, everywhere soaked through with the gospel. Every pastor . . . no, every Christian, needs to read it.”
“Beginning God’s Grace for Every Family, I immediately identified those who would benefit from reading it: my recently divorced neighbor, my recently widowed friend. When I finished this book, however, I’d gained a much deeper appreciation for the gospel and the comfort it offers to all kinds of readers. Through stories of single parents, Harris helps us trust God’s plentiful provision and presence in seasons of need. Moreover, she inspires and instructs the church to act as God’s hands and feet. Biblically faithful, intensely practical, and personally vulnerable, God’s Grace for Every Family is a book I heartily recommend.”
“Anna Harris has written the definitive book for single parents. In a corpus of literature that tells weary single parents to pick themselves up by their bootstraps, Anna points them to the Lord Christ, who carries their load. This book is a well of hope, relief, and mercy, all grounded in Scripture. No better Christian book for single parents has ever been written.”
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