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Friday, October 2
It is my pleasure to bring you an interview with Bob Kellemen and Susan Ellis, co-authors of Sacred Friendships. If you would like to be in the drawing for a copy of their book, please leave a comment at the end of this post.What’s the “big idea” behind Sacred Friendships? What would you like readers to take away from it?
Far too often we build our models of ministry by ignoring over half the Christian world—women. The big idea of Sacred Friendships is to give voice to the voiceless by celebrating the legacy of Christian women and by applying that legacy to our ministries today.
We want readers, men and women, to learn from godly women of the faith how to be powerful spiritual friends. Readers will be enriched by the powerful stories of the heroic sisters of the Spirit to apply proven ways to help people find healing hope in the midst of deep pain. They’ll be empowered to help people to find God’s grace for their sins and God’s strength for their journey.
With all that’s going on in the world, why this book now? What’s unique about Sacred Friendships?
There are a few scattered books out there on the history of women in the church. There are a few books out there on women counseling women. Sacred Friendships is not just a history book. It’s not just a counseling/spiritual friendship book. Frankly, there’s not another book out there that applies the history of the legacy of godly women to life and ministry today.
Sacred Friendships is especially vital in our world today. We are so disconnected from one another. We sit by our computers . . . alone. We send quick text messages . . . without any depth.
People are hungry for profound relationships, for meaningful connections. But they have few examples showing how to connect to others in practical ways. Sacred Friendships provides over 50 concrete models that teach us how to be real and raw, how to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth, how to be a . . . sacred friend.
Who should read Sacred Friendships?
I love this question. First, anyone who loves riveting stories of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat should read Sacred Friendships. Susan and I like to think of our roles as “story-tellers”—we share stories from the lives of over 50 remarkable Christian women. If you like a good, true story, read Sacred Friendships.
Second, people might assume that Sacred Friendships is a book only for women. Not true. Susan and I like to say that Sacred Friendships is a gift to women and a gift from women.
As a gift to women, Sacred Friendships puts to rest the lie of Satan that women in church history have been second-class spiritual citizens! Just one example: the famous Church Fathers were mentored by the lesser-known but incredibly gifted Church Mothers.
Sacred Friendships encourages and empowers women to realize that as bearers of God’s image they have equal worth, dignity, value, and giftedness as men have. Women young and mature need the message told by these stories—because the world surely is not the place to turn for validation of worth in Christ.
As a gift from women, Sacred Friendships is for men and women—it’s for anyone who learns best by example. Men and women can read Sacred Friendships and glean life-changing skills to empathize with hurting people, to encouraging people with Christ’s sure hope, to exhort people by speaking the truth in love, and to equip people to tap into Christ’s resurrection power.
How can people get in touch with you and how can they learn more about your ministry and about Sacred Friendships?
To learn more about RPM Ministries, please visit www.rpmministries.org.
I can be contacted by email at: rpm.ministries@gmail.com
A free sample chapter of Sacred Friendships is available at RPM Books.
Sacred Friendships is on sale at 40% off for $12.99 at RPM Ministries.
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May the Lord bless your work, Bob and Susan!
Good morning, Lynn,
My prayer is that God will use this book to meet the desperate needs of so many women.
Paul includes in many of his letters a word of appreciation to the role that women played in his ministry, yet few pastors today provide a place for women to minister and to receive ministry. My heart grieves for how this lack of spiritual support harms the marriages in our churches. Everyone suffers for this lack of support.
Thank you, Lynn for bringing this book to my attention.
Be blessed,
Lynnda
This sounds like a wonderful book. I've just started reading a book about women's friendships (The Friends we Keep), so the timing is neat, and the message invaluable.
I love the concept of this book. Over the years I've researched and taught on women in the New Testament and their profound influence on the church--an influence often overlooked.
In the great stacks of books waiting to be read, this one does sound promising, Lynn. We can all use a reality check when it comes to deep friendships. Networking does not necessarily provide the depth we need in our relationships. :)