by John Ortberg
Community: the Essence of Human Relationships, the Nature of God. God calls us to create community with as-is people--to love and be loved, to know and be known.
This is not a book for normal people to learn how to handle difficult people--there is no such thing. This is a book about how imperfect people can pursue community with other imperfect people.
To love and be loved is the fiercest longing of the soul. Community--living in vital relationship with others--is essential to human life. In his new book John Ortberg explores the biblical vision of community as the place God made for us and the place where God meets us.
Using the same popular, conversational style of his best-selling and award-winning book If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat, Ortberg invites readers to experience the richness and depth of true community.
Just like the paralyzed man in the New Testament who had to be carried on his mat by his friends and then lowered through the roof into Jesus' presence, we all need help from dedicated friends. Our mat may be an uncontrollable temper, an inability to trust, or paralyzing fear. The only way to get help - and get near to Jesus - is to let trustworthy friends see our brokenness and to ask them for help. As we allow them to gather around our weakness, becomes the connecting point for deeper relationships.