11: Indispensable Relationships You Can't Be Without

by Leonard Sweet

As believers, our journey is just as important as the destination. And because relationships are essential to our walk through life, it is vital that we partner with people who positively impact our world. Dr. Leonard Sweet believes these essential people are found in the pages of God's Word. Using eleven classic figures from the Bible, Dr. Sweet details key personal attributes that make up God's Dream Team for your life. Readers of all ages will be encouraged to not only seek out such people, but to find their place with those around them. Click Here to download sermon oultines that correspond with 11 indispensable relationships you can't be without!
(requires Adobe™ Reader) Accompanying PowerPoint templates available at www.Sermons.com/11.

Genres: Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Relationships, Leadership

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Leonard I. Sweet is an author, preacher, scholar, and ordained United Methodist clergyman currently serving as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew Theological School, in Madison, New Jersey; and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent read for anyone desiring to be intentional in their relationships. Sweet is creative while thoroughly grounded. He appeals for his readers to have a diverse collection of meaningful relationships from encouragers to challengers to mentors. He even closes the last two chapters focusing on being grounded to a place and being intimate with the Holy Spirit.

His style is ponderous, pressing the reader to move beyond nominal consent. There are questions that probe the specific points being made in each chapter.

Taking notice of who surrounds us and speaks into our lives is so critical in our hyper-connected and this book is an excellent volume to help navigate the constructing of a God-centered community.

[Jason Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tricky book to review...

Leonard Sweet is brilliant. And insufferable. Mostly insufferable. But brilliant a lot too.

He staggers from brilliant to bizarre and back a lot. To the point that I genuinely questioned his mental stability several times while reading.

He's clearly read more books than most people have ever heard of. And doesn't feel bashful about alluding to them. All of them...

He's cute with his words. Which is sometimes clever. More often annoying.

He's Emergent. Or something of that nature. Whatever he is, he makes it clear he doesn't consider himself constrained to mere orthodoxy. He's got a Wesleyan background, but clearly feels free to fly and explore various aspects of spirituality. Presumably, but not necessarily definitely, within a general Christian or Christian-like stream of thought.

Scripture is there a lot I suppose. But I don't think there's any point at which it gets too much in the way of the message Sweet wishes to convey. I got the impression any wisdom literature would have done the trick. But perhaps he's partial to the Christian wisdom literature, etc.

In summary, this book went often from an excellent insight to an unorthodox/illogical/untrue/invalid/absurd statement and back again within a matter of a few sentences. Which suggests that it might be worth your time if you're a strong theologian and critical thinker and need to be stirred up and challenged to think outside the box. However, for most Christians, I think it is dangerous. It should be read with caution. It is definitely Western spirituality. I'm not sure it's particularly Christian. But I'm not sure the author knows that.

[Julie King]

I learned about this book from Pastor Dustin Woodward at Citizen Church in Albuquerque, NM. He had been positively influenced by the book when it came out and delivered a sermon based on its ideas this past summer (2022). I suggest watching Pastor Dustin, instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4aJ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Jfx...

[Beverly Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Matter

I read this book when it first come out and loved it. Over the years I have recommended it to a plethora of people. No matter your age, education, position in life thus book is applicable. The reread was a good check on my current state of my 11.

[Carole Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wise, witty, and wonderful. As Leonard Sweet walks his readers through relationships we all need and the persons we need to become. Recommended by a retired pastor friend, and I pass my own recommendation along, too.

[Chauncey Lattimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What is it that the "one another" passages are leading us to? It is, in Sweet's terms, a life lived in the midst of "indispensable relationships." We can not do it alone (we are not a rock or an island), nor will one other person fulfill all are needs... so we need "withnesses." One of my favorite quotes, "Yes, sometimes we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Other times we're sourrounded by a great closd of witless. But most of all we need to be surrounded by a great clod of Withnesses. 'The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.'"

[To.jfoster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and I have a love-hate relationship... Sometimes I feel as though he is intentionally trying to come off as hip and a contemporary philosophe. At other times I am moved to inspired tears by his writing! Such is the case with this book... But it receives a 'highly recommend' for two passages. 1) As he talks about his home life, growing up in poverty stricken Appalachains; and 2) the idea of a geo-sabbatical - because our spirituality has an intimate link to our geographical context.

[Jeff Bjorgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his book 11: Indispensable Relationships You Can't be Without Sweet is whimsically theological, grabbing different characters in the Bible and using them as examples of all the different kinds of friends we should all have. I enjoyed reading it, and thought that, although almost devotional in nature, Sweet still took a "theology of friendship" seriously. As always, his book is full of footnotes, and his word play moves from groaners (he loves puns), to the profound. The questions Sweet asked at the end of each chapter seemed as well prepared as the chapters themselves.

[Brandon Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at the most important relationships that you need to have that come from biblical characters. The book got me thinking about the relationships that I currently have and how they work in my life. I felt some of the chapters gave a belabored explanation of the relationships and in other chapters I felt the premise for the relationship discussed was a little flimsy. Overall it's a decent read but not great.

[Scott Ashby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned a few things from this book, but didn't really enjoy reading it. Sweet wanders and draws comparisons so diverse (Yoda and Jethro?) it gave me mental whiplash. I was also concerned about his poor exegesis which led him to some erroneous conclusions (John the Baptist was a mentor to Jesus??).

Some good points here and there, but not something I'll reread.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly loved this one. It is so easy to not realize how important are friends are to our souls. I have recommended this book to others often. Sadly I doubt some took the time, yet those who did liked this book as well.

[Missyjohnson1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

it had moments few as they may have been. this seems to have been directly taken from a lecture or class and did not flow well or even at times make much sense

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought-provoking

[Bennett]

So far so good!

[David Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

Enjoyed this. Well written lots of great advice. Not really a deep theological read, but not everything needs to be.