14 Secrets to Better Relationships: Powerful Principles from the Bible

by Dave Earley

Wondering how to build great relationships? Turn to the Bible for guidance—that’s where author Dave Earley found his 14 Secrets to Better Relationships.  Now available in a handy paperback format, this book will  help you build lasting connections with those around you, explaining vital concepts such as “Accept,” “Love,” and “Serve” through “Pray,” “Comfort,” and “Understand.” Author of the popular “21 Most” series, Earley says, “Though I have a degree in counseling, have led small groups for over thirty-five years, and have served as a pastor for most of my adult life, I do not consider myself an expert on relationships. . . . I believe there is only one true expert on relationships—God. He has generously shared His knowledge with us in a book that we refer to as the Bible.”

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Dave Earley’s life passion is to know, love, and glorify God and be used by Him to make a difference by reaching as many people as deeply as possible in the least amount of time. For twenty years that passion was lived out by planting and pastoring a healthy, growing multiplying church. Recently Dave accepted God’s call to move from local to global impact. His role has shifted from being a pastor to training pastors, from starting a church to equipping church planters, from leading small groups to developing small group leaders, and from pastoring the congregation of a local church to encouraging the followers of Jesus in many congregations.

Dave’s unique blend of passionate practicality and innocence, intensity, and idealism have given him a platform to many through teaching, training, writing, and speaking.

Dave’s passion for a vibrant personal adventure with God has resulted in several books, including The 21 Most Effective Prayers in the Bible (Barbour publishing, 2005) and Living In His Presence: The Immanuel Factor (Bethany House,2005). The 21 Most Encouraging Promises in the Bible (2006), The 21 Most Amazing Truths about Heaven, (2006) The 21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good People (2007) and The 21 Most Dangerous Questions in the Bible (2007). As a nationally recognized expert on small group ministry, he has written several popular books for small group leaders: Eight Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders (2001) and Turning Members into Leaders (2003) and The Pocket Guide to Leading a Small Group: 50 Ways to Help You and Your Group Grow (2007). Those books are published by Cell Resource Network and have been translated into several languages.


Dr. Dave Earley is Chairman of the Department of Pastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as Director of the Center for Ministry Training at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, the Director of the Center for Church Planting of Liberty University. (www.liberty.edu/cmt)

Prior to teaching at Liberty, Dave was the founding sr. pastor of the New Life Church of Gahanna-Columbus, Ohio. New Life started in his basement with 12 people and grew to nearly 2,000 a week in attendance with over a 100 small groups. (www.enewlife.com)

Dave, and his wife, Cathy, have three highly active teenaged sons, Daniel, Andrew, and Luke. They enjoy rafting, biking, hiking, hanging out, and art.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy read and had a lot of good information in it. It applies to all relationships.

[Harold Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

14 Secrets To Better Relationships by Pastor, college professor and author Dave Earley was a pleasant surprise book read for me. So many books of the self-help type are self or man-centered rather than God and Christ-centered. Even many of the currently popular best selling so called
“Christian” authors write books that contain a feel-good, self- empowerment, YOU can do it but it does help if you add a little bit of Jesus in your life messages. And that is just not Biblical…but rather it is from a secular worldview that is humanistic in its philosophy. But pastor and author Dave Earley has written a book IS Christ-centered and solidly Biblical in its content about how to develop better relationships from the perspective of a Biblical Worldview.

In his book Pastor Early addresses 14 key areas that are connected to and involve our relationships. They are Admit, Accept, Love, Honor, Serve, Forgive, Be Honest, Encourage, Pray, Make Peace, Comfort, Invest, Carry, and finally Endure.

Pastor Earley in his book shares that everyone longs for and needs healthy relationships. And from the context of the Word of God and believers being members of the body of Christ, there are 32 “One Another” commands in the New Testament. Did you know that? I didn’t, but I do now and I am convicted about the areas in my own life where I fail to obey those commands.

But the book is not written in such a way as to heap coals of condemnation on our heads but rather to give us wisdom, insight and encouragement as to how to live our lives and experience relationship with others in such a radical way that God is glorified and our relationships with each other are totally healthy (Spiritually, emotionally and physically). And as a result of reading his book and doing what he writes, referring to numerous Scriptures, what he has learned from personal experience as a result of his years of being a pastor and college professor, and quoting from the writings and sayings of church leaders who do understand the essence and nature of relationship, (for example, Dr. Larry Crabb, Dr. Paul Tournier, and others); all of us who are God’s chosen people and his image bearers in our sinful and fallen world will experience more healthy, fulfilling and God-honoring relationships with each other. And that is easier said than done; however, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the outflow of the Word of God in our lives, God can work through us and in us to make healthy relationships happen which is good news.

With regard to each of the 14 areas Pastor Earley shares from the Scriptures providing Biblical insights as well as lessons he and others have learned from their various life experiences to help us know how to develop and maintain better and more healthy relationships with others. And at the end of each Chapter he poses the question “What Now” for us to ponder as well as for us to consider the practical changes we need to make in our lives. This is not some pie-in-the-sky feel good book to be read but rather a manifesto for us to read and learn how to develop Biblical, purposeful and meaningful change in our lives so that our relationships with others will be Biblical, purposeful, meaningful and healthy. And I don’t know about you but that sure is something I am committed to in my life.

For more information about 14 Secrets To Better Relationships visit the Barbour Publishing Company website. http://www.barbourbooks.com

I received a complementary copy of the book 14 Secrets To Better Relationships From Barbour Publishing Company For Reviewing It.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's always a good reason to improve ourselves or our relatioship, in this book you can try to do it through the Bible principles.
Thanks to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for the preview!

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

basics in how to be a friend