There is a growing divide between the Christian church and the Gay community. A wedge is driven in by politics, doctrine, shame, and more; and the problem is getting worse and somehow we need to reconnect. This is a book about coming back to dialogue and relationship through love. It is one of huge risks with high stakes.

Andrew Marin is writing this book to Christ followers, and encouraging us with his own inspiring life stories, the way of Jesus, and scripture to build a bridge. He doesn’t avoid the scriptures but actually brings us right to them; not to cause doubt but to see the bigger picture of God’s love for people. Too often the discussion breaks down into a battle of being right or being rejected. It is often peppered with words that carry an undesired charge: one of condemnation, hate, and shame. Once an isolated and unaware Christian himself, Marin tells of his journey into relationship, respect, and reconnection with individuals, groups, and movements within the Gay community.

One cannot avoid being challenged to seek the footsteps of Jesus through this book. It provokes thought not controversy; love not self-righteousness. When finished, the reader is instilled with a new care and confidence that this bridge really can be built. It’s not about who’s right, it’s about a renewed orientation that supersedes all others: Love is the orientation of heaven.

What makes a healthy church? Author, speaker, and pastor Peter Scazzero states, “the overall health of any church or ministry depends primarily on the emotional and spiritual health of its leadership.” Peter shares in his book The Emotionally Healthy Church, his personal journey of discovering that emotional and spiritual health go hand in hand. As a pastor for years, he believed that leading a church was about having the right education, tools, and leadership skills, that being “godly” or “spiritual” was enough. However, when his marriage began to unravel, and the church he was pastoring experienced a painful split, he realized that even the right spiritual tools become of little use if your ability to relate to others is hindered by your own unresolved emotional issues.

How many of us can bring to mind someone we know who is “godly” on the outside, but is emotionally lacking maturity, is angry, defensive or toxic in their relationships? How can this be? If God in us has truly transformed us, aren’t we a new creation, shouldn’t our ability to do relationships well be changed for the better?

Peter writes, “Too many people in our churches are fixated at a stage of spiritual immaturity that current models of discipleship have not addressed. Many are supposedly ‘spiritually mature’ but remain infants, children, or teenagers emotionally. They demonstrate little ability to process anger, sadness, or hurt. They whine, complain, distance themselves, blame, and use sarcasm – like little children when they don’t get their way. Highly defensive to criticism or differences of opinion, they expect to be taken care of and often treat people as objects to meet their needs. Why? The answer is what this book is about.”

Churches have a lot to offer in the ways of spiritual formation, but too often what gets overlooked is the powerful and necessary link between spiritual maturity and emotional health. The best kind of discipleship a church can provide includes both.

Peter provides a list of six principles to get us started on a path toward emotional health. They are:

• Look beneath the surface
• Break the power of the past
• Live in brokenness and vulnerability
• Receive the gift of limits
• Embrace grieving and loss
• Make incarnation your model for loving well

The circumstances which led Peter to take an honest look at himself and unearth his own emotional issues not only changed his life and his close relationships, but the ripple effect extended to change his church from the inside out for the better. Healthy churches are authentic and know how to build healthy relationships. It begins with healthy leadership, extends to the body, and impacts the community. It begins with us.