The Faces of Friendship

The Faces of Friendship is one woman's mapping of the interlocking dynamics of friendship that penetrate to the deepest roots within us--our innate sense of belonging both to God and to each other. Isabel Anders, author of personal reflections that ""reverberate with spiritual insight"" (Arthur Livingston in New Oxford Review)--Awaiting the Child, Soul Moments, and Seasons for the Soul--has collected here in one volume her insights on the various faces of friendship that we encounter daily, with hints of paths we may follow for our souls' instruction and delight. But this is no simple prescription for everyone or every situation. Anders's strong theological grounding in the underlying meaning of friendship teems with biblical and classical understandings that stretch the reader and invite ongoing interaction--with questions, quotes, and further insights for individuals and groups at the end of each chapter. ""To Be a Friend of God ... Befriending Yourself ... Man-Woman Friendships ... When Friendship Falters ... Friendship and Maturity ... are among the rich themes that interplay in these pages, as Anders's intriguing case for friendship in the Spirit explores the essential human longing to 'know' and 'be known' on our journey here below."" --Arthur Livingston, New Oxford Review. Also by Isabel Anders Awaiting the Child: An Advent Journal ""Anders expresses Advent's multiple themes in language that launches into poetry. This is a book to be savored, reflected on, prayed over. It is a wonderful way to move through Advent toward the light in the darkness, the mystery of Christmas."" --Celebration magazine Soul Moments: Times When Heaven Touches Earth ""Soul Moments is ... a beautiful, encouraging, hopeful book. I loved reading it."" --Madeleine L'Engle. ""With charm and an eye for the sacred embedded in everyday moments, Isabel Anders helps us see more clearly, more deeply. Isabel's gentle eloquence makes the ordinary seem luminous. Soul Moments is a delight to read."" --Timothy Jones. Isabel Anders is the also author of Awaiting the Child: An Advent Journal. A graduate in English from Wheaton College, with an MA in religious studies from Mundelein College, Chicago, Isabel has been a writer and editor for more than thirty years and received an Ohio Arts Council fellowship in creative writing (1989).