Genuine Friendship: The Foundation for All Personal Relationships, Including Marriage and the Relationship With God

by Philip D. Halfacre

Many people measure their happiness by the quality of their personal relationships. No one relates perfectly, and even those who relate well can see from time to time they need to improve. This book offers insights to help the reader to do precisely that. In all of our interpersonal relationships--especially in the family- we create an environment or a culture. Ideally, we create a culture of love- one where people have the experience they are loved and they matter, they are accepted for who they are, and they are forgiven. But friendship entails more than warm feelings and personal sharing. Sustaining such relationships and fulfilling the expectations that are naturally a part of them requires real strength of character, especially if we are to persevere in them through the years. When we succeed in creating a culture of love, people have the experience of being truly united with each other. Whether it is with a friend, a spouse, or with God, it is the experience of intimacy. We naturally desire it because we were made for it.

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the rapid growth in social media, many people are feeling more disconnected than ever before. An alarming number of people are profoundly lonely. How can this be? It seems that we have lost sight of how to connect with each other and develop meaningful relationships. Fr Philip Halfacre addresses this problem by explaining first that we were made for love and the implications of this truth. From there he describes the love that is friendship, the different levels of friendship, the intimacy of friendship and intimacy between men and women. He extends the concept of friendship further to explain our intimate friendship with God and how that impacts on our lives. At the end of each chapter he lists a number of questions for philosophical consideration and personal growth.
I found this an incredibly helpful book that was full of useful advice for all different types of relationships. It is suitable for people of all ages whether married or single. I also found the questions at the end of the chapter challenging and thought provoking. This is an excellent book that I will read again at any opportunity.

[Joma Palana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book on friendship: friends, between married couples and with God. The message is that any friendship requires effort, which every one knows, but the author uses insights from philosophy and theology and pastoral experience to help draw learnings. The chapter on friendship between spouses can be very helpful, both for married people and also those preparing for marriage. Indeed, the author says that the best marriages are those between friends! And so married couples have to keep friendship alive, and prospective marriage partners must ask themselves if they are real friends.

A bonus for the book is that it has a series of questions at the end of each chapter to help the reader explore the issues further or to go deeper into the subject.

[Rico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I benefited from reading this. At times it was dry and repetitive. This was probably because it is used as a textbook as well. I would recommend this to everyone. As a Catholic, I learned more about my faith and how it correalates with the idea of friendship. As a friend, I believe it strengthened my ability to be a friend. It also helped me see areas to work on as a husband and a friend.
I am very glad to have read it.