Much
has been written on sexual purity but Graf takes the issue one step
deeper to emotional purity.
I
wish I'd had this booklet a year ago. I agreed to take an elderly
man, old enough to be my father, to his series of appointments for
eye surgery. While I knew I was just being kind, there soon developed
an emotional attachment on his part. After reading this booklet, I
understand exactly what happened.
It
seems like Graf wrote this booklet just for me, having found myself
in a confusing relationship with the opposite sex. She helped me
understand how conversations build emotional ties. She helped me
understand how to express concern without unintended intimacy. I now
realize that context and content are both important in understanding
how conversation relates to intimacy.
I
really like Graf's description of the five conversation categories.
That helped me grasp the emotional levels involved. I now understand
that my elderly acquaintance sharing the deep hurt of the recent loss
of his wife in the context of me driving him to the doctor's office
created an emotional dependency on his part. Should I do this kind of
ministry again, I'll make sure to take someone with me, changing the
context from one on one to a group setting.
This
is a great booklet for singles. You'll learn conversation skills and
recognize areas of caution. You'll know how to keep from
unintentionally sending intimacy signals when you want to keep the
relationship platonic. You'll also gain understanding that will be
helpful in your future relationships such as marriage.
This
booklet is not just for young people, however. Pastors, counselors,
and ministry leaders would benefit from reading this booklet. There
are lots of discussion questions so it could be used for training
over a few sessions. The booklet is a great tool for understanding
and developing healthy relationships between men and women.
My
rating: 5/5 stars.
Sherry
Graf and her husband are on staff with Navigators in collegiate work. They have three children.
NavPress,
80 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this booklet from the publisher
for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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