Toxic Relationships and How to Change Them: Health and Holiness in Everyday Life

Foreword by Les Parrott, Ph.D.

Matters of the Heart.

Introduction.

PART ONE: Relationships as God Intends.

1. The Spiritual Significance of Everyday Life: A Brief Theology of Relationships.

2. Foundations of Health and Holiness.

PART TWO: How People Train Each Other.

3. Making Sense of Everyday Behavior.

4. Modes and Styles of Ordinary Interaction.

5. The Hidden Rules of Human Relationships.

6. Overview of Interpersonal Toxicity.

PART THREE: Eight Ways of Disappointing the Father.

7. Controlling: Bossing and Ordering.

"Beware the leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:5).

8. Drifting: Obeying and Conforming.

"Solomon, whose heart had strayed, turned toward other gods"(1 Kings 11:4).

9. Intruding: Crowding and Smothering.

"God was harsh with Job’s advisors, whose advice had been false" (Job 42:7).

10. Freeloading: Clinging and Depleting.

"Those who will not work shall not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

11. Humiliating: Demeaning and Belittling.

"When Hagar became pregnant, she despised her mistress Sarai" (Genesis 16:4).

12. Scurrying: Whining and Appeasing.

"'Woman,' anxiously protested Peter, 'I do not know the man'" (Luke 22:57).

13. Victimizing: Injuring and Exploiting.

"His brothers spotted Joseph a long way off and conspired to kill him" (Genesis 37:18).

14. Avoiding: Withdrawing and Rebelling.

"But instead of going to confront Nineveh, Jonah decided to run away"(Jonah 1:3).

PART FOUR: Toward Relational Health and Holiness.

15. Three Myths About Behavior Change.

16. Getting Out of Your Own Way.

17. Some Final Thoughts on Changing Others.

Sources and Recommended Reading.

The Author.

Index.