Author: Tara Klena Barthel & Judy Dabler
Subtitle:
Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."--Ephesians 4:3
Friends let you down. A romance turns sour. Children rebel. A church is divided. You feel like you don't measure up. Is there really hope for living at peace?
Yes! Peacemaking Women offers a meaningful, lasting message to lead you out of conflict and into a state of peace where you can live as a representative of Christ to other women as well as to unbelievers. With personal stories and advice that is firmly rooted in Scripture, the authors guide you to peace with God, peaceful relationships with others, and genuine peace within.
About the authors:
Tara Klena Barthel is a former attorney and director of the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of Peacemaker Ministries. Currently, she serves her family as a homemaker while occasionally accepting cases as a mediator, arbitrator, and conflicted church intervention team member. Tara is an instructor and Certified Christian Conciliator with Peacemaker Ministries and a consultant to businesses and Christian ministries resolving conflict. Tara and her family live in Montana.
Judy Dabler, president of Live at Peace Ministries (www.liveatpeace.org), serves nationally and internationally as a mediator, counselor, educator, and consultant. Her passion is to see individuals, marriages, families, churches, and communities experience transformation through reconciliation, and is committed to training Gospel-centered reconcilers. Judy holds an MA in theological studies and an MA in counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary as well as a BS in business administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Judy is an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an instructor and conciliator for Peacemaker Ministries. She is a licensed professional counselor in Missouri and a Certified Christian Conciliator with the Institute for Christian Conciliation, a division of Peacemaker Ministries. Judy has been married to Jim for over thirty years, and together they have raised two children, Ryan and Robyn.
Endorsements:
"Peacemaking Women is not just for women and is not just about peacemaking. This powerfully honest book is about the peace the gospel brings every heart that applies the truths of the gospel to past wounds and present brokenness. And this book is about how personally embracing this gospel of peace makes each of us a loving instrument of God's grace to others." ~Bryan Chapell, author, Praying Backwards
"Living in a world of conflict, we desperately need to discover the art of peacemaking. Tara Barthel and Judy Dabler use the wisdom of their own experience to apply God's truth to the deep wounds of our lives, showing the path to intimacy with God, reconciliation with others and shalom in our hearts. This biblical, insightful, sensitive and practical book will open the door of hope for many women." ~Colin S. Smith, pastor, Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church
"Judy Dabler and Tara Barthel weave into Peacemaking Women their wealth of wisdom and experience in counseling and conciliation. They show that conflict resolution demands more than communication techniques and negotiation strategies. Real peace (with God, others, ourselves) flourishes only when the deep drives of our hearts are captivated by the God of peace. In other words, the gospel of the crucified and risen Christ alone contains the life-changing mercy and power to heal our relationships with our Maker, each other, and our own conflicted hearts.
"Real people populate these pages, not only the authors but also the women (and some men) whom they have helped find peace in the love of Jesus (and some whom they've tried to help-their realism also admits that not everyone wants peace on God's terms). Their stories, told with refreshing humility and honesty, show how concretely practical the Bible's theology of peace is and speak hope that God's shalom can and does invade our broken lives and relationships in sovereign grace. I learned much about women, myself, and my God and his grace from Peacemaking Women. I highly recommend it." ~Dennis E. Johnson, academic dean and professor of practical theology, Westminster Seminary California
"This book tells the truth. The authors know the struggles of women and they offer hope rooted in God's Word to transform conflict into grace in lives, families, churches, and communities." ~Charles Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship
"If I could put one book in the hands of every Christian woman, in addition to the Bible, it would be this one. The book is marked by courage, vulnerability, integrity, respect, variety, and scholarship. It is a delight to read and a joy to ponder. Reading it has been beneficial to me as I am sure it will be to many." ~Laura Mae Gardner, former international vice president, Wycliffe Bible Translators International
"The rifts in the Christian community are legion and legendary. The breakdown between two people or in our own walk with God saps more energy for the gospel than any one factor. Whatever the cause, the tragedy is most Christians don't have hope for repentance, reconciliation, and restoration. This bold and compelling book by two wise Christian mediators and peacemakers is a tour de force in offering a pathway for rebuilding broken relationships. Judy and Tara live and breathe what they write and know personally and professionally the glory of fighting for peace. Their labor of love will draw you back to the one who gave his life for our peace. Take it and read with hope and courage." ~Dan B. Allender, president, Mars Hill Graduate School; author, The Wounded Heart and To Be Told
"Peacemaking Women is worth a dozen counseling sessions. The chapter on romantic love is worth the price of the book." ~Charles Mylander, coauthor of Blessed Are the Peacemakers
"Women know how conflict can threaten to tear apart relationships and homes. And worse yet, this conflict frequently begins within our own hearts, working its way out in demands and desires that can seem overwhelming. Peacemaking Women isn't just another book on communication or conflict resolution. It will open your eyes to the role our idolatrous hearts play in our conflicts and then point you back to the Peacemaker who took peacemaking so seriously he was willing to die for it. I strongly recommend it!" ~Elyse Fitzpatrick, author, Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety
