The Relationship Recipe – Book Introduction

THE RELATIONSHIP RECIPE

INTRODUCTION

Credentials are very important to those who take the source of their information seriously. For example, if they were in need of a lawyer and a person with a law degree from Harvard University was made available to them, it is pretty safe to say that they would probably solicit the services of that person.  They may not even know that person at all, but because their credentials come from a source that is not only credible, but is also very highly recommended by so many other businesses and institutions, it would be almost a “no -brainer” that they should choose the services of this lawyer.

Well my friend, you are about to read a book from which the basis of its information is very credible and also comes highly recommended . . . The Holy Bible!

Now if you are not an open-minded person, or a person who does not use any logic or reason before making a decision, you may be getting ready to put this book down because you think that this is another one of those “religious books.” Well, I assure you that once you start reading this book you will know right away that this is not one of those “religious” books at all.

Allow me to just throw a little something out here for thought. People follow the advice of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Priests, Ministers, Counselors, Doctors, Philosophers, etc. Well I wonder how many times have they asked themselves where did the people who taught and trained them get their knowledge from? I am not just talking about the place where these professionals attained their degrees credentials, but where did the people who give out these degrees and credentials get their credentials from?

Let me further elaborate on what I mean. The philosophical words of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. may be appropriate for one person during a particular time or situation in their life, and they may decide to follow the philosophy of one of these great Philosophers because it comes from a credible and well respected source. However, do they ever ask: “Who, What, or Where is the source of these great Philosopher’s knowledge?”

I dare say that many people do not delve very deep into the credentials of the source from which the people whose advice they choose to follow. Let’s face it, if a person has Doctor, Esquire, Reverend, Bishop, Father, etc., attached to their name, and if they are affiliated with a “reputable” institution, then most people tend to receive their advice is solid since the source of where they attained their credentials is solid. So what about The Holy Bible? These are some of the credentials attributed to the Holy Bible . . .

1. It is one of the most quoted books in the world.
2. It is legitimately called and recognized as “The Holy Bible.”
3. How solid is its credentials? Let’s see:
   1. It is one of the most published books in the world.
   2. It is one of the most read books in the world.
   3. It is one of the largest selling books in the world.
   4. It is one of the most translated and transliterated books in the world.

4.     Notwithstanding, the credentials of the contributors and authors who penned this great book are without question.
5.    Even though the Holy Bible is recognized as one book, it is actually sixty-six books written by about forty authors.

The list of credentials and accolades to the Holy Bible can go on and on, but a point that I want to make is that many of us are willing to quote, or follow the advice and/or counsel of some of the aforementioned Professionals and/or Philosophers; and that seems to be okay with most of society. Well, what about quoting and/or following advice and counsel from one of the persons whose credentials come from being one of the contributors to the writings found in the Holy Bible?

Taking or following advice from people is a more common occurrence than many people may realize. Many people take advice from musicians, sports figures, politicians, actors and other popular celebrities simply because they are celebrities. Often these celebrities are giving advice about something which they are not even professionally certified to give advice about, but because of their celebrity they appeal to a large audience and the people who are willing to pay for the use of their celebrity are aware of this.

I believe that when it comes to relationships, It does not matter if we’re talking about a married couple, business partners, friends, parent – child relationships, siblings, relatives, co-workers, etc. those people involved in those relationships definitely need to considered the source of the credentials of their advisors or counselors if they want their relationship advice to be successful.

In any relationship, just like in most cakes, there are certain ingredients that need to be present and active. When it comes to making cakes there are always some basic ingredients that tend to be found in most cakes. We know that most cakes will have sugar, eggs, salt, flour, yeast, butter, etc. But there are some cakes that will exchange, add or subtract from these basic ingredients.

Many people consult a recipe as their source for the ingredients for their cake. They are looking for advice for what ingredients that should be added, subtracted, exchanged, and even the amounts.

In my book: “The Marriage Recipe” my focus was particularly on marriages, but as I began to take a deeper look at the ingredients that I was using, I realized that there are so many other relationships that could use some of these same ingredients. So I decided to revise my book and rename it “The Relationship Recipe.”

This book originally started out with just six ingredients, but it has now expanded to ten ingredients. The following ingredients will make up the chapters for “The Relationship Recipe”: 

1. Christ
2.  Currency (Finances)
3. Commitment     
4. Compromise 
5. Compatibility
6. Communication
7. Confidence (Trust)
8. Charity (Love)
9. Considerate
10. Compliance

*Not necessarily in this order.

Many people spend millions of dollars every day to listen, visit, watch, attend lectures and seminars, go on retreats, go to various counselors, and even buy books to gain counsel and  advice from a variety  professionals and even long passed philosophers, when they can obtain sound counsel and advice right from the Holy Bible!

Even though the Holy Bible has a deep meaning for Christians, there are still many teachings in the Holy Bible that give sound advice for nearly all relationships. I know that many people will say that there are no guarantees that a relationship is going to last or even be successful.

So what makes this book any different than any other “self-help” book? For one thing, it is not about self –help. Two, those who are in the relationship are the only ones who will be qualified to determine if they are successful or not. Three, there is an ulterior motive that I’m going to expose (I guess that means it is not really going to be hidden).

Those people who are in a relationship will find that they will need some help when it comes to having the ability to implement ALL of  the ingredients; thus, eliminating the “self-help” concept, and introducing THE HOLY BIBLE!

Of course It is my greatest hope that people will be led to the Lord through information they find in this book. I do believe that the information found in this book is a MUST for Christians; but I also believe that anyone who is seeking sound counsel for how to have a successful relationship will definitely benefit from the information in this book.