Dick Foth - Known: Finding Deep Friendships in a Shallow World

Most of us dont get a how-to course in building lasting friendships; often we are left to figure it out as we grow up. Reading Known gave me a fresh look on friendship and its important role in my life. This fantastic resource of poems and stories from the Foths personal experiences will bring incredible meaning and longevity to your relationships.

B ETSY M ILLER , director, StoryBrand Foundation

Ive been learning about extravagant love from Dick and Ruth Foth for over a decade. I asked Dick if he would come with me to a country in the middle of a civil war. He said yes without skipping a beat. This is how the Foths are wired. They dont see opportunities and faith and friends as separate parts of their lives but as inseparable ones. They dont love people after theyve arrived; they love their friends on the way. This is exactly what Jesus did. Youre going to enjoy in these pages learning about friendships from the people who have been teaching me most of what I know about them.

B OB G OFF , chief balloon inflator and author of Love Does

I found myself nodding with affirmation reading each page of Known. Read this book if you want more meaningful friendships. Read this book if you want deeper conversations. Read this book if you want to be moved. Read this book, and youll find yourself leaning into relationships the way Jesus intended them to be.

B ARRY H . C OREY , president of Biola University and author of Love Kindness: Discover the Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue

I was twenty-eight when I got married. Standing beside me was a sixty-eight-year-old groomsman named Dick Foth. My friend. The stories and ideas captured in this book have been transforming lives through Dick and Ruth for decades. Ive seen these pages in action. They have shaped my life, my family, my friends, and my community. I trust they will shape yours too.

J EREMY V ALLERAND , president and CEO, Rescue:Freedom International

The world is full of STORYTELLERS but starving for SAGES . When Dick and Ruth Foth write a book, we get the rare privilege of both! From Dicks anecdotes, to Ruths poetry (and everything in between), this book is proof of the ancient truth that two are better than one! When I finished this book, I felt a renewed sense of beauty and awe for the God I serve and the people around me.

C HAD B RUEGMAN , teaching pastor and directional leadership, Red Rocks Church, Denver

I look for three things from an author: credibility, authenticity, and clarity of message. Dick and Ruth Foth have delivered on all three. Known: Finding Deep Friendships in a Shallow World is a masterpiece! I will never look at relationships the same way again.

H AL D ONALDSON , president, Convoy of Hope

Dick and Ruths intensely practical yet otherworldly words will reach through the pages and gently beckon you to follow them into the deep warmth of relationships that nurture, heal, and equip you to live your dreams and fulfill your destiny.

D AYNA B OWEN M ATTHEW, author of Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care

I f you gave me a word association test and said, Relationships, my immediate response would be, Dick Foth. Ive never met anyone who does relationships better! And Ive been the beneficiary of that fact for two decades now. Of course, it takes two to tango. And one of the beautiful things about this book is that we dont just get Dicks viewpoint; we also get Ruths reflections! And trust me, when Ruth speaks you want to listen very closely, very carefully! There is a raw honesty and profound dimensionality to this book because its two-part harmony.

When I was a rookie pastor trying to find my way in ministry and in marriage, Dick Foth befriended me. Dick and Ruth invited Lora and me over to their home for our first Thanksgiving in Washington, DC. When Ruth served up a warm berry cobbler for dessert, I knew it was a friendship that needed to be cultivated!

Dick Foth has been a spiritual father to me for more than two decades now. Hes been a sounding board for difficult decisions. Hes offered encouraging words during tough times. And hes not afraid to ask the tough questions! In fact, he rarely asks me how Im doing. He usually asks me how my wife and children are doing! Dick knows that its our relationships with those who are closest to us that is the best barometer of how were doing personally!

Simply put, there isnt anyone Ive learned more from than Dick Foth. And youre about to discover why I love and honor Dick and Ruth so much. This book is pure goldgold that has been refined by seventy-five trips around the sun and fifty years of marriage. Youll find a few theories in this book, but those theories are backed up by hard-earned, down-to-earth lessons about life, love, and catching tadpoles!