Shelley Hendrix - Why Cant We Just Get Along?: 6 Effective Skills for Dealing with Difficult People

How I trust Shelley Hendrix! She is winsome and delightful while deeply thoughtful and filled with grace. This is not a book of technique but a way of living. She writes with conviction, vulnerability, humility, and authenticity. Shelley has fought hard for these truths. She will not try to teach you what she is not committed to living through. Her words are from Gods own heart and are vitally transformational.

John Lynch , coauthor of The Cure, Bos Caf, and On My Worst Day

Whether youve been hurt by a family member, work for a difficult boss, or are having problems with your best friend, this book will equip you to navigate relationships in a God-honoring way, bring peace to your life, and help you become a more loving person.

Pete Wilson , pastor and author of Plan B

Girls...you will love this book! In a world that pressures us on every side until its hard to catch our breath, Shelley shows us how to breathe deeply and lean into God and His Word. She reminds us that God is always in control and nothing is wasted in His hands. Breathe, girls...breathe!

Sheila Walsh , Bible teacher and author of God Loves Broken People

Why Cant We Just Get Along is a wonderful extension of Shelley Hendrixs ministry to women. Every woman will see herself in this book and discover Gods grace to help them face the challenges of relationship.

Ken Davis , Christian comedian and author of Fully Alive

This book is a resource for women who have been wounded by relationships yet still yearn for real friendship and authentic community. With powerful, profound insights from Scripture, this is a book you will want to read more than once and pass on to your friends too. Shelley doesnt just bandage the wound and promise it will get bettershe shows readers how healing will happen and Who they can trust. This is a must-have, must-read book!

Ginger Garrett , author of Beauty Secrets of the Bible, A Womans Path to Inner Beauty, and Chosen: The Diaries of Queen Esther

Shelley Hendrix approaches the often overlooked subject of interpersonal relationships with a beautiful balance of boldness and grace. Filled with stories of firsthand experience in the delicate dance of female dynamics, Shelley helps readers overcome past hurt and fear to live in the freedom of God-led friendship. This is a must-read for every woman.

Jessica Wolstenholm , blogger and author of The Baby Companion: A Faith-Filled Guide for Your Journey to Motherhood

Reading this book is like meeting a friend at a cozy tea spot, crying your eyes out about someone who is treating you badly, and then receiving encouragement and strategies for finding your way. Every reader will resonate with how awful it feels to wonder, Does this person dislike me? Is she being mean on purpose? What should I do now? Shelley gives plenty of tangible helpnot just spiritual platitudesand Gods Word is woven into every page.

Lucille Zimmerman , Licensed Professional Counselor and author of Renewed: Finding Your Inner Happy in an Overwhelmed World

Shelley Hendrix lives her life with a fragrance of grace. She captures this essence in her stories and life examples. Rarely is a book both delightful to read and relevant to our daily struggles. Shelley offers her relational life experiences with the practical application of godly principles. Reading this made me want to give one to every one of my friends!

Brenda Wagner , PhD, clinical psychologist

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

Cover illustrations iStockphoto / cinnamonsaturday, P2007

Back cover author photo by Amelia Grace Photography

This book contains stories in which the author has changed peoples names and some details of their situations in order to protect their privacy.

WHY CANT WE JUST GET ALONG?

Copyright 2013 by Shelley Hendrix

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hendrix, Shelley, 1974

Why cant we just get along? / Shelley Hendrix.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-4864-7 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4865-4 (eBook)

1. Christian womenReligious lifeTextbooks. 2. Female friendshipReligious aspectsChristianityTextbooks. 3. Female friendshipBiblical teachingTextbooks. I. Title.

BV4527.H463 2013

248.8'43dc23

2012026071

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

To the woman who has helped to shape me most

Beth Turner

You are my mom and a safe confidante in a world where trusting others can be a challenge. Thank you for cheering me on these past few years and for believing in me and the call of God on my life. I will always be in your corner. And I will always make sure to bring chocolate.

xoxo

It is so hard to narrow my expressed gratitude down at all. So many people have made investments in my life that have made this project possible. But I would really be remiss not to acknowledge these individuals and groups here:

To my best friend, Stephen Hendrix, who swept me off my feet and gave me his name: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being you and giving me the safest place on earth to be me. There is no way Id be in ministry at all, much less in a position to have anything to put on paper for others to read, if not for your incredible support and encouragement. I still cant believe I get to be married to Stephen Hendrix!

To my children, Amelia, Macey, and Jackson: Thank you for your patience with your mom while she was typing away at all hours of the day and night to get this book written. You probably made the biggest sacrifice of anyone so that this idea could become a reality and I want you to know that I recognize this and appreciate it so much. I love having a front row seat in your lives!

To my parents, Lewis and Beth Turner: Thank you for being the first ones to teach me about the One who loves me most and for pointing me in His direction from before I was even born. So much of what Ive learned, Ive learned from you both. So much of who I am is because of you. I love you and I am so thankful youre my parents.

To the women of Church 4 Chicks: I would be remiss not to thank you all for believing in this ministrys purpose and mission and for going the extra mile. I especially want to say thank you to Debra Courtney who has walked this journey with me from the time God put the vision in my heart and mind. You are a woman of incredible integrity, loyalty, tenacity, and courage. No one celebrated this book with me more than you, Deb. I will always be so grateful!