LOVE WITH SKIN ON:
The Gift of Your Journey
By Trevor. J. Partridge
CWR. 139 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 782 594 895
Trevor Partridge states his purpose of writing Love With Skin On is to introduce us to what he believes is the missing jewel in the church, paraclesis or ‘coming alongside others’.
Life can be turbulent and frightening and we can feel alone and isolated. When this happens we desperately need someone to come alongside us, helping us through our life crisis. Trevor Partridge shows us how we can use the gift of our personal journey following Christ to come alongside someone struggling, to be Christ’s love and compassion, but ‘with skin on’!
He uses Luke 24, the story of Jesus coming alongside the two men walking along the road to Emmaus, to illustrate this. We see how Jesus journeys with them and, as he does so, displays the facets of the ‘paraclesis diamond’. Jesus consoles them in their sadness, comforts them in their confusion, entreats, exhorts and encourages them. This coming alongside by Jesus is not just being there for someone, rather it is coming alongside with a purpose. As Jesus actively displays those wonderful facets of paraclesis, his purpose is achieved. He equips them to continue their onward journey, strengthened in their time of need. And through his strength and grace, we can help others in this way too.
Care of souls
Partridge believes that our willingness and ability to do this, and to do it well, is the missing jewel in the church’s crown. I agree. Traditionally ‘care of souls’ was the responsibility of the church, but this book challenges us as to whether our church projects and vision have caused us to neglect our duty to nurture and care? Have we lost sight of our God-given calling to the ‘one another’ approach to pastoral care that Jesus taught his disciples in early church life? God determined that run-of-the-mill people, from the priesthood of all believers, do most of his work – not professionals or experts. But this isn’t the pattern we generally see today. By drawing on the example of how Jesus came alongside those struggling, Partridge warmly encourages, exhorts and equips us to step out of our comfort zones and do the same. Each section ends with a few points for discussion or response, which makes it a helpful resource for small group discussion, or to read with a friend and respond to together. This could then revolutionise how we carry out pastoral care as we go out and become truly ‘coming-alongside’ ‘paracletic’ communities!
