Men and women work together every day in a variety of relationships as friends, spouses, and colleagues. We try to understand and support one another, but we frequently find ourselves confused and frustrated in our relationships. Too often, we joke around about our differences or explain them away. Sometimes we give up in despair, or, perhaps worse, we resort to keeping the sexes apart and avoid real and meaningful interaction.

In Bound and Determined, author Jeanene Reese draws on years of her own research and addresses the relationship between men and women and explores what it means that God designed these two genders to work together - including places we must all be willing to reflect and repent, how men and women can support and honor each other more effectively, and the role of forgiveness in authentic relationships. Accepting that "women are from Venus and men from Mars" is frankly simpler than working through the complexities of our relationships. Yet as Christians, we are called to live and work together in meaningful partnership, reflecting God's intimate and relational nature.

If you've ever experienced the frustration of working in mixed-gender groups, or if you feel loss over the lack of mixed-gender opportunities, this book offers a vision of how we can all work together in honest, rich Christian love.

Jeanene Reese lives and works in many different partnerships. In her role as associate professor of Bible and ministry at Abilene Christian University, she meets daily opportunities to partner with her mostly male colleagues and many of her students. With her nearly forty years of experience in ministry, she has formed meaningful partnerships across the United States and around the world. In addition to teaching, she currently works as director of ACU's Center for Women in Christian Service and serves annually on the leadership team for Come before Winter, a ministry group dedicated to providing support for missionaries worldwide. As a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother she has enjoyed, and been challenged by, the most intimate partnerships possible.

"In Bound and Determined, Jeanene Reese shifts our paradigm from that of the individual leader to that of leading together across the gender divide. Based on scriptural insights, research from her classroom, and her own years of partnering with men in ministry, Dr. Reese provides biblical and practical lessons that will enhance the partnerships of women and men in ministry, in schools and in the family. As a pastoral leader of a mega church with responsibilities for developing leaders and ministry infrastructure, I will find these principles for growing partnerships particularly helpful for me and my team as we continue to strengthen our collaborative leadership practices. Bound and Determined will prove to be a valuable resource for every man and woman committed to working and serving together!"

- Dr. Jeanne Porter
author of Leading Ladies and Leading Lessons
assistant pastor of Apostolic Church of God, Chicago, IL

"Jeanene Reese has written a truthful and engaging volume about the opportunities and the challenges men and women confront as they seek to establish authentic partnerships in every sector of their lives. Ms. Reese provides a refreshing and positive perspective as she suggests ways that men and women might effectively collaborate in order to contribute to the greater common good. Bound & Determined serves as an important reminder of the need to diligently seek understanding and cooperation among all people."

- Kim S. Phipps
President of Messiah College in Pennsylvania

ISBN: 9780891126782

Pages: 192

Dimensions (inches): 8.25 x 5.5

Weight (pounds): 0.5