It Doesn’t Have to Be This WeirdWhen it comes to relationships between men and women, we have more questions than answers:* How do we keep relationships with the opposite sex healthy—and still hug each other after small group* Is it possible for married men and women to be friends with people of the opposite sex* What does it mean to be a woman if you’re not a wife, or a man if you’re not a husbandJesus’ pattern for church living was one of family—of brothers and sisters living in intimate, life-giving community with each other. With story, sensitivity, and hope, Beyond Awkward Side Hugs invites us to leave behind eroticized, fear-based patterns and move toward gendered, generous relationships between men and women of character as we love one another as Jesus did.“Beyond Awkward Side Hugs is a deep well of biblical wisdom, and Lea has written with nuance and clarity, humor and grace.”—Jen Pollock Michel, author of Surprised by Paradox and Keeping Place“The church desperately needs a bigger vision for how men and women can flourish together in ministry and friendship, and Bronwyn Lea paints a vivid picture for how we’ll get there.”—Steve Wiens, author of Shining Like the Sun, Beginnings, and Whole