For believers the world over, the Bible is the Inspired Word of God, the guide by which decisions are made, faith is measured and relationships are planted, tended and cultivated.

“The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible: Life Lessons on Relationships from the Inspired Word of God” (Atria, $39.99) adds new dimension to the age old text.

“The Bible is God’s open love letter to humanity — it is the greatest story ever told,” said Bishop Jakes, senior pastor of the Potter’s House of Dallas Inc. “By peeling back the sacred scripture and delving deeper into God’s vision for how we navigate the continuum between conflict and resolution, harmony and dissension, fear and freedom. With love as the cornerstone, we can get straight to the heart of the matter.”

As leader of a church 30,000-strong, Jakes discovered within his own congregation the need to address the compound subject of relationships from a Biblical perspective.

“The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible” brings to laser-like focus the union between God and mankind, such as conveyed in the familiar passage of John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life.”

For Jakes, the rational behind such a monumental undertaking (the tome is 1,600 pages), was to offer readers the benefit of his erudition.

“Gaining insight into God’s relationship principles is like rotating a kaleidoscope of ever changing forms, shifting patterns and optical illusions until the reflection that what we envision is precisely what God intended.”

The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible features practical teachings, inspirational lessons, and study tools for those grappling with the difficulties that can arise anywhere “two or more are gathered”: husband/wife, parent/child, worker/boss, doctor/patient, parishioner/pastor, student/teacher, friend/foe.

“Our greatest gift is our interdependence with God,” Jakes said. “As the vine is to the branch, we live our lives in service to others as the penultimate portrait of his sacrificial love for us. ‘The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible’ unlocks the secrets to relationships and unearths a hidden treasure from within the Inspired Word of God so that we may flourish in our connection to others.”

Contact Staff Writer Bobbi Booker at (215) 893-5749 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .