Best marriage book read ever...December 18, 2008 Excellant marriage book and 100% on the mark with every other marriage book concerning the subject of divorce.
Every Christian marriage book will encourage the reader to battle with God to save the holy sanctity of marriage. But once the marriage has ended via an earthly court system and a man written legal piece of paper?
This book, along with 10 out of 10 other Christian marriage books will tell you to just toss your wedding ring and vows aside and into the deepest sea and rush out to find a "replacement" and start over.
Maybe I have a differrent understanding of what God intends to see achieved in real Christ ordained marriage. Maybe I am all wet.
God first provided for divorce because of the cruelty and meaness in a man's heart. But this is not God's plan concerning the Holy Instituion of marriage. If you really study Ephesians 5:25 just a wee tiny bit you will have to agree that a Godly Christian man should have a heart attitude and willingness to literally die for his wife and family even when the legal system sticks its nose between the covers and anounces the marriage dead and over.
I believe once Christians marry they are always married until death seperates their physical bodies. Regardless of how successful they think they are in "starting" over with a new spouse you have in reality only succeeded in corrupting God's deisign and unique handiwork.
But what does "man" care about that, huh? Our personal will is our God. And that is exactley the opposite of what the good Lord wishes us to learn in marriage.
A true Christian marriage is one where personal self becomes totally subservient to God's will and the welfare of the other spouse.
Amen...
Great small group study toolDecember 18, 2008 We used this book for a women's small group study. It is a great book, and study questions can be downloaded for free from Gary's website. There are personal questions at the back of the book that can also be used, but the ones on the website include both personal and group questions.
This book is a great foundational book on marriage and in many ways can translate into all your relationships. It focuses more on what God is doing in you rather than what you are trying to get out of your spouse. Very good redirection of the heart that makes you look at things in a different perspective.
Should be required reading for Christians prior to marriageDecember 16, 2008 I received this book as a wedding gift. Reading this book humbled me to consider that marriage is not only two people who want to share lives for the purpose of love and family, but is also a way to show God's love as a ministry. In the American culture, marriage certainly has taken some blows. It saddens me that something so sacred and holy as marriage has been made to be more like dating with committment lacking. I hope this book helps people to really consider the impact of marriage, not only for themselves but for everyone who is watching as well.
eye openerDecember 7, 2008 This book giver a fresh new perspective on the purpose of marriage-much different than what we read and see in love movies and love stores--this is What You Need To Read before You Get Married!
By FAR the best book I have read on marriageNovember 25, 2008 Gary deals squarely with the challenges of marriage that have made me feel paralyzed with "I-Can't-Do-This" fear, but then shows us the hope we have because of our life in Christ. I've never read another book on marriage that was so focused on the life Christ gives us and how God enables us through that.
Too many books I've read on marriage have felt like "12 Steps to Becoming the Perfect Spouse." I take a deep breath and then try to do them in my own strength, and...fail. This book points consistently to CHRIST as our enabler and brings our focus from being only on ourselves (what am I supposed to do?) to God (what is God doing through my marriage, what does He want to do in me?). Real change starts with focusing/depending on what God has done, which in turn allows God to change me. I've felt like too many books on marriage jumped straight to the "do" without examining the "done"--God's work--which is what enables me to "do" in the first place!
Excellent, excellent, excellent book. It will impact not just how you treat your spouse and view your marriage, but also how you view and depend on Christ in the rest of life. Highly recommended!!
