Not only do I have a good book to tell you about, but I get the chance to participate in a great giveaway. After reading through this post, if you leave a comment with one way that you can continue "dating" your spouse (like you did when you were actually dating), you will be entered in a giveaway for a $30 gift certificate to Red Lobster, Chili's or Applebees and a gift pack of books. For some good ideas, check out this article by the author of Marriage 101.And now on to the review.
Jewell Powell and her husband are marriage coaches. They teach people how to have successful marriages through living faithful lives. In Marriage 101, I was supposed to "discover God’s purpose for marriage, how to develop godly character, how to communicate effectively, and much more." And you know what, on a high level I did. I found a number of things that were eye-opening and just needed to be said about how I do and should treat my husband and my marriage. Things like women are taught to be independent so it becomes hard to let go of that independence when you get married. But this book could be used for any relationship really, not just marriage - although it probably makes the most sense for a marriage.
The main theme of the book for me was that God needs to be at the center of your marriage. With scriptures (and places to write notes) to study and questions to reflect on, this book really could be a great way to improve your marriage. I did however find that it was lacking the practical application (e.g., ways to keep dating your spouse or to show that you care) in most cases though. While they were there, I kind of felt like they got lost in all of the religious speak. At the end of each section there was a link to a website (I believe her website most of the time) that included lists and practical applications, but I wanted them in the book and not somewhere else.
Overall for me this book had some good moments but didn't really give me a whole lot to take home other than that by becoming closer to God, I can also become closer to my husband, which in turn will strengthen our marriage. But that's something I already knew so this book really served as a reminder of things rather than teaching me anything new. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a way to stregthen their marriage but that does not yet have a strong faith in God and the purpose of marriage. 3 out of 5 stars.
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Sounds like a book that I should read too! One thing I need to do is to think of the small things I can do for my husband that I did while we were dating, like leaving notes on his car and surprising him with smoothies in the morning.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaylyn, Yes, those little things go a long way. In the back of the book I list 30 ways to show love to your spouse (most are free). Take care
ReplyDeletehey where did my comment go?
ReplyDeleteWhat comment? I never saw it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, here is an abbreviated version of my earlier comment that disappeared.
ReplyDeleteI can really appreciate the importance of having God at the head of a marriage. When we let God be in control, I can see a huge difference in the way we treat each other and the way we set priorities.
We have a hard time with dates. The last time we had an actual date was about two years ago and we didn't know what to say to each other. Now we have a date time every Sunday morning. The Sunday School period is before the main service, so we take the kids to Sunday School and the baby to the nursery and sit together in the coffee shop until it's time for the service. Often it's the only time during the week we can have a real conversation.
One of our favorite "dates" is afternoon dates. Now that our boys are both in school, I love meeting my husband for lunch. He's off one day a week, mid-week and we love going out to breakfast or lunch or even an early movie. No sitters, no Friday night lines to wait in and time spent together. It's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a terrific book. I'd love to be entered!
je2kids(at)yahoo(dot)com
Well, I've realized one thing recently. So many times I am just not in the mood because I am DANG tired by the end of the night. Then there's those nights where I think, hmmm, should we? I've learned to say YES to myself on those nights instead of just brushing it off and then going to lay down in my bed and read a book. I also highly recommend reading books or blogs that help each of you become comfortable with your sexuality in a good way. They're out there if you search for them!
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