Wow! First of all, I really hope I haven't given any of you the impression that Skyler and I are perfect or have the perfect marriage! We are flawed people just like anyone else, and the only reason we have a great marriage is because of God's amazing grace and mercy!
I have been contemplating how to respond to my friend, and it has been quite difficult to come up with anything. I am not an expert on marriage, and I definitely don't have all the answers! I feel incredibly blessed that God gave me the courage to wait for His very best! I know that much of the joy in our marriage stems from that fact alone.
So I thought I would simply put together some of our favorite marriage resources. These authors can offer much more wisdom than me! Skyler and I have found these books/cds to be very inspiring! I think you will like them as well!
For the Wife:
I read through this book, prior to getting married, with an elderly widow at the church I attended in college! What a great book! Just flipping through it again, reminds me that I need to be reading this often! I plan on picking it back up this week just as a refresher! :) (NOTE: There is a guy version of this book; The Exemplary Husband. Although Skyler hasn't read through this book, it probably has lots of great insight for the husband wanting to better their marriage relationship).
My pastor's wife introduced me to this wonderful book! Although some women may scoff at the idea that God created us to be submissive and honoring to our husbands, the denial of this truth is the very reason why many of their marriages are struggling! This is a great book full of wisdom, and I would highly recommend it! :) (NOTE: Michael Pearl has recently authored the husband version of this book - Created to Need a Helpmeet. Again Skyler has not read this book yet, but I am sure it would be a great resource for any husband desiring to love his wife as Christ loves the Church.)
For the Couple:
This was the first marriage book Skyler and I read! It is wonderful! Gary Thomas poses the question, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" This book is sure to give you a fresh perspective on marriage!
Skyler and I read through this book with a small group at our church prior to getting married. We still refer to it in conversation often as we laugh about speaking blue vs. pink, me needing to feel loved, and him desiring respect. I think you will find this book very enlightening and helpful.
We recently gave this CD set as a gift to a newly married couple! This is a sermon series by Pastor Tommy Nelson, and it is so good! I think guys will find particularly helpful, and couples will find it entertaining to listen to together! It's so good!!!
We haven't actually read this book, but I found it one day at our local Christian book store! I was super excited because I realized it was the book version of the CD collection we loved so much! I think this book would definitely be worth checking out!
So these have been a few of our favorites! Do you have any favorite marriage resources you would recommend for the couple wanting to ignite their relationship with God and one another?
"The Meaning of Marriage", by Tim Keller is my most recent favorite-of-all! It's so helpful to continually read and be encouraged by good resources like the ones you listed. I'm currently reading "The Power of a Praying Wife" and though i've heard about it for years, the timing is really great right now. Marriage is a fascinating, never ending work in process and its nice to have someone to look up to as well (mentor-ish). I'm sure as you continue to ask God for wisdom you will know how His spirit is showing you to respond to your friend. We need to keep on encouraging each other in marriage and in life!
ReplyDelete